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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Best Low Light Binocular? (1 Viewer)

I find the Dialyt 8x56 to be a great low light/difficult light glass. Zeiss only stopped making it a couple of years ago. I can easily see why it has a constant cult following for so many decades while other great Zeiss come and go.

Just wondering....Has Zeiss made any other binoculars which had a longer production run than the Dialyt 8x56? (With so few changes?)
Hell Rathaus,

The still current 7x50BT* has been around a long time. It has gone by names like the Nautica and the Marine but it probably has not changed since the introduction of multi-coating. There were early versions which did not have the 'B' for Briller [eyeglasses] designation or lacked multi-coating. However I believe that it may differ significantly from the Binoctems.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 
While on the topic of Zeiss and 'Low Light' - I noticed the elephant in the room...Did Zeiss ever sort the 'issues' with their flagship 8x54 HT and the 10x54 HT?

I remember there were entire Zeiss threads with unanimous (and seemingly evidence based and well informed) wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth due to the woeful performance of these flagship 'low light' Zeiss bins. Some highly respected members compared their performance to $100 Chinese binoculars. Zeiss was cognisant of the threads and negative feedback.
Then, it all went quiet. I possibly missed any resolution to the issues.

What was the upshot of it all...a design flaw, or early batch issues?
Were those initial concerns all sorted by Zeiss?
Is the 54HT back on the recommended list?


It probably doesn't make much difference. Their biggest problem seems to be self made. They are in competition with their own Zeiss Conquest 8 and 10x56 HD binoculars which cost $1000.00 less.:smoke:

https://www.eagleoptics.com/collections/binoculars/zeiss+large-size
 
Hell Rathaus,

The still current 7x50BT* has been around a long time. It has gone by names like the Nautica and the Marine but it probably has not changed since the introduction of multi-coating. There were early versions which did not have the 'B' for Briller [eyeglasses] designation or lacked multi-coating. However I believe that it may differ significantly from the Binoctems.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

Cheers Arthur. I've had an eyeball on the 7x50 Zeiss ever since we had a banter about them. The problem is that they hold onto their value so well...there is no cheap admission to this binocular.
One of the European members noted that the 8x56 Dialyt started production in 1965 and discontinued in 2016. That is a good innings in anybody's book. So, the 7x50 production is possibly similar or even longer?

Rathaus
 
adhoc, post 58,
I have pubished a test report of the Zeiss HT 8x54 and the Swarovski SLC 8x56 on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor. In that report I have also listed my test results of the older Zeiss 56 mm's including the Nightowl and the 8x5 Dialyt and ,if I rember well, also of the original Hensoldt 8x56 Dialyt.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Thanks Gijs, I now read those 2 or 3 fine review articles again. (I don't remember whether 2 or 3 because it was one day ago--this response has been delayed-- and their content overlap). I had read them some time ago, and in the meantime my interest in 8x56 waned, and has now recently revived. The new Minox 8x56 with its 7.8(!) deg. FOV (stated by them) is presently very attractive to me, subject to reviews, expected any time from Piergiovanni of Binomania (pl. see Minox sub-forum) and others, including you of course! The Zeiss Victory FL 8x56 is still selling (new) at high price.
 
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