BirdForum

BruceH · Friday 13th July 2012, 03:41

I received my Prime HD 10X42 pre-order late this morning and have been evaluating them through out the day. They have nice qualities but there are some concerns for me.

Physical: The first physical impression is good. I like the styling and they have a nice heft to them. They are not light weight, but well within reason for a 10X42. One gets the impression they are well built. The weight without the strap per my postal scale is 1 lb 13.2 oz or 29.2 oz or 825 grams.

Feel: I like them, they fit my hands just fine. I do not have large hands, but the barrels do not feel to big and I like the balance. The armoring is typical and provides a nice grip. The focus knob position is just fine and easy to operate. As mentioned by others, the eye cups are on the large side.

Case (Added on Edit): The Prime comes with a very rugged olive green soft case. It is quite thick with an outside cordura type material and an inside nylon type lining. The inside back has a full length pouch for the manual and possibly field notes. The Zen-Ray name accross the flap is embroidered with red and silver thread rather than ink. It has a semi wide belt loop on the back side. There are hard nylon rings on the side for attaching the included neck strap. I really like this quality case but would have preferred a much smaller logo placed in the bottom right corner and metal neck strap rings.

Focus: The focus mechanism is very good, although not equal to the Nikon EDG II gold standard. It is fairly smooth and even, but it does not quite have the hair precision of the Nikon. There are several degrees of free play when changing rotation direction, but not enough to prevent me from obtaining a nice sharp focus. Assuming a perfect score of 10 for the Nikon, I would score the Prime at least an 8.5. So long as the free play does not get worse, I have no problem with the focus mechanism on this unit.

Focus rotation is counterclockwise from close focus to infinity (sorry Looksharp65). Assuming normal vision, rotation from close focus to infinity is about 1 1/3 turns and just over ¼ turn past infinity to the stop. Measured close focus distance is approximately 58 inches.

Diopter: The Prime uses a ring on the right barrel. It is free turning with no clicks and is not stiff, but appears to be stiff enough to hold its position. There are vertical line indentations in the ring and the center line is only slightly larger. None of the lines are painted white and it is difficult to tell were you are in relation to the center. Interestingly, my setting on the Zen-Ray ED2 7X36 is about 1/3 into the negative but on the Prime, it is about ½ into the positive. It is easy to get a bad setting when starting out with any binocular so I usually redo the setting multiple times over several days to make sure that I correctly set the adjustment.

Interpupillary Distance Adjustment: This is definitely a problem area for my unit because it is extremely stiff. It is almost impossible to adjust when holding the binocular to my face. I have to pull it away then get a good grip with both hands to adjust. I suspect that this can be easily fixed so it would not prevent me from keeping the binocular, assuming it holds the adjustment over time. Honestly, I do not know how it made it off the factory floor or passed the Zen-Ray inspection before being mailed out. As a side comment, my IP measurement is on the wide side at about 70mm. I think my setting is at least ¾ of the max setting, but it is hard to tell because of the stiffness of this unit. Someone with a very wide IP may run out of adjustment. Edit: My rough measurement of the binocular IP range is approx 58mm - 75mm. Stated on the ZR web site is 56mm - 74mm, which is likely more precise.

Optics and the View

IP Adjustment and Black Outs: I am having a hard time properly aligning the binocular with my eyes and this is my biggest concern. It does not take much movement for me to get blackouts or graying of the view. This is only aggravated by the difficultly in adjusting the interpupillary distance due the stiffness discussed above. I only have to move the binocular a little bit to have issues. I also notice problems when not moving the binocular but shifting my eyes to the edges. This is an issue both moving up/down and moving right/left. I have several binoculars but none are this sensitive. It may be that I just need more time to adjust and get use to them. I am also wondering if the large eye cups contribute to the problem. My initial feeling is that I well forever be fighting to get a comfortable view.

Eye Cups and Eye Relief: The eye cups twist out nicely, hold their position, and have one intermediate setting. I view without my eye glasses and wish the eye cups extended just a little bit more to get the proper eye relief for me. I have to hold them a little on the high side and not pressed tightly. There is not a lot travel when moving the binocular in or out before I start having black out and field of view issues. I did use them briefly with my eye glasses on and saw the full field with the eye cups fully twisted in.

Brightness and Color Cast: This was somewhat of a surprise. My first view through them appeared slightly dim, as if I was looking through a pair of glasses with an extremely light gray tint. I have been comparing them this afternoon with an EDG II 8X32 and a Sightron II Blue Sky 8X42 and the view appears slightly brighter in those two as compared to the Prime. Normally when I first look with a binocular, the view seems slightly brighter. With the Prime, the light intensity seemed the same or ever so slightly dimmer. The Prime is supposed to have about 90% light transmission so I doubt that is the issue. I have noticed that if I tilt the binocular slightly downward the view starts to grey out. The reduction in relative brightness that I am experiencing may be due to alignment with my eyes. The colors seem close to true.

Center View, Edges and Resolution: The center view is fantastic. Everything is sharp and there is nice contrast. At first I thought the sharpness was dropping off at the edges but I believe that was due to the eye alignment problems. I did a quick test viewing a magazine article containing some very fine print and the sharpness remained as I moved toward the edges. However I had a hard time evaluating edge performance because it did not take much eye shifting before blackout related issues started to appear.

Pin Cushioning: This is a strange area that I do not really understand. I did not do much vertical viewing because of the back out related problems when shifting my eyes right or left. However I did some viewing of a horizontal edge/line in both the top and bottom of the view. With the edge in the top of the view, you can see the ends curving up somewhat. What was unusual was the rate appears to increase much more right at the edge of the lens. At times I thought it was more noticeable on the left side than the right then later it looked equal. I do not see this in the Nikon EDG even those it also shows slight pin cushioning.

Lens: I held the binocular away from my eye and looked though the objective end of the barrel. I noticed a very small area right on the edge of the lens that had a frosted appearance. This was the case with both barrels. I have no idea if this is just part of the normal manufacturing process or if it is an issue. I did notice flaring of light from the frosted areas under certain lighting conditions when doing the inspection through the objectives. This is something that I will have to discuss with Zen-Ray.

CA: I can find a trace if I look for it, but it is about the same as my other binoculars and is not an issue for me.

Horizonal Collimation: I tried the test where you view a horizonal line then pull the binocular away from your face and see if the the two parts of the line are in alignment. The two ends were dead on.

Brock Alert --> Rolling Ball: I definitely see rolling ball characteristics on a consistent basis with the Prime HD and that surprised me. I saw rolling ball the first time I looked for it with my Nikon EDG II 8X32, but after many attempts, I have never been able to repeat the experience. This was viewing the same scene as I viewed today with the Prime. I also viewed the same scene with a Swarovision 12X50 EL a couple of months ago and could not detect any rolling ball. However I can easily see the effects with the Pime. As you pan, it looks like parts of the view are moving in and parts are moving out. It is not something I want, but it would not make me return the binocular.

Thoughts

As a frame of reference, my primary binocular for about the last six years has been a 10X43 Bushnell Elite (double hinge generation). Before that was Bausch & Lomb Elite 8X42 and for the last several months, I have been using a recently acquired Nikon EDG II 8X32 along with several other powers and brands. All of these seem a natural extension of myself. I just raise them up to my eyes and view without any thought. I have been unable so far to get to that level of comfort with the Prime. It has been a fight to get the view that I want and I am only able to maintain it for a few seconds. I compare it to having the right pair of prescription glasses. When things are right, you just put them on and do not think about it. If things are wrong, you are forever trying to adjust.

There is a lot to like about the Prime, but there are three areas of concern that impact me.

- Interpupillary Adjustment: The stiffness issue is most likely unique to this unit and should be easy to fix. I suspect it is a non issue.

- Lens frosted edge issue: It may be a normal manufacturing occurrence and a non issue. I will check with Zen-Ray.

- Difficulty in eye alignment and obtaining a comfortable view: It could be that a) my physical makeup and the binocular design are not compatible, b) this particular unit has a defect or c) the design missed the mark.

My thoughts right now are to contact Zen-Ray and return the unit for evaluation. If the unit is not defective, then I will call it quits. If they find a problem, then I would like to discuss an exchange.

It is important to note that as I post this, there have been four other reviews/comments posted and were much more positive than my experience. That makes me suspect that the issues I have are mostly unique to me or there is something different about this specific binocular. The point is, do not rely just on my comments before making a decision. Zen-Ray offers a 30 day trial, so you can always give it a try yourself. I will be watching for other comments to see if anyone else shares my experiences.

ceasar · Friday 13th July 2012, 04:17

Bruce,

My guess is that the eye cups don't extend far enough out to give you the eye relief you need when you aren't wearing your glasses. Try using them for a while wearing your glasses with the eye cups not extended and see if that alleviates your eye placement problems and the resultant blackouts.

I had the same problem with an 8 x 28 Vortex. They worked great when I wore my sun glasses but were impossible for me to use when I wasn't wearing glasses. I was always moving them in and out to find the proper eye relief that I needed. I gave them to my son who wears glasses. I need to be able to brace binoculars against the bottom of my eye brow ridge to use them comfortably.

I hope you get this worked out satisfactorily.

Bob

jeepcoma · Friday 13th July 2012, 13:43

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster. A bit of background, I was looking to get a nice pair of bins for my wife for an xmas present. Being in photography at a semi-pro level, we both know the value of quality optics so I was looking at some alpha glass. But, the budget wasn't there so the next best thing is hunting for a great bargain. Based in large part on the glowing reviews of the other Zen-Ray models on this site, and lots of research, it seemed like Zen was the way to go and I decided to put a preorder in for the Primes 8x42. They arrived yesterday. I don't have any other binoculars so this is really my first venture into the (hopefully) "upper tier" of quality bino optics, so keep in mind my thoughts are from someone who's looked through binoculars from time to time, but has never really evaluated them as an owner would an expensive pair.

I would write an in-depth review, but BruceH pretty summed up my experience to the letter:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceH

They have nice qualities but there are some concerns for me.

Interpupillary Distance Adjustment: This is definitely a problem area for my unit because it is extremely stiff. It is almost impossible to adjust when holding the binocular to my face. I have to pull it away then get a good grip with both hands to adjust. I suspect that this can be easily fixed so it would not prevent me from keeping the binocular, assuming it holds the adjustment over time. Honestly, I do not know how it made it off the factory floor or passed the Zen-Ray inspection before being mailed out.

Optics and the View

IP Adjustment and Black Outs: I am having a hard time properly aligning the binocular with my eyes and this is my biggest concern. It does not take much movement for me to get blackouts or graying of the view. This is only aggravated by the difficultly in adjusting the interpupillary distance due the stiffness discussed above. I only have to move the binocular a little bit to have issues. I also notice problems when not moving the binocular but shifting my eyes to the edges. This is an issue both moving up/down and moving right/left.

My initial feeling is that I well forever be fighting to get a comfortable view.

Center View, Edges and Resolution: However I had a hard time evaluating edge performance because it did not take much eye shifting before blackout related issues started to appear.

Thoughts

It has been a fight to get the view that I want and I am only able to maintain it for a few seconds.

My wife got home from work and I got to surprise her with the box, then we proceeded to take them outside for a test. I showed her how to adjust everything, the eyecups, the focus balance, and the IPD, and off she went.

You know that scene in A Christmas Story, when after months and months of waiting he finally gets his secret decoder ring, and the intense pressure he feels the first time using it and the utter disappointment he feels when he realizes it was all an ad? Yeah, well it was a little like that. After fighting with the binos for a while, she hands them over to me and says "It's hard to see with them. I guess I'm just not a binoculars person". Ouch.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when I put them up to my eyes. I didn't get a "wow" moment, but admittedly I'm used to shooting behind L quality glass and have no crappy pair that I've been using for a while, so I have nothing to compare it to. Like a good lens though, you just feel like you've stepped closer and don't notice the glass at all, it just feels like you're there.

After struggling with the IPD settings, and eye cups, I could never really get a good fit that was comfortable. I will try with glasses on tonight and see if that makes a difference, but I just couldn't get things right. When it was, things looked good for the most part. But, it was so easy to get my eyes out of dead center that it was hard to keep a good image. I noticed a surprising amount of CA, even at the center, and then I realized it was because of my positioning behind the oculars was off center. This was late afternoon so I was looking at splotches of bring light in the woods against a shaded background, but the CA popped out at me without me even looking for it (and honestly, I didn't want to look for it, because once I notice that kind of thing I can never stop looking for it. Ignorance is bliss).

Looking around, I felt like I couldn't because I had to lock my eyes dead-center and stare straight ahead, or I would get blackouts. I'll try with sun glasses tonight, but still, I bought them to used without. But, if an eyecup extension is all that's required, that wouldn't be so bad. I get a woodpecker that lands on top of my chimney and likes to rap on the metal plate (it sounds like a jackhammer from inside the house!), so I swung them up there for a look. Wow, the word that came into my head was "booIIINNG!" or some other goofy word you'd say when you see jello squares deforming and jiggling around. I'm not planning to look at walls and geometric shapes as a habit, but the distortion was striking.

Another thing I noticed was dust. Some birds were flying overhead and against the uniform blue sky it was quite obvious that something was inside. Both sides. Dust is another one of those things that I don't want to know about, because once I see it that's all I end up looking for. I'm not sure where it's located, it's possible it's on the outside surface, but a quick eyeballing at them and they looked clean. I'll get out my loupe tonight and see if I can see it, but really, dust? They did not really go in or out of focus as I adjusted the wheel, which I think from my optics classes leads me to believe they are on the inside of the ocular section closest to your eyeball, or somewhere in that area? Hopefully it's just some surface dust, but I did not have time to check in depth. Something like that though, even if on the outside, seems like it should have been cleaned.

All in all I'm not sure what to think of these. After my wife's reaction and my own troubles, I feel a little disappointed after waiting so long. Keep in mind the points are above are just the negatives I noticed, and like BruceH said, there's a lot to like. But the negatives might be such an impediment to using them, or enjoying them, that I'll always be thinking "why didn't I just spend more for alphas?". I want to spend some more time with them this weekend, and see if anyone else has similar reviews, since maybe it's just my particular unit that's not quite up to snuff. And I'm a binocular neophyte as well, so some things could just be a matter of user error. Let the reviews continue!

Alexis Powell · Friday 13th July 2012, 14:54

One of my first questions about any bin is how easy it is to focus after a few hours in the freezer, so I'd appreciate someone doing that test (which often gets left out of reviews).

--AP

FrankD · Friday 13th July 2012, 15:25

Sorry Alexis, I tend to prefer to store my bins in the fridge. They look so cute next to the lettuce and iced tea.

Alexis Powell · Friday 13th July 2012, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankD

Sorry Alexis, I tend to prefer to store my bins in the fridge. They look so cute next to the lettuce and iced tea.

Ha! I guess it does sound funny, the way I said it. But since I winter in Minnesota, very relevant to bino functionality (outdoors in nature's freezer :) for 3-4 months of the year.

--AP

David Swain · Friday 13th July 2012, 15:36

Some of the impressions posted so far sound remarkably like the often-frustrating combination of long eye-relief, IPD sensitivity, and spherical aberration in the Nikon 8x32 SE.

David

brocknroller · Friday 13th July 2012, 15:43

I'm sure these were not the kind of reviews those who pre-ordered the bins were hoping for, nor what Charles wanted to read.

The IPD issue might work itself out. When I first got my latest 8x32 SE, the centerpost was a bit stiff, but since I have to adjust the IPD setting lower than normal to get it into the case because of the extensions I have on the barrels, and because as a porro, I need to adjust the IPD differently at close distance and far distance, the IPD adjustment is now smooth.

Perhaps if you keep working them in and out, the hinge will loosen. If not, some lithium grease should do the trick. Among the issues mentioned, this one's the least of the concerns, because there probably are DIY fixes. But since it affects image blackouts and CA control, it's obvious important to work out as quickly as possible.

The image blackouts are more troublesome, but here too, the user might be able to come up with a "fix". Try using MOLCET to control image blackouts. Rest the eyecups on your eyebrow and tilt the bin slight upward until the image blackouts disappear (see attached photo).

Some people find this stops the blackouts with the SEs. Having Simian brows, this is difficult for me, because it puts the EPs too far away from my eyes. But for mooreorless, caesar and others, it fixes the problem.

Perhaps like the Nikon SE, others will not be bothered by this or not as bothered by them as the two reviewers.

The image blacking out as you look toward the edge won't necessarily be cured with MOLCET. This is an issue with my SEs and I rarely experience image blackout with them except when darting my eyes toward the edges. Try looking at the edge at the 12 or 6 o'clock positions and then slowly circling your eyes along the edges to the lateral edge. I find that doing that can help me avoid blackouts at the lateral edges.

Setting the IPD correctly is always important in getting maximum CA control with bins. You might also find that you need to adjust the IPD differently from your normal setting to achieve optimal CA control with the Prime HD. I noticed this on the EDG, because the best CA control was not dead center but slightly off center. Not sure if this to do with the binoculars or because the IPD for my two eyes are not equidistant from the center of my nose. I also need to do this with the SEs.

However, bins with ED glass are usually more forgiving about IPD settings than non-ED bins when it comes to CA control. The ZR 7x36 ED2's IPD didn't have to be perfectly set to control CA well. But obviously, the higher the magnification, the more critical that the IPD be set correctly since it's harder to control CA at higher magnifications.

I'd like to hear more about the distortion issue. I'm assuming you're talking about pincushion? That was a major issue with the 7x36 ED2, which had an excessive amount of pincushion for my tastes. Panning and more so, tilting, up and down tree lines provided a "Funhouse" experience.

While looking at the road out in front of me, a slight dip looked like a valley. The centerfield view, however, was unrivaled. If ZR could extend that view out to at least 75%, lose the excess pincushion, and make the fall off at the edges more gradual, that would be an ideal design for me.

As more Prime HD owners weigh in, we'll find out more about these issues and see if they are common or if sample variation is the culprit.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

NWBirder · Friday 13th July 2012, 16:34

I am still waiting for my PRIME HD to show up. Has anyone checked the neckstrap connector position? My 7x36 ED2 connector is little too low. My hands have to wrap around them. Not a big deal. But I am hoping that PRIME HD has addressed this.

sk1 · Friday 13th July 2012, 22:30

i know the results will be somewhat different for everyone, my pre-order has not arrived yet and am disappointed already by what i've read so far. i already am expecting to return mine (so that i dont get my hopes up, because they were pretty high previously) and maybe ill get lucky and they will work better for me

mtman · Friday 13th July 2012, 22:58

So here's my take on them after looking throught them:

I have not looked through a ton of high end glass, but when I looked through these, I did say wow. Such amazing colors. I looked at a butterfly from about 6 feet away. That was cool. I looked at a dogs nose from about the same. I could clearly see the beads of perperation vividly. The colors and detail are amazing.

I did not seem to see any dust in mine(untrained eye, but I think I would see that). Don't know how to look for CA, and am not going to even try to learn as it sounds like once you see it, you will always look for it. Ignorance is bliss. Mine were stiff, but they weren't that stiff. I rather have a little stiff. Call it experience with a cheep pair of Bushnell 10X25's that you have to use two-handed.

What I didn't like:

Warrenty card was blank in the middle. That's easy to take care of I'll just call and get a new one. Dang it, I want my warrenty. :)

The cap for the eye pieces had one side that was not intact do whould not stay on the strap. Easy to send back as well.

I did get the blackout when I tried to look through to the sides, and I did have to rest them on my eyebrows to look throught them, but this is how I've had to look through every pair of binos I've ever used. No big deal to me.

I will definately look into some extentions to rectify the blackout issue, because I do really like the glass.

Any cosmetic stuff is negligible to me as these will be my hunting binos and as long as they don't fall apart on me...I'm ok with it.

I will be comparing them to a pair of ED3's of a guy that I know, as well as some Vortex in the local sporting good store and deciding which one to go with. This was my intent all along and has nothing to do with the reveiws so far.

Stet · Saturday 14th July 2012, 00:09

I did experience the blackouts or more like gray outs initially and I had an unusually hard time getting the IPD set right. But once I got it set I have no problems at all with blackouts or gray outs. When the IPD is set right for me it does feel like it is a lot closer together than I normally use, but I think that is the product of the large oculars. Perhaps they fit my face better, but I do feel lucky not to experience these issues others are having because I really love these bins. For me they are quite exceptional. I am using the 10x42's and I use them with the eye cups turned halfway down without any problems. These are definitely keepers for me, although they will have to go back for cleaning as there is what appears to be a small drop of lubrication that ran down the lens, which I only see when I look at birds in flight, but it appears as a faint line in the center of the right lens. From what I can tell it is on the inside. Looking forward to more time with these and hearing more feedback from other users.

sk1 · Saturday 14th July 2012, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stet

I did experience the blackouts or more like gray outs initially and I had an unusually hard time getting the IPD set right. But once I got it set I have no problems at all with blackouts or gray outs. When the IPD is set right for me it does feel like it is a lot closer together than I normally use, but I think that is the product of the large oculars. Perhaps they fit my face better, but I do feel lucky not to experience these issues others are having because I really love these bins. For me they are quite exceptional. I am using the 10x42's and I use them with the eye cups turned halfway down without any problems. These are definitely keepers for me, although they will have to go back for cleaning as there is what appears to be a small drop of lubrication that ran down the lens, which I only see when I look at birds in flight, but it appears as a faint line in the center of the right lens. From what I can tell it is on the inside. Looking forward to more time with these and hearing more feedback from other users.

good to know there is still hope! ha...but that sucks about the lens, wait for such a long time you hope you don't have to deal with things like that. at least they are working good for you, glad to hear it

BruceH · Saturday 14th July 2012, 01:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceasar

Bruce,

My guess is that the eye cups don't extend far enough out to give you the eye relief you need when you aren't wearing your glasses. Try using them for a while wearing your glasses with the eye cups not extended and see if that alleviates your eye placement problems and the resultant blackouts.
……………………………

Bob

I did some viewing today with my glasses as a test and that may have helped slightly because the anchor point makes it easier to hold a position. However, the blackouts and such were still there. In fairness, I have always have problems getting a consistent view using glasses. That is one of the reasons I view without them. Even if it worked, that still would not be a solution because my intention is to view without glasses.

I’m thinking there are two issues here that apply to me.

One is, as you mentioned, the eye cups do not extend out far enough. I hold them with the top of the eye cup just barely touching around my eyebrows with the bottom of the eye cup tilting away from my eyes. Since the binocular is not firmly planted against my face, it makes it harder to hold a position.

Second, there appears to be very little “wiggle room” in holding the ideal position. I can move the binocular toward my face until the two circles form one view and the grey in the inner part of the circles disappear. That is the ideal position. However, if I move them ever so slightly closer toward my face, the image starts to dim. My other binoculars have a little more of a plus or minus in maintaining that ideal position. In other words, the positioning on my Prime is very sensitive. There is very little leeway.

A different eye cup design with three changes might help my situation. A) extend them a few mm. b) add another intermediate stop about one mm or so less than full extension. The EDG II is a good example. The current intermediate stop on the Prime is for eye glass viewing. C) add some taper to the outside edge of the eye cup where it contacts the face.

I also think it would be interesting to do some more comparisons with the competition to find out how sensitive the positioning of the Prime is compared to others. Tweaking the design to allow some more leeway in positioning could only help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

I would write an in-depth review, but BruceH pretty summed up my experience to the letter:
…………….

I really appreciate you taking the time to post your observations. In a twisted sort of way, it is good to know I am not the only one with some concerns. Your additional comments that apply to me also sum up my feelings. However, I am happy to say that I did not experience any thing negative concerning CA or dust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

…………..
You know that scene in A Christmas Story, when after months and months of waiting he finally gets his secret decoder ring, and the intense pressure he feels the first time using it and the utter disappointment he feels when he realizes it was all an ad? Yeah, well it was a little like that.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when I put them up to my eyes. I didn't get a "wow" moment, but admittedly I'm used to shooting behind L quality glass and have no crappy pair that I've been using for a while, so I have nothing to compare it to. Like a good lens though, you just feel like you've stepped closer and don't notice the glass at all, it just feels like you're there.
………...

That is a close description to what I was thinking when I first looked through them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

……………….
Looking around, I felt like I couldn't because I had to lock my eyes dead-center and stare straight ahead, or I would get blackouts
………...

Yes.......

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

……………..
I get a woodpecker that lands on top of my chimney and likes to rap on the metal plate (it sounds like a jackhammer from inside the house!), so I swung them up there for a look. Wow, the word that came into my head was "booIIINNG!" or some other goofy word you'd say when you see jello squares deforming and jiggling around. I'm not planning to look at walls and geometric shapes as a habit, but the distortion was striking.
…………….

I think this relates to rolling ball.

I noticed when I am looking at a single bird held in the center and the binocular is not moving, the view is fantastic. However when looking a larger flock feeding on the ground about 15 yards away, the view seemed somewhat unnatural at times. I’m thinking it is the rolling ball effect caused when I move the binocular a little up and down or right and left to catch the activities of all the birds. I originally thought rolling ball only impacted the view when doing large movements such as panning a hillside or tree canopies. Now I am thinking it can also impact close views with little movement. I am not sure if I can get use to this. Rolling ball is new to me. I have never experienced it (other than briefly) when using other flat field binoculars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

………………..
All in all I'm not sure what to think of these.

I am still trying to sort it out myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexis Powell

One of my first questions about any bin is how easy it is to focus after a few hours in the freezer, so I'd appreciate someone doing that test (which often gets left out of reviews).

--AP

I placed them in the freezer for 45 minutes to get the chill going, then into the refrigerator for two hours to get it down to 34 degrees. I then tried the focus and it was slightly stiffer, but no problem.

I then placed them back in the freezer for over two hours. The focus was very difficult to move initially, but then became better after one or two turns. Although it was quite stiff, it was usable. I ended up rotating it with my thumb on the bottom of the wheel and finger on the top. Almost 50% of the stiffness went away after only 1 minute out of the freezer.

A check of the interpupillary adjustment was a failure. I could not open or close the binoculars at all. It was solid as a rock. I was able to move the eye cups without issue.

Quote: