bobf711
Well-known member
Hi folks,
I have been following this thread with interest for some months and prompted by a £200 off promotion by a UK supplier I ordered a pair of 8 x 42 SF. They arrived last week.
Sad to say they are going back to the supplier for focus issues. I'll be seeking an exchange rather than refund as they are still the binoculars I want.
The problem mine have is this: The focus is very smooth in an anti-clockwise direction, and generally the same clockwise. As others have mentioned, you can feel some friction but it is still very smooth.
The problem seems to be when, or rather after, you have changed direction of rotation of the focusser, particularly from anti-clockwise to clockwise. What happens then is that the focus wheel begins to tighten up and then releases as you turn it clockwise, though not immediately at the point you have changed direction.
I had hoped that this would work itself out with use but it doesn't seem to be doing so.
As a comparison, my 'old' binoculars 8 x 42 FL Victory are much easier in the focus mechanism, even compared to the SF when they are not tightening up.
Onto other aspects - the objective caps are a perfect fit so no issues there. The eye cups are however a bit strange in their operation. I wear glasses so would normally have the eye cups fully retracted. When I extend them, they move very smoothly to the first stop - much more smoothly than my FL's. The travel is about 8mm from the closed position (on the FL's its only about half that to the first stop).
From there you turn that against some quite high resistance and they click into a fully locked position which is about 10mm extended. Turn again outwards and it clicks and releases again extending to around 12mm. Carry on and they click and lock again now at the fully extended position about 13mm. Its the amount of force needed to get past each of the stops which feels a bit odd - it seems at first like you are forcing them to turn with more effort than should be needed. In a nutshell, it doesn't feel like what you would expect from a £2,000 binocular and by comparison the FL feels like a little 'bump' when you pass a lock position. The SF is more of a 'crack'. That said, if there was no issue with the focus I would simply accept that the eye cup 'issue' is just that they are different.
No problem at all with the optical performance and for me they do feel like a good step up from the FL's.
The dilemma now is that the supplier in question has no stock at the moment so I'm not sure how or when I will be able to exchange?
I have been following this thread with interest for some months and prompted by a £200 off promotion by a UK supplier I ordered a pair of 8 x 42 SF. They arrived last week.
Sad to say they are going back to the supplier for focus issues. I'll be seeking an exchange rather than refund as they are still the binoculars I want.
The problem mine have is this: The focus is very smooth in an anti-clockwise direction, and generally the same clockwise. As others have mentioned, you can feel some friction but it is still very smooth.
The problem seems to be when, or rather after, you have changed direction of rotation of the focusser, particularly from anti-clockwise to clockwise. What happens then is that the focus wheel begins to tighten up and then releases as you turn it clockwise, though not immediately at the point you have changed direction.
I had hoped that this would work itself out with use but it doesn't seem to be doing so.
As a comparison, my 'old' binoculars 8 x 42 FL Victory are much easier in the focus mechanism, even compared to the SF when they are not tightening up.
Onto other aspects - the objective caps are a perfect fit so no issues there. The eye cups are however a bit strange in their operation. I wear glasses so would normally have the eye cups fully retracted. When I extend them, they move very smoothly to the first stop - much more smoothly than my FL's. The travel is about 8mm from the closed position (on the FL's its only about half that to the first stop).
From there you turn that against some quite high resistance and they click into a fully locked position which is about 10mm extended. Turn again outwards and it clicks and releases again extending to around 12mm. Carry on and they click and lock again now at the fully extended position about 13mm. Its the amount of force needed to get past each of the stops which feels a bit odd - it seems at first like you are forcing them to turn with more effort than should be needed. In a nutshell, it doesn't feel like what you would expect from a £2,000 binocular and by comparison the FL feels like a little 'bump' when you pass a lock position. The SF is more of a 'crack'. That said, if there was no issue with the focus I would simply accept that the eye cup 'issue' is just that they are different.
No problem at all with the optical performance and for me they do feel like a good step up from the FL's.
The dilemma now is that the supplier in question has no stock at the moment so I'm not sure how or when I will be able to exchange?
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