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

My Zeiss Dialyt 10 x 40 B- how obsolete? (1 Viewer)

Most of your points are valid, but Holger's review is not. The Dailyt he reviewed did not have the T* multi-coatings or phase coating. Both of these put the newer ones into a much higher performance level. And, he himself, mentions that there could be a problem with the mirror coatings... Also, I have always found the Dailyt's to preform very well in back-lit situations.

I did a pretty thorough comparison in the field years ago between my own Zeiss 10x40BGA (no muli-coating, no phase coating), a Zeiss 10x40BGAT* (multi-coating, no phase-coating) and a Zeiss 10x40BGAT*P (multi-coating and phase-coating).

The differences between these three versions of the Dialyt were rather clear-cut and somewhat larger than I thought they would be, with the latest version quite clearly better than the two earlier versions, both with regard to contrast and to resolution. My own 10x40BGA, dating back to 1979, looked rather dull with washed out colours when compared to the 10x40BGAT*P in particular. The difference between the 10x40BGA and the 10x40BGAT* (without phase coating) was still obvious, but my conclusion at the time was that the phase coating made a larger difference than the multi-coating.

Interestingly a Zeiss West 10x50 Porro from 1961 (with single layer coatings) beat both 10x40s without phase coating quite easily with much better resolution and still had the edge over the 10x40BGAT*P. The contrast wasn't as good as in the multi-coated Dialyts, but the resolution was still slightly better than that of the 10x40BGAT*P with a visibly sharper image.

Hermann
 
I did a pretty thorough comparison in the field years ago between my own Zeiss 10x40BGA (no muli-coating, no phase coating), a Zeiss 10x40BGAT* (multi-coating, no phase-coating) and a Zeiss 10x40BGAT*P (multi-coating and phase-coating).

The differences between these three versions of the Dialyt were rather clear-cut and somewhat larger than I thought they would be, with the latest version quite clearly better than the two earlier versions, both with regard to contrast and to resolution. My own 10x40BGA, dating back to 1979, looked rather dull with washed out colours when compared to the 10x40BGAT*P in particular. The difference between the 10x40BGA and the 10x40BGAT* (without phase coating) was still obvious, but my conclusion at the time was that the phase coating made a larger difference than the multi-coating.

Interestingly a Zeiss West 10x50 Porro from 1961 (with single layer coatings) beat both 10x40s without phase coating quite easily with much better resolution and still had the edge over the 10x40BGAT*P. The contrast wasn't as good as in the multi-coated Dialyts, but the resolution was still slightly better than that of the 10x40BGAT*P with a visibly sharper image.

Hermann

Hermann,

I find the same with my 8x30B Oberkocken, sharper than even my 7x42 BGAT/P, but lacking the transmission and contrast.

A 8x30 B with some modern glass and T coatings would be quite a treat, I think.
 
I find the same with my 8x30B Oberkocken, sharper than even my 7x42 BGAT/P, but lacking the transmission and contrast.
A 8x30 B with some modern glass and T coatings would be quite a treat, I think.

All of the old Zeiss West porros (8x30, 8x30B, 8x50B, 10x50) with up to date coatings would give *any* of the modern roofs a run for their money. They're all *very* sharp with no visible CA in the centre (that's where the 10x50 with its almost apochromatic objectives excels), have a large sweetspot and are very well sealed (better than the great majority of porros, Zeiss used rubber sealings on those binoculars). My personal favourites are the 8x50B (which I have) and the last incarnation of the 8x30B, the one you've got.

How good these binoculars would be with modern coatings becomes clear when you look at the 15x60GAT* (essentially the same construction as the 8x30 and the 10x50 with Erfle eyepieces) and the 15x60BGAT*, the same binocular but with modern eyepieces. That last version has incredible optics. No doubt it would be even better with the latest coatings, with even higher transmission and contrast.

I could kick myself I didn't get one of those 15x60BGAT* when they were still available.

Hermann
 
I bought my 10x40s in 1985 with a 30 year guarantee so how can they be obsolete?
I accept that more modern binoculars will be technically superior but my old Dialyts are still fit for purpose.
When I use them I like to think it gives me an air of maturity but my greying hair and expanding paunch do that anyway.
 
I bought my 10x40s in 1985 with a 30 year guarantee so how can they be obsolete?
I accept that more modern binoculars will be technically superior but my old Dialyts are still fit for purpose.
When I use them I like to think it gives me an air of maturity but my greying hair and expanding paunch do that anyway.

I would think that coming from Yorkshire (like me) you simply exude gravitas anyway.

Hang on. Isn't gravitas what you put on a seriously good Yorkshire Pudding?

:t:

Lee
 
No Lee in West Yorkshire it is onion gravy. Although someone I knew thought I meant honey and gravy.
Still fancying some 10x42 HTs although would prefer 8x32s before I expire.
 
I have recently been enjoying my recent purchase of a later model 10x40B T*P*,
and I find it to be a very nice bincocular. This one is of 1995 mfr. and I am told it has
the latest coatings that were produced.

I like the light weight, and sleek design, and since I don't wear eyeglasses,
they fit me perfectly, and provide a very nice view.

Zeiss seems to have had top quality coatings for many years, and I find them comparable
to todays offerings. I have owned and used the FL and the Zeiss NightOwl, and I can
recommend these to anyone looking for a top quality optic.

I can see why some users do not feel any need to upgrade.

The Zeiss Classic, is very much a classic.

Jerry
 
...Bit late to join the thread, but perhaps this may be of interest... I originally treated myself to a pair of Zeiss West 10x40BT* (leather-covered, non-phase-corrected) for my 21st birthday in 1979 (stop counting!) for the then very expensive price of £269 - after seeing David Attenborough (now, Sir David) using a pair when presenting his ground-breaking Life on Earth tv series! (I've met him three times since - what a guy!). These were great, but after a while, I longed for the 'Gummi-armierung' (German: 'rubber-armoured') version. A few years down the line (mid-'80s), I took the plunge and traded in my 'old' 10x40Bs for a pair of Zeiss West 10x40BGAT*P - with the then-new phase-corrected prisms - costing, I recall, about £399 (minus the trade-in). I've still got them, but only use them on 'high-days' and holidays now. They still perform as well as they ever have and I've had zero problems with their optical- or build-quality. A few years ago, I took them along to the annual Birdfair at Rutland Water - Britain's premier birding day out, with all the trade stands present. I did an exhaustive hands-on side-by-side comparison with all the latest Zeiss models, with views out over the water (Ospreys!), and to be quite honest, I preferred the view through my 'old faithfuls'! I realised that I was perhaps being a little biased, but when I took advantage of the kind offer of a free overhaul by an actual German technician, shipped over from Oberkochen for the event (strip-down, cleaning, lubrication and replacement of the worn fold-down rubber eye-cups), I asked him if he would recommend an up-grade... He smiled and quietly told me that I already had the superior instrument! The reasons he gave were 'superior glass' and a metal - rather than polycarbonate - chassis. Today, I use a pair of Leica 8x32 Ultravids (the original model) for my everyday birding - lighter, waterproof to 5m and much closer-focussing However, these have had to go back to Leica in Germany TWICE for warranty work... Once for internal fogging - after I used them on a damp, foggy day by the sea (!), and then again, after the rubber-armouring started to bulge and become loose all over. Okay, fixed for free both times, but Leica quality...? I recently saw a 'last chance to buy new' pair of Zeiss 10x32FL for sale and I was sorely tempted, but - at over £1,000 - the words of that German technician came to mind...! I also have an old pair of Zeiss 8x30 Jenoptems which I picked up new in the1980s for just £35 (!!!) - definitely in a lower league, but they still perform like new and live on the windowsill overlooking the garden birdtable. Keep birding, whatever your choice of bins - and don't be a numpty! Best wishes, Clive Haley
 
I own the same pair, the armored version, bought about the same time as yours. They were my go to binos till summer 2020. Confess I didn't use them heavily alll those years, as bino relevant activities came and went. When I needed them they were ready to go, and brilliant. I took care of them, liked looking at em and figured I'd have them forever. Cant wear out glass by looking through it... right? Sorry to report the new pair I bought last summer are better, clearly so. That said, I still have the ol Zeiss, no intent to sell, and enjoy taking them out from time to time. My friends who come along without binoculars can enjoy them now.
 
I did a similar exercise as Derbyshire birder at Birdfair 2019, comparing my P model 10x40 Dialyt to the leading sub-alphas (my notes here) and - though I wish it were not so - I found the latter slightly but noticeably superior in a number of important respects, particularly brightness, colour rendition and sharpness. I still think the Dialyt is a very practical and useful birding tool, with some excellent qualities (compactness and build quality in particular) but is no longer my choice in certain particularly demanding circumstances, such as following tiny black specks around the sky.

I recently logged just over 38 hours of observation time with my Dialyt in the Canaries over about a ten day period, having chosen it over the Nikon 10x42 SE that has largely replaced it over the last 12 months or so. This trip was a really good opportunity to put in a good number of hours with my old favourite (the 10x40/42 format just seems to get a lot of use for me, as prior to acquiring the SE the Dialyt was my most used binocular) and assess its performance more carefully. I find the SE noticeably better optically - slightly but noticeably sharper, with a cleaner image and superior brightness that helps pop that distant "black star" from the background of blue or hazy sky and helps avoid losing birds when they circle and the change in contrast between black silhouette and fighter-jet grey back can make them disappear, especially when there is a bit of haze or faint cloud. In most birding situations this probably doesn't make a difference, but I think dielectric prism coatings (in Schmidt-Pechan prisms) or designs with total internal reflection (porro, Abbe-Koening) have a brightness, clarity and "transparency" of image that silver mirror coatings lack. The SE is also a little easier in terms of eye placement (although I would not describe it as having easy eye placement as it is still quite exacting, especially in distance from the eye). But the Dialyt is better as a travel binocular thanks to its compactness, easier to hold steady, and feels more rugged.

I have often thought of selling my Dialyt, but it's hard. This binocular still has some excellent qualities and beyond that, has more memories associated with it than any other.

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