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Zen Ray 7x43 ED3 (2 Viewers)

FrankD

Well-known member
Comparison with the 8x43 ED3:

I have had the rare opportunity to be able to try out Zen Ray’s new 7x43 ED3 binocular for the last week. The unit that I have in my possession is a prototype and not a production unit. I make mention of this simply because there are several key issues which will be commented on later in the review where this becomes pertinent. It seems appropriate for me to compare the 7x43 to the 8x43 since all of the comments that pertain to one can be applied to the other.

For the most part the 7x43 unit is identical to the 8x43 externally with a few notable exceptions. The eyecup design of the 7x43 is longer (not away from the eyepiece but actually longer into the binocular body). The eyecups also fit more loosely than the 8x43 unit. Further, the antireflective coatings on the eyepiece are of a different color and “dimmer” than that of the 8x43. Objective color reflections are identical. The physical length and weight is identical between both binoculars. The diameter of the ocular lens is narrower on the 7x43 I am assuming because the 7x magnification design warrants it.

The only other external difference between the two configurations is in the focusing knob feel. The 8x43 displays about 1/8th of inch of play which does not change the focus point. The 7x43 does not display any play whatsoever and is extremely precise throughout the focus range. Focusing speed, direction and overall feel are identical between the two configurations.
Looking down the barrels from the objective side also revealed one key difference between the two models. The internal threaded baffling in the 7x43 unit is not as deep as the 8x43. They are “finer”. This, along with the eyepiece reflections I mentioned earlier will play a part in the optical performance comments I am to mention next.

Optical Impressions:

Optically the 7x43 shares the same neutral color representation of the 8x43 primarily because of the specific formula of the antireflective coatings used in the ED3 design. As referenced in the 8x43 review this is a change from the slightly warm color bias of the ED2. The apparent field of view is narrower in the 7x43 design, 58.6 degrees versus the 65 degrees of the 8x43. In practical use I cannot tell much of a difference.

Eye relief for the 7x43 is listed at 20 mm. I have no problem seeing the full field of view with the eyecups fully collapsed. I do not wear glassed but because of my facial characteristics, large nose and relatively close-set eyes, I find that I need to use most binoculars with the eyecups in the fully collapsed position.

Close focus is right at 6 feet for my eyes.

In terms of the image, it is everything you would hope for in a high quality 7x43 binocular. The 440 foot field of view is expansive. Depth of field is also excellent. It does not give quite the “apparent” depth of field of a similarly configured porro prism model but the depth of field is still noticeably better than the 8x43 model. Very little refocusing is needed over a good percentage of typical birding distances. When you couple this with the faster focus of the ED3 design, one full turn from close focus to infinity, then you find a very easy combination to use out in the field. The larger exit pupil also comes into play here. One of the reasons I have always been so fond of the 7x40-something configuration is the large 6 mm exit pupil. The 6 mm diameter gives my eye more room to roam around the image. For the type of birding I primarily do, hawk watching mostly but also waterfowl, this characteristic makes using the binocular so much more comfortable.

Just like the other configurations of this model the image is exceptionally sharp mostly due to the use of extra low dispersion glass in the objectives but also because of the rest of the binoculars’ design takes full advantage of that ED glass.

Color saturation appears very good, again, probably in large part to the combination of ED glass and high quality antireflective coatings. Colors are well represented but do not necessarily have quite the “pop” that some of the ED3’s optical competition does (thinking Nikon and Leica in this case). Though not necessarily the case with the Nikon and Leica models I do find that many times a binocular with a specific color bias represents certain similar colors with better color saturation. Since the ED3 is fairly neutral in color representation I do not necessarily get “deep reds” or “brilliant blues” in much the same way as I would in other models. I often felt the same way about the Zeiss FLs that I owned for several years. The color representation was fairly neutral but specific colors might not necessarily have been as vibrant as competing models. I do remember an extensive explanation of this phenomenon with the FL in particular but do not have it on hand at the moment to continue the discussion further.

Apparent brightness is interesting for lack of a better word. In just about every condition I have tried these binoculars in the apparent brightness appears to be fairly equal between the 8x43 and 7x43 units. This really surprised me as I had fully expected the 7x43 to give me more of that overwhelming brightness that the 7x42 FL does even in comparison to the 8x42 FL. Before I expand on that issue let me also mention….

The sweet spot of image in focus and free of distortion is another issue worth discussing. This was something else that did not fully live up to my expectations. I do realize that different individuals have different preferences for what is “acceptable” in terms of the size of the sweet spot. Personally I find it directly related to the type and degree of distortion visible outside of the sweet spot. Some distortions can be distracting because of their severity while others can be distracting because they occupy such a large portion of the image. To put it simply, the size of the sweet spot in the 7x43 is smaller, to my eyes, than the 8x43. Conversely the amount of astigmatism in the outer edge of the image is too much for me to call the image “excellent” or “ideal”. I am not going to throw around estimated percentages with this one because I truly have not attempted to estimate it. I would estimate the 8x43 ED3 to have a respectably sized sweet spot in the range of 70-75%. I am sure if I actually tried to verify that in a scientific manner then the true size may actually be smaller but I am referring more to the perception of the size of the sweet spot rather than the actual measurement. Sadly, the 7x43 seems to be less than that 70-75%.

Depending on how you use the binocular this may or may not be an issue. When utilizing the binocular this past weekend I noticed the distortion but did not feel that it took away from the overall quality of the view. This past week when I had more time to sit down with it and literally “look for it” then I found it to be more objectionable. Further, when I compared it with two other models which both have exceptionally wide sweet spots then I became more aware of how much it took away from the potential total viewing experience. Coincidentally I had much the same experience when I first had my hands on one of the initial 7x36 ED2 units. After using the 8x43 ED2 for so long I immediately noticed what I felt was a smaller sweet spot and more distortion around the outer edge of the image.

Clarifications:

All hope is not lost though. After making all of these observations I emailed Charles so that he would have the opportunity to clarify some of my concerns. From what he related many of my concerns are the result of this 7x43 unit being a prototype of the configuration. The production units of the 7x43 will have eyecups practically identical to the 8x43. The difference in eyepiece reflections was due to not having the full multi-coating on some of the lens elements…again a prototype concern not a production unit issue. The difference in internal baffling was also specific to the prototype and not something that will be evident in the production model.

I also have hope that the production unit will also have a sweet spot similar in size to that of the 8x43 model. My hope actually relates back to the 7x36 situation I mentioned earlier. This past week I had the opportunity to try out some of the 7x36 ED2s once again. I tried three of the units. All three had sweet spots notably larger than what I remember from that first production run. The distortion in the outer edge of the image was still different from the 8x43s but the size of the sweet spot itself seemed to be notably better than what I remembered. I am hoping that will also be the case with the 7x43 when the time comes next month.

I will add some pictures to this post when I have a chance later today.

All for now.
 
Frank, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this prototype 7x43. As I mentioned in the email, this unit is more of a proof-of-concept build than a validation unit. Once all the toolings designed for 7x43 have been put in place, the finished products will be as stellar as the other 43mm ED3 siblings.

Charles
 
Frank, you should set up a website and sell ad space. You deserve to get paid for the quality of your reviews.

Too bad about the 7x43 sweetspot. Like you, I found the "fuzzy donut" effect of the 7x36 somewhat distracting. I should think it wouldn't be too hard to tweak though, at least somewhat.

Let me be the second to say a big thanks,

Mark
 
Charles,

I cannot wait. ;)

Mark,

Thank you. The best part is that I absolutely love doing them....which makes it easy.

I felt much the same way about the 7x36 ED2 initially. I wonder if they "tweaked" the design since its introduction because the unit I currently have doesn't show the same effect. The view is actually quite pleasing. I am guessing you are correct and they can tweak the sweet spot based on what Charles posted. Only time will tell.
 
Frank
i will say one thing you sure go in to depth on the details when you are doing a review you are very imformative about them,i can't wait to hear the review of the full size bin of the 7x43 is there a release date on the 7x43 yet,
Great Review also thanks for sharing with everyone.
 
Sorry for the delay in posting pics. My 5 year old Casio digital camera appears to have finally kicked. Looks like I will have to pick up a new one.
 
Comparison of the difference in eyecup design...production 8x43 ED3 vs 7x43 ED3 prototype
 

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I wanted to provide an update to this thread as I was able to receive a production unit 7x43 this past Saturday and had a few days to experiment with it. My conclusions, in comparison to the 7x43 prototype and the 8x43 production unit are below....

The production unit is notably different in terms of function and performance in comparison to the prototype and much more similar optically to the 8x43. In this instance I am referring to the sweet spot and edge performance. Where I noted astigmatism in the outer 1/3rd of the image of the prototype and literally no field curvature I now see practically no astigmatism in the production unit. I do see a small amount of field curvature and pincushion in the image. It is very similar to the 8x43 in this regard. In fact I think the images, overall, are practically identical with two key differences. For one, the 7x43 production unit looks "cleaner" as in I can see fine details much more readily. There is more "snap" to the perfect focus of the image. The depth of field is, of course, better as well.



Second, there is notably more eye relief in the 7x43 production unit in comparison to the 8x43. I use the eyecups fully collapsed in the 8x43 but with the 7x43 I have to extend them about a quarter of an inch in order to avoid blackouts and some tunnel vision. In this regard the production unit is different than the prototype. I am not sure if it is the result of an optical design change or if it is the result of the different style of eyecups. I am guessing the latter as the prototype's eyecups are more squared on the edges which forces me to place them farther away from my eyes. The bridge of my nose gets in the way here. Since the production unit 7x43 has the more rounded edges they actually seat farther into my eye sockets. I do wonder if this is the only reason and if there isn't an optical design though because of the difference in the optical performance between the prototype and production unit.



The sweet spot of image in focus and free of distortion is larger in the production unit. Very similar to the 8x43 in that I would estimate it to be about 75-80% of the image. Apparent brightness is slightly better than the 8x43 though contrast appears to be about equal. Color representation is extremely neutral. The first words that pop into my head when I look through them is....clean....white....bright. I don't see any need to continue to update the coatings on these binoculars. In the area of apparent brightness and contrast these are very, very good.

All for now....
 
man, the 7x43 sounds awesome, I think I would like it better but I am scared about the even greater eye relief than the 8x43 :( the 8x43 is already right at the edge of usability for me and I can get some minor blackouts if I don't have them positioned quite right.

I had the opportunity at this past weekend's San Diego Christmas Bird Count to try some other people's binoculars for fun, including a pair of Atlas Optics 8x42 (just like the Zen ED2 as you would expect) but most relevant to this discussion a Zeiss FL 7x42. WOWZA. We both agreed that the image of my 8x43 ED3's was pretty darn close and no way the Zeiss was ~$1500 better, but good lord there was just something so clean and crisp about the Zeiss image, perhaps it was partly the better depth of field or increased contrast/resolution, but that baby was razor sharp. After having gone through Viper (6x32 and 8x32 HD versions) and Zens (7x36 ED2 and now 8x43 ED3) I am beginning to think that the lower power, increased depth of field + brightness and more relaxed view of the 7x format might be for me...
 
Eitan,

I am sure you know that the Zeiss 7x42 FLs are my favorite binocular....period. Having said that I believe the 7x43 ED3s come very close to equally the FL in many key areas. I wouldn't mind it if Charles shrank the eye relief 2 or 3 mm and expanded the field of view another 15 feet...but that is just me being a perfectionist.

;)

Truth be told I believe the sweet spot is probably wider on the ED3s. The edge performance on the prototype is more similar to the FLs than the production unit.
 
I noticed that "cleaner" more detailed look when comparing the ED2 7x36's to the ED2 8x43's also. I attributed it to the better depth of field. It also seemed easier to get sharp focus on a bird in flight. I'm with eitanaltman, they do sound awesome! I am also of the same mind, thinking that the 7x format might be for me. I'm kinda bummed that the Prime HD won't be available in 7x, as I am really liking the view of the binos with field flattener lenses. I would buy them in a minute. As it is right now, the 7x's I'm considering are the Meopta Meostar's, Leica Trinivods, and the Zen ED3's.
 
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John,

You could buy all three and return the ones you don't like.

;)

You know you won't be happy until you follow that route....always second guessing what you "remember" about each model and not necessarily what you would notice in a side by side comparison. ;)

I would be interested as to where you would find the 7x42 BN/BA? They show up on Ebay occassionally but other than that.....

The Meopta you could get from Eagle Optics and the Zen you could get directly from their website. They both have good return policies.

Let me know when you do and I will meet you up at Hawk Mountain. I have the week off from Christmas to New Years.
 
Frank,
That was my plan. But I think that will have to go on hold for now. I have just come to the conclusion that I will probably need a new roof on my house come spring. I had been trying to seal a leak myself, with no luck. Today I looked into the eves, and see what looks like some of the roof sheeting is buckled. Time to saving money now. I'm still interested in meeting. I have several days off during the middle of that week that might work. I'll let you know.

John
 
Frank,
For the last few days I've been waiting for your impressions of your 7x43 ED3 production unit. I couldn't believe that neither you nor anyone else had any additional comments. Then this evening I realized there was a second page. My aging brain at work.
They are amazing binoculars, and I'll leave out the qualifier "at the price". They are excellent at any price!
I spent some time in the last few days comparing them with my 7x36 ED2. My first reaction was that the 7x36s suffered by comparison. I got out my Canon and photographed them from every angle, getting ready to list them on eBay; but the next day I again compared them and my impressions were completely different. What I did differently was to set the 7x36 eyecups pretty close to the inner most position (their eye relief is that much less than the 7x43s). In this position the image was much better. Equal to that of the 7x43 ED3s but with a significantly larger field of view. I'd be hard pressed to say that one was better than the other. Although the wider field and lower eye relief are big positives for me.
I think you said you would be comparing the two 7s. I'd be interested in your impressions. And this time I'll be looking for a page 3.
 
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Moman,

I agree with you to an extent. They are more alike than not...from a large perspective. Being a devout member of the nit-pickers club though I would note some key optical differences. I see notably more field curvature and pincushion in the ED2 for one. Second, though in comparison to most binoculars the ED2 color representation appears fairly neutral. But, in comparison to the 7x43 ED3 I get the impression that the ED2 is slightly warm. Every so slight, but there.

The field of view difference is a bit of a wash for me personally. The reason is the eye relief level of the 7x36. I want to say that I can say the full field of view but the truth is that I cannot. I can probably see about 95% of it but the field stop eludes me. Because of that the usable field of view for both models, for me, is equal.

Having said that I wouldn't say that one is "better" than the other. I think the slight optical superiority of the ED3 is counterbalanced by the size and ergonomics of the smaller and lighter ED2. It is sort of like two different flavors of 7x open-bridge bins. I think most folks would be happy with either.
 
So, I've had the 7x43 ED 3 for a couple of days, so I'll post a few initial thoughts. I initially got these with the idea to do a full comparison with my 7x36 ED 2. My first impression was... "these are unusable!". I had to hold them so far away from my eyes, that it was just never going to work for any purpose. I fiddled around and decided I could not even use them well enough to do any sort of review. Bummer. Anyway, I put them aside and did some other things, among them setting up my new Motorola Droid Bionic Smartphone. Those things are almost as addicting as optics. Anyway, while reading through BF on the Bionic, I got an idea to fix the problem. It came to me while reading through Frank's "Optical Performance" thread.

It seems that some posts have indicated there is too much eye relief in the 7x43 ED 3. No, the eye relief is what it is and is a function of design. What it is, the eye cup design does not match the eye relief. The eye cup is too short, and for some (me anyway) just doesn't extend out far enough. So, I started wondering how I could extend the eye cup maybe 2-3mm. I have often in the course of life had to either modify or outright build stuff around the farm for various purposes. So I got to digging around and came up with a length of bicycle inner tube, two sets of slip ring rubber plumbing washers, one of 1.25" and one of 1.50". I came up with a pair of 0-rings out of the box we keep for hydraulic use around the place. The right diameter for the ED 3 seems to be 40mm (or 1.5") that are 3.0 mm thick.

Cut two rings from the inner tube, just slightly longer than the eye cup. Slide them over the eye cup and adjust them to that the edge of the inner tube rings fit even with the inner diameter of the eye cup. Roll the inner tube ring bask down on itself just enough for it to stay put. Place either the 0-ring or rubber washer on top of the eye cup. Roll the inner tube ring back over the eye cup. It rolls nicely over the 0-ring and extends the eye cup by the combined width of the inner tube and the 0-ring. Experiment till you get the right thickness for you. I have contacted Charles with a couple of suggestions. But anyway this sounds pretty Rube Goldberg-ish, but does not look too bad and a slightly oversized rain guard from the Kruger Caldera fits. This method should work for most eye cup designs and once you do it once it only takes about a minute to do.

Point is this worked and it let me see the potential of this binocular. I wound up preferring the use of a 3.5mm thick plumbing washer. A 2.5 mm 0-ring is enough, but I found that by experimenting by going a little thicker, that I lost just a tiny bit of the fov. The loss is not noticeable, but the edge sharpness is enhanced by blocking some of the edge distortion. I would not over do this or you will get into tunnel vision pretty quick I think. I took some pictures with my new cell phone camera, but I might decide I have to redo the shots with my digital camera.

Originally I was pretty disappointed the 7x36 didn’t carry over to the ED 3 type. Looking at both side by side, I see the 7x43 is really the way to go. First the 7x36 is really not very compact. It is only less than a half inch shorter than the 7x43, and very little lighter. Give me the extra exit pupil and larger objective any day. The center field resolution at first seems little different. However my brother pointed out something that proved to be a valid distinction. We were looking at the ridge line of a mountain that is 4.5 miles away. There is an old WWII era USMC radio tower on the skyline. It is old and decrepit, and typically at 7x just looks like a pile of rocks. The 7x43 could show its detail, the 7x36 just not quite. Changing back and forth between the two at various other targets and the 7x43 is the winner. The fov is stamped on the wheel as 435’. The edge is definitely and noticeably sharper on the ED 3. It is a pure no brainer if you like little edge distortion. The edges are better on this 7x43 than they were on either the 8x or 10x42 I had for review. The edges on the 7x43 are better than any of the Zeiss 7x42 FL’s I have spent time with. I now think the edges of the 7x36 would have taken less of a beating with a reduced fov, being more like the 7x43.

Like the other ED 3 binoculars, the 7x offers a very bright, crisp, sharp image with a cool color bias. It has very good, even excellent contrast. Jupiter focuses to a bright sharp edged point and the moons are nice definite bright pinpoints. The Jupiter test also shows that the 7x43 is a flatter field than the 7x36. The terrestrial fov sweet spot is apparently wider than the astronomical one.

Serious birding use I think will go to the 7x43 with its faster focus. That coupled with the wide enough fov, great depth of field (not apparently different from the 7x36), makes it pretty easy to follow fast movers around. My targets these days are the resident House Sparrows.

So lets use FrankD’s Optical Performance Rankings here.

Object Performance:
Both are very bright and have very good, even excellent CA control. Both have a very cool side of neutral color bias. Objects are sharp, crisp and well defined. The 7x43 becomes better as distance increases and is somewhat better in twilight.

Field Performance:
The huge depth of field is an enormous advantage for a 7x binocular. The superior contrast of either of these two is outstanding. Those who prefer sharper edges will like the 7x43. It is better than the 7x36, but there are still sharper edges out there. The very wide fov of either offer a very comfortable picture window view. While the 7x43 does not quite make the “modern day criteria” of wide angle, it is close enough to the width of the 7x36 that I don’t notice any practical difference. I'm going to with hold comment about stray light control for now, ntil I see what the ete cup modification does.

Practical Performance:
This is very good in both. The faster focus of the 7x43 will have its advantages sometimes and the slower focus of the 7x36 in others. The eye cup of the 7x43 will certainly not fit all (like me) but others (my brother for example) will be fine with it. They both typify the overall ergonomics of an open hinge design, large binocular.

Overall Performance:
I put this one last. Actually I think of Frank’s system as a three legged stool. Object, Field, and Practical Performance are he three legs that support the seat of the stool, here called Overall Performance. I also tend to view the Overall Performance as the representation of how the total package comes together in a coherent whole (or not). This 7x43 specimen (once I fixed the eye cup) offers a very stress free, wide, bright viewing experience. I have a test I always do. I take a binocular and go start looking at anything and everything, near far, focus close, focus far, just keep looking at everything. After a while I command my eyes to…just relax. The degree to which your eyes relax will often surprise you. Sometimes there is a lot of underlying “squint” built up and other times not much. These don’t “squint up” at all.

I hope the eye cup pictures show up OK. These are the first ones I took with the new cell phone and I don't know how well they will show.

Yuck. The color sure stinks...better double check some settings. But it looks like they carry the point well enough. The inner tune rings will need to be adjusted, but they have a death grip in those plumbing washers, they grab 0-rings even better.
 

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