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

New guy with a few questions (1 Viewer)

fatboy79

fatboy79

Member
I purchased some Zeiss binoculars at an estate sale and would like to get some information on them such as age, and value. They are fantastic binoculars but I am looking for higher magnification and lighter weight. They are in perfect condition.
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fatboy79 said:
I purchased some Zeiss binoculars at an estate sale and would like to get some information on them such as age, and value. They are fantastic binoculars but I am looking for higher magnification and lighter weight. They are in perfect condition.
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I think they appeared around 1994+/- as far as i know, no doubt someone on here will have the exact year, month, date etc.

As to value thats anyones guess, whatever someones willing to pay for them. Obviously the condition will be a factor...good luck
 
From the photos, it looks to me like a Night Owl in the Design Select series, sold during the mid- to late-90s. I have a 7x45 model.

As far a value, it's hard to say. I have the impression that the Night Owl series is not as highly regarded as they used to be, as a few generations have been marketed since. I'm sure that other people will have estimates.
 
As Meester Chan used to say: "Grain of sand in eye may hide mountain." Translation: There is a "select" group of hunters who highly regard the "Design Select" series as being among the best hunting bins made.

Hunting Optics reviewer John Barsness praised them in his book "Optics for Hunting" but did comment on their heavy weight.

Weight can be a good thing in a 10x bin to help dampen vibration, but the Night Owls need a binoharness unless you have a telephone-pole-sized neck like Arnold.

Here's a 8x56 Night Owl on eBay selling for $1,375, with 2 days left. Watch what these sell for, and you'll get an idea of how much yours are worth. (Notice the prominent mention of "lead glass". 'Nuff said.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-8x56-Night-Owl-Binoculars-8-x-56-Nightowl-btp-/330430679281

You might try selling it in the classifieds sections of the hunting forums Optics Talk and 24hrcampfire and avoid the eBay fees.
 
OK, so no case and caps.

Brock: Note that the pair on eBay is not selling at that price. There is no bid on it. That's the asking price and it is way too much (my opinion). I bought my 8x56 some three years ago in "like new" condition with box, starps etc for a bit over $900.
 
Brock, John Barnsness would carry that Zeiss Night Owl in a pack, he would consider it too heavy to carry around his neck. This Zeiss 8 & 10x56 Night Owl is the same two that Jim Carmichel of Outdoor Life fame held the 8x56 & 10x56 Zeiss Night Owls one on top of the other and looked through them comparing and said "The eights are better".;) I wonder if he would of said that if he had been hunting out west instead of being inside Zeiss's place looking out the window? I think I would rather have the 10 at longer distances.;) As far as the price a quicker sale would be $800 but you never know what someone will pay.

Regards,Steve

Omid how much do these big night owls weigh? Thanks for any info.
 
Thanks for the information, you guys are a great help. Looking through them again today and I am still amazed and the picture quality, looked towards the sunset yesterday and they seem to filter nearly all glare out. They are heavy but not so bad with a harness. I use a harness on all my binos because they are handy, hands free and they don't strain the neck or bounce around.
 
fatboy79 said:
Thanks for the information, you guys are a great help. Looking through them again today and I am still amazed and the picture quality, looked towards the sunset yesterday and they seem to filter nearly all glare out. They are heavy but not so bad with a harness. I use a harness on all my binos because they are handy, hands free and they don't strain the neck or bounce around.
Click to expand...

Have a good think before you sell them, they're not perfect by any means, but they do have excellent optics.
Its always nice to have a prime example of a classic bin...B :)
 
The 8x56 and 10X56 Night Owls weight about 1.4Kg so they are REALLY heavy. But they are fanstastic in optical quality and they have better field of view than comparable models made by other manufacturers.

If you are looking for high-power Ziess binoculars, then you can get no better than these:

http://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=28907&sort=&cat=13&page=1

Those are mine and I am offering them to the amature astronomy community since I myself have little use for high-power binoculrs. If you are interested, please email me a few more high-res pictures of your 10x56. I might be able to offer you around $800 or accept them as trade towards the 15x60.

You can also put your pair on eBay and see how much they go for.

last, and may be the best option, just keep them and enjoy them as classics! :)

Cheers
 
I doubt you'd see much difference going to a 12x from the Night Owl. I have a 10x56FL and a 12x50 Nikon SE and one will realistically to what the other will do, in terms of resolution. The fov of the Z seems ever so slightly wider and it's a tad brighter, but that's about it. At 15x, the magnification difference is more noticeable, but to be of value, the quality of the bino must equal the 10 or 12 level, whatever the particular units being compared is, and ya gotta be able to hold it relatively still....no meat feat w/o a tripod or IS. The 15x50 Canon fits the bill on that, and is excellent optically, giving up very little to the Z or the Nikon. The 15x56 Swaro has a (very) slight edge optically, but is harder to hold steady, even if the Canon's IS is off. Both are what a seemingly huge majority of birders would consider "heavy"....a few oz less than the Night Owl, but well over 40oz.

You have now one of the best 10x ever made, and I seriously doubt you'd gain any performance edge going to another glass. A change would likely be a letdown.
 
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