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

Should I go 7x (1 Viewer)

Essex Tern said:
Think it all depends on your head physique - if you have deep set eyes they would probably be fine.
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My eyes are fairly deep set and I wear specs. The Zeiss FL 10x32 with its 16 mm eye relief is fine with me, I lose very little of the huge FOV.
The Fury has 21 mm and despite the quite deep recession of the ocular lens, I can extend the eyecups with about 3 mm. Guess 18 mm would be optimal for me.
 
Heads up for 7x fans: There's a 7x42 Bushnell Discoverer on the auction site at the moment, in the U.S. The seller describes it as a new unit, old stock. I'm not sure if it's the later phase-coated version; I think the earlier non-phase coated model wasn't very highly thought of.
 
looksharp65 said:
A 7x binocular can do everything just as good as an 8x can , except for doing those things that a 10x does the best.
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I find 7x isn't enough magnification for my liking. I only use 7x for owling, not during the day, but I'd take an up-to-date 8x50 porro over my 7x50 any time. To my eyes the difference between 7x and 8x is pretty clear.

Just goes to prove how different we all are.

Hermann
 
Sancho said:
Heads up for 7x fans: There's a 7x42 Bushnell Discoverer on the auction site at the moment, in the U.S. The seller describes it as a new unit, old stock. I'm not sure if it's the later phase-coated version; I think the earlier non-phase coated model wasn't very highly thought of.
Click to expand...
Good find! It is the phase coated version, if you look closely at the box it states silver coated prisms! I had one that stated the same! Offers are accepted as i think the asking price is a little high! Good binocular for someone! Bryce...
 
Essex Tern it's possible that model could be known to those in US as old style (made in Japan) Eagle Optics Ranger? Don't know if the 32mm only came in 6x mag over there though. As you can see from this review has been around a long time :
http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/review/futomo.htm
Don't know how frequently it has been updated if at all.

The Opticon 7x42 Imagic BGA SE has been generally well reviewed here, its achilles heel perhaps being FOV. Typo (David) tried one not so long ago (at Opticron HQ?) and found something a bit "claustrophobic" about the view if I recall (possibly down to its exceptionally long eye relief). The 7x36 BGA Classic suited him better.

In another post he also gave some (favourable) comments on the Opticron Savanna and Kowa YF. The Kowa seems significantly more expensive than the Opticron (or Vortex Raptor) in UK unlike US.
 
Hermann said:
I find 7x isn't enough magnification for my liking. I only use 7x for owling, not during the day, but I'd take an up-to-date 8x50 porro over my 7x50 any time. To my eyes the difference between 7x and 8x is pretty clear.

Just goes to prove how different we all are.

Hermann
Click to expand...
I am with you Hermann. I am in the 8x camp too.
 
If (and only if) it comes with a correspondingly wide FOV - and many don't - a 7x bino is good for woodland birding and for general birding in conjunction with a high-power bino or a scope.

Limiting myself to one bino, I prefer 8x. And for me, that has to be 8x30/8x32 if I'm out birding, or 8x20 if I'm in the city or on public transport and want a pocket bino just in case.
 
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stereotruckdriver said:
Good find! It is the phase coated version, if you look closely at the box it states silver coated prisms! I had one that stated the same! Offers are accepted as i think the asking price is a little high! Good binocular for someone! Bryce...
Click to expand...

These are indeed phase coated, thanks Bryce! I'd love to bid for them myself, but circumstances don't allow....:-C
 
Regarding Zeiss Victory 7x42 FL.

None of the FL 42 mm series are listed on Zeiss UK website any more.

I think it is fair to say they are gone for good.

Lee
 
The loss of the 7x42, for me, is a true shame. Hopefully they will introduce one in the HT lineup ir the other set to debut.
 
FrankD said:
The loss of the 7x42, for me, is a true shame. Hopefully they will introduce one in the HT lineup ir the other set to debut.
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Though i understand from a business stand point??? It is a shame that the big guns are shying away from the 7x format. I here the baloney remarks on here and other forums that 7's lack any real detail!??!!! I guess people haven't used a good 7x in the field, for the majority of birding not including lakes and oceans 7's show all the detail one needs and does it with added benefits. Again even hunting the benefits are hard to deny! I really think people are just brain washed when it comes to magnification! For all the nay sayers i would truly like to know if they have spent hours in the field with a good 7??? Not a quick glance in a store but, acctuall use in the field??? My bet is alot of peoples minds would change!!! Sorry if i have strayed!!! Bryce...
 
Peterginsburg

Yes the 7x42 FL is still on the USA website but so are the 8x and 10x that have definitely been replaced by HT.

I'm guessing the website is not 'up to date with events' and/or Zeiss USA still have FL inventory to move.

Lee
 
stereotruckdriver said:
Though i understand from a business stand point??? It is a shame that the big guns are shying away from the 7x format. I here the baloney remarks on here and other forums that 7's lack any real detail!??!!! I guess people haven't used a good 7x in the field, for the majority of birding not including lakes and oceans 7's show all the detail one needs and does it with added benefits. Again even hunting the benefits are hard to deny! I really think people are just brain washed when it comes to magnification! For all the nay sayers i would truly like to know if they have spent hours in the field with a good 7??? Not a quick glance in a store but, acctuall use in the field??? My bet is alot of peoples minds would change!!! Sorry if i have strayed!!! Bryce...
Click to expand...

I agree. Folks just need to try a high quality 7 and they might change their mind. The view is so steady you can see more than a shaking high power.

There are a lot of famous hawk watchers who swear by 7 power- Jerry Liguori and Pete Dunne to name a few.


That habicht 7x42 and scl7x50 are calling my name........
 
Though I do agree about 7x in general I would argue that 10x is more suitable for some applicabirding activities and other applications. Shorebirds are what immediately pops into my head here, assuming we aren't talking about also bringing a scope along.

For hawkwatching I use this combination...a high performing 7x bin to locate the bird and then, sometimes, a low power/wide angle eyepiece on the scope to ID. I tend to ID hawks based on flight behavior rather than plummage so this combination is extremely useful.
 
stereotruckdriver said:
Though i understand from a business stand point??? It is a shame that the big guns are shying away from the 7x format. I here the baloney remarks on here and other forums that 7's lack any real detail!??!!! I guess people haven't used a good 7x in the field, for the majority of birding not including lakes and oceans 7's show all the detail one needs and does it with added benefits.
Click to expand...

I used a high quality 7x42 (Zeiss Classic 7x42 BGAT) for a couple of years and still own an excellent 7x50 porro. I find the magnification too low, and I see a small, but nevertheless clear difference in the amount of detail I get with an equally good 8x32. And I'm apparently not alone in this, from what I heard the sales figures of the 7x42 configuration have been pretty disastrous over the past decade or so.

Hermann
 
FrankD said:
Though I do agree about 7x in general I would argue that 10x is more suitable for some applicabirding activities and other applications. Shorebirds are what immediately pops into my head here, assuming we aren't talking about also bringing a scope along.

For hawkwatching I use this combination...a high performing 7x bin to locate the bird and then, sometimes, a low power/wide angle eyepiece on the scope to ID. I tend to ID hawks based on flight behavior rather than plummage so this combination is extremely useful.
Click to expand...
That's what i alluded to in my post above! For general close to medium distances i find no appreciable gains between 7 and 8x! That said i do agree for shorebirding that higher mags of 10+ are generally needed! And this goes for my primary bins Swarovski el 8x32, Nikon 8x32 se and Swarovski 7x42 slc's! The 7's are my favorite! This is just my opinion and my observations! Bryce...
 
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