Kevin Conville
yardbirder
Late to the Party, 7x36 ED2 impressions
I'm one of the few (seemingly) that frequent this forum who have not already used the Zen Ray 7x36 ED2s. That changed today.
My brother dropped off his pair of these for the day to let me check them out. I currently don't own a late version pair of high-end (hate the word "alpha" as it applies to binoculars) bins to compare the Zens to, having recently sold my Ultravids, so my trusty 8x32 Trinovids had to suck it up and try and hold down the fort. Here are a few non scientific observations...
They're big. Really big. So much for choosing a 36mm bin to keep the size down. They are every bit as big as most 42mm bins, with maybe Zen being the exception. Unfortunately they felt even bigger and certainly more cumbersome because my brother has everything including the kitchen sink hanging off of them. Neoprene strap, rain guard attached to the strap, objective covers attached and their rubber bands cemented so they won't come off. I hate all that stuff and never use it.
The view: it's good. I was expecting my socks to want to leave my feet, but they didn't. The thing is, they don't really snap to focus like I'm used to. You sort of have to creep up on it, then they're fine. They are no sharper than the Trinovids certainly. To compound the slow focus, they have too little stiction (for my taste) in the focus wheel. It requires a different technique from other bins in that I have to move focus then release my finger(s) from the wheel as it moves way too easily. This is most likely just something one gets used to, but initially I don't like it.
Chroma: Still there. Certainly reduced as compared to the Trinovid (big surprise), but it remains. Power lines and black birds against blue sky is my point of reference.
FOV: This surprised me. Zen's quite proud of this to the point they print the claimed (477') FOV on the badge in front of the focus ring. My 8x32 Trinovids have a demonstrably wider view, though Leica claims something like 404'. This was concluded by observing a power pole in the distance and placing the pole at the edge of the field stop then looking at opposite edge, then comparing. I did this repeatedly, I'm not hallucinating. The Leica was clearly wider, with more mag.
Contrast and saturation: Some here have written about the Zens and these qualities. To my eyes, the Zens and my Trins are nearly indistinguishable. That's high marks for the Zens, but they're the ones with the "ED" glass and the long focal length.
Mechanical: In addition to the too easily moved focus wheel, the eyecups don't stay put. Yeah I know...O-rings. I'm a little surprised that loose twist-up eyecups is still part of the discussion in 2010 however.
Overall, a good bin and worth the money. It's not my cup of tea, but I'm often out of step with many around here. For my $400. I'd rather have an "obsolete" Nikon EII
I'm one of the few (seemingly) that frequent this forum who have not already used the Zen Ray 7x36 ED2s. That changed today.
My brother dropped off his pair of these for the day to let me check them out. I currently don't own a late version pair of high-end (hate the word "alpha" as it applies to binoculars) bins to compare the Zens to, having recently sold my Ultravids, so my trusty 8x32 Trinovids had to suck it up and try and hold down the fort. Here are a few non scientific observations...
They're big. Really big. So much for choosing a 36mm bin to keep the size down. They are every bit as big as most 42mm bins, with maybe Zen being the exception. Unfortunately they felt even bigger and certainly more cumbersome because my brother has everything including the kitchen sink hanging off of them. Neoprene strap, rain guard attached to the strap, objective covers attached and their rubber bands cemented so they won't come off. I hate all that stuff and never use it.
The view: it's good. I was expecting my socks to want to leave my feet, but they didn't. The thing is, they don't really snap to focus like I'm used to. You sort of have to creep up on it, then they're fine. They are no sharper than the Trinovids certainly. To compound the slow focus, they have too little stiction (for my taste) in the focus wheel. It requires a different technique from other bins in that I have to move focus then release my finger(s) from the wheel as it moves way too easily. This is most likely just something one gets used to, but initially I don't like it.
Chroma: Still there. Certainly reduced as compared to the Trinovid (big surprise), but it remains. Power lines and black birds against blue sky is my point of reference.
FOV: This surprised me. Zen's quite proud of this to the point they print the claimed (477') FOV on the badge in front of the focus ring. My 8x32 Trinovids have a demonstrably wider view, though Leica claims something like 404'. This was concluded by observing a power pole in the distance and placing the pole at the edge of the field stop then looking at opposite edge, then comparing. I did this repeatedly, I'm not hallucinating. The Leica was clearly wider, with more mag.
Contrast and saturation: Some here have written about the Zens and these qualities. To my eyes, the Zens and my Trins are nearly indistinguishable. That's high marks for the Zens, but they're the ones with the "ED" glass and the long focal length.
Mechanical: In addition to the too easily moved focus wheel, the eyecups don't stay put. Yeah I know...O-rings. I'm a little surprised that loose twist-up eyecups is still part of the discussion in 2010 however.
Overall, a good bin and worth the money. It's not my cup of tea, but I'm often out of step with many around here. For my $400. I'd rather have an "obsolete" Nikon EII
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