Eye Relief high enough on Zeiss Victory FL 8x32? (1 Viewer)

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Anil Kalagatla

New member

• Mar 28, 2014

• #1

Hi:

Sorry if this has already been discussed at length before (I searched, but could not find obvious answers). I'm all set to purchase a Zeiss 8x32 Victory FL and ran into an article on DigLloyd about how he found the 15.5mm eye relief to be too low. I usually follow his posts on camera gear which are generally spot on - but was not sure if this is a concern shared by others on this forum.

http://diglloyd.com/articles/Binoculars/Binoculars-ZeissVictoryFL8_32.html
Appreciate any answers to this question.

Thanks!
Anil

 

T

typo

Well-known member

• Mar 28, 2014

• #2

Anil,

Welcome to the forum.

Many excellent classic binoculars have very short eye relief. Long eye relief is normally only an necessity if you wear glasses. I couldn't find if the author wears spectacles or not. I don't think the comments made in the article are much to do with specified eye relief at all. It's quite common to hear of issues if the eye cups haven't been adjusted correctly for an individual (or if they don't extend far enough). An 8x32 has a 4mm exit pupil and the eye positing is more critical (particularly in low light) than it would be with a 8x42 with a 5mm EP or a 7x50 with a 7.1mm EP. I would guess what the author is referring to is caused by a combination of these two factors.

David

 

Pinewood

New York correspondent

• Mar 28, 2014

• #3

Hello Anil,

Welcome to the Forum.

Eye relief is not only a matter of numbers. Other factors, like facial form and even your eyeglass prescription matter. The best thing is to try before buying. Failing that, buy from a vendor with a liberal return policy.
I wear specs and I found the 8x32 FL to be a real winner. I am on Medicare [an OAP] and generally use a lower power binocular, a 6.5x32, but I still use the Zeiss.
Incidentally, my Meopta MeoPro 6.5x32 has 22 mm of eye relief and adjustable eye cups. It has so much eye relief that I have to raise the cups one setting.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

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Anil Kalagatla

New member

• Mar 28, 2014

• #4

Thanks David and Arthur, that's very good to know. I just went ahead and purchased a demo model from Eagle Optics. I know I should really play with it in person before committing money, but the price was very attractive.

I look forward to learning from (and participating) on this great forum.

Anil

 

Pinewood

New York correspondent

• Mar 28, 2014

• #5

Anil Kalagatla said:

Thanks David and Arthur, that's very good to know. I just went ahead and purchased a demo model from Eagle Optics. I know I should really play with it in person before committing money, but the price was very attractive.

I look forward to learning from (and participating) on this great forum.

Anil

Click to expand...

Hello Anil,

My experience with Eagle on returns has been very positive. Just handle the binocular carefully, before deciding whether to keep it. Perhaps, just use it in your home, without unpacking all the accessories.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

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Anil Kalagatla

New member

• Mar 28, 2014

• #6

Thanks Arthur, I will do so.

Anil

 

Z

ZDHart

Well-known member

• Apr 4, 2014

• #7

oops, wrong thread for my post.

 

Last edited: Apr 4, 2014

Mac308

Well-known member

• Apr 4, 2014

• #8

Pinewood said:

Eye relief is not only a matter of numbers. Other factors, like facial form and even your eyeglass prescription matter. The best thing is to try before buying. Failing that, buy from a vendor with a liberal return policy.

Click to expand...

Spot-on advice.

While I am not as in love with the Zeiss 8x32FL as many on this forum, saying it has short eye-relief would not be a criticism I'd make. My experience with them is the eye relief is about the very best for any bin in its class. And it's very adjustable.

 

V

Vespobuteo

Well-known member

• Apr 4, 2014

• #9

For me the 8x32 FL was on the short side concerning eye relief,
and the view got a bit cramped, (I use glasses)
but you have to try them yourself,
it's very much about personal preference,

I have the 7x42 FL and it's just about ok for me concerning eye relief,

 

A

Anil Kalagatla

New member

• Apr 4, 2014

• #10

Thanks guys. I just received my 8x32 FL from Eagle yesterday night and will be properly trying them out tomorrow. Just with a few minutes of trying them, they feel very good so far (after I figured out that I can fiddle with the eyecups to change the distance to my eyes). I still need to tune the diopter as I can feel the strain in my eyes after a minute or two of use. Also, the field of view seems to sometimes switch to a "heart" shape rather than a circle (if that makes sense). I'm guessing that I need to further tinker with the eyecup distance (along with the diopter) to fully optimize this for my eyes.

Again, thanks all for your help, it has been super useful!

Anil

 

Pinewood

New York correspondent

• Apr 4, 2014

• #11

Hello Anil,

You may have to adjust the inter pupillary distance, the IPD, to get a complete field of view.
Good luck with the new binocular.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi: