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

Victory FL 8x32 Advice (1 Viewer)

J

johnhub

Relatively newbie birder
Hi everyone

I may (or may not) have a problem with my 8x32 FLs. I'm generally delighted with them, but I've only just noticed something seeminly amiss. I'm not sure how serious this is, and I think the optics-related OCD many of us suffer from may be at work here.

I've attached a photo, but it's quite hard to discern what I'm talking about, even when you look at the actual binoculars. The objective lenses look absolutely fine, but if you look at both ocular lenses, there is a VERY fine line around each circumference which looks either as if the coatings are damaged/coming off, or maybe there's some kind of adhesive attaching the glass to the eyepiece. I stress that to see this you really have to get them in good light at a favourable angle. Nonetheless, I'm not imagining this, and I can't see the same thing in my other bins (8x32 BR Leica Ultravids [non-HD]).

It doesn't seemingly affect the view, and the rest of each ocular lens is perfect. Am I worrying unnecessarily, or may there be a fault/developing fault that I should ask Zeiss to take a look at?

All advice/observations gratefully received!

Cheers
John
 

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Hello John,

I think that it is hard to remove dirt. I saw something similar on my FL, and cleaning seems to ameliorate it, but I believe that over cleaning is harmful, so I am not going to eliminate it.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 
johnhub said:
Hi everyone

I may (or may not) have a problem with my 8x32 FLs. I'm generally delighted with them, but I've only just noticed something seeminly amiss. I'm not sure how serious this is, and I think the optics-related OCD many of us suffer from may be at work here.

I've attached a photo, but it's quite hard to discern what I'm talking about, even when you look at the actual binoculars. The objective lenses look absolutely fine, but if you look at both ocular lenses, there is a VERY fine line around each circumference which looks either as if the coatings are damaged/coming off, or maybe there's some kind of adhesive attaching the glass to the eyepiece. I stress that to see this you really have to get them in good light at a favourable angle. Nonetheless, I'm not imagining this, and I can't see the same thing in my other bins (8x32 BR Leica Ultravids [non-HD]).

It doesn't seemingly affect the view, and the rest of each ocular lens is perfect. Am I worrying unnecessarily, or may there be a fault/developing fault that I should ask Zeiss to take a look at?

All advice/observations gratefully received!

Cheers
John
Click to expand...

John,

Could that fine line be dust? That's what it looks like in your photo. I just checked my 8x EII and it had halos around the rims of the EP lenses. Got my reading glasses on and realized that those halos were dust. I clean the EPs in a circular motion with Zeiss wipes, but it's not cloth but a paper material so it doesn't always clean the corners unless I fold the wipe and go around the rims with the edge of the wipe. Consequently, the dust and grim get pushed to the rim and builds up. Just cleaned the rims more carefully and the "ring around the collar" is gone.

Brock
 
Hi Arthur and Brock

Many thanks for your wisdom and help, as always. I've just tried a moist optical wipe, folded over several times and used a fingernail to really get into the edge. Still the same, and it really does look like plain glass where the coated edge ends. However, it is VERY narrow though, and you have to be REALLY looking for it.

My main concern is I think it might be the coatings "shrinking back" and I should get it looked at. I would have thought that the glass would be coated before bonding to the eyepiece plastic and not afterwards?

I know I should stop agonising about this and get a life, but it's really bothering me!

Gary - if you're reading this, do you have any thoughts, please?

Cheers
John
 
Hi,

The glass is coated all over before assembly and is not bonded to the housing - which is in fact metal. It is held into the housing with an internal locking ring. I have never heard of coating "shrinking" so this is not the cause.

I think, as has already been suggested, that is is simply dirt which has not been cleaned off as this is a very difficult area to get to.

Please feel free to send the binocular to me for a further investigation - or a least a thorough clean !!!!

Gary.
 
garymh said:
Hi,

The glass is coated all over before assembly and is not bonded to the housing - which is in fact metal. It is held into the housing with an internal locking ring. I have never heard of coating "shrinking" so this is not the cause.

I think, as has already been suggested, that is is simply dirt which has not been cleaned off as this is a very difficult area to get to.

Please feel free to send the binocular to me for a further investigation - or a least a thorough clean !!!!

Gary.
Click to expand...

Hi Gary

Thanks very much for this (thanks to Arthur and Brock as well).

I've had a go with a fingernail and some moist optical wipes and a microfibre cloth, and this appears to have solved the problem. It just seems to have been hard to remove crud that's gathered on the edges of the lenses.

The only thing I find odd is that these bins are only about a year old (I'm not the original owner) - this sort of dirt buildup I'd more readily associate with a product that's several years old! No such problem with the objective lenses, but I suppose they're a bit less exposed.

Thanks again
John
 
I've got that stuff on the oculars of my very old Nikon 8 x 30 EII. However it is not noticeable when I use it because it has a very wide FOV. But I suppose, because of it's large amount of pincushion, it could be dialed in!;)

Bob
 
I find "grease" for want of a better term gets on there from eyelashes if they`re long like mine !, and then crud sticks, I find a gentle wipe around the edge with a moist cotton bud prior to cleaning helps.
 
Torview said:
I find "grease" for want of a better term gets on there from eyelashes if they`re long like mine !, and then crud sticks, I find a gentle wipe around the edge with a moist cotton bud prior to cleaning helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks - this is beginning to make sense now! I always wear glasses, so this has not happened to my other bins. What I'm removing is other people's 'grease'! Ewww!

Cheers
John
 
Another question regarding the zeiss fl 8x32. The ring that is closest to the hinge on the underside of the bins focusser side. Is there supposed to be some play left and right on this ring.

Regards Gerard.
 
Torview said:
I find "grease" for want of a better term gets on there from eyelashes if they`re long like mine !, and then crud sticks, I find a gentle wipe around the edge with a moist cotton bud prior to cleaning helps.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what happens to my EPs. Eye "grease" provides the "glue" to hold together dust, pollen, mold, dust mite feces, whatever is flying about, which then creates a sticky aggregate that can be tough to get off. Sometimes I have to use ROR (residual oil remover).

Like Arthur, I'm reluctant to clean the lenses since over the years all that rub a dub dubbing might deteriorate the coatings, so I let them get pretty dirty before I clean them. The objectives on my bins hardly ever need cleaning since I have Bushwacher on them, which provides some protection against dust, etc., and, of course, no eye grease to hold it together.

After I clean the EPs, boy, does it make a difference! They become "like new" bins again.

Btw, I didn't mean to duplicate what Arthur wrote, if you look at the time stamps, my reply was posted 5 minutes after his, I started writing the post and then decided to clean my 8x EII's EPs before finishing it so I didn't see his post.

But two heads are always better than one except for Ghidorah,who would miss his third head. ;)

<B>
 
I remember reading a post about cleaning lenses that someone licks there eyepieces to clean them. After reading about mite poo, grease etc. I wouldn't recommend this form of cleaning.

Regards Gerard.
 
Mine have a tiny ring there too but it's from not wanting to aggressively clean them. I don't sue my bins out on dirt trails or in harsh conditions much so I rarely need to clean my objectives or oculars.
 
squidge said:
I remember reading a post about cleaning lenses that someone licks there eyepieces to clean them. After reading about mite poo, grease etc. I wouldn't recommend this form of cleaning.

Regards Gerard.
Click to expand...

Obviously some of us are more genteel than others.

Mite poo is a regular ingredient of most meals for humans, seen that the beasties even live on our eye lashes. Afaik, each of us is a walking ecosystem of viruses, bacteria, various arthropods etc. We inhale their effluvia, a factor in some allergies and asthma.
So I have no problem licking my lenses clean if needed between more formal cleaning events.
 
etudiant said:
Obviously some of us are more genteel than others.

Mite poo is a regular ingredient of most meals for humans, seen that the beasties even live on our eye lashes. Afaik, each of us is a walking ecosystem of viruses, bacteria, various arthropods etc. We inhale their effluvia, a factor in some allergies and asthma.
So I have no problem licking my lenses clean if needed between more formal cleaning events.
Click to expand...

Ah yes I think I saw the mite poo in between the dried basil and ginger at the local supermarket.;)
 
This is a good thread to tell a funny story. A friend of mine and wife were going to Afracia and asked advice as to a reasonable pair of binoculars to take along. I recommended a pair of Leupold 8x32s. When they picked them up I looked at them and they were very good for a 400 dollar pair of binoculars. When they got back I asked how they had worked out. The wife told me that the binoculars had quit working for them (she is blond). I asked to see them. I took one look and went to the sink and proceeded to scrub a thick coating of Mascara off. chip
 
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