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

Zeiss binoculars sold by cameralandny.com (1 Viewer)

A

Ashu

Member
Has anyone bought Zeiss binoculars from Camera Land NY? For "8x42 FL T" they have advertised price of $1250.
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=524521

Interestingly both new and demo model link goes to same page. What does demo model mean here ? Has Zeiss found some optical quality issue in them and does not sell them as new model ? Obviously one shop can't have so many display models and they have got it in bulk from somewhere and these binoculars are not just the piece they used for display in their shop. Question here is about the quality of those Zeiss binoculars. People in this forum has only great things to say about the Cameraland owner Dough.

How is the Zeiss quality control and repair service for binoculars in US. Every review available on the web seems to be gaga over optical quality of these binoculars and every one has declared them as almost perfect binoculars. But how about their quality control? I did not have very nice experience with their scope quality control and repair service.

How useful is LotuTec coating on these binoculars? Does it affect optical quality in anyway.
 
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"demo model"

You'd really have to ask the company as it could mean 2 things:-

a. A Carl Zeiss ex-demonstration unit that is owned and shown to customers by Zeiss staff. I'm not sure if such a unit is made available to a retailer from Zeiss unlike Leica.

b. A retailer's (such as the company you mention) demonstration unit....this would be one that was in a cabinet and then handled and shown to prospective purchasers. These should be sold with full warranty / paperwork / boxes and in excellent condition.

I really don't think that these are sub standard or inferior optical quality products from Zeiss! That would be utter madness from a major optics company with a decent pedigree.

Lotutec would be the same issue as the Swarovski Easy to Clean coatings...dealt with elsewhere on B/F. Again, I cannot see one of these companies going to great lengths and stringent controls when applying the multicoatings for optimum performance and then adding another layer that negated the performance, do you?.

I use 8 x 32 FL and haven't had any problems with them for over 2 years except not using them enough!
 
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Ashu said:
Has anyone bought Zeiss binoculars from Camera Land NY? For "8x42 FL T" they have advertised price of $1250.
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=524521

Interestingly both new and demo model link goes to same page. What does demo model mean here ? Has Zeiss found some optical quality issue in them and does not sell them as new model ? Obviously one shop can't have so many display models and they have got it in bulk from somewhere and these binoculars are not just the piece they used for display in their shop. Question here is about the quality of those Zeiss binoculars. People in this forum has only great things to say about the Cameraland owner Dough.

How is the Zeiss quality control and repair service for binoculars in US. Every review available on the web seems to be gaga over optical quality of these binoculars and every one has declared them as almost perfect binoculars. But how about their quality control? I did not have very nice experience with their scope quality control and repair service.

How useful is LotuTec coating on these binoculars? Does it affect optical quality in anyway.
Click to expand...


I suspect that these are pre Lotutec era models hence perhaps the price
 
DavidP said:
I suspect that these are pre Lotutec era models hence perhaps the price
Click to expand...
Right, just like the 8x32 FL, without Lotutec, which I bought, a few weeks, ago, at Cameraland. As Pyrtle suggested, it had been shown by Zeiss staff to customers at a show.

Also as Pyrtle suggested, that 8x32 FL fulfills its promise.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 
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I bought a pair of demo 8x56FL's from Cameraland NY last week. They were described as "show" demos which I took to mean "Shot Show" or some other similar exhibition. The box was a bit worn, but the strap, objective covers and raingard were still in their plastic bags. The binoculars appear pristine with no signs of wear at all. They came with the full Zeiss USA lifetime warranty and do have Lotutec coating.
 
DavidP said:
I suspect that these are pre Lotutec era models hence perhaps the price
Click to expand...


Besides Zeiss' claims for improved ease of cleaning, does anyone know if the Lotu Tec coatings enhance the optical performance in anyway?
 
Robert / Seattle said:
Anybody? ...
Click to expand...


No. This is a mechanical thing. The feat was to make it work without diminishing the optical performance.
The trick with this coating is to introduce minute bumps into the surface. The unevenness leads to less contact for droplets and solid particles so they come off more easily.
The feat was to adjust the size of those bumps so they would do the mechanical job without influencing the lightwaves that go through the surface.

Simple principle but took probably a number of years to make it work technically.

Tom
 
ThoLa said:
No. This is a mechanical thing. The feat was to make it work without diminishing the optical performance.
The trick with this coating is to introduce minute bumps into the surface. The unevenness leads to less contact for droplets and solid particles so they come off more easily.
The feat was to adjust the size of those bumps so they would do the mechanical job without influencing the lightwaves that go through the surface.

Simple principle but took probably a number of years to make it work technically.

Tom
Click to expand...


Thanks, Tom. Solid explanation.
 
Interestingly both new and demo model link goes to same page. What does demo model mean here ?
Click to expand...

Yes, there typically is two prices/order icons listed at the bottom of the page. One is for the demo and one is for the new model.

I have bought several demo models from Doug at Cameralandny and I have not be able to tell the difference between them and a new one either in terms of wear and tear on the binocular or the packaging it comes in. I would highly recommend him and his services.

As others have mentioned demo, in this case, means they basically were display models for various shows/exhibitions. As Henry mentioned this particular group is, I believe, the demos from the SHOT show held in Las Vegas each year. He does get quite a few of these types of deals after the various trade shows throughout the calendar year. Some excellent deals!
 
In December/January I bought a Zeiss 10x42 FLT from Cameraland in NY. I corresponded with Doug prior to the purchase and did some additional research about the vendor, and everything I found looked good. So I placed the order.

When the binocular arrived, it was defective. The left eyepiece didn't lock into the detents when rotated, and when fully extended it simply turned freely, like a screw that has lost its connection to a thread. I called Cameraland that day, and was told to simply ship the defective binocular back and it would be replaced. I did so, and a week or so later a new binocular showed up, this one in mint condition.

I was very satisfied with my experience buying from Cameraland. Obviously I was disappointed that the first binocs were broken, but both boxes I received looked as though they had never been opened. The Zeiss factory tape was sealing all parts of the packaging. I doubt very much that they were demo models (I was told that they were not).

I would buy from Cameraland again in the future and have no reservations. I'm very happy with the Zeiss 10x42's as well. Spectacular glass.

Andy - Newark, CA
 
BradMT said:
Doug at Cameraland is my one-stop shopping for binoculars.

Cameraland's customer service and pricing is second to none.
Click to expand...


Brad,

I agree on all counts about Doug and Cameraland.

My new Leica 8x20 Ultravids I purchased from Doug will be in my hands

this Friday! :D

J_Scott
 
I have purchased binoculars from the Sample List at Camera Land. Doug's descriptions and service is excellent. I have no complaints, only Kudu's for Doug.
 
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