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

New Zeiss Victory FL binoculars (1 Viewer)

Every Company in the world has one or two or tens of hundreds of disgruntled customers
each case is personal ? I think you are losing site of the thread here? and this nonsense about different quality barrels etc from the same Make and Model is old hat and really tiresome, As a neutral running this site, It is becoming apparent even to the layman like me that There are those who Dont like zeiss products and are looking for every oppurtunity to say so? I like the majority Of members rely on clued up people to give us an idea of what to buy and whether we are getting value for money,
trust me when I tell you Im not going to ask a salesman if the left hand barrell is calobrated,celebrated, or concreted , The worlds experts tell me the Zeiss Fls are excellent , thats good enough for me !! And yes I think certain individuals have an ulterior motive, whether hes an unhappy camper, a sacked employee, or the boss of Leica
I care not, what I do care about is the same old record being played over and over?
 
Steve said:
Every Company in the world has one or two or tens of hundreds of disgruntled customers ... I care not, what I do care about is the same old record being played over and over?

I was going to post another long and dull diatribe but on reflection I think Steve has said all that needs to be said.

FWIW there's a good thread elsewhere on sample variation in relation to binoculars and esp. scopes.
 
Out of interest has anyone ever bought something based on reviews? or on the comments of a BF member? or for that matter rejected something for the same reasons.

Someone asked me once if I'd didn't like my then scope the Opticron ES80 because I suggested the person consider other models as well. Whereas I would have thought it responsible to point out to people the other possibilities.
 
I would not have heard about the Contax SL300RT* if it hadn't been for Andy Bright on BF - thanks! His review was very influential in me buying one, but it also helped that I was looking for a compact digital camera with settable white balance, and I always wanted to own a Contax - since AP said that some Contax lens - I think SLR 50mm standard - was the highest resolution lens they ever tested. I also got a copy of the concise BWP after seeing the full size one referred to a lot on usenet (and after going through a copy at Reading library).
 
pduxon said:
Out of interest has anyone ever bought something based on reviews? or on the comments of a BF member? or for that matter rejected something for the same reasons.

Someone asked me once if I'd didn't like my then scope the Opticron ES80 because I suggested the person consider other models as well. Whereas I would have thought it responsible to point out to people the other possibilities.

I bought a used Nikon 8x32 SE in like new condition out of curiosity as it had gotten so many rave reviews. It turned out to have been an excellent purchase.

Reviews are IMO a mixed bag as you don't know the abilities and tastes of the reviewer. However, if 90% of reviews say the product stinks, then chances are it stinks. If 90% say its a peach, then it might indeed be a peach.

Reviews can highlight problems such as marked flare in certain circumstances that would be hard to spot when testing an optic on the pavement outside a shop.

I also bought a film scanner - Minolta 5400 - based on an online reviews and downloadable example scans. That convinced me that it could do the job. Magazine reviews of scanners are IMO worse than useless. For example, some if not all Nikon scanners suffer from sensor bleed/flare, which is NEVER mentioned in magazine reviews, but which is a significant problem IMO.

Of course it is also possible that some reviews are written by people with a grudge against the manufacturer, or who have a vested financial interest in increasing sales of the product. That is why IMO it is important to read as many reviews as possible to get a balanced opinion.

Note also that reviews on some sites earn the authors royalties based on sales! Hence they might not be unbiased.

Oops. I've gone off topic.
 
Purchase based upon review

Well, I purchased partially based upon review. Saw some very positive comments at WorldTwich website on the Swarovski 8x32 EL's and although I had also seen quite a few comments on BF regarding Swarovski fogging which had disuaded me from ever looking at them, I finally decided to zip on down to a Swarovski store at a nearby shopping mall. After very carefully comparing a pair of 8x32's with a pair of 8.5x42's I fell in love with the 8x32's and purchased them. I have used them for a week now and am very glad I purchased them although the price was scary. So many BF members have commented on their experiences with various binoculars and I guess, that for me, once I am happy with them optically, it's the "comfort level" that determines whether or not to purchase. For me, comfort means; light weight, clarity, ease of view (can't define this), and fit to hands and face. I've rambled on long enough; just find it hard to express myself, sometimes.
P.S. Focussing "snap" is critical to me, also. My 2 favorites (which meet my needs) are the Swarovski 8x32 EL's and Leica 8x42 BN's (the Leica is, admitedly, a bit heavy) and they seem as different as could be.
Len Glasser

pduxon said:
Out of interest has anyone ever bought something based on reviews? or on the comments of a BF member? or for that matter rejected something for the same reasons.

Someone asked me once if I'd didn't like my then scope the Opticron ES80 because I suggested the person consider other models as well. Whereas I would have thought it responsible to point out to people the other possibilities.
 
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I'm ashamed to say, yes, I bought my FL because of the enthusiastic reports in this thread from Andy and a couple of others. One of the reports involved multiple users, all of whom seemed to like them. That impressed me more than one good report.
 
pduxon said:
Out of interest has anyone ever bought something based on reviews? or on the comments of a BF member?

Yes, I have, and I think it has saved me a considerable amount of money! (Thanks, again, Scampo, among many others!)

Robert
 
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Swissboy said:
Yes, I have, and I think it has saved me a considerable amount of money! (Thanks, again, Scampo, among many others!)

Robert

I bought two Nikon SEs having never seen them in a store
(none to be found locally). I bought them from a net store. The Nikon SE were fine and much as "advertised".

Rich
 
mak said:
Steve.

Is Schott not part of the Zeiss stiftung (group).

Hi Mak,

I didn´t forget this point but it´s quite difficult to get the informations since they aren´t available in the internet. So far I couldn´t found most recent informations but here is what I found until now. I asked Zeiss about the origin of lenses and prisms they are using for the Victory FLs. The glass blanks come from Schott exclusive. The grinding and finishing of these feedstocks is done by Zeiss themself. Schott is Europe´s biggest manufactorer of special glasses.
The structure of the company of Zeiss is complicated. The latest informations I found in a reference book about business companies in Germany in our local library that was dated from 1999. Zeiss with different companies like Hensoldt forms one block and Schott also with different companies the other under the roof of the Zeiss Stiftung (foundation). The informations indicated nevertheless that Schott and Zeiss have different kind of corporate philosophies and are following independent from each other their business objectives.
When I have opportunity to have a look at the newest edition of this book mentioned above I will give a short update here.

Regards

Steve
 
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Steve said:
Every Company in the world has one or two or tens of hundreds of disgruntled customers
each case is personal ? I think you are losing site of the thread here? and this nonsense about different quality barrels etc from the same Make and Model is old hat and really tiresome, As a neutral running this site, It is becoming apparent even to the layman like me that There are those who Dont like zeiss products and are looking for every oppurtunity to say so? I like the majority Of members rely on clued up people to give us an idea of what to buy and whether we are getting value for money,
trust me when I tell you Im not going to ask a salesman if the left hand barrell is calobrated,celebrated, or concreted , The worlds experts tell me the Zeiss Fls are excellent , thats good enough for me !! And yes I think certain individuals have an ulterior motive, whether hes an unhappy camper, a sacked employee, or the boss of Leica
I care not, what I do care about is the same old record being played over and over?
Nobody else said great post so I will!! :clap:
 
Leif said:
Zeiss have introduced a new line of top grade binoculars called Victory FL. There are 7x42, 8x42 and 10x42 models. Spec. wise they look good. Highlights seem to be low dispersion glass in the objectives, and a more conventional styling than the Victory II line. The 7x42 has an incredible FOV of 150m at 1km matching that of the older 7x42 Classic.

See here:

Zeiss Victory FL

Here is a machine translation of the advertising spiel from that site (the meaning is clear, though the machine translation is somewhat amusing - note the special 'priest Konig' prisms):

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Beginning of delivery without obligation in May, 2004
Delivery of advance orders in the order of the order entrance.

The next development step in the far optics: Victory FL, the innovative binoculars which open new dimensions of the picture quality. Special objectives with Fluoridgläsern provide for the lowest color hemlines and high edge sharpness of the pictures which are also unmatched in resolution, contrast and color loyalty.

Besides, the new Victory FL are extremely light and compact - thanks to her completely anew calculated optics. The new construction method is noteworthy also: fiberglass-reinforced polyamide is combined here with magnesium elements. The result: a light, very robust case. The new mechanics provides for special ergonomics with a lot of thought-out detailed solutions. Who is content only with optical and engineering best performances, exactly his binoculars hold with a ZEISS Victory FL in the hands.

Victory 8 x 42 T*FL
The universal binoculars at unusual level. Concerning image quality and use use it persuades everybody which wants to lead efficient, handy and robust binoculars with itself.

Which luxurious technology is hidden inside of binoculars ZEISS, is not to be known outwardly. In the highest passport exactness the single components are joined and is adjusted precisely. Besides, the ZEISS Victory FL are extremely able of opposition in spite of her exact inner life. This push and impact resistant cases is natural wasser-and dust-thick as well as with nitrogen fullly. A permanent quality control protects the high standard and the long lifespan of your binoculars ZEISS.

High tech - hard in taking
With all optical Höchstleistung - binoculars are above all use goods which are used in free nature mostly under extremely adverse Bedinqunqen. Not only the excellent picture brilliance counts ornithologists, hunters and physical observers - for them all, they must can do also on the robustness of her binoculars vertassen. On account of in difficult area, with rain, snow or cold: on Victory FL of binoculars of Carl Zeiss is in every situation - optically like technically - 100% of reliance.

The innovative technology of the Victory FL in the overview:

New objective type Superachromat with Fluoridglas: optimum edge sharpness and lower color hemlines.

Anew calculated optics with consistent use of the advantages of the system ZEISS Advanced Optics: light and handy binoculars with excellent picture goodness.

The highest dusk achievement: phase-corrected priest König prisms and ZEISS T* Mehrschichtvergütung on all glass air surfaces inside for a phänomenale light transmission of more than 90%.

New lightweight construction: fiberglass-reinforced polyamide case with magnesium elements for maximum robustness and stability with extremely low weight (under 800 g).

New mechanics with a lot of thought-out detailed solutions: optimum ergonomics and pavement grip.

New glasses bearer wide corner eyepieces: incredible field of vision of 135 ms on 1,000 ms.

Ocular distance of 16 mms for 100% of clarity of the big field of vision.

Waterproof and dust-thick, full with nitrogen against covering the lenses inside with temperature variations.

Hello- I own pairs of the new Zeiss 7,8 and 10x42 Zeiss TF*L binoculars as well as pairs of Swarovski 8.5, 10 x42; Trinvoid 8x42s and Nikon 8x32 HG and 8x42 Lx's.

As a biologist, I have spent hours in the field comparing each of these binoculars to ultimately boil it down to two pairs which I would keep. After carefully considering the pros and cons to all, I decided to keep the Zeiss 10x42 TF*L flourides and the Nikon 8x32 HG binouclars.

Rather than bore you with statistics, here's my subjective assessment in the field under a variety of weather and light conditions over 100 hours of comparing the binoculars mentioned above.

All the pairs mentioned above are very good and will serve as excellent binoculars to any discerning birder. For me, the Zeiss 10x42 flourides ultimately won the day due to: incredible image constrast, color neutrality, extra magnification, low chromatic aberration, ease of focus, close focus (under 2 meters!!) and exceptional depth of field. At 26 oz. its a winner and in my view the best full sized binocular available on the market today, particularly given its weight. (note the Swaro 8.5s are virtually equal in all categories except for the speed of focus).

The Zeiss 7 and 8 power flourides are great too but I prefer the extra magnification, particularly as the 10x42 Zeiss is so light its easy to hold without experiencing alot of image shaking.

The Nikon 8x32 HGs are wonderful also which is why I kept them as my back up bins. They are somewhat smaller yet slightly heavier than the Zeiss 10x42s (!) and are reasonably close (90-92%) to the much more expensive Zeiss flourides in contrast, chromatic aberration, color neutrality and speed of focus. However the Zeiss is definitely brighter under low light conditions.

Tom ;)
 
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