That is curious.
I have been using a Zeiss 7x42 Victory FL for 3 years and I have never seen any hint of a green/yellow color cast while using it.
Bob
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So....SF 8X42 has arrived... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter chill6x6
- Start date
That is curious.
I have been using a Zeiss 7x42 Victory FL for 3 years and I have never seen any hint of a green/yellow color cast while using it.
Bob
Guys
Just be aware that Zeiss binoculars' serial numbers do not always follow in numerical order. So it is not possible to say with certainty that the bins with the numerically lower serial number was produced earlier than one with a higher number.
Lee
Yes, the eye cups on the SF are probably not as quality looking as Leica or Swarovski but they seem to work fine and if you break them they would probably be easy to replace. They seem to lock into place solidly and they don't have a lot of slop. That is one thing I hate about some of the Chinese binoculars. The looseness or slop in the eye cups. The Zeiss SF is so light you look at it and wonder is this worth $2500? But the view is up there with the best of them I do have to agree. There must be some good glass inside.
I don't know the 10x42 SF's are pretty nice. Big FOV for a 10x. Your right about the optics, FOV, focus adjustment, ergonomics and weight. In those areas they are exceptional.
Again I looked at pure white objects with both the SV and the SF head to head and I saw no green in either. But it is very possible Zeiss made some changes.
You are right Dennis, its possible Zeiss have made changes. But I did try out some pre-production units including one that I tried at the Federsee (a big lake) in South Germany.
It was a bright sunny day and the waters of the lake were a deep blue. Swimming around on the lake were dozens of brilliant white Mute Swans and none of them was a miserable green :-O .
Lee
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
The story of the SF on bird forum reminds me of the story of the ugly duckling:
"The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from the others around him until, much to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duckling
Even that fun(ny) Colorado-guy seems to have stopped with his abuse of the SF...finally
:king:
That is curious. Check the FL transmission profiles on Allbinos. They all have a peak around 580nm in the yellow.
David
Last edited:
perterra
Well-known member
That is curious. Check the FL transmission profiles on Allbinos. They all have a peak around 580nm in the yellow.
David
I guess different eyes see different colors. I know when I see orange, my wife sees red.
Yep, when Troubadoris says 'do you like that blue blouse?' I say 'do you mean that green one?'
Lee
That is curious. Check the FL transmission profiles on Allbinos. They all have a peak around 580nm in the yellow.
David
Not that far off the 550nm the eye is most sensitive to, but is that what the brain 'reproduces' or does it equalise the visible spectrum?
Lee
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
David,
Post 69,
Our FL and HT transmission spectra peak around 550 nm and not in the yellow region.
Gijs van Ginkel
Post 69,
Our FL and HT transmission spectra peak around 550 nm and not in the yellow region.
Gijs van Ginkel
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
David,
In addition to my post 73: the Leica Ultravid HD and HD-plus 8x42 peak at 600 nm, but that does not give them a color cast since the shape of the spectrum between 450-700 nm is flat enough to yield good color reproduction.
Gijs van Ginkel
In addition to my post 73: the Leica Ultravid HD and HD-plus 8x42 peak at 600 nm, but that does not give them a color cast since the shape of the spectrum between 450-700 nm is flat enough to yield good color reproduction.
Gijs van Ginkel
Gijs,
As I said, the HTs and SFs I tried on the Zeiss stand at their launch event were pretty neutral which sounds consistent with your results. That recent HT I tried recently most definitely wasn't neutral. Others in the thread appear to report non-neutral results for the HT and SF.
I would agree that the Leica Ultravid HD Plus samples I've tried appear to have much better colour reproduction, and by implication a flatter transmission curve than the FL. My impression is that the 600-750nM region is stronger than, not only the FL, but the HT and SF as well. What did you find?
David
As I said, the HTs and SFs I tried on the Zeiss stand at their launch event were pretty neutral which sounds consistent with your results. That recent HT I tried recently most definitely wasn't neutral. Others in the thread appear to report non-neutral results for the HT and SF.
I would agree that the Leica Ultravid HD Plus samples I've tried appear to have much better colour reproduction, and by implication a flatter transmission curve than the FL. My impression is that the 600-750nM region is stronger than, not only the FL, but the HT and SF as well. What did you find?
David
Hermann
Well-known member
No idea why you don't see a colour cast. Maybe there have been some changes already. The SFs I tried in the field were all early bins, so maybe I should really have a look at some recent pairs.
Hermann
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
David,
The transmission spectra of the HD and the HD-plus are almost perfectly parallel and nowhere reach 90%. The HD-plus has its maximum value at 600 nm and stays with 1% less then the maximum at 600 nm flat to 700 nm similar to the standard HD.
Gijs
The transmission spectra of the HD and the HD-plus are almost perfectly parallel and nowhere reach 90%. The HD-plus has its maximum value at 600 nm and stays with 1% less then the maximum at 600 nm flat to 700 nm similar to the standard HD.
Gijs
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
From Allbinos.com:
"Whiteness of the image: Good. The transmission curve is slightly slanted and there is a distinct cut-off on the border between the visible spectrum and infrared."
Now check the diagram, 10%+ diff in transmission from 400 to 625nm and still no color cast...apparently, no correlation between transmission and color cast..
"Whiteness of the image: Good. The transmission curve is slightly slanted and there is a distinct cut-off on the border between the visible spectrum and infrared."
Now check the diagram, 10%+ diff in transmission from 400 to 625nm and still no color cast...apparently, no correlation between transmission and color cast..
Attachments
I'm joining this discussion as I'm thinking of buying some new binoculars having hauled around a pair of Trinovid 10x50 BNs for a long time. I like them but they make my neck ache and I'm not getting any younger. So this is to be the pair to take me through the next few decades, good health permitting. My technical knowledge is minimal but having read many positive reviews of the 8x42 SFs I'm interested just because of their outrageous FOV. They don't sell them in Sheffield so I'll have to make a special trip to try some out. For me it's between them (if they turn out to be as wonderful as reviews suggest) and the SV 8.5s. What has put me off is that anyone I talk to just says go for the Swaros, they're unbeatable and Zeiss lost the plot some years ago. My suspicion is they haven't looked through the SFs and are just assuming they're like earlier models. They do say that Zeiss after-care is poor compared with Swarovski. A minor point, but the SVs do have a shorter minimum focus which appeals as insects are also an interest for me. So, simply, could I have advice from anyone who cares to give it.
Thanks from an enthusiastic but not very well informed birder.
Thanks from an enthusiastic but not very well informed birder.
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
Vespobuteo,
We have measured the spectrum of the Swar. SLC 8x42 HD and that looks quite different from the one you show in post 78. The binocular shows no color cast and is fairly flat in the spectral region 500-650 nm (variation at a quick glance of about 3-4% over that wavelenght range) and the spectrum starts to drop significantly beyond 650 nm.
Gijs van Ginkel
We have measured the spectrum of the Swar. SLC 8x42 HD and that looks quite different from the one you show in post 78. The binocular shows no color cast and is fairly flat in the spectral region 500-650 nm (variation at a quick glance of about 3-4% over that wavelenght range) and the spectrum starts to drop significantly beyond 650 nm.
Gijs van Ginkel
