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

Zeiss 10x56t*p* night owl (1 Viewer)

M

Macfly

Member
Hello all. i am new to the forum and to binoculars as well to some degree.
I come from the hunting side of things and after recently purchasing a pair of leica geovid HD-Bs i got the bino bug.
I just purchased a pair of these night owls and when i received them noticed the inner surface of one objective ( hard to tell if first or second element) has what looks like the residue that can be left on dishes washed in a dishwasher without a good sheeting detergent. Its in a somewhat limited irregular crescent shape.
Should i assume this is condensation from a leaking seal? I sent them off to Zeiss to ask about service.
Is this the kind of thing i can expect to have to pay for or might it be covered under the old warranty? Does it sound like a worse problem than i imagined?
 
Macfly said:
Hello all. i am new to the forum and to binoculars as well to some degree.
I come from the hunting side of things and after recently purchasing a pair of leica geovid HD-Bs i got the bino bug.
I just purchased a pair of these night owls and when i received them noticed the inner surface of one objective ( hard to tell if first or second element) has what looks like the residue that can be left on dishes washed in a dishwasher without a good sheeting detergent. Its in a somewhat limited irregular crescent shape.
Should i assume this is condensation from a leaking seal? I sent them off to Zeiss to ask about service.
Is this the kind of thing i can expect to have to pay for or might it be covered under the old warranty? Does it sound like a worse problem than i imagined?
Click to expand...

Can't say for sure in the US, but in Canada the Zeiss service dept. [Gentec] covers any internal misting / fogging etc. under warranty, 1st owner or 10th, no matter how old the model.
 
And additionally, i woukd love to hear comments on these night owls from anyone who knows them. I have been trying to read anything i can find on them and think i have completed the internets! ;)
From what I saw in my few minutes with them they were very neutral in color and sharp but not as contrasty as the geovids, especially in what i can only term microcontrast...specular reflections seemed a bit dull in relation to the geovids which seemed to decrease a littl apparent edge sharpness. But overall I liked them.
I wonder if their is a subjective quality that people can recognize with leaded lenses sompared to the new ones...along the lines of that liquidy feel you get from a nice tube amp compared to typical solid state amps.
(And the bug led to a purchase yesterday od a pair of the 7x45 night owls too!)
 
Macfly said:
(And the bug led to a purchase yesterday od a pair of the 7x45 night owls too!)
Click to expand...

Yo Macfly dude

I have always been fascinated by the Night Owl 7x45. Unusual spec, leaded glass, big lenses (the big Victory I's that followed had thin lens tech as well as unleaded glass).

Please let us know what these bins are like to look through :)

Lee
 
I have the 10x56 Night Owls - bought them to compliment my collection rather than as a daily use bin.

I am very sensitive to CA, and the Night Owls have tons of it, some even in the sweetspot. It is downright distracting on a flying bird, with a bright orange leading edge and bright purple trailing edge.

Sharpness and contrast is OK, but even my P coated 7x42 and 8x30 classics are noticeably sharper and more contrasty. Sweetspot is small and edge degradation quite obvious. Don't believe the hype, as some will try to tell you these bins are still the equal of the FL / HT - they lag behind clearly in many catagories. Certainly, the N.O.'s lack the transparency of newer models.

And [of course] the N.O. is an ergonomic disaster - something like 1500 grams, tiny / stiff focus that is impossible with gloves and tight fitting eyecups that fog in cool weather.

Other than that, it's perfect;)

Mine sits on the shelf most of the time, although it does seem to increase in value over time [even since I got it last year] so I think of it as a more attractive alternative to yet another boring mutual fund.......
 
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Thanks James.
I am pretty sensitive to CA as well and it definitely is there with these but for some reason it dis not bother me as much. Maybe its just me but the Zeiss binoculars I have looked through seem a bit less saturated and contrasty to me than the Leicas. Its not objectionable and i think could be considered more neutral than flat. Somewhat like the old ektachrome vs kodachrome for the pre-digi crowd.
I think they are nice to have as a collection piece and i actually like the weight but am wondering why they are priced so high. I think i was expecting something a bit more exciting. Maybe that will be with the 7x45s which hopefully will arrive today!
 
Troubador said:
Yo Macfly dude

I have always been fascinated by the Night Owl 7x45. Unusual spec, leaded glass, big lenses (the big Victory I's that followed had thin lens tech as well as unleaded glass).

Please let us know what these bins are like to look through :)

Lee
Click to expand...

Jerry Liguori, who wrote the guidebook HAWKS AT A DISTANCE, wrote at page 9 in the section Optics for Hawk Watching that he used Zeiss 7 x 45 Night Owls "since they were introduced in 1994 and still love their sharpness and unmatched wide field of view. However I acquired Zeiss Victory FL binoculars in 2008 and believe they offer the finest image available." p.9, Introduction. Copyright 2011, Princeton University Press.

Bob
 
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ceasar said:
Jerry Liguori, who wrote the guidebook HAWKS AT A DISTANCE, wrote at page 9 in the section Optics for Hawk Watching that he used Zeiss 7 x 45 Night Owls "since they were introduced in 1994 and still love their sharpness and unmatched wide field of view. However I acquired Zeiss Victory FL binoculars in 2008 and believe they offer the finest image available." p.9, Introduction. Copyright 2011, Princeton University Press.

Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Bob

Lee
 
Well, why not open this thread up to experiences/thoughts on the 7x45s and 8x56 as well ( and the elusive 12x56 if they are really out there)!
 
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Macfly said:
Well, why not open this thread up to experiences/thoughts on the 7x45s and 8x45s as well ( and the elusive 12x56 if they are really out there)!
Click to expand...

I think you mean the 8x56?

I have tried a couple of pairs and they were optically the same as the 10x56. Considering the exit pupil and the 56 mm objectives, I was expecting a glorious, luminous image but, in reality, it is pretty dull and flat. Anyone using the Design selection to champion leaded glass is barking up the wrong tree, IMO.
 
james holdsworth said:
I was expecting a glorious, luminous image but, in reality, it is pretty dull and flat. Anyone using the Design selection to champion leaded glass is barking up the wrong tree, IMO.
Click to expand...

James

Could you try to be more blunt in future and stop dressing up your criticism?

;)

Lee
 
Its funny but, actually, after reading so many glowing write ups I was expecting the second coming as well and was a little let down. Not because they were not good; all in all i think they are terrific performers and i will be enjoying using them.
 
Troubador said:
James

Could you try to be more blunt in future and stop dressing up your criticism?

;)

Lee
Click to expand...

Lee,

For their day, I suppose they were pretty good, although the 7x42 Dialyt was better.

I guess I like them for their teutonic over-engineering [super thick and heavy lenses and prisms, brick-like design] as well as teutonic arrogance in the ergonomics - ''1.5 kgs, ist nothing!!''

They remain a work of art and iconic binoculars to this day, even if they can't compete with today's offerings.
 
james holdsworth said:
Lee,

For their day, I suppose they were pretty good, although the 7x42 Dialyt was better.

I guess I like them for their teutonic over-engineering [super thick and heavy lenses and prisms, brick-like design] as well as teutonic arrogance in the ergonomics - ''1.5 kgs, ist nothing!!''

They remain a work of art and iconic binoculars to this day, even if they can't compete with today's offerings.
Click to expand...

James

Sounds like I would be seriously underwhelmed by them if I ever get the chance to look through a pair.

Unlike my experience at the Bird Fair where I looked through a pair of FL 8x56 for the first time: magnificent!!

Lee
 
Troubador said:
James

Sounds like I would be seriously underwhelmed by them if I ever get the chance to look through a pair.

Unlike my experience at the Bird Fair where I looked through a pair of FL 8x56 for the first time: magnificent!!

Lee
Click to expand...


Lee,

I have never had the pleasure to try the big FL's. How did they compare to the HT's in terms of image quality? Could you see differences in contrast, brightness or sharpness between the two? I know exactly what you mean when you describe the HT view as ''lively'', do the big FL's give the same impression?
 
james holdsworth said:
Lee,

I have never had the pleasure to try the big FL's. How did they compare to the HT's in terms of image quality? Could you see differences in contrast, brightness or sharpness between the two? I know exactly what you mean when you describe the HT view as ''lively'', do the big FL's give the same impression?
Click to expand...


Hi James

I didn't do an A /B comparison at the time as I had an appointment to keep, but what sticks in my memory is a transparancy that reminded me of HT and a wonderful sense of space and ease of view: it was quite breathtaking.

But no, I wouldn't call it lively like HT. I think there was less contrast and less colour but the view was very appealing even so. I didn't view any details so couldn't say about sharpness.

I have never gone out of my way to gaze through an FL 8x56 before because I am not in the market for one, but if the chance ever comes my way again I will jump at it: and so should you :t:

Best, Lee
 
I have looked through the 10x56 and the 7x45.
I really like the view through the 7x45, but I cannot justify buying one, having the much lighter and optically slightly better 7x42 TFL. I would consider buying them just for the fun of having them on the shelf to look through the window, but then again, they are a little expensive for that!
 
Hats off to Zeiss customer service. The day I started this post I called them and told them what the problem was. The lady on the other end immediately said that I should send them which I did that day. Amazingly, I got them back this weekend after little more than a week and they have done a fabulous job on them. The note says they replaced the objective retaining rings, cleaned and aligned the Optics, and purged with nitrogen. They are superb and everything I was hoping for in the original purchase! Amazing warranty service for a nonoriginal owner some almost 20 years later. THAT is impressive customer service!
Thank you Zeiss!
 
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