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

New kid on the block ... Theron Questa (1 Viewer)

That would put the price around $540 U.S. And comparable to what both the Zen Ray and Leipold were selling for.
 
These seem really nice. I'm realizing I don't really need them, but I'd still like to compare them against the 8x42 EDG II just to get a real understanding if at this price level of optics are reaching that relatively high performance level.

If I do break down and buy them though I'll likely go for the 10x as I have a few in the 8x range, but currently only one 10x .... well I have a 10x SE on the way for the same type of test so I guess I have 2 10x if there are no issues with the SE. At 10x though they are not a direct comparison with the EDG or any other roof I have.

It comes down to I'm mostly interested in just how well they perform rather than a need for any more optics, I guess that was the same with the SE purchase it was just that they are so well regarded I wanted to try them. I also find the view through the Canon porro-II optics different than all my other porros interms of the view, looks closer to my roofs than my other porro models and I want to see if that holds with the SE, maybe porro-II renders the view more to my liking. Rich now with my slightly more than a handful of optics I think the view through roofs has a nicer rendering with the exception of the Canon. This has got me a bit intrigued.

So far though the Canon 10x42 L IS WP are still the finest optics for me. Between those, the EDG, and the Pocket CL I think I'm done for another good while, I just like looking through different ones for comparisons.

Happy to report my recent test of the Foresta 7x50 was pleasing. It is a good image for the price, I got mine at a good discount and I would recommend them to someone looking for that format.
 
This binocular does sound great. A game changer, two thumbs up.

Certainly has the favour of the reviewer and I'm pretty convinced just reading about it.

Eyecups shouldn't be underestimated. Never normally a deal breaker for me but I do appreciate the nice smooth curved edge on my Kowa SV which fits very snugly against the eyebrow although they have given it a rubber sandpaper type finish and strangely I don't wish for it to wear off which it probably surely must but then I expect will be even more comfortable.

I've been wondering if Hawke have been using something similar to the Questa with their coatings for the colour presentation. I see Hawke have a new badged version of the Sapphire selling at a higher price compared to the older one but they don't advertise field flatteners or any difference to the old badge model at the moment but probably only a matter of time although they did seem to abandon their Panorama model. I wonder does their new badged Sapphire have something similar to this Questa.

Still waiting to get my next new Sapphire from Hawke so wondering what that will be like? Could go either way it seems judging by the last one but I still crave that great new colour presentation the last one had compared to my original early model and this new colour effect seems to have been a fairly recent addition. Maybe they have sent me the latest one but I think it's more likely an old stock version. Pity as I could then have cleared up any mystery about the higher price the of newer one being about £100 more expensive which seems a lot for just a badge change.
 
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Frank,

Very nice report as always and it sounds like you've found another gem.

What has confussed me is the possible comparison to the Viking FF. Sure the specification make it look like the two are related but I wonder how closely? Viking's ED Pro is their top of the range and very good. That is the one on a superficial comparison I'd say would give the ZenRay Prime a run for it's money. The FF is quite good but I'd put on the step below. In fact it was a Viking representative at Minsmere who tried to persuade me how amazing the FF was, so I got out the Prime for comparison and we both agreed it wasn't close. Unfortunatey they don't sell the Pro at RSPB outlets though that's the one the Viking guy owned and conceded was probably closest.

I'm not trying to contradict anything you say Frank, but I think it's quite possible that the Questa and the FF share the same platform, it sounds like the detailed specification might be entirely different. It certainly doesn't sound the same to me.

David

PS. The tax inclusive price in Euope of the ZenRay Prime through Lanius Books in Poland is approximately £500 depending on the exchange rate on the day. The Viking ED-FF is £399 and the ED-Pro £599 at their own stores.
 
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Frank,

Very nice report as always and it sounds like you've found another gem.

What has confussed me is the possible comparison to the Viking FF. Sure the specification make it look like the two are related but I wonder how closely? Viking's ED Pro is their top of the range and very good. That is the one on a superficial comparison I'd say would give the ZenRay Prime a run for it's money. The FF is quite good but I'd put on the step below. In fact it was a Viking representative at Minsmere who tried to persuade me how amazing the FF was, so I got out the Prime for comparison and we both agreed it wasn't close. Unfortunatey they don't sell the Pro at RSPB outlets though that's the one the Viking guy owned and conceded was probably closest.

I'm not trying to contradict anything you say Frank, but I think it's quite possible that the Questa and the FF share the same platform, it sounds like the detailed specification might be entirely different. It certainly doesn't sound the same to me.

David

PS. The tax inclusive price in Euope of the ZenRay Prime through Lanius Books in Poland is approximately £500 depending on the exchange rate on the day. The Viking ED-FF is £399 and the ED-Pro £599 at their own stores.

David,

As long as I know, the FF are coming from the same OEM factory of Prime HD. Basically same design but using better glasses and coating on Prime which perform better optics.

Prime and Questa (Bosma) are having same score according to my testing.

Andy
 
Yes good review especially including the background lead up info which I was vaguely aware of but will be helpful to anyone not aware.

I tried an SV 10x42 once but didn't actually notice any great flat field that stood out but I wasn't particularly looking for it. The out of focus ring midway does sound strange.

BTW could you yanks get rid of ounces purlease.

I just can't picture how many onions or spuds that is or what a binocular weighs and have to go look the damn thing up and I can't be bothered.

Grams are a pretty good way to measure. Honest. Over 800 grams for a bin is getting not good. 400 to 600 grams is nice.

1 litre water = 1000g or 1 kg. Nice and simple for me to remember :t:
 
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Sorry for the long delay in replying gents. Weekends on the computer are tough for me. Too many other activities going on...not the least of which being birding. ;)

Clive,

Let me address your last comments first.....

Look at it this way...a can of beer is typically 12 ounces but a big can of beer is 16 ounces or one pound. :)

For what it is worth I did include both grams and ounces in the initial review. The company's website lists only grams so I had to convert to ounces for us Yanks. ;)

Enjoytheview,

I look forward to hearing your comments in comparison to the EDG and any other models you have on hand. I won't have a chance to be around any "alpha glass" until October.

Brock,

I don't know about all that. $425 isn't $180. Still, the comparison is with $1000 and $2400 glass so it may become more popular than I anticipated.

David,

What you posted could be entirely true. I have tested several versions of a particular design and they varied enough in performance to prove that there was a "base design" and then many ways to go about providing different performance levels.
 
David,

As long as I know, the FF are coming from the same OEM factory of Prime HD. Basically same design but using better glasses and coating on Prime which perform better optics.

Prime and Questa (Bosma) are having same score according to my testing.

Andy
Andy, Frank,

I was told the ED-FF and ED-Pro were from the same factory as well. Interesting set of relationships.

David
 
David,

As long as I know, the FF are coming from the same OEM factory of Prime HD. Basically same design but using better glasses and coating on Prime which perform better optics.

Prime and Questa (Bosma) are having same score according to my testing.

Andy
Zen Ray has their own assembly facility. Think CNC shop, optical lab, assembly rooms, etc. They assemble their own to avoid some issues they have had with OEM facilities. How successful they are with that is to be seen I suppose. Many parts may be common, but that is it.
 
Official - initial review.......
....So, what makes the use of a field flattener so important? Well, what it does allow for is to have more of the field of view in focus. We often hear the phrase “edge to edge” sharpness. Field flattened binoculars often come the closest to being able to produce this level of performance. This then begs the question as to why more companies aren’t using them in their designs. As with any optical design there are drawbacks. The most often mentioned in this case is AMD (Angular Magnification Distortion) or “rolling ball” as it has been affectionately called as of late. AMD refers to a phenomenon where the image appears to roll as if across the surface of a ball when panning with the binocular. To counteract this to some extent manufacturers introduced some percentage of pincushion distortion. Such is the case with the Theron Questa. As someone that can notice AMD but is not bothered by it unless it is excessive I can happily report that the Questa displays very little of it....

Very nice review, Frank. I always enjoy your use of the Socratic method. So I shall employ it to make a point.

Come hither, Plato, and let me ask a question of you. Do you think that AMD (Angular Magnification Distortion) is another name for “rolling ball” as it has been affectionately called as of late, and that the two terms, therefore, mean the same thing?

Certainly they do, Socrates.

Would you also say, Plato, that a virus and catching a cold are the same thing?

No, sir, I would not, one is the cause and the other is the effect.

Verily, I say unto you that this relationship is also true with AMD and "rolling ball." The AMD is the cause, and the RB, the effect. However, not everyone who has been exposed to a virus catches a cold. In a similar manner, not everyone who is exposed to AMD experiences "rolling ball."

You have much wisdom in these matters, Socrates, and can see what most others cannot.

You speak the truth, Plato, which makes me to wonder why the busts they carve in my likeness never have eyes. :smoke:

* excepted from the "Rolling Ball Dialogues" by Plato. Translated by Brock, New York, C. Scribner's Sons, [2015]
 
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....
Enjoytheview,

I look forward to hearing your comments in comparison to the EDG and any other models you have on hand. I won't have a chance to be around any "alpha glass" until October.
....

I'm still debating if it's worth trying these, as right now I think I'd rather buy something that extends my options rather than duplicates them. So if I buy another binocular I'm thinking it needs to be a 10x35 or a 10x50.
 
Brock,

Thank you for pointing that out. Since you are fond of using ancient history as a lesson I would suggest googling the Latin usage of Questa to answer your first question.

;)

Steve, Typo,

Consider the following logic.... Zen Ray does OEM work for other companies. Other companies now have a flat field design similar to the Prime. Zen Ray is doing the OEM work for these flat field models.

Not saying it is true but it is an interesting hypothesis.
 
Steve, Typo,

Consider the following logic.... Zen Ray does OEM work for other companies. Other companies now have a flat field design similar to the Prime. Zen Ray is doing the OEM work for these flat field models.

Not saying it is true but it is an interesting hypothesis.

Frank,

You and Steve would know much more about what Charles is up to than I do.

Rightly or wrongly, my impression is that there are quite a few component part companies around cities like Kunming and a few establish local assembly companies, and we are all aware of various QC problems that can crop up. Various brands have also set up their own assembly or QC operations out there and it sounds like ZR has joined them. I would expect they would mix and match off the shelf optical and mechanical assemblies to their specifications like the others and suppliment that with their own details like armour, eyecups, focus knobs etc.. I can't imagine they would have the volume to justify molding and machining in-house. I'm sure Charles would look to offset his costs by offering a service to others. I don't know if companies like Viking or bigger brand names would use ZenRay or not, but they have been operating out there a lot longer than ZR. I would be very surprised if this family of flat field designs were specific to Charles, but I could be wrong.

David
 
David,

Good points of course. For the record, I have no idea who makes what. I just thought that particular train of thought was interesting.

What I do know is that, often, several small companies will get together, financially, on designing and producing a new model. That new model is then initially exclusive to the companies that financed its creation. Afterwards? I am sure they could sell the rights off to others.

On another note, I continued to be impressed with this new binocular. Because of the field flatteners the performance really isn't like any other binocular (minus the other versions under other companies' names) anywhere around its price point. Truly a beautiful, natural image greets your eyes every time you look through it.
 
Truly a beautiful, natural image greets your eyes every time you look through it.

I would say "addictive" about this new Hawke Sapphire 8x43 I have and that's mainly because of the light brilliance, the sharpness and colour profile which is occasionally etherial rather than natural, BUT, there is some glare on occasion in the form of bottom cresent and there is some comma, that bright band that can appear around the outside ocular edge like a silver flash. It's not enough to make me unaddicted as both can easily be ignored or removed with better eye position but obviously these things are not desirable.

Are there no such issues with the Questa?

My Kowa SV 8x32 doesn't have this glare or comma and in a way that makes it easier to use but it definitely scores lower in the addictive traits I mentioned above, so for me it's forgive the Sapphire for it's little infringements in order to obtain the otherwise awesomeness. This is definitely a binocular were you will enjoy the pretty much guaranteed amazement reaction from those who would try it and I'd definitely want a future model if they correct these small issues I mentioned or probably even if they didn't. As I say for me there is something addictive about it. It isn't perfect but it is addictive and I like that, well I haven't much choice really now that I'm addicted.

The Questa just sounds perfect which somehow seems that it is missing something. It's the steady Eddie to the flawed genius?
 
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