Frank, confusingly Viking have 2 sites, this one http://www.vikingopticalcentres.co.uk/binoculars/binoculars/full-size/viking-8x42-ed-ff has them on sale at £399 but an ebay vendor has them at £349.
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....
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.
Andy, Frank,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.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
Actually, that is one of the two reasons that this binocular is named what it is.
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....
Dipped,
Yes, I would agree. The specs are, for the most part, identical or at least similar enough that the differences are inconsequential. Different armoring of course but probably the same optical arrangement. I found it in stock at Greenwich. Listed price converts to $614 U.S.
....
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.
....
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.
Truly a beautiful, natural image greets your eyes every time you look through it.