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

SF in real life (1 Viewer)

That is right, the Ultravid draw some complaints after its introduction, but the mechanism was improved after that and since then it was rather OK. Not perfectly 'silky', but as good as it can get without grease. The Leica Trinovid (previous generation from 1990 to 2012) is widely regarded as offering the best and most reliable mechanics of all Leica binoculars ever made. The Zeiss Dialyt still had external eyepiece focusing, a century old technology where nothing much could go wrong, once the ocular bridges were sufficiently stiff. I would agree that the VictoryFL has not been famous for having a particularly poor focus mechanism, but there have been issues and I know of more than one user who had to cherry-pick a good one among some not so good samples. The fact that such sample variations exist within a high end product line is itself suspicious. I sincerely hope that, with the new SF and a truly smart focus, this era will be over.

I have never heard about a 'halo effect', does anybody have an idea?


Cheers,
Holger

I have also heard nothing about a "halo" effect, neither have I noticed one.
Maybe Username could be more specific!!
I can't believe Zeiss has copied the Absam ring also:-O:-O
Jan
 
I have also heard nothing about a "halo" effect, neither have I noticed one.
Maybe Username could be more specific!!
I can't believe Zeiss has copied the Absam ring also:-O:-O
Jan

I'm just baffled by the fact that folks can obsess about these things. :-O:-O

I wasted half an hour trying to find the "Absam ring" a few years back, sorta maybe saw it, forgot about it, and have never seen it since.

Some a youse is nuts! ;)

Mark
 
I'm just baffled by the fact that folks can obsess about these things. :-O:-O

I wasted half an hour trying to find the "Absam ring" a few years back, sorta maybe saw it, forgot about it, and have never seen it since.

Some a youse is nuts! ;)

Mark

yeah I share the same sentiment...I used to try and figure out what color bias (if any), how big the area of sharpness is; where it begins to drop off, how flat the field is, etc. I drove myself batty and stopped doing that immediately. I wasn't very good at it anyway. Now I just go back to how I made decisions when I used to know nothing of these things. If the image is simply pleasing or 'easy' in some indescribable way (without trying to figure out why that is) I know rather quickly and that's all that counts in terms of the optics. It should be sharp in the center. The rest is more important to me; whether the binocular works with my glasses or not and how it fits in my hands; if it's nice and easy to use with respect to the handling.
 
I have also heard nothing about a "halo" effect, neither have I noticed one.
Maybe Username could be more specific!!
I can't believe Zeiss has copied the Absam ring also:-O:-O
Jan

I wish i could be more specific jan but i cannot be as i was not present during the 'incident'...:cat:

Perhaps this 'halo' effect simply refers to the same problem i encountered re the blackened shadow crescents that came about through not being able to center them correctly on my spectacles....?

I spoke to a friend of mine this afternoon who experienced a similar thing and he doesn't wear specs...but having said that it wasn't a big problem for him as it rarely happened...[presumably because with the eye cups up they fit neatly into the eye sockets and are thus centralized]...



http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/
 
yeah I share the same sentiment...I used to try and figure out what color bias (if any), how big the area of sharpness is; where it begins to drop off, how flat the field is, etc. I drove myself batty and stopped doing that immediately. I wasn't very good at it anyway. Now I just go back to how I made decisions when I used to know nothing of these things. If the image is simply pleasing or 'easy' in some indescribable way (without trying to figure out why that is) I know rather quickly and that's all that counts in terms of the optics. It should be sharp in the center. The rest is more important to me; whether the binocular works with my glasses or not and how it fits in my hands; if it's nice and easy to use with respect to the handling.
Well said Annabeth , none of us would buy Alpha binoculars and it makes you wonder if its worth it when you read about all the problems with them. I tried all the Alphas at Birdfair this weekend the new Zeiss SF which were very nice but i thought the image was rather flat to me , then i tried the Swarvo EL,s which were better for me easier to set up for my eye,s with my glasses on or without them . Then i tried the Lecia Ultravid which surprised me has they suited me better than any of the other,s , they came up to the eye easier , the image looked brilliant and easy on the eye , and they set up so well and handled superb . I have never owned a Alpha binocular but i will soon and it will be a Lecia for me .
 
I tried all the Alphas at Birdfair this weekend the new Zeiss SF which were very nice but i thought the image was rather flat to me ,

Poor old Zeiss, folks scream and shout to have a field flattener and now the image is a bit too flat.......... :-O

Lee
 
I wish i could be more specific jan but i cannot be as i was not present during the 'incident'...:cat:

Perhaps this 'halo' effect simply refers to the same problem i encountered re the blackened shadow crescents that came about through not being able to center them correctly on my spectacles....?

I spoke to a friend of mine this afternoon who experienced a similar thing and he doesn't wear specs...but having said that it wasn't a big problem for him as it rarely happened...[presumably because with the eye cups up they fit neatly into the eye sockets and are thus centralized]...

http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/

Hi User

I might be quite wrong here but your crescents sound quite like the effect when your eyes are not at the eye relief distance. As I mentioned in a previous post, some small adjustment to the height of the eyecup might have helped out. Did you try both having the eyecups screwed down in the classic 'spectacle-wearers' position and also unscrewed upwards a bit?

Lee
 
Thanks Lee for your impressions,

"the focus wheel will take you from 20’ to the far distance in a quick 1/8 of a turn"

that seems fast…??
but what about accuracy at mid distances?

Ah, that's the right question to ask! It's the range where I had trouble focusing my Nikon 8x32 LX. The focus worked fine for close work and at a distance, but at my typical birding distances in the middle, I was always tugging back and forth on the focus wheel, trying to obtain sharpest focus in the thin "slice of life" that the roof image presented me. Ugh. No likey fast focusers.

Somewhere between the original EL's pokey focuser (are we there yet? are we there yet?) and the "faster than a speeding bullet" Terra ED lies a moderate "speed" that most birders could be happy with, but the trend is toward fast focusers.

"It's monkey see and monkey do, would I lie to you?" -- Michael Franks

Brock
 
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...My only point was that focusing issues did not begin with close focusing...

I agree. The problems I've seen in alphas have been attributable to (some) poorly designed integrated diopters and complex new focuser designs, not close focusing or focusing ratio. With respect to the latter, based on my experiences, the alpha that takes the prize for most often exhibiting defective focus (esp. with regard to left-right synchrony and decoupling) is the original Swarovski 8.5x42 EL. Some units operate perfectly (I have one), but I've seen a number that don't. That model, with its unique lever-incorporating focuser design has moderately close focus by today's standards (7 ft) and very slow focus by today's standards.

--AP
 
Hi User

I might be quite wrong here but your crescents sound quite like the effect when your eyes are not at the eye relief distance. As I mentioned in a previous post, some small adjustment to the height of the eyecup might have helped out. Did you try both having the eyecups screwed down in the classic 'spectacle-wearers' position and also unscrewed upwards a bit?

Lee

No Lee...i didn't try the 'unscrewed upwards' position...[for one thing because it sounds quite painful]...;)

But seriously tho, as i've never ever had to do this with any other binocular before, it didn't occur to me to do so...!

Perhaps you are right and that if i'd adjusted the eye-cups then the problem might have disappeared....

Only time will tell i guess....

If given the opportunity to view the SF's again i will certainly try what you suggest...:cat:


All the best....B :)



http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/
 
Well said Annabeth , none of us would buy Alpha binoculars and it makes you wonder if its worth it when you read about all the problems with them. I tried all the Alphas at Birdfair this weekend the new Zeiss SF which were very nice but i thought the image was rather flat to me , then i tried the Swarvo EL,s which were better for me easier to set up for my eye,s with my glasses on or without them . Then i tried the Lecia Ultravid which surprised me has they suited me better than any of the other,s , they came up to the eye easier , the image looked brilliant and easy on the eye , and they set up so well and handled superb . I have never owned a Alpha binocular but i will soon and it will be a Lecia for me .

Hey Kev, I have the new Trinovid 8x42 and it is indeed a very easy view, very similar to the Ultravid. It's easy to set the view with eyeglasses as you said. There's no fuss and it's just one of the things I really like about it. Only issue I have is weight with my Trinovid. I am unsure now how long I will have this binocular due to the weight. I originally thought I'd have it for years, but not so sure now. After a few hours out there I feel it in my shoulders and arms. Maybe Leica's new models (whenever those come out) will be lighter...that would be a nice.
 
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Poor old Zeiss, folks scream and shout to have a field flattener and now the image is a bit too flat.......... :-O

Lee

Hi Lee
Sorry im if not a alpha expert like you , i just go bird watching and was saying what i thought of the image i see which was flat looking and not as bright to me as the other Alpha,s were , everybodys eye's and brain's see images different . We are not all experts some of us are just bird watchers.
Regards Kev :C
 
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The Halo Effect is a commonly used term in the human engineering community, which refers to a positive bias. In this case it might have to do with a positive bias, i.e., a "halo," over Zeiss products that benefits the overall assessment.

Of course, I don't know if this is what username's correspondent was referring to.

Ed
 
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The Halo Effect is a commonly used term in the human engineering community, which refers to a positive bias. In this case it might have to do with a positive bias, i.e., a "halo," over Zeiss products that benefits the overall assessment.

Of course, I don't know if this is what username's correspondent was referring to.

Ed
Human engineering community is that what Aldous Huxley was thinking about in 1931 when he wrote "Brave New World"? Coming from a Human Resources background I was much more comfortable with Personnel Management. Halo effect much referred to by psychologists?
Perhaps we should change Huxley's calendar from AF After Ford to AZ After Zeiss?
I also enjoyed some time on the Zeiss stand at the Birdfair and much to my surprise I was equally taken with the 10x HT but need more time to compare with the SF in a quieter environment.
I am surprised that the length of the HTs and the SFs are quite similar despite the difference in prisms. I assumed wrongly that the Abbe- Konig prism would make the HT longer than the SF.
FWIW I still like and enjoy my 7x42 Dialyts! Doubt which ever of the new "Alphas" I hope to buy will make me a better birder. But if I refer back to psychology my self esteem ( Maslow) will be increased if I wander round an RSPB "Honey Pot" reserve with a pair of SFs.
 
Human engineering community is that what Aldous Huxley was thinking about in 1931 when he wrote "Brave New World"? Coming from a Human Resources background I was much more comfortable with Personnel Management. Halo effect much referred to by psychologists?
Perhaps we should change Huxley's calendar from AF After Ford to AZ After Zeiss?
I also enjoyed some time on the Zeiss stand at the Birdfair and much to my surprise I was equally taken with the 10x HT but need more time to compare with the SF in a quieter environment.
I am surprised that the length of the HTs and the SFs are quite similar despite the difference in prisms. I assumed wrongly that the Abbe- Konig prism would make the HT longer than the SF.
FWIW I still like and enjoy my 7x42 Dialyts! Doubt which ever of the new "Alphas" I hope to buy will make me a better birder. But if I refer back to psychology my self esteem ( Maslow) will be increased if I wander round an RSPB "Honey Pot" reserve with a pair of SFs.

Robert,

Maybe I should have said the Human Factors community, — but doesn't personnel management produce the same foreboding in you as human engineering?

Anyway, I also have a pair of 7x42 B/GAT*P, which, if I had nothing else, would quite sufficient. :t:

Just a simple device with limited short-focus (unfortunately), excellent eye relief, and NO field flattener.

Ed
 
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Ed

The answer to your first question is an emphatic yes.

Interested in your post 56 and wonder on reflection, whether that was why I initially preferred the HTs to the SFs?
The view through the 10x HTs certainly had a stronger impact on me than the SFs. This is very much a first impression.

Robert
 
Robert,

Ah, yes, quite possible. I should have mentioned the virgin effect.

Ed

Note that I deleted post #56. Wrong context.
 
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My Zeiss FL's don't have a focus problem...but i do have a problem with the new SF's...:smoke:

I was at the birdfair for all 3 days and visited the Zeiss stand several times to look through the SF's.

I am a spectacle wearer and frustratingly they always blacked out at the edges with crescent shadows due to me not being able to centralize the image correctly. I presume this is due to the large FOV which has become far too critical.

No matter how i adjusted the bins i could rarely get rid of this effect....and it was bloody annoying..!

All the plus's mentioned about this binocular were completely over-ridden, for me anyway, by this 'effect'.

Also...[and this is a personal thing as mentioned before]...i still noticed the rolling ball...[an effect that bothers me a lot]...

I was expecting a flat image...i didn't get it...!

Oh well....B :)


http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Zeiss SF!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Though the promise was for balanced distortion
It apparently applies only to a portion
of all Zeiss SF users... so
Keep them birdies rollin',
Zeiss SF!

Well, this is a revoltin' development! I'm still wondering what Dobler had to say about the mustache distortion in the SV ELs? If he was somehow oblivious to the numerous complaints about it and even Holger's technical reports, then I can see why the issue wouldn't have been resolved in the SF, which he also designed. Could he be in the .0001% minority that thinks "rolling ball" doesn't exist?

Ed, did you try the 10x42 model? Someone earlier said he noticed some RB in the 8x model but not in the 10x. Could be like the 8.5x vs. 10x42 SV EL.

If so, then perhaps like the SV EL, the 8x32 version, when and if it arrives, will have more pincushion. I'm sure that's the hope of all rollingballers over the world tonight.

Brock
 
Robert,

Maybe I should have said the Human Factors community, — but doesn't personnel management produce the same foreboding in you as human engineering?

Anyway, I also have a pair of 7x42 B/GAT*P, which, if I had nothing else, would quite sufficient. :t:

Just a simple device with limited short-focus (unfortunately), excellent eye relief, and NO field flattener.

Ed

No field flatteners?! How did birders in ye olde days get by w/out field flatteners, I wonder? They must have missed a lot of birds in their periphery?

I think when considering the results of the participants in"The Big Year" event, the judges should give extra points to birders who have binoculars with field curvature to be fair. :smoke:

Brock
 
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