Zen Ray ZRS HD (1 Viewer)

Thinking about this for a bit, I can identify five times when I have been really impressed by some optical instrument. These don’t count the “WOW” reactions to the initial phase corrected Leica and Zeiss binoculars of the late 1980’s. The price was too depressing.

The first time was the Brunton Eterna 7x42, at a binocular clinic at a Bald Eagle Conference. It turned out that it wasn’t so much the Eterna, but that the phase correction of the Leica and Zeiss was now more widely available. What that feature did for affordable binoculars impressed me. That was reinforced by comparison of the Eagle Optics Ranger and the brand new Swarovski EL. The Ranger wasn’t an EL, but what they did for their price in comparison was impressive.

The second time was with the improvement that the Vortex Viper and Pentax SP offered in the mid price glass. These looked like a nice evolution of the mid range binoculars.

The third time was when I finally succumbed to all of the “these things are great” comments about the 6x30 Yosemite. I figured, yeah right. Well I was wrong.

The fourth time was with the Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED, which impression was recently reinforced by its closely related competitor, the ZEN ED. Finally there were binoculars with impressive optics that were actually affordable.

I am now experiencing the fifth time. I have both 8x and 10x42 ZRS HD binoculars for review. Not only am I impressed, I am nearly astonished. I have always demanded maximum value for the price I pay for anything I buy. I thought that the optical best bang for the buck had to be the Promaster/ZEN/Hawke binoculars. Now I’m not so sure maybe that honor is now at least to be divided three ways. The Yosemite in the less than $100 class, the above mentioned ED’s in the $400 class and now the ZRS in the $200 class. The upcoming $300 class Bushnell Legend Ultra HD and whatever siblings it may have, find the ZRS in their path. Maybe the ED component will favor them. Whatever the course, the new ED has its work cut out if it is to beat these guys. Even if they fit squarely in the middle of the difference between the ZRS and ZEN ED, it may be that most eyes won’t be able to pick up the differences. Competition at this price level might get ferocious.

Among the binoculars I have for comparison, the ZRS whacks the 8x42 Monarch. The fov is bigger, the edge to edge sharpness you will have to see for yourself, the depth of field is far better on the ZRS over the Monarch. The color and sharpness also go to the ZRS.

The more equal comparison is to the Vortex Viper, which now carries a price of over $500. The ZRS are less than half of that. The image quality is for all appearances equal, but there appears to be a slight edge in favor of the ZRS. Color about the same, clarity, sharpness, depth of field, are so close to the same that most will not tell the two apart. Your bank account will however be able to figure it out in short order. Advantage here goes to the ZRS. It has more fov and significantly better across the field and edge of field sharpness. I have never regretted buying the Viper, but as of right now, there is no way I would not take the ZRS.

How does the ZRS compare to the ZEN ED? The ZRS is not quite at that level. The ED glass does show better color, and has a bit better resolution and sharpness. It also has the wide angle advantage.

Zen-Ray advertises its efforts to achieve a flat field in the ZRS, and it appears they have pretty well done that. As I understand this, the HD glass in the ZRS is high density LaK glass used in the 5-lens eyepiece. Zen Ray credits the eye piece design for the flatness, edge to edge sharpness and twilight brightness the ZRS shows.

From the pictures on the Zen Ray site, the ZRS looks like a Viper. This does not hold up in a side by side view. Somehow the ZRS design eliminated most of the humping up of the hinge typical in roof binoculars, giving the binocular a quite compact size for a full size 42mm. You can see the feature here: http://www.zen-ray.com/summit.shtml.

The binocular is the same forest green color as is the ZEN ED, with the same design pattern to the armor. The focus turns through a bit over 1 ½ turns. Now the stray light may be a tad bit better controlled in the ZEN ED and Promaster. CA seems about the same. Color rendition may be a bit better in the ED. The only way I get stray light effects is looking directly under bright noon day sun, in an arc about 10* either side of the sun.

There is no way in h#!! are these 8x42 ZRS HD going back to Zen Ray. These things I’m buying. These $200 glasses are just as close to the ZEN ED et. al. as the ZEN ED is to the alphas. Aside from the ZEN ED types, there is NOTHING in the $500 range that compares to these $200 binoculars. Image wise the Viper is close, value wise, nothing.

That’s all for now. More, including pictures later.

nice review, Steve. Does it come with lens dust cover? I presume it does, but didn't see them on the picture.

Wow. I just love my Zen ED. Now I may have to order a ZRS for the wife... Most of all I'm dying to hear about their spotting scope. How's the ZRS strap?

It has the same rainguard that comes with the ZEN ED. It has nicely snug, securely tethered objective caps. Don't get buyers remorse over the ZEN ED it is a better binocular than the ZRS. Not very much, but better.

I have so far not taken the strap out of its wrapper. I will post pictures tonight.

It has a nice solid "built like a tank" feel. It just feels more expensive than the Monarch. The compact size tends to give it a sort heavy duty feel.

what "buyer remorse"? I love my ZEN ED. I cannot find a better deal with open frame and ED glasses. Thanks for the recommendation. It is always good to have options.

falcondude said:

what "buyer remorse"? I love my ZEN ED. I cannot find a better deal with open frame and ED glasses.

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Yeah, this is sort of a remorseless area. I'd like to (in some ways anyway) have both the 8x ZEN ED and ELX ED. But the two are too close, to really justify both. The ZRS will become the fulltime truck glass.

Nice Steve. You had to post such a glowing review?

You know I am going to have to order a set now, don't you?

Really that good at the $200 price point? I just heard some similar comments from someone else that purchased a pair. He seemed to equate it to a Pentax SP level of optical quality and definitely better than a Bushnell Legend roof.

How about everything else? Focusing tension, fit and finish, balance, color fringing control, etc?

OK, second impression time. I still think these are the best $200 binocular I have looked through. I do think maybe my 8x is just a tad bit better specimen than the 10x, but neither can be faulted too badly.

These have very good build quality for the price. Certainly on par with the ZEN ED. The hinge tension is nice and tight. It should stay where it is put unless you move it. When you move it it does not need to be forced. The focus tension is just right for me. There is no hint of dead spots that take up slack before the focus actually changes. It is smooth, no sticky or hard spots, and mirrors the hinge tension in that it should stay where you put it and it moves quite easily when needed. The focus is backwards from the ZEN ED. The ZRS goes counter clockwise to infinity, with not quite 1/2 turn of focus left past infinity. Close focus is as specified, right at 6 feet.

The eyecups have two intermediate stops between retracted and extended. There is a bit of play at the extracted stop, but seems not to be a problem. The diopter is a locking style. Pull the ring up to adjust and down to lock. The lock on both of these is tighter than the Viper.

Color fringing is quite frankly better than might be expected from a $200 binocular. Same for CA and stray light. There is some stray light issues when looking under the bright noon time sun, but that was about the only way I could induce any. But then again, I have not used them enough yet.

The resolution seems not quite as sharp as the ZEN ED. The difference is most notable in astronomical use. Planets do not resolve quite as sharply as they do with the ZEN. Terrestrial details are also a bit sharper at long distance. The resolution seems to mirror the Viper, exceeds the Monarch, and falls a bit short of the ZEN.

The colors are bright and sharp. The ZRS has a bit of a warmer cast than the ZEN.

Edge sharpness is quite easily the equal of the ZEN. Really good considering the price level. Th flatness of the field and sharpness of the edge are maybe better than the Viper.

So, it seems to me what we have here is a $200 binocular that rates against the $400-600 class in the same relationship the $400 ZEN ED types relate to the $1,000+ binoculars. Don't need to rush out and get rid of the Vipers and the SP's. But if you want an equivalent at less money, then here is what you want.

WOW, look what you get for $200........!

Thumbnails posted below.

Steve C said:

OK, second impression time. I still think these are the best $200 binocular I have looked through. I do think maybe my 8x is just a tad bit better specimen than the 10x, but neither can be faulted too badly.

These have very good build quality for the price. Certainly on par with the ZEN ED. The hinge tension is nice and tight. It should stay where it is put unless you move it. When you move it it does not need to be forced. The focus tension is just right for me. There is no hint of dead spots that take up slack before the focus actually changes. It is smooth, no sticky or hard spots, and mirrors the hinge tension in that it should stay where you put it and it moves quite easily when needed. The focus is backwards from the ZEN ED. The ZRS goes counter clockwise to infinity, with not quite 1/2 turn of focus left past infinity. Close focus is as specified, right at 6 feet.

The eyecups have two intermediate stops between retracted and extended. There is a bit of play at the extracted stop, but seems not to be a problem. The diopter is a locking style. Pull the ring up to adjust and down to lock. The lock on both of these is tighter than the Viper.

Color fringing is quite frankly better than might be expected from a $200 binocular. Same for CA and stray light. There is some stray light issues when looking under the bright noon time sun, but that was about the only way I could induce any. But then again, I have not used them enough yet.

The resolution seems not quite as sharp as the ZEN ED. The difference is most notable in astronomical use. Planets do not resolve quite as sharply as they do with the ZEN. Terrestrial details are also a bit sharper at long distance. The resolution seems to mirror the Viper, exceeds the Monarch, and falls a bit short of the ZEN.

The colors are bright and sharp. The ZRS has a bit of a warmer cast than the ZEN.

Edge sharpness is quite easily the equal of the ZEN. Really good considering the price level. Th flatness of the field and sharpness of the edge are maybe better than the Viper.

So, it seems to me what we have here is a $200 binocular that rates against the $400-600 class in the same relationship the $400 ZEN ED types relate to the $1,000+ binoculars. Don't need to rush out and get rid of the Vipers and the SP's. But if you want an equivalent at less money, then here is what you want.

WOW, look what you get for $200........!

Thumbnails posted below.

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Steve,

Wow, it seems like you really like these. I'm looking for a 2nd pair of binoculars and was thinking of getting the "new and improved" Diamondback 8x42 (we already have 1 pair of them) but after your review maybe I should get the ZRS. Do you have any info on how these might compare to the Diamondback's? One thing I see is the difference in FOV between the two. Would I really notice it for general birding use or does the image quality trump the wider field?

Yes, I do like these. I am going to buy the 8x42. To put a bit of a point on the "astonishing" comment, what I am saying is that I am astonished, since I used the term, on how good these are for $200. Not that they are so astonishing that they blow everything else away. They are Vortex Viper-Pentax SP class binoculars, with some edge sharpness and fov improvements over the Viper and SP.

I can't directly answer the Diamondback comparison, other than to say I could always see a quality difference in any Viper I looked at vs any Diamondback I have looked at. Those I have seen side by side several times. The next question is how much improvement will the new Diamondback show? I have a new 7x36 pre-ordered, so I probably won't know before I see that. It would surprise me if Kevin Purcell either by now has a ZRS or will soon have ZRS. I believe Kevin has an 8x42 Diamondback and will be in position to offer a more direct comparison.

While the Diamondback does have a nice wide fov, one of the things some samples seemed to show was a bit of field curvature or some edge distortion. The eyepiece design of the ZRS is supposed to combat this, and it seems to have been successful. So to try and answer your question, I will take the ZRS fov with its flat field and edge sharpness over what I recall of the Diamondback. 7* is not too little fov. IMO, if you can't follow birds with 7*, the field of view is not the problem.

Steve C said:

Yes, I do like these. I am going to buy the 8x42. To put a bit of a point on the "astonishing" comment, what I am saying is that I am astonished, since I used the term, on how good these are for $200. Not that they are so astonishing that they blow everything else away. They are Vortex Viper-Pentax SP class binoculars, with some edge sharpness and fov improvements over the Viper and SP.

I can't directly answer the Diamondback comparison, other than to say I could always see a quality difference in any Viper I looked at vs any Diamondback I have looked at. Those I have seen side by side several times. The next question is how much improvement will the new Diamondback show? I have a new 7x36 pre-ordered, so I probably won't know before I see that. It would surprise me if Kevin Purcell either by now has a ZRS or will soon have ZRS. I believe Kevin has an 8x42 Diamondback and will be in position to offer a more direct comparison.

While the Diamondback does have a nice wide fov, one of the things some samples seemed to show was a bit of field curvature or some edge distortion. The eyepiece design of the ZRS is supposed to combat this, and it seems to have been successful. So to try and answer your question, I will take the ZRS fov with its flat field and edge sharpness over what I recall of the Diamondback. 7* is not too little fov. IMO, if you can't follow birds with 7*, the field of view is not the problem.

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OK, here's another question. Maybe it's not fair to ask but are the ZEN ED worth the extra $160 over the ZRS? I ask this because I could possibly stretch the budget to get the ED. But, given your impressions, it seems like most people might not see the difference (except for a slightly wider FOV). I'm a newer birder and by no means an optical expert. Would I be better served saving the $160 towards a spotting scope?

I thought my binocular buying for this year would cap off with the acquisition of ZEN ED. The package of ZRS does look attractive: magnesium body, lockable diopter, phase coating for $200. hm... m-u-s-t r-e-s-i-s-t:-C

Steve C said:

It would surprise me if Kevin Purcell either by now has a ZRS or will soon have ZRS. I believe Kevin has an 8x42 Diamondback and will be in position to offer a more direct comparison.

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I hope to have an ZRS 8x by the weekend, if the mail cooperates.

I have a few binoculars to compare this one to: the current (older) Diamondback 8x42, Bushnell Legend 8x42, Pentax HS, and a few other non-ED bins.

I'll let you know when I've tried them out.

I'm in the same boat. I just got the Zen ED and am seeing things I haven't ever noticed before. Its a real eye-opener.

I'm basically a new birder (got hooked ~6 months ago), and am also getting very interested in optics. I haven't gotten a scope yet, am weighing a few options. I'm tempted to take a plunge on the Zen-Ray scope, given their impressive bins, but am just not sure...

Backyard Birder said:

OK, here's another question. Maybe it's not fair to ask but are the ZEN ED worth the extra $160 over the ZRS? I ask this because I could possibly stretch the budget to get the ED. But, given your impressions, it seems like most people might not see the difference (except for a slightly wider FOV). I'm a newer birder and by no means an optical expert. Would I be better served saving the $160 towards a spotting scope?

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ZEN ED's open hinge design makes it more expensive too. AFAIK, it is more difficult to collimate the optics with open hinge design than the traditional roof prism. After using EL, I feel it is more ergonomical to use open hinge binocular so my fingers can naturally curved around the lens body. ZEN did a good job on this. It feels light even with its 27oz body. I think the weight distribution was considered with its design. Yeah, the wider FOV is very visible.

BackyardBirder,

OK. I agree with falcondude that the fov difference is noticeable. Since fov preferences are a highly personal choice, I'll say I'm fine with 7*. When 8* shows up with the ZEN, trust me, I'm fine with that too.

The ZEN ED is a better binocular optically than the ZRS. Just not very much. Again some people react to small changes in image quality differently. I think the ZRS should be a superb general purpose binocular, especially if you are in the position where you really need to watch your budget. I learned birding with a binocular of lesser optical quality than the ZRS, and never felt I was at an optical handicap. I can't imagine dissatisfaction with either one.

I get the feeling from my frequent communications with Charles at Zen Ray, that you could easily get both and return the one you don't like. That might tie up the price of one binocular for a week or two, but a side by side comparison is surely what I recommend whenever possible. You may well find the ergonomic differences more critical than the optics. I also think you are the sort of customer the ZRS is aimed at.

falcondude said:

ZEN ED's open hinge design makes it more expensive too. AFAIK, it is more difficult to collimate the optics with open hinge design than the traditional roof prism.

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Not really.

The worry (by open-hinge naysayers) is a drop can more easily knock the binout of calibration because "there's less metal there". There doesn't seem to be any actual evidence for this. I think they underestimate how stiff the Mg alloy is. Unlike Al it won't bend unless you put some force on it (then it'll probably break).

These bins are typically calibrated during assembly when they glue the prism housing in place ... they collimate the prisms then UV set the adhesive. That's one way of making very good bins like this automatically in a less expensive but very reliable manner.

I do however believe the open-hinge enclosures are a bit more expensive to make. They look like the CNC machined die-cast parts. The exposed metal parts are powder coating and the finish is rather attractive. The Hawke even has some extra groves (it look identical otherwise) which are just added by extending the CNC machining.

Anyhow back to the ZR reviews ...

Steve C said:

I get the feeling from my frequent communications with Charles at Zen Ray, that you could easily get both and return the one you don't like. That might tie up the price of one binocular for a week or two, but a side by side comparison is surely what I recommend whenever possible. You may well find the ergonomic differences more critical than the optics. I also think you are the sort of customer the ZRS is aimed at.

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Steve,

Good idea. I emailed Zen Ray about ordering both and returning one. Hopefully I get a positive response. That would definitely help make the decision easier. If that's workable I'll order them this week and hopefully I would get them before the long President's Day weekend.

[QUOTE You may well find the ergonomic differences more critical than the optics. [/QUOTE]


AH!! Steve. The eternal question. As a percentage, what value would you assign to ergonomics? What other values woud you assign to other features to get to 100%?

So, it seems to me what we have here is a $200 binocular that rates against the $400-600 class in the same relationship the $400 ZEN ED types relate to the $1,000+ binoculars. Don't need to rush out and get rid of the Vipers and the SP's. But if you want an equivalent at less money, then here is what you want.

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A perfect way to relate to these bins, especially if you have the Zen ED or maybe the Promaster or Hawke. I,too, should have a pair of these in hand shortly. I look forward to comparing them to a few others as well.