Single malts can do that.
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Zeiss SFL 8x40, A Field Review (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Troubador
- Start date
Ahh Yes, the famous Bunnahabhain effect....
Lee
Had a little time this evening to play to compare the SFL to 8x32/42NLs with a little birding out at the dam of our local water supply lake. Was able to confirm my previous impression that the SFL definitely has a touch better resolution than the 32NL. Also, the difference in glare while aiming towards the general direction of the sun was much more apparent. While adjusting the NL position could adequately mitigate the glare in most situations, with the SFL it was nice not to have to deal with it to begin with (most of the time). The extra 30ft of FOV of the NL wasn't really noticeable in general use.
I didn't have as much time to compare the SFL & 8x42NL. I was able to compare resolution while supporting the bins on a foot bridge railing. The two are very close in resolution with the NLs seemingly very very slightly better at times, however this could be due to the slower focus of the NL (at the far end). The slower focus of the NL makes it easier to dial in the sharpest focus point. The extra 57ft of NL FOV is noticeable and difficult to give up.
Other observations that may or may not be accurate:
The SFLs appear to be very slightly brighter, which goes against the design and transmission specs. For real purposes I'd say they're identical.
The SFL seems to have a tiny bit more saturation than either of the NLs.
The color balance of the SFLs & NLs appears to be the same. However color balance is not something I'm sensitive about and rarely notice.
If Zeiss has made any mistakes with the SFL I'd say it's the stiffness and quickness of the focus. However for my tastes these are not deal killers (not yet anyway). Perhaps the wheel will get looser with use as others have reported, although I'm not that optimistic. So far the stiffness has not changed with temperature so hopefully it won't be worse in the winter.
I didn't have as much time to compare the SFL & 8x42NL. I was able to compare resolution while supporting the bins on a foot bridge railing. The two are very close in resolution with the NLs seemingly very very slightly better at times, however this could be due to the slower focus of the NL (at the far end). The slower focus of the NL makes it easier to dial in the sharpest focus point. The extra 57ft of NL FOV is noticeable and difficult to give up.
Other observations that may or may not be accurate:
The SFLs appear to be very slightly brighter, which goes against the design and transmission specs. For real purposes I'd say they're identical.
The SFL seems to have a tiny bit more saturation than either of the NLs.
The color balance of the SFLs & NLs appears to be the same. However color balance is not something I'm sensitive about and rarely notice.
If Zeiss has made any mistakes with the SFL I'd say it's the stiffness and quickness of the focus. However for my tastes these are not deal killers (not yet anyway). Perhaps the wheel will get looser with use as others have reported, although I'm not that optimistic. So far the stiffness has not changed with temperature so hopefully it won't be worse in the winter.
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
see
Zeiss SFL 8x40, A Field Review
The x42 is what I have now as a consequence. But growing older and having a heavier camera (RX10) as a consequence of non-satisfactory performance of my long used standard (FZ200) makes me long for a 8x40 SFL! As for the "few minutes later" you mention, it would strictly have been a matter of...
www.birdforum.net
and
Zeiss SFL 8x40, A Field Review
The x42 is what I have now as a consequence. But growing older and having a heavier camera (RX10) as a consequence of non-satisfactory performance of my long used standard (FZ200) makes me long for a 8x40 SFL! As for the "few minutes later" you mention, it would strictly have been a matter of...
www.birdforum.net
You might not agree, but the best way to find out is to try them before you buy!
The only person who can answer that question is you. So it definitely is a case of try before you buy.
Lee
UTGrad
Well-known member
Not to derail the thread, but does anyone else feel the “try before you buy” or “go find a pair” a bit sanctimonious? Obviously if there was a Zeiss dealer close by with SFLs in stock I would do a comparison with the Conquest HDs but that is not the case thus why I asked on the forum.
No because you really need to try. We are lucky enough to have plenty of good binoculars so we have to choose the ones that fit or that we like the most.
It is somehow like clothes or shoes.
Zeiss has a program to do so: Try ZEISS
You can also order them online and return them. Or wait till they are generally available and wait till the next time you are close to a city with a reseller...
UT I might not use the term sanctimonious, but as we discussed earlier it is an easy thing for folks here to offer it as sound advice, (which of course it is), without considering the real world market conditions that exist as the result of the world wide web and its disruption of old school retailing, in many places. Try before you buy is easier said than done. The advice isn't so much sanctimonious as it is frustrating. Is there a fancy word for fingernails on a black board?
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tenex
reality-based
No, it's not. (Do you know what "sanctimonious" means?) Once you've read more here you'll begin to appreciate how widely people's experience and opinions of different models vary. Especially among mid-to-higher end models, each is a different compromise in various respects, and whether one is "better" or an "upgrade" over another is entirely a matter of which details (field of view? chromatic aberration? edge sharpness? etc) matter most to you, and what your usage is, which you haven't told us. (Where do you wish your Conquest could be improved upon? For that matter, why do you want to switch from 10x to 8?) So feel free to ask more specific questions, and ultimately order by mail with a return policy if you have to.
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Interesting.... I got to try out Pures recently, nice and relaxed at the hide.
Technically they may well be amazing.... but they are not for me.
I wouldn't swap out my Meostars for them, and I definately prefer Ultravids to Pures.
People seem to take it as read that they are the finest money can buy, but I don't think that's the case.
They are an aquired taste.
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
"Try before buy" is an idiom, meaning: one size does not fit all, it's not a litteral advice these (internet) days, but writing "buy with a generous return policy because I can't guarantee that you have the same preferences as I do" feels a bit silly...
But your mileage might vary..
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Gride.
Why is the sound of fingernails scraping a blackboard so annoying?
www.straightdope.com
Definition of GRIDE
to pierce or gash with a weapon; to scrape or graze so as to produce a harsh rasping sound; to scrape, graze, or rub against something so as to produce a harsh rasping sound… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com
Excellent observation Vespo.
"Try before you buy" is surely a short-form of "don't commit yourself to a particular binocular model until you are satisfied it is the one for you" and buying from a site with a generous returns policy surely satisfies this recommendation.
Lee
Thought about this some more. Among the relatively few regulars who participate here the sentiment “try before you buy” or “go find a pair” are oft offered bits of advice to new folks. But how do we think the new member, innocently hoping for some words of wisdom receives this? Do we imagine the new guy/gal hasn't thought of it, maybe even tried? Isn't it sort of obvious? Do we have to tell someone that trying these out is the best thing to do? If we balk at sanctimonious, would we also balk at the idea that maybe this advice is received as just a wee bit condescending?
dries1
Member
It is understandable that many do not have access to a store to try before you buy and that mail order with generous return policies are the only option. Maybe folks can use the search function more often as there is a plethora of info on almost every binocular known to man on this sub forum.
My 2 cts. (Already contributed. Copying from post #97 and reply at #153 above.)
[Adding in edit:] Those in my situation, I'd guess, like me, first read up reviews and comments on this forum and elsewhere on the model or models we are considering.
We then have to choose points for our questions, and put them to the forum or to individuals in it carefully, so as not to impose upon them. The replies are mostly (there are exceptions!) tolerant, often kind and patient, and sometimes pretty thorough. Even as we ask we know that an answer thus given may be wasted, as it may not be relevant to the instrument we may finally choose if any, and that makes the decision to ask more difficult.
Some questions from some parts of the world are asked here for such reasons and after such contemplation!
After an expensive binocular is brought in from abroad reselling it, for whatever reason, may be just impossible.
Where I live I last visited a Carl Zeiss dealer, the only one, several decades ago, to inquire about binoculars. Now as I type this post I search on the internet for the present one, phone them, and am surprised to find they do deal in Zeiss binoculars, though they do not know about the SFL. Neither of these dealers here, and I am sure whoever was there in between if any, have ever had any model with them, current, older, or very old, to try out or see.
Lest someone asks, may I say I'd like my location to remain Anon.--as you see in the left margin!
[Adding in edit:] Those in my situation, I'd guess, like me, first read up reviews and comments on this forum and elsewhere on the model or models we are considering.
We then have to choose points for our questions, and put them to the forum or to individuals in it carefully, so as not to impose upon them. The replies are mostly (there are exceptions!) tolerant, often kind and patient, and sometimes pretty thorough. Even as we ask we know that an answer thus given may be wasted, as it may not be relevant to the instrument we may finally choose if any, and that makes the decision to ask more difficult.
Some questions from some parts of the world are asked here for such reasons and after such contemplation!
After an expensive binocular is brought in from abroad reselling it, for whatever reason, may be just impossible.
Where I live I last visited a Carl Zeiss dealer, the only one, several decades ago, to inquire about binoculars. Now as I type this post I search on the internet for the present one, phone them, and am surprised to find they do deal in Zeiss binoculars, though they do not know about the SFL. Neither of these dealers here, and I am sure whoever was there in between if any, have ever had any model with them, current, older, or very old, to try out or see.
Lest someone asks, may I say I'd like my location to remain Anon.--as you see in the left margin!
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There is a danger of this Tom but mostly the encouragement to 'try before you buy' is a response to a member who appears to be trying to choose which bino to buy based solely on the specifications and the comments of other members who have tried them. Buying stuff on-line is so common-place now it can be easy to lose sight of the need to have 'hands-on' experience of a bino model to confirm it is the right one for you. It is usually possible to see from what the member posts whether they plan to try before they buy but if there is no sign of this, a friendly suggestion to do this is surely nothing more or less than just that: a friendly suggestion.
Lee
