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7x43 ED3's - Have you pulled the trigger ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter gcole
- Start date
Steve C
Well-known member
I have these on my radar, but they are sort of in a holding pattern in the background for now. I am waiting until I see how the new Prime HD does before I do much. I also think I'm pretty good to go with the 7x36 ZEN ED 2 for now for a 7x glass, and I like the fact it smaller than the x43 big brothers. I do wish the x36 would have made it through to the ED 3 configuration.
Steve ... I would also purchase another 7x36 if it were to go to the ED 3 stage, with the 7x43 Iam hoping I will get just a bit longer eyerelief & a bigger ocular with be nice. A 8x32 ED 3 would also be interesting. I bet the the top 3 Alpha makers would like to see Zen Ray & vortex go away. The sales of the higher quality bins coming out of China must be reducing their profits ........gwen
Received the 7x43s
I received the 7x43 ED3s a couple of days ago. Didn't do any scientific testing but visually, backed with over 50 years of collecting binoculars, I thought the image was superb indoors and out in sunny and cloudy conditions. Great contrast, sharpness and brightness. One negative is the extreme eye relief. With the eye cups fully extended I still have to hold the binoculars a bit away from my face. I remember having to do this with my venerable Zeiss 7x45 Night Owls (sold several years ago). I wear glasses but never wear them when using binoculars. I think I will now start.
Any feedback from others about the eye relief?
I received the 7x43 ED3s a couple of days ago. Didn't do any scientific testing but visually, backed with over 50 years of collecting binoculars, I thought the image was superb indoors and out in sunny and cloudy conditions. Great contrast, sharpness and brightness. One negative is the extreme eye relief. With the eye cups fully extended I still have to hold the binoculars a bit away from my face. I remember having to do this with my venerable Zeiss 7x45 Night Owls (sold several years ago). I wear glasses but never wear them when using binoculars. I think I will now start.
Any feedback from others about the eye relief?
FrankD
Well-known member
This is the first post I have seen from anyone that has received a production unit of the 7x43. I didn't even know if they shipped on schedule....Charles never got back to me.
Any issues with them? Any play in the focusing mechanism? Are the dreaded crescents found in the first generation of the 7x36 ED2 noted under any conditions? Anything else to find fault with besides the long eye relief?
Any issues with them? Any play in the focusing mechanism? Are the dreaded crescents found in the first generation of the 7x36 ED2 noted under any conditions? Anything else to find fault with besides the long eye relief?
I spoke to Charles before ordering these and he said the play in the focusing mechanism had been corrected in all models, and indeed there is no play at all in my pair. I could see no problems with them at all other than the eye relief.
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Let someone who doesn't wear glasses try them and see if they have to hold it away from their eyes.
Bob
To my eyes the sweet spot appears very wide. Maybe 80%. But the overall image is so excellent that you just see this nice clear view and are not distracted by any possible out of focus area--at least I'm not.
I'm probably not the best judge of that because of my age. At 78 my eyes are not able to dilate as much as a younger persons'. But given this limitation they look fine indoors with limited light. I sold all my alpha binoculars a number of years ago, but doing a side by side comparison with my 7x35 old but excellent Bushnell Rangemasters, these are somewhat brighter--if that means anything.
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brocknroller
porromaniac
80% out? Catch me, I'm going to faint! Ugh. Too late, ouch, that's smarts.
The better of the two EPs in the two models I tried were sharp to 70% but gradually faded until going blurry at the very edge. Most of the edge could be focused out as field curvature.
User's accommodations of the field curvature are bound to produce different perceptions, but 80% would be fantabulous.
But here's the $64,000 question. How mild/severe is the pincushion distortion?
Is panning smooth or do you see the "Funhouse Effect"?
Tilting works even better. The best way to test for excessive pincushion to stand about 100 ft from a tree line and then tilt the ED3s up and down the trees. People's eyes vary in their ability to adopt to pincushion or rolling ball, but if you are sensitive to it and the pincushion is at the same level as the 7x ED2, you will experience a distorting effect as you tilt the bins.
Brock
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Well, maybe not 80%, this is very subjective. I'd be interested in the opinions of others
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eitanaltman
Well-known member
I also have found the eye relief of my 8x43 ED3's to be TOO much. Like I've moaned about elsewhere, the trend towards longer and longer eye relief is a boon to many but a pain for those of us who don't wear glasses and like to rest the eyecups in our eye socket! thankfully with the 8x43 ED3 it's only a teensy tiny bit too long, so I can sort of rest them slightly on the bridge of my nose, a wee bit in front of my eye socket, and it works fine.
I think this is a design problem and comes from the binocular's eyecups being too short for the eye relief
Eitanaltman also has the same problem and I have experienced it.
If you brace the eyecups up against the bottom of your eyebrow ridge with a very minute upward tilt of the binocular rather than pushing them back into your eye sockets when you use them it might be enough to solve the problem but if this does not work you will probably have to either go back to wearing your glasses while using them or try another brand.
Give it a try and experiment a bit with how you hold them up under your brow ridge.
Bob
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Yes, that is what I've been doing with binoculars with long eye relief and you are right it does help.
I just ordered a pair of 8x43 ED3 for no logical reason at all. I just want them.
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Received the 8x43 ED3s and did a side by side comparison with my 7x43 ED3. The eye relief is definitely less with the 8x43s. (and better for non eyeglasses users). However overall I prefer the view with the 7x43s. sharper at the edges with less light fall off, and they just seemed to have an overall easier view. The 8s were fine too and if not for the side by side comparison I would have been very pleased with them. I'll probably sell the 8s at some point as I see no reason to keep both.
eitanaltman
Well-known member
it does make sense that the lower mag bin would have the "easier" view. any other thoughts on the comparison between 8x43 and 7x43? any difference in center field sharpness, depth of field, etc? although if the 7x43 has even more eye relief that may be a non starter for me as the 8x43 is right at my limit.
