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

Vixen Foresta (1 Viewer)

stereotruckdriver

Well-known member
Just curious if anybody has handled this Porro Prism Binocular before? Looks alot like the more modern Swift's? Pretty decent spec's for the 8x42 & 8x32! They come with a pretty nice field rucsac. Bryce...
 
The question with the Vixen Foresta is .... which one. There have been a few of versions as well as different sizes with different ZWCF (the latest one) and one before that which was ZCF (not waterproof?).

There have been at least a couple of reviews.

Plus the parallel clones (same bin different name) is the Eagle Optic Raptor.

I have the Eagle Optic Raptor 10x42 (an $89 closeout from EO). It's a very nice bin. Japanese built. Waterproof they claim! Accessories are very nice (they have that "attention to detail/feel the quality" things going on for them). Nice rubberry no-slip grip to the bin too.

Image is very good. Most recently I compared them to the Zen Ray ED 10x43 roofs. The latter were perhaps very slightly brighter (better coatings, I presume even though the porro prisms should be a silvered roof prism) and the colors "popped" a little more. But plenty sharp enough as you expect from a porro. The pull-up eyecups area bit annoying when I fitted with an aftermarket rubbery rainguard that has just too tight a grip on the eyecups (as a spec wearer I want them down). I suspect too that the enclosure if shared with the Swift bins but some of the other details (like the revised eyecups and the eyepiece optics) are different. But for the Eagle Optic Raptor the ER was good even in the 10x.

So I like my one and for $90 it was a very good deal.

The "field rucksack" is the Vixen bum bag. It's OK (actually useful in the field to carry too bins) but the extra pockets are too small be be of much use.

Not sure where the most recent ones are made but a lot of Vixen is now OEMed in Shanghai (along with Televue) by Bosma.

You might search for Eagle Optic Raptor on the forum too but I think they've had both roofs and porros. But I suspect I already wrote something up ...
 
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