buddymydog
Member
I ordered a pair of zen ray ed's, can't wait to check em out, 
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zenray ed's (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter buddymydog
- Start date
Congratulations on the new bins. Which way did you pick to have them shipped? Fedex or USPS?
If it is the latter then I would expect you to receive them no later than Wednesday.
I guess that's what took so long for mine to come, they came from Fedex.
I did finally get them today though.
FrankD
Well-known member
And?
You don't mean to say that a little thing like it being dark outside deterred you from trying them out....
;-)
buddymydog
Member
I got the zens, good so far, focusing knob is nice and smooth, (its also not 20 below), view is nice and sharp. I was surprised to see a little blue ca at the edges when I looked at the cloudy white sky, but not noticeable when looking at trees and birds etc.
I am planning on taking them with me to my local cabelas and checking them out against the alphas just to tickle my fancy.
I like the build, they seem very rugged, and the case is like something out of a batman movie. JJG
I am planning on taking them with me to my local cabelas and checking them out against the alphas just to tickle my fancy.
I like the build, they seem very rugged, and the case is like something out of a batman movie. JJG
buddymydog
Member
I will let you know, the funny thing is the last time I went to cabelas, I knew more about optics then the optics guy behind the counter. LoL, but I will have the optics guy look thru them and hold them against the swars, zeiss and leicas.
Steve C
Well-known member
That occurrence of the customer knowing more about the optics than the person behind the counter, is sort of unfortunate, but it is far too common. I am almost always surprised to find somebody behind the counter in any store with some basic knowledge. It happens every so often, but seems rare. Seems especially true in large volume Cabela's style outfits too.
buddymydog
Member
Well, I finally went to Cabelas in scarborough maine and "Steve" (My assigned optics dude) checked out the Zen ED's and was very excited because he had read about them online in the forums and went to their website. We compared them to Swaro 8x42 El's and some Zeiss Conquest 8x40's. We'll he was very impressed and we could only see an extremely minut slight difference in brightness and outer edge sharpness between the swaros and the zens (with the edge going to the swaros).
In no way IMHO is it justifiable for me to spend the money on the alphas, when the zens are right there, the differences were just too small. The conqests were great, but I felt the zens were better.
So hooray for me, I am keeping the Zens and I am completely satisfied so far, I also took the time to look thru a pair of yosemite's (8x30), for 120.00 those are an awesome beater pair. I was also very surprised at the Leupold Mohave's, Not as good of a field of view, but I loved the design and camo, also they were very sharp and had good edge sharpness, and are amazingly light at 23oz., but they were the same price as I paid for the Zen ed's. My thanks to all who have encouraged the Zens, its nice to have honest reviews of such awsome products, from enthusiasts that want quality and money in their pocket. JJG
Also, I have some great hummingbird pics, www.flickr.com/photos/buddymydog
In no way IMHO is it justifiable for me to spend the money on the alphas, when the zens are right there, the differences were just too small. The conqests were great, but I felt the zens were better.
So hooray for me, I am keeping the Zens and I am completely satisfied so far, I also took the time to look thru a pair of yosemite's (8x30), for 120.00 those are an awesome beater pair. I was also very surprised at the Leupold Mohave's, Not as good of a field of view, but I loved the design and camo, also they were very sharp and had good edge sharpness, and are amazingly light at 23oz., but they were the same price as I paid for the Zen ed's. My thanks to all who have encouraged the Zens, its nice to have honest reviews of such awsome products, from enthusiasts that want quality and money in their pocket. JJG
Also, I have some great hummingbird pics, www.flickr.com/photos/buddymydog
FrankD
Well-known member
bmd,
Thank you for posting your comments. I would say that the Zens do compare very favorably to the Swaro ELs. The ELS definitely have the market cornered for edge sharpness (Nikon products not withstanding) but centerfield sharpness and chromatic aberration control definitely favor the Zens.
...and nice hummingbird pics.
Thank you for posting your comments. I would say that the Zens do compare very favorably to the Swaro ELs. The ELS definitely have the market cornered for edge sharpness (Nikon products not withstanding) but centerfield sharpness and chromatic aberration control definitely favor the Zens.
...and nice hummingbird pics.
Frank,
The only thorough analysis of Alpha binoculars that I've seen which includes edge sharpness in it is the one from Alula below. See category of "Quality near edge of field." (It is in English.) I expect there are others that I don't know about and I am interested in reading them if some one can give me citations.
All of the binoculars tested therein performed excellently, but as you can see, the EL's did not "corner the market" in the edge sharpness category. This analysis was done in 2004. Since that date, as far as I know, none of the manufacturers of the binoculars tested there in have advertised that they have improved the "sharpness" for their products.
I think, it is getting to the point with the new Zen's, that the analysis of them should move from the anecdotal and into a more rigorous examination of their merits.
http://www.lintuvaruste.fi/hinnasto/optiikkaarvostelu/optics_8_Leicaultravid_GB.shtml
Cordially,
Bob
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I had a chance test drive another pair of Zen EDs, administer the twilight test and so on. There are negatives, some directly related to their low price, starting with the strangely worthless objective caps and strap, and the stiff and slow focus. I live in the tropics and I still find the focus too slow and with too much resistance--fine for a hunting bin, not great for a warbler bin. The lack of scratch resistant coatings is a drawback, too--I've wound up lying on top of my Zeisses in the sand (don't ask) with no ill effects, and I doubt the Zens would pass that test.
That said, the view itself is remarkably good. It doesn't have the edge sharpness of the Swaro EL, or the Nikon SE or EDG, but I think too much is often made of edge sharpness. I don't spend any time at all inspecting things in the outer field of my bins. It has a nice big sweet spot with excellent sharpness and color correction--in this regard it is right there with any binocular made. It is also the brightest schmidt-pechan-based binocular I've ever seen and comes remarkably close to the Zeiss FL in low light conditions--it's mysterious how they do this with silver prism coatings. In close inspection it gives away a hair of brightness and contrast to the FLs, but only that. It's brighter in low light than the SEs, although in more well lit conditions there's still some kind of juju I don't understand about the SE that allows it to show me things I can't see through any other optic. It's very well balanced, and I don't even hate the thumb indents (which I would always rather do without). All in all, very impressive. It will be very interesting to see how the alphas respond to this volley.
That said, the view itself is remarkably good. It doesn't have the edge sharpness of the Swaro EL, or the Nikon SE or EDG, but I think too much is often made of edge sharpness. I don't spend any time at all inspecting things in the outer field of my bins. It has a nice big sweet spot with excellent sharpness and color correction--in this regard it is right there with any binocular made. It is also the brightest schmidt-pechan-based binocular I've ever seen and comes remarkably close to the Zeiss FL in low light conditions--it's mysterious how they do this with silver prism coatings. In close inspection it gives away a hair of brightness and contrast to the FLs, but only that. It's brighter in low light than the SEs, although in more well lit conditions there's still some kind of juju I don't understand about the SE that allows it to show me things I can't see through any other optic. It's very well balanced, and I don't even hate the thumb indents (which I would always rather do without). All in all, very impressive. It will be very interesting to see how the alphas respond to this volley.
I have the ZRS 10x42s and felt the same way about the focus damping out of the box, but they have "livened" up a bit after only a short time.
I wonder if the magic of the SE is a slight increase in contrast....?
That's probably part of it. The Zens I tried also had a smidgen of astigmatism in the center field that was visible when viewing stars, but that's hard to avoid in a complex design. The only bins I've had that really resolved stars into tiny points were the Nikon EIIs I used to own.
Steve C
Well-known member
All in all, I tend to think that is a pretty decent appraisal.
And, Bob, I would like to see some more serious examination of these binoculars too.
FrankD
Well-known member
Bob,
Interesting comment. I cannot refute anything you posted with scientific evidence to the contrary. My preference for comparisons lies more in practical experience rather than rigorous scientific testing. I will not doubt the benefits of the scientific route but I often find myself questioning the usefulness of it from a practical sense.
For what it is worth maybe "cornering the market" wasn't the correct term to use. I often second-guess many of the terms I type when posting such comments. Maybe I should have posted "are known for" as I think the argument could be made that each of the Alpha level binoculars has their "strong points", from a practical perspective, in comparison to the others.
As for a more rigorous examination of the Zen's.....I will respectively have to leave that to someone else. I can only comment on the practical merits of any given model.
I agree with Steve though...I would love to see it as well.
Interesting comment. I cannot refute anything you posted with scientific evidence to the contrary. My preference for comparisons lies more in practical experience rather than rigorous scientific testing. I will not doubt the benefits of the scientific route but I often find myself questioning the usefulness of it from a practical sense.
For what it is worth maybe "cornering the market" wasn't the correct term to use. I often second-guess many of the terms I type when posting such comments. Maybe I should have posted "are known for" as I think the argument could be made that each of the Alpha level binoculars has their "strong points", from a practical perspective, in comparison to the others.
As for a more rigorous examination of the Zen's.....I will respectively have to leave that to someone else. I can only comment on the practical merits of any given model.
I agree with Steve though...I would love to see it as well.
buddymydog
Member
Kinda off the beaten path, but the Zens are the Sennheiser px100's of the optical world. When I was coveting a pair of bose headphones, I did some research and discovered a $50 dollar pair of sennheiser px100's that sound better then bose on ear headphones, when I heard the sound that come from those cans for the first time, I was astonished at the beautiful quality sound for the small price I paid. They sounded clearly better then bose on ears.
When I looked thru the Zens, after comparing then with swaros, I realized what a gem of an optic I have, I took them to kennebunkport maine today and it was sunny and in the 80's, and the ocean looked amazing in those wide field sharp bins, I feel like I stole em, for the price I paid. Well worth the money JJG
When I looked thru the Zens, after comparing then with swaros, I realized what a gem of an optic I have, I took them to kennebunkport maine today and it was sunny and in the 80's, and the ocean looked amazing in those wide field sharp bins, I feel like I stole em, for the price I paid. Well worth the money JJG
