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

Victory FL 7x42 NIB (1 Viewer)

G

GoldenBear

Well-known member
I'm new to the forum, and this is my first post (other than the Say Hello) page, so I thought I'd start off with a struggle I'm having.

A dealer very near me who has one remaining NIB Victory FL 7x42 with Loutec for $1499 firm. I've look through it half a dozen times and can't decide what to do. I already have a 8x42 SLC WB and Victory HT 8x42, and previously owned an early gray SF 10x42.

The wife isn't too thrilled with the idea of adding another bin, especially in this price range, but I've made the mistake of reading too many glowing reviews for the Victory FL 7x42, and now feel like I have to have it... I imagine I'll never see another NIB.

I just can't make up my mind if it would really offer anything different than the two I already have. Any thoughts? Also, is wondering if $1499 is reasonable for a NIB model.

Thanks,
Barry
 
I've owned the 8x42 SLC and 7X42 FL at the same time before. I think overall I preferred the FL, but it was so close to call...Both are very high quality bins and considering you also have the 8x42 HT, I would struggle to buy another full sized model - 7x is a great format and all, but I don't think the difference is so much when compared to an alpha quality 8x.
Personally, I would probably get rid of either the SLC or HT and then get the FL... If you plan to keep the HT and SLC, I'm just not sure how much use the FL would get.

For NIB, the price seems about fine... Maybe a bit high but you'll probably not find another one so it is hard to compare apples to apples on.

Justin
 
Barry, post 1,
When I tested the Victory 7x42 some years ago, my conclusion was that it was one of the best 7x binoculars produced in that time. It still is of top quality compared to the latest binculars.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
I would say buy it - the things are really hard to find now, and i reckon if you changed your mind you'd easily get your money back. That's if you can afford it without not eating for a while.
 
Some day you are going to want a high quality 7x42 and these Zeiss Victory 7x42 FLs are the best of those still available so I suggest that you get it now.

They are getting harder to find and you won't regret it.

I also have the Swarovski 7x42 SLC B and a Leical 7x42 Trinovid BN which are also getting harder to find and I'm happy I bought them! o:D

But on a Bin to Bin comparison the Zeiss is the best of the three.

Bob
 
ceasar said:
Some day you are going to want a high quality 7x42 and these Zeiss Victory 7x42 FLs are the best of those still available so I suggest that you get it now.

They are getting harder to find and you won't regret it.

I also have the Swarovski 7x42 SLC B and a Leical 7x42 Trinovid BN which are also getting harder to find and I'm happy I bought them! o:D

But on a Bin to Bin comparison the Zeiss is the best of the three.

Bob
Click to expand...

The Leica Ultravid 7x HD+ is still available, and a lot of old-new-stock HD models are selling around the same price. I like my HD, and I compared them to the Zeiss 8x42 SF and they are pretty much in the same ballpark, although the Zeiss is definitely better.

Edmund
 
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I do see that alpha 7x bins are disappearing, which is part of why I'd like to nab these. Just found out the Nikon EDG is discontinued so there goes that one too. Hard to justify though when the HT view is so similar to the FL.

I've read quite a bit about the near mythic qualities of 7x bins, but it's hard for me to tell whether the FL will offer anything really different than the HT in the real world. I had my SLC WB's before the HT's, and it was only after extending time using the HT's that their special traits became clear to me. I won't part with the HT, and so far can't let go of my Swaro's either. My sample is a real cherry, and my gut tells me I'll regret it.

Despite checking the FL 7x42 several times, the larger FOV wasn't that apparent to me, nor was an increased depth of field, but I am wondering if a more steady view, or other unique attributes would become evident after extended use as it did with the HT's.
 
I sold my 8x42 ht last year and regretted it. I just found a mint condition one last week and bought it. I also have the 10x42 SF but I would not recommend selling the HT. It is indeed a special binocular.

Rob
 
GoldenBear
One quality of 7x that isn't discussed much is how much extra perception of depth - I mean the distance in front of and behind objects - there is. If you have seen photos taken with a telephoto lens you may have noticed how objects seem closer together than they are in real life and this 'compression of perspective' is a product of magnification. Reduce the magnification, in binos down to 7x, and this effect significantly decreases.

I never noticed this until I tried Meopta's MeoStar 7x42 at a coastal site I had visited many times over the years with a selection of 8x binos and I was startled to be able to discern the distance between two promontories of land sticking out into the sea, one behind the other. With 8x and higher these two promontories looked glued together but with the 7x I could see that there was a distance between them. And of course this applied to everything I looked at. I emphasise that I had not been told to look for this, I had no knowledge of this effect beforehand. It was clear from the moment I looked around the bay and it gave the 7x binos an extra magic beyond the extra depth of field that I had expected.
The FL 7x42 has a formidable field of view to go with this so you would get a wide field, a deep field and a perception of spaciousness due to the clear distance between features that are lined up. All within a view that is extra-steady due to the reduced bino-shake resulting also from the reduced magnification.
And when using the 7x I never regret not having the extra 1x that an 8x has.

I would swap the SLC for the FL 7x42 and enjoy the 7x experience and if your wife uses binos at all I would think she would really enjoy the FLs too.

Lee
 
The Zeiss Victory 7x42 FL IS also the lightest in weight of the group by a large margin because it's casing is made of "fibre re-enforced" plastics. The 8x42 weighs 755 grams or 26.63 ounces.

Bob
 
So good is this 7X42 Victory?
Maybe to observe landscapes during the day or even to observe stellar fields during clear nights (for its 6mm pupil exit and large field) can be fantastic but do not miss the 8X or 10X to observe birds?
Pluto.
 
I would only buy it if you can afford to keep the other binoculars.
It will not be significantly different than the 8x42 ht (a bit more yellowish and a bit wider fov).
I have the 7x42 t fl for more than 10 years using it all over the world and after 4000 bird species seen with it, I can only testify it is a top birders binocular.
 
Hello,

I pour some water into the wine, that Zeiss T * FL 7x42 did not promise me at all, I swapped it for a Nikon EDG 7x42.The Zeiss gave me too much distortion and astigmatism, which I found very disturbing.

Andreas
 
7x is fantastic (I have the Leica), but there is now the 8x SF with its huge field and easy view which is quite convincing.

Edmund
 
I'm slowly, reluctantly leaning away from the FL's. The wife is a "one binocular to rule them all" gal (she has the Monarch HG 8x42), and can't get on board with adding another just yet. We acquired the bins and a Gavia scope in fairly rapid succession, so for her the dust needs to settle a bit I think.

If I want the FL's right now I'd have to sell my SLC's, and I can't bring myself to do it. Every time I seriously consider it I feel sick. I almost sold them to my sister (at least they would have stayed in the family), but told her she really needs to check the other top bins before deciding... she did and bought the Noctivid 8x barely two weeks ago.

I very much like the Ultravid HD+ too, so I may just wait, save awhile, and go for those in the near future. Here's hoping Leica doesn't soon decide to drop the 7x format too.
 
ceasar said:
The Zeiss Victory 7x42 FL IS also the lightest in weight of the group by a large margin because it's casing is made of "fibre re-enforced" plastics. The 8x42 weighs 755 grams or 26.63 ounces.

Bob
Click to expand...

The Leica 7x42 HD+ is one ounce heavier than the Zeiss 7x42 FL.
That's not a "large margin".
 
If you can afford it without financial distress, just buy it and worry about all this debate later. A year or two from now you will be very happy that you did. If nothing else, consider it an investment. Zeiss will never make any more 7x binoculars.
 
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DocSarvis said:
If you can afford it without financial distress, just buy it and worry about all this debate later. A year or two from now you will be very happy that you did. If nothing else, consider it an investment. Zeiss will never make any more 7x binoculars.
Click to expand...

I have considered this, but at $1500 I doubt they would ever gain much if any value. I even considered selling my SLC's, and adding another pair later if I can't live without them since they're much more readily available. (Wife really rolled her eyes when I floated this idea recently).

I'm fortunate to already have two of top traditional bins available, but the lure of adding the last 7x Zeiss will likely ever make, (with Abbe Koenig prisms no less), is hard, nay near impossible to resist.

On the other hand, it doesn't sound like the FL will give much the HT does not. In side by side viewing I could't see much difference, although oddly I thought the FL's eye relief was a little tighter (I wear glasses).

I've handled a lot of bins including owning a Victory SF, and for me the HT has the best handling (especially in winter), by a large margin. FL felt awkward by comparison, even more so than my SLC which has similar proportion, handling, and focus placement.

Probably the rational thing is to let the FL's go, but reason does not always factor in to bin buying decisions, hence the struggle continues. About the time I think I've decided not to buy the FL's, I begin to doubt and re-think it.
 
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