Gijs,
you are spot on with the heavy turning resistans, that was the problem.
You are probably also right about the hunters, I think a hunter would have thought that it was just fine as it was.
With my other binos, and my FL now after it was fixed, I apply a small amount of force to make the focus wheel start moving and I can make very small and precise adjustments.
With the FL when I got it first that small amount of force didn't move the focus wheel. I then had to apply a little more force until it moved and when it then did move it made a small jump of maybe 1 or 2 mm and so no precision.
If I looked at a bird and the focus was let's say 10-20 cm in front of it and tried to get it in focus I would end up having the focus 10-20 cm behind it instead. It took me rocking the focus back and forth several times before I found correct focus. Then the bird moved and I had to start over again, pretty annoying.
Maybe a hunter sets the focus on a spot 100-200 meters away and keeps it there for long time. So a focus with higher resistance is wanted.
Hi Gunnar,
I just bought an FL 8x32 as well and received it yesterday.
I got to try an old green model recently (about 12yrs old) for about 3+ hours and was very impressed with it. I liked the small size, super smooth focus, over-sized focus wheel and the clean , sharp image. The CA control is superb and the best I've ever seen.
The brand new FL I have now has a stiffer focus compared to the old green model I tried. It's not terribly stiff and not stiff enough to warrant returning the binocular. It's just a bit tighter than I would prefer. I don't think it's as stiff as your unit out of the box based on your initial description of the focus action.
I think the focus tension is indeed something a hunter would be pleased with, but for birding you need easy and fluid focus action since you're moving the focus constantly and need to get on those quick birds.
Normally, I don't prefer a very fast focus, but I got along very well with the FL's faster focus (compared to my Ultravid). Lee told me to give it some time and send it to Zeiss to adjust if it doesn't loosen up enough to my liking.
I'll give it more time. Overall, I'm very pleased with the FL and glad I grabbed one before their impending extinction.
Surprisingly, I'm able to see the full FOV with my glasses. The ER specs state 15.5mm or 16mm (depending on the website) which is usually a bit too short for me with other bins. I was unable to see the full FOV with the Euro HD 8x32 which has the same listed ER (15.5mm).
I sold my Viper HD 6x32 and also my Zeiss Jenoptem 8x30 to help pay for the FL. These were difficult to see go since I liked them both quite a bit, but the FL is just SO good I know I'll forget about the others soon enough.
Two 'living legends' : Ultravid+ 7x42 and Victory FL 8x32, classic and venerated designs which are fortunately still available to purchase ... for now.