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Replacement for Zeiss Jenas? (1 Viewer)

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gilbouk

Active member
I have a trusty pair of old Zeiss Jenas. I love the optics on them but they are a tad heavy - almost a kilo around my neck. That coupled with my heavy camera and 200-500mm lens and I feel knackered after a short walk. Are there any binoculars on the market that are affordable that would give me equally nice optics but importantly weigh much less? I'm not great with the numbers on bins but mine are 8 x 32 B mc and I would say I'm pretty happy with the magnification on them.
 
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You need to give an idea of budget in order for people to put forward some ideas.....eg. new or used, porro or roof prisms. What is affordable to some may be extremely costly to others.
For starters under £100.....an Opticron Oregon 8 x 32
 
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Thanks Pyrtle, I'd probably be looking for a pair of second hand binoculars. I'm not sure the difference between Porro and Roof prisms and which is best. Looking at the spec of my Zeiss bins, they say 'notarem' but not sure if they are Porro or Roof. Spec says 520g so I'd be looking for something much lighter. I'd be looking at spending no more thab £200 - whether that would give me similar performance? I'm not sure how good these Zeiss bins of mine are on the grand scale of things. Cheers
 
They would be Porro prisms, still made but nowadays most are roof prisms. 520 grammes is not considered heavy by any means. For your budget and wish for a not so heavy pair, perhaps consider going down to a pocket size compact but with the same magnification, an 8 x25. You need to find an independent optics retailer and try out a few models. A good lightweight compact would be the Nikon Travelite 8 x 25. https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...wjHvJLe2_TeAhVODOwKHWosDIAQwg96BAgUEAc&adurl=
Really best to go for a new pair, that way you will have modern, improved waterproof optics and a warranty rather than gambling on a used pair
 
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Gilbouk,
The Zeiss Jena Notarems are roof prism binoculars and, if you want a similar 8x30 or 8x32 roof prism binocular the Kite Lynx 8x30 could be a good choice and, if you want to spent more, the Zeiss Conquest 8x32 or the Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 are also fine instruments.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
An 8x32 or 8x30 Porro prism is regarded as a small binocular. 520 grams is a little over 18 ounces.

Get much smaller than that and you will be dealing with what are called "compact" binoculars many of which can be carried in shirt pockets or the pockets of a Safari Jacket.

A new Zeiss 8x25 Terra ED compact binocular would be within your budget.

Here is a link from Allbinos showing one with its specifications.

https://www.allbinos.com/1848-Carl_Zeiss_Terra_ED_8x25-binoculars_specifications.html

Bob
 
Gilbouk,
I read good reports about the Kenko Ultraview 8x32 roof prism binoculars and they are certainly in your price range of 200 pounds. It may be worthewile to scan this inocular on internet.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
gilbouk said:
Thanks Pyrtle, I'd probably be looking for a pair of second hand binoculars. I'm not sure the difference between Porro and Roof prisms and which is best. Looking at the spec of my Zeiss bins, they say 'notarem' but not sure if they are Porro or Roof. Spec says 520g so I'd be looking for something much lighter. I'd be looking at spending no more thab £200 - whether that would give me similar performance? I'm not sure how good these Zeiss bins of mine are on the grand scale of things. Cheers
Click to expand...

Hi,

the CZJ Notarem series are roof prism bins without phase coating and will be easily surpassed by any reasonable pair of bins from the last 10-15 years in optical quality.

Finding a pair of 8x30 which weight significantly less than 520g will be hard though, the lightest pairs are at 450g or so.

Smaller sizes like 8x25 or even 8x20 are available but usually lead to significant compromises in optics and handling and are not recommended as general purpose bins.

As hard as it sounds - your camera and tele zoom are probably the point where significant weight savings are possible - either a superzoom or some mirrorless system camera with a crop sensor and correspondingly smaller glass with the same effective focal length after crop factor will save several kilograms. But of course the image quality will take a slight hit and you have to buy new stuff.

Joachim
 
Many thanks all for the informative answers. Joachim particularly with the information on optic quality and weight savings. I find bins handy to locate birds quickly with one hand and then to aim the camera to that spot for record shots. I often use bins to monitor behaviour from a distance as I find using both eyes alot more comfortable than using one eye down my viewfinder. I love getting high quality photos so would prefer to save weight elsewhere. Maybe in the future I'll be able to afford lighter glass for my camera without compromising in image quality. The new Nikon 500mm PF would save me almost a kilo but that's some way off.

Maybe a high quality pair of compacts would be a better solution for me? Any recommendations giving me similar magnification? I tried a pair of light weight Nikons but noticed a lot more chromatic aberration compared to my Zeiss
 
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