• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Open letter to Zeiss - 8x30 Victory Companion please (1 Viewer)

M

mpeace

Well-known member
I have the 8x25 Victory Pocket and think it's a great pair of binoculars. Swarovski have their CL 8x30 B companions that are very comfy to use, but are a bit lacking in field of view. Nikon have their Monarch 8x30 HG with great field of view, but split opinions in ease of use particularly and price.

I think if Zeiss applied the same approach to an 8x30 as they have with their 8x25 Victory Pocket they would produce the ultimate 8x30 roof for bird watchers and dominate this size of binocular. Being made in Japan rather than Germany would also probably keep the price similar to the Nikon and Swarovski offerings.

I'm confident they could offer the ease of view of the Swarovski Companions, but with a more generous field of view (approaching that of the 8x30 MHGs) and thereby hitting a sweet spot for bird watchers

I know we're eagerly awaiting a Zeiss Victory 8x32 SF, but I don't think Zeiss would have anything to loose launching a Victory 8x30 roof with the quality of the Victory Pocket 8x25 into the market.
 
Yes, that would be nice if Zeiss would make an 8x30. I really think 8x30's and 8x32's are the ideal birding size and with the increasing performance of small binoculars like the 8x30 combined with their compact size and weight might cause a shift down to the 8x30's as the ideal birding size. it seems like most 8x30's are a lot smaller than 8x32's in general and for daylight birding an 8x30 might suffice for most people. There is quite a difference in comfort between an 8x25 and 8x30 and a considerable increase in twilight performance but not a heck of a lot of difference in size. It seems Zeiss is missing out on a lot of sales because I bet 8x30's are a popular seller for birders and just casual observers in general. I guess until they do we will just have to make do with the Nikon 8x30 MHG, Nikon 8x30 M7, Swarovski 8x30 CL, Nikon 8x30 EII and the Habicht 8x30 W. I guess those are five pretty nice binoculars to pick from.
 
It would be tricky to work out how to fit a Victory 8x30 into a line-up consisting of Conquest HD 8x32 and SF 8x32. Price the 8x30 too low and if it is as good as the 8x25 Pocket or better, it could steal sales from Conquest. Price it too high and it could steal sales from SF.

Lee
 
Troubador said:
It would be tricky to work out how to fit a Victory 8x30 into a line-up consisting of Conquest HD 8x32 and SF 8x32. Price the 8x30 too low and if it is as good as the 8x25 Pocket or better, it could steal sales from Conquest. Price it too high and it could steal sales from SF.

Lee
Click to expand...


Possibly, Zeiss fears that the new 8x32 SF, with a decent wide field, would turn out to be too large to appear as attractive as the 8x32 FL. In that case, it might be wise to make an 8x30 SF instead.

Cheers,
Holger
 
For a split of a second I pretended this thread was not a wish but a reality, and as I was reading I was watching my "ideal binocular"... then I realised it was just a wishful letter. But, hey, that little moment was so sweet.
Agreed that a 8x30 Victory would be just perfect. Less clunky than the 8x32 FL (which is small, but I personally find it a bit stubby and way less comfortable and nimble than M7, MHG, CL, etc.), but with great performance. For me (like for many others, as I discover reading many opinions) a good 8x30 can deliver everything needed for an everyday binocular (obviously, lacking in some areas where a more specialised device would shine).
Please Zeiss, listen to our prayers ;)
 
You know I just realized Nikon's new smaller less than 32mm binoculars are all 8x30's and no 8x32's. The MHG and the M7 are both 8x30's. Maybe the trend is down to 8x30's. I wouldn't mind it. 8x30 is a nice birding size. I think Zeiss might be more likely to make an 8x30 SF rather than an 8x32.
 
Last edited:
Holger Merlitz said:
Possibly, Zeiss fears that the new 8x32 SF, with a decent wide field, would turn out to be too large to appear as attractive as the 8x32 FL. In that case, it might be wise to make an 8x30 SF instead.

Cheers,
Holger
Click to expand...

Its an intriguing possibility but the market might regard a Victory 8x30 as always lacking the extra 2mm of Swaro's EL 8x32. We could call it 'objective-size anxiety' with folks turning their noses up at a Victory 8x30 because they fear they would be missing something that the EL has.

Lee
 
Troubador said:
Its an intriguing possibility but the market might regard a Victory 8x30 as always lacking the extra 2mm of Swaro's EL 8x32. We could call it 'objective-size anxiety' with folks turning their noses up at a Victory 8x30 because they fear they would be missing something that the EL has.

Lee
Click to expand...
Exactly. That thought crossed my mind too. Would they want to handicap themselves with a 2mm smaller aperture compared to their competition the SV 8x32? But maybe Zeiss could build an 8x30 SF that could compete optically with the SV 8x32 but being smaller in size and weight. That would be something!
 
Have to agree that 32 and 42mm bins are the current trend and most unlikely to change in the ranges offered at alpha level. Leica have offered 30 or 40 in a foof prism for how long now, nearly 50 years. Same with Zeiss. 35mm is what many may wish for, particularly a 7 or 8. Leica promoted a 7 x 35 but that is now abandoned. And mid range/mid price is well covered by the Conquest HD.
 
Going from 8x25 to 8x30 like from the Victory Pocket to the Swarovski 8x30 CL B is a significant jump in weight and price and the views' improvement is not commensurate. I expect Zeiss to play it safe and go for 8x32.
 
fazalmajid said:
Going from 8x25 to 8x30 like from the Victory Pocket to the Swarovski 8x30 CL B is a significant jump in weight and price and the views' improvement is not commensurate. I expect Zeiss to play it safe and go for 8x32.
Click to expand...
Why, Swarovski did it with the 8x25 CL-P to the 8x30 CL B? I think there is a market for an 8x25, 8x30 and an 8x32. There is enough difference between the three in weight, size, performance and price.
 
Last edited:
[email protected] said:
............. I think Zeiss might be more likely to make an 8x30 SF rather than an 8x32.
Click to expand...

As they already have an excellent 8x32 (FL), we might ask them to produce a competition for their own superb product. Actually, the only thing that bugs me a bit with the 8x32 FL is the red coating that irritates me as an eyeglass wearer. The earlier (probably non-Lotutec) version is much better in my case.
 
I'm expecting a Zeiss 8x32 SF to be a relatively large 32mm with exceptional wide field of view and outstanding ergonomics like the 42mm SFs. They're also likely to be expensive, perhaps £1600 rrp. So a Zeiss Victory 8x30mm at around £950 with slightly less field of view than an 8x32 SF, but more than the Swarovski 8x30 cl but with the same easy view would be a compelling binocular for hiking etc. and a nice alternative to an alpha 8x32mm if you don't have the money or want something smaller. So in a different market to the 32mm market because of the lower weight and cost (a plus) and slightly lower optical performance (a negative).

I think modern 8x30 roofs are one of the biggest recent successes in the development of coatings and optics. You get very good brightness and performance in a small package. Nikon and Swarovski know this and I presume are doing very well out of this format from how freely available they are - shops are happy to stock them. I just think Zeiss could produce a better product than the others are offering at the moment judging by the 8x25 Victory Pocket and sell a lot of them. There seems room in the 8x30 market for a new product, so why not have it built by Zeiss.
 
A lot of people would buy an 8x30 over an 8x32 if it offers 95% of the performance of the 8x32 at 1/2 the cost, especially with the smaller size and weight of an 8x30. A lot of people are just casual users and a small and light but high quality binocular from a big name manufacturer is attractive. I bet that Nikon sells a lot of M7 8x30's for $375.00 and HG 8x30's for $975.00 and Swarovski probably sells a good number of 8x30 CL B's for $1200.00.
 
Last edited:
3rd for that - I too wear spectacles and couldn't see any image difference when I felt I needed to upgrade to a Lotutec 8 x 32 FL. I resisted. Puzzled by this suggestion.

P
 
Forgive my ignorance, not a birder myself. But why would you prefer some 8x magnification over 10x to observe birds? Is it about the wider angle of view? When you look at birds don't you need a punctual high magnification? Or do they move to much all the time?

Aside from that I'd say the victory 8x32 FL (or 10x32) should do the job perfectly. Wouldn't it be the perfect time to lower it's price now as development cost must have been paid off by now? That would be the one I might consider to get if a tad lower priced.
 
I`m not convinced Zeiss can make an 8x32 with better handling than the 32mm SV, its already perfect IMHO beating even the SF in this regard, in fact I`d say the 32SV has the best handling available, full stop.

I`m less convinced that any 30mm can match an equal 32, I owned and praised the new 30mm CL, initially I felt it was very close to the SV, but after reacquainting myself with the latter I sold the CL and bought another SV.

Never have liked compact bins, just can`t use them myself.

But I would like to see a 32mm SF very much.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

mgp13
ZEISS Victory SF Appreciation Thread
4 5 6
Replies
101
Views
9K
Scott98
S
J
Brief reviews about Zeiss victory SFL 8/10 x40
2 3
Replies
41
Views
5K
Declan Joseph Deasy
D
M
Zeiss victory pocket 8x25: occasional very strong flat green veiling?
Replies
5
Views
2K
Ted Y.
T
A
Zeiss Victory 10x42 T* FL Rubber Armouring
2
Replies
33
Views
3K
PYRTLE
PYRTLE
C
The Zeiss SFL 8x30 compared with select current 8x30/8x32 roof binoculars
15 16 17
Replies
324
Views
53K
Maljunulo
M

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top