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

x32 SF (1 Viewer)

Hermann said:
Will you stop this nonsense? This is rumour mongering of the worst kind.

Hermann
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Look, in best BF fashion, I'm just funnin' ya with the last part, but more than just I have raised the other questions.

Seen in the context of the recent history of the company, Zeiss has struggled with the globalizing of componentry supply chains and business impacts - in this country we'd say they've "come a bit of a cropper" previously.

Dealing with the goose that laid the golden egg (the Asian tiger) has security of pre-launch marketing materials (and indeed intellectual property) as one of the risks contained in Pandora's Box ......... :smoke: :cat: o:)

Relax, there'll probably be wilder conspiracy theories than this emerge before this is over ...... it's all part of the good natured excitement of a new launch :)





Chosun :gh:
 
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I'm sure mak is right. The downloads on the Chinese forum don't read like public announcements, more like internal material designed to encourage orders from dealers, some of whom would be in China where the leak apparently originated. I'm sure the public announcement when it comes won't mention marketing advantages or include direct comparisons to Swarovski and Leica.
 
henry link said:
I'm sure mak is right. The downloads on the Chinese forum don't read like public announcements, more like internal material designed to encourage orders from dealers, some of whom would be in China where the leak apparently originated. I'm sure the public announcement when it comes won't mention marketing advantages or include direct comparisons to Swarovski and Leica.
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Henry

You have hit the nail on the head. The released slides are typical of material shown to local sales offices, agents, and dealers. I don't see any material relating to manufacture at all, and since SF42 is made in Wetzlar I can't see why SF32 wouldn't be made there too.

Lee
 
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If the projected launch date is May, it will probably be at Photokina here in Cologne, although sports optics have taken a back seat in recent years.
However, the International Hardware Show, due to open today, has been postponed to Spring 2021 due to the pandemic, so it's doubtful whether Photokina will take place this year.
A lot of the information on that Chinese site is very reminiscent of some promotion material for the 42 mm SF, with which my dealer provided me with a copy. Apparently Zeiss had to withdraw it as Swarovski threatened with litigation. I find the ergonomic comparisons to the competition a bit lame and an insult to the consumers' inteligence. As Chosun pointed out, you just rest the next finger on the focussing bridge.

John
 
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It looks nice. Its rather long, larger than the Swaro el 32 and even longer than my Ultravid 42. But FOV sounds great. This might be seriously tempting, but I ll probably wait to see what Leica will offer in 32s...
 
Swissboy said:
Handsome, yes, but heavier than the FL. ;)
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FL 8x32 is a great size and weight and even the ergonomics are a pleasant surprise. I think it has to do with its wide IPD range. I have about 59mm IPD and I find the FL a little more comfortable to hold than some of the other binos I had with shorter IPD range.
 
Swissboy said:
Handsome, yes, but heavier than the FL. ;)
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That is because it is magnesium instead of plastic. Zeiss learned their lesson with using plastic in a binocular with the FL. No matter how tough plastic is and how light it is the consumer wants magnesium in a $2K binocular. it is just the perception of quality that magnesium brings to the table.
 
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dalat said:
It looks nice. Its rather long, larger than the Swaro el 32 and even longer than my Ultravid 42. But FOV sounds great. This might be seriously tempting, but I ll probably wait to see what Leica will offer in 32s...
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The 8x32 SF is long for the same reason the 8x42 SF is. To keep the rearward balance point.

"The SFs have a simple three element (two plus focusing lens) objective design, compared with the more normal triplet plus focusing lens. I suspect that to achieve this, Zeiss have employed a larger-than-usual focal ratio for the SFs’ objectives. Aberrations decrease with longer focal ratios so fewer, thinner elements with shallower curves suffice.The advantage of this approach is that the objectives are lighter in weight (78g lighter than the HTs’ objectives, according to Zeiss), throwing the balance point towards the eyepieces and improving handling. And this at last also explains why the SFs are unusually long – a longer focal ratio of course means more space required between objective and eyepiece."
 
The consumers, using FLs, which e.g. is me and my wife are total satisfied with the carbon fibre reinforced plastic housings of the X x 32 FLs. They are working for about 15 years without any flaws.

These housings made in Switzerland are more expensive than aluminum/magnesium housings. And it pays off.

Concerning the new X x 32 SF: Zeiss, do not tempt me!
 
Tringa45 said:
I find the ergonomic comparisons to the competition a bit lame and an insult to the consumers' inteligence. As Chosun pointed out, you just rest the next finger on the focussing bridge.

John
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I have to laugh at that one. There's been more than a few threads on the forum over the exact same issue, and yes, the answer is as Chosun described.

8-P
 
[email protected];3962633and the Zeiss FL 8x42 has AK prisms versus SP in 8x32 FL for higher transmission..[/QUOTE said:
Wrong. Go back to your favorite website and check again. I can't believe you are making the same false claims that you did a few weeks ago. Groundhog day!
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[email protected] said:
That is because it is magnesium instead of plastic. Zeiss learned their lesson with using plastic in a binocular with the FL. No matter how tough plastic is and how light it is the consumer wants magnesium in a $2K binocular.
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You may be right for those who do not know any better, but modern materials are very often non-metallic. Of course the term "plastic" can be used to denigrate a product. But then what about many modern aircraft like Boeing's 787, and lots of fighter jets or the rotors of modern helicopters? There are reasons why compound materials and carbon fibers are being used. The Zeiss FLs have proven themselves in their own right, as well. I'm definitely very happy with them, much more so than with overly heavy Leicas and roller-ball prone Swaros. I have had my FL 8x42 since 2005, and while there were some issues over the time, they never had anything to do with a metal or non-metal body. And if I had not been so tremendously satisfied, I would certainly not have bought a 10x42 FL (slightly used) and a 8x32 FL (new) last year when it became clear that the FLs were about to become rarer.
 
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A couple of people on here have refered to a post by the member "mak".

For some reason I cannot see mak's post anywhere in this thread.

Does anyone know where it has gone or what he said ?????

Gary.
 
OhWeh said:
The consumers, using FLs, which e.g. is me and my wife are total satisfied with the carbon fibre reinforced plastic housings of the X x 32 FLs. They are working for about 15 years without any flaws.

These housings made in Switzerland are more expensive than aluminum/magnesium housings. And it pays off.

Concerning the new X x 32 SF: Zeiss, do not tempt me!
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Then maybe you're done buying binoculars! I'm glad they have worked so well for you.

Its interesting that a structural material that is proven and well utilized in bicycles, race cars, and even some telescopes, would be considered by some to be inappropriate for binoculars, but I have read disparaging remarks about 'plastic' binoculars from time to time. Zeiss was smart to embrace that technology, imho.

-Bill
 
The 8X42 FLs won the Albinos field test also, which did prove excellent craftsmanship, so the material is well suited for binoculars, it is however more costly than Mg casts.

Andy W.
 
dries1 said:
The 8X42 FLs won the Albinos field test also, which did prove excellent craftsmanship, so the material is well suited for binoculars, it is however more costly than Mg casts.

Andy W.
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Then maybe that is why they changed back to magnesium.
 
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[email protected] said:
there has been concern about the thermal expansion properties of plastic versus metal and that is one area where I think magnesium is superior especially if it could change your focus stability.

"If you're simply asking about the magnitude of thermal expansion, then plastics typically have a larger coefficient of thermal expansion compared to metals. So, subjected to the same change in temperature, a plastic will generally expand more (or contract more) than a metal."
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The danger of a general statement is that it may just be wrong for the actual case you're looking at. According to the following table, the thermal expansion coefficient of glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate (that the FL housing is made of) is the same as that of aluminium and a bit lower than that of magnesium alloys.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/linear-expansion-coefficients-d_95.html
 
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