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Zen Ray ED2 8x42 and 10x42 evaluations and review (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Kevin Purcell
- Start date
Birchall ....... I would consider myself to be a all around wildlife watcher & one of my flaws is a wanna be techie perfectionist. I must have returned hundreds of binoculars in the last 40 yrs because of it. That being said I own a 7x36 Zen ED2 which has been mentioned so much with the negative hallo,ghosting, etc. I love these & I dont plan on returning them......Gwen
Guys,
Many thanks to you all for your responses. I sincerely appreciate your input.
You've convinced me. I ordered the Zen-Ray 8x43 ED2.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the crescent/halo/ghost thing won't be a problem.
I'll let you know my impressions when they arrive.
FrankD
Well-known member
Yeah...and?
I too am a non-techie. However, in the past I have had problems with both binoculars and scope sights with overwhelming glare. The real problem here is that I can't duplicate it until I run into the exact conditions that cause it.
It appears to me that those conditions consist of a dry day in the woods between October and March, here in Eastern U.S. It appears that the glare is intensified on the order of several times in these conditions- to the point where a person can see almost nothing with some instruments, whereas I have to strain to see any glare under other conditions, even when looking almost toward the Sun. In other words, I can't duplicate it in the city, near water or in fields or swamps.
My only theory is that the glare is intensified by the "leaf dust" because it only happens on dry days.
I have never read about anyone having this problem on this or other internet sites, but it is real, very real and you don't have to be a techie to see it. Leupold has always emphasized that they go to great lengths to "glare proof" their optics and I can tell you that their scopes certainly do not have this problem, but neither do the Bushnell, B&L, or Nikons that I have looked through under those conditions.
Has anyone else ever ran into such conditions? How could you tell if a binocular is going to have a problem without duplicating the conditions. Remember, I am not writing about a slight or moderate degradation of image- I am writing about a veiling glare that effectively blinds a person under those conditions.
Thanks,
Don Clark
It appears to me that those conditions consist of a dry day in the woods between October and March, here in Eastern U.S. It appears that the glare is intensified on the order of several times in these conditions- to the point where a person can see almost nothing with some instruments, whereas I have to strain to see any glare under other conditions, even when looking almost toward the Sun. In other words, I can't duplicate it in the city, near water or in fields or swamps.
My only theory is that the glare is intensified by the "leaf dust" because it only happens on dry days.
I have never read about anyone having this problem on this or other internet sites, but it is real, very real and you don't have to be a techie to see it. Leupold has always emphasized that they go to great lengths to "glare proof" their optics and I can tell you that their scopes certainly do not have this problem, but neither do the Bushnell, B&L, or Nikons that I have looked through under those conditions.
Has anyone else ever ran into such conditions? How could you tell if a binocular is going to have a problem without duplicating the conditions. Remember, I am not writing about a slight or moderate degradation of image- I am writing about a veiling glare that effectively blinds a person under those conditions.
Thanks,
Don Clark
falcondude
Well-known member
come on, admit it! your custom official is still playing with it, unless you can show some kind of proof.
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mooreorless
Well-known member
"My only theory is that the glare is intensified by the "leaf dust" because it only happens on dry days."
Don, I have seen something like this in the Fall & Winter, mostly dry fall, I wouldn't say that I could not see anything but it made it hard to see.
>>>Bruno, I am happy for you getting the Zen-Ray 8x43! Just don't try to use it diving. Well after thinking about it try diving with it and see if they are WP.
Regards,Steve
Don, I have seen something like this in the Fall & Winter, mostly dry fall, I wouldn't say that I could not see anything but it made it hard to see.
>>>Bruno, I am happy for you getting the Zen-Ray 8x43! Just don't try to use it diving.
Well after thinking about it try diving with it and see if they are WP.Regards,Steve
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I said that because I bought them on 24th of August and received them ONLY today. Can you imagine how anxious was I?
Sorry if I said anything that caused any harm to you, I just wanted to express my feelings, nothing more!
come on, admit it! your custom official is still playing with it, unless you can show some kind of proof.
Ahahaha!
I am sure one of the custom official played with them! They are just... perfect to not be used!
I will take some pictures of them and post in the "post a picture of your binoculars" thread!
I am very happy! I had a pair of Chinese 7x50! its like I had a 300 dollars car and now I have a Ferrari!
My ZenRays (8X43 ED2) have landed.
First Impressions: WOW. These are BRIGHT, razor sharp and a joy to use. Very close to alpha quality bins. Not just outstanding bins for the money – outstanding bins full stop.
I did notice the stray light / crescent at bottom of image when pointing directly under a glaring sun. It happens so rarely, it is not a problem. The slightest tilt of the oculars against the eyebrows gets rid of it.
How do they do it for the money? It begs the question: How much of a mark up do retailers (internet or high street) have on their optics?
I paid €313 for them and then got caught for a further €84 Irish import duty and Value Added Tax. I’m not complaining. Alpha quality bins for under €400. If bins of this quality or marginally higher had a Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica logo on them I would expect to pay €1400 - €1600 for them. I am very pleased with them.
Just one minor quibble. The useless tethered objective covers that came with them. Both of mine fell off on the first day out. They seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought. If these are the new improved covers, I hate to think how bad the earlier ones must have been
Brendan
First Impressions: WOW. These are BRIGHT, razor sharp and a joy to use. Very close to alpha quality bins. Not just outstanding bins for the money – outstanding bins full stop.
I did notice the stray light / crescent at bottom of image when pointing directly under a glaring sun. It happens so rarely, it is not a problem. The slightest tilt of the oculars against the eyebrows gets rid of it.
How do they do it for the money? It begs the question: How much of a mark up do retailers (internet or high street) have on their optics?
I paid €313 for them and then got caught for a further €84 Irish import duty and Value Added Tax. I’m not complaining. Alpha quality bins for under €400. If bins of this quality or marginally higher had a Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica logo on them I would expect to pay €1400 - €1600 for them. I am very pleased with them.
Just one minor quibble. The useless tethered objective covers that came with them. Both of mine fell off on the first day out. They seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought. If these are the new improved covers, I hate to think how bad the earlier ones must have been
Brendan
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Tethered objective covers
Hello Brendan,
Here in the States, we are still waiting for the improved version, so I guess you got the first covers.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood.
Hello Brendan,
Here in the States, we are still waiting for the improved version, so I guess you got the first covers.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood.
NDhunter
Experienced observer
You know, after reading through some of the older posts on the Zen-Ray, maybe they should include or furnish a longer bushwacker type lens cover or something like this kind of extension to help out with the stray light issue. I am sure it will help out, while they are working on a redesign.
The Nikon EDG has a larger removeable flip down objective lens cover that adds to the length, so something similar may be helpful. I am not trying to be smart here but only trying to help the situation, this idea does have merit. These are nice binoculars, except for the
stray light ghosting thing, that some users see.
In most things, reengineering, and a lot of ideas for improvements come from those who use them in the field. That is why there are constant changes and improvements in most everything you use.
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