Steve C
Well-known member
I have an Atlas Optics Intrepid for a few days now and have done much comparing of them to my ZEN ED and my Promaster ELX ED. There are more similarities than there are differences, so let’s list those first.
The Atlas looks more like a Green Promaster than it does the ZEN. The armor is the same green as the ZEN, but is the same smooth cover as the Promaster. Like The Promaster, the Intrepid’s armor is thicker than the ZEN and thus there is a bit more space between the barrels in the ZEN. The Intrepid has the same eye cups as the Promaster, leaving the ZEN the only one of these with the more smoothly rounded cups.
The Intrepid is advertised as having oil repellent coatings, called See Clear by Atlas. There is no mention of water repellency that I can find. Promaster advertises oil repellent coatings they advertise as Repellemax. These have been represented as water repellent as well. The ZEN ED has neither oil nor water repellent coatings. Zen Ray once mentioned that their tests showed these coatings showed a slight lowering of the light transmission.
There is indeed an apparent difference in the color of the objective coatings of the three binoculars. The Atlas has dark green coatings, the Promaster has coatings with a Violet or Purple color, and the ZEN is primarily green with definite purple undertones.
From the ocular end, the Atlas is still green. The Promaster is primarily purple with a green undertone. The ZEN is green with purple undertones.
The Atlas and the Promaster advertise themselves a having 42 mm objectives and the ZEN with 42 mm. All three of mine seem to measure 42mm.
The field of view is listed as 393’ @ 1,000 yds with the Promaster, 420’ with the Atlas, and 426’ for the ZEN. I did not check the field of view over a precisely measured distance, but using a measuring tape across the field of view from top to bottom shows the Atlas falling between the others, so the specification is probably close.
Now the ergonomics are the same, again which should be no surprise. There is a bit of difference in the focus travel in the Atlas. This one I have moves through 2.7 turns. However the extra .2 turns on the Atlas that I have comes after infinity, so the focus from infinity to close focus is the same on all three.
The Atlas Intrepid 8x42 is a very inconspicuously marked binocular; the only thing on it says Atlas; 8x42; Intrepid ED on the focus knob.
The images are also more similar than different, but there are some differences if you look. The Atlas seems to have a bit more edge distortion than the ZEN or the Promaster. It sounds more like the Hawke descriptions on image. The Promaster has a bit more warm bias, and the ZEN appears brighter. The process of separating practical differences in image is probably fruitless.
What we have here it seems to me is another source to produce a top notch image in the mid range price. The image on the Atlas will stand up to the high end alpha just as well as the others of its type before it. Here we have it picked up and offered for the first time by a well established optical company with an outstanding warranty reputation. It probably carries some differences from the others of its lineage, but the truly outstanding optics for the money binocular now has another source.
It is hard to provide a unique product review here. These are at the same level and worth of the same accolades given to the ZEN, Hawke, and Promaster binoculars. Some people may simply prefer to deal with Eagle Optics on these, and that is now their option.
The Atlas looks more like a Green Promaster than it does the ZEN. The armor is the same green as the ZEN, but is the same smooth cover as the Promaster. Like The Promaster, the Intrepid’s armor is thicker than the ZEN and thus there is a bit more space between the barrels in the ZEN. The Intrepid has the same eye cups as the Promaster, leaving the ZEN the only one of these with the more smoothly rounded cups.
The Intrepid is advertised as having oil repellent coatings, called See Clear by Atlas. There is no mention of water repellency that I can find. Promaster advertises oil repellent coatings they advertise as Repellemax. These have been represented as water repellent as well. The ZEN ED has neither oil nor water repellent coatings. Zen Ray once mentioned that their tests showed these coatings showed a slight lowering of the light transmission.
There is indeed an apparent difference in the color of the objective coatings of the three binoculars. The Atlas has dark green coatings, the Promaster has coatings with a Violet or Purple color, and the ZEN is primarily green with definite purple undertones.
From the ocular end, the Atlas is still green. The Promaster is primarily purple with a green undertone. The ZEN is green with purple undertones.
The Atlas and the Promaster advertise themselves a having 42 mm objectives and the ZEN with 42 mm. All three of mine seem to measure 42mm.
The field of view is listed as 393’ @ 1,000 yds with the Promaster, 420’ with the Atlas, and 426’ for the ZEN. I did not check the field of view over a precisely measured distance, but using a measuring tape across the field of view from top to bottom shows the Atlas falling between the others, so the specification is probably close.
Now the ergonomics are the same, again which should be no surprise. There is a bit of difference in the focus travel in the Atlas. This one I have moves through 2.7 turns. However the extra .2 turns on the Atlas that I have comes after infinity, so the focus from infinity to close focus is the same on all three.
The Atlas Intrepid 8x42 is a very inconspicuously marked binocular; the only thing on it says Atlas; 8x42; Intrepid ED on the focus knob.
The images are also more similar than different, but there are some differences if you look. The Atlas seems to have a bit more edge distortion than the ZEN or the Promaster. It sounds more like the Hawke descriptions on image. The Promaster has a bit more warm bias, and the ZEN appears brighter. The process of separating practical differences in image is probably fruitless.
What we have here it seems to me is another source to produce a top notch image in the mid range price. The image on the Atlas will stand up to the high end alpha just as well as the others of its type before it. Here we have it picked up and offered for the first time by a well established optical company with an outstanding warranty reputation. It probably carries some differences from the others of its lineage, but the truly outstanding optics for the money binocular now has another source.
It is hard to provide a unique product review here. These are at the same level and worth of the same accolades given to the ZEN, Hawke, and Promaster binoculars. Some people may simply prefer to deal with Eagle Optics on these, and that is now their option.
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Where is Sancho? He put his Swarovski EL into water to test the supposed "hole" water proof problem of the Swarovski EL series and maybe he would do this.
