Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Temmie, the answer to your question is contained in my original posts #11 and #16 AND in the very passage YOU quoted. YOU just need to be able to understand basic engineering
Low weight has been a priority with SF although Zeiss appears to have reacted to market pressure by moving away from the GRP body of FL to a magnesium alloy. Do you think that you have gone as far as it is possible to go with weight reduction while staying with a metal body? If so, what do you think might be the next step?
Magnesium alloy is used more and more for different applications and the supply is getting better so the price has come down a little from previous times and a full metal housing has a very strong image in the premium market and to be practical it does provide a certain ruggedness. It’s a good solution, it has a good image and a reasonable price, so I expect it will be the standard material in the premium sector for some years.
Yes agreed - more so :t:Carbon fiber has the same cachet as titanium or magnesium, so it would be acceptable to alpha buyers.
To quote Troubador’s interview of Zeiss’ Gerold Dobler https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=293907
QUOTE:
"Low weight has been a priority with SF although Zeiss appears to have reacted to market pressure by moving away from the GRP body of FL to a magnesium alloy. Do you think that you have gone as far as it is possible to go with weight reduction while staying with a metal body? If so, what do you think might be the next step?
Magnesium alloy is used more and more for different applications and the supply is getting better so the price has come down a little from previous times and a full metal housing has a very strong image in the premium market and to be practical it does provide a certain ruggedness. It’s a good solution, it has a good image and a reasonable price, so I expect it will be the standard material in the premium sector for some years."
whats the zeiss conquest made of....you can throw it out of a tree stand and shoot it with a shotgun.. ect....give it a lickin and it keeps on tickin...
See the Dobler quote that Faza posted (post#23) ..... "a full metal housing has a very strong image in the premium market"Why did Zeiss stopped using composite material in the FL, was it really because some ?#@##$ did not like it. Secondly why do OP have to have a glass that weighs 500 grams instead of 750 grams. Perhaps today some of these manufacturers should concentrate on consistency with the product they produce. The FL was built very well, there was no need to change the material.
Andy W.
I would have thought that it was the birding community that did not like plastic, don't they drive the present day market with respect to Optics. The HT 8 & 10X42 have been removed from the US Website but they are still showing on the European website, I wonder how long until they cancel the HT 8 and 10X54.
Andy W.