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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chosun Juan" data-source="post: 3310665" data-attributes="member: 92780">SD,I too am very CA sensitive, and so understand your genuine concern. As Bill and Henry have mentioned there are a whole lot of optical design compromises linked like a house of cards, and also unit to unit variation - hence as others have said - try before you buy is great advice - maybe one day you'll be lucky enough to land that "cherry" unit for you. I, like you, don't think it's too much to ask at this level of expenditure that the best  of the best componentry and design is utilised ..... it seems however, that even at "Alpha" levels, the beancounters get their fingers in the pie. Agree wholeheartedly with Etudiant.  The Kowa Genesis XD that you liked so much (for it's CA control) is a heavy unit, so that may be one of the trade-offs (although as far as I understand the fluorite glass used is lighter than other ED types, so I'm not quite sure what is going on there - prisms? or maybe just a heavy chassis).  I am of the opinion :brains:  though, that for those lucky buggers who are not plagued by CA, that the very real physical optical effects just end up being filed under general optical "mush" anyway - so I don't think anyone really escapes ......   :eek!:HT, and Fluorite glass may only give incremental gains for diminishing cost/performance metrics, but in this day and age companies should be pushing the boundaries of the traditional optical instrument.  It is often mentioned that the digital disruption will usher in a new paradigm in viewing, but certainly with 3-D printed aircraft drones now a reality, the first big shift will come to manufacturing processes in bino world - either one of the Big 4, or some cheeky start up.  There are certainly economical weight reductions to be had in binoculars - maybe then, with higher spec glass, some optical train design improvements (whether they be aspherics, gradient index lenses, or whatever) can be made to shift the game along a bit - giving us sharper, brighter, better CA controlling optics, in lighter, better value packages.   :cat:I am a bit perplexed  :h?:  by your particular experience (which hasn't been really quantified), but feel that the above quoted comments, and Ed's often mentioned reminder about the eye/brain physiological-neural processing addenda to the optical instrument(s) is where your issue (and salvation) largely lies.  I say this, because I have a lot of experience with both the Zen ED3 (which I believe is the same basic optical design as the ED2, save for improved coatings and better ER through an eyecup redesign), and the Swaro 10x50SV.  I will confess an important caveat though, and that is that the 10x50SV is the personal unit of a someone well in the Swaro fold, and so I can't vouch for that important bino quality - it's "cherry-pick-edness" !  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  I can't say for sure whether it was a randomly selected unit, the best of an entire shipment, or the latest in a constantly series of upgraded reference standards.  I can tell you that I suspect it was made by God personally (perhaps on the 8th day .... of the week?!  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />  )  .......  and it was  gooooooooooood !!   o<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" />To put this in perspective, the Swaro-peep thought the Zen ED3 genuinely was overall    V-e-r-y  good for the $400, or any price point.  We both found it to be effectively CA free in the central 1/3 of the view, and progressively worsening to the edge from there.  The 10x50 SV though, was effectively CA free for at least the central 2/3rds of the view, perhaps more.  I am always really too busy with the bright, neutral, vivid, sharp, crystalline view to give it further thought  :t:This leads me to suspect that perhaps the difficulty lies in your glasses material, positioning (x-y-z), and alignment, in concert with interpupillary distance set, eyecup extension distance and alignment, and possibly even diopter fine tuning.  Even though all our eyes, and experiences are different, I know that like GG, I find these things critical to get right, and large amounts of otherwise non-existent CA can be introduced when you get it wrong.  Importantly, this area Might be worth a further look for you.  The 5mm EP 10x50SV certainly has wonderful slap-'em-to-your-face, "eye-roamaboutabilityness"! .... perhaps your eyeball/eyeglass/positioning/alignment system is running into limitations before the bin itself does?? and a technique, or behaviour change may help?  All grist for the mill!  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />An absolute long shot solution for you might be to get one of the great bang for yer buck, love/hate Swift 8.5x44 ED porro's which I have found to have slightly superior CA control to the Zen, and then if Bill is ammenable! :-O  (sorry!)  pack it off to him for some serious "hot-rodding".  She'll need to be opened up, have all the crudola specks cleaned out, internally finished and blackened, and fitted out with custom baffles to ameliorate the at times woeful glare performance of this little gem.  Then a nicely secured custom re-skin in perforated leather to embeautify it.  If the planets really align for you, Bill could fashion some better quality, more luxurious eyecups ..... and if Miracles occur, the sourced, uncoated glass could be upgraded to HT and Ultra-FL spec, and packed off to Swarovski for full multicoating to current uber spec ...... that's if Bill is ammenable that is!!  ..... (I figure the results would be so good, that Bill would be out of retirement, and into the "Alpha"-slaying business before he knows it!) Chosun  :gh:</blockquote>

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