Discolouration and rusty hinges on Zeiss SF (1 Viewer)

[John Dracon]

David - Some folks consider puns (seals) to be the lowest form of humor. But the worse the puns, the better I like them! I'm afraid if we try to solve HN's hinge problem with his SF, we all stand the chance of becoming unhinged.

John

 

[Torview]

Is it part of the hinge or the cap that fits on the back, but why would Zeiss put bare metal there in the first place.

The discolouration confirms my fears about the armour the first time I handled one.

 

[ceasar]

Well, this allegation of rust on the hinge has clearly gone beyond the fringe and it is making me cringe!

Bob

 

[SivaL]

HighNorth,

It might be a good idea to check out "Travis" who thrives in cold weather. http://blog.leica-birding.com/travisantarctica/

According to the blog, Travis is planning a trip to Spitzbergen, Norway. Isn't that in your neck of the woods (or fjords or ice floe or nordlys or tundra or permafrost or whatever you want to replace "woods" with

 

[Pileatus]

HighNorth,

It might be a good idea to check out "Travis" who thrives in cold weather. http://blog.leica-birding.com/travisantarctica/

According to the blog, Travis is planning a trip to Spitzbergen, Norway. Isn't that in your neck of the woods (or fjords or ice floe or nordlys or tundra or permafrost or whatever you want to replace "woods" with

Naming a stupid binocular Travis is about as dumb as it gets.

 

[Pileatus]

Hi!

I returned from an outing to the Tana/Tanojoki river delta over the weekend and discovered that I had got rust on the hinges on my SF! The weather was splendid without a drop of rain, and the only thing I have done to them is to rinse them under (clean) water to remove some dirt and dust.

I see there is a part of the hinge of the SF that exposes its shiny metal inner workings to the elements. I thought such binocular hinges were supposed to be made of magnesium, or at least stainless steel or some other material that shouldn't rust so easily? I find this quite weird, especially for a binocular that purports to be waterproof...

Question is: could this rust be dangerous to the binocular, or is it just surface rust that I don't have to worry about?

I also attached a couple of pictures of the discolouration on the binocular armour, which has been reported by several other SF users, but which has been the object of some contention on this forum.

HN

This post just sold another dozen or so Swarovisions.

 

[Kammerdiner]

Naming a stupid binocular Travis is about as dumb as it gets.

I won't tell Sally Swarovision you said that.

 

[HighNorth]

Naming a stupid binocular Travis is about as dumb as it gets.

Travis the Trinny?

 

[HighNorth]

This is a hilarious thread.

Don't laugh too hard! Your favourite bin still has the worst glare control of all the alphas! That's what I call a proper design flaw.

 

[dalat]

Don't laugh too hard! Your favourite bin still has the worst glare control of all the alphas! That's what I call a proper design flaw.

The most expensive of all Glaremonsters ! :-O

 

[HighNorth]

The most expensive of all Glaremonsters ! :-O

The Glaremonster: the BF counterpart to the Cookie Monster! Although he is not as nice! :-O

 

[Kammerdiner]

The most expensive of all Glaremonsters ! :-O

More hyperbole. The 8x32 SV is still my favorite and the 8x32 FL sits in a drawer. Wanna buy it?

 

[dwever]

This post just sold another dozen or so Swarovisions.

Well, it didn't sell me a Swarovision, but it delayed my order on an SF from MidwayUSA (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/98...ism-rubber-armored-black?cm_vc=ProductFinding).

I've had Zeiss 7x50 Marine's for some years now, and never had a problem even with the bino's living in the temperature extremes of a vehicle (the bought used law enforcement edition Steiner's I had previously tore up in two years).

For a while now I have tried to buy new glass; first HT 8X42's and now the SF's, but all the "issues" posted have scared me off each time. One guy on this forum even had a hinge snap on his new SF's apparently and is on his third pair due to warranty issues. These issues stand in stark contrast to my experience with my own Zeiss and in contrast to the published reviews.

Is all the carping here indigenous to this forum and I can go ahead and drop the $2,600 for this glass without fear; or are the new SF's actually buggy in their initial production as alleged by some users?

 

[HighNorth]

One guy even had a hinge snap on his new SF's apparently and is on his third pair due to warranty issues.

Well, that would be yours truly! Still sticking with the SF though: it's great glass! :t:

 

[Dennis Mau]

Naming a stupid binocular Travis is about as dumb as it gets.

My wallet just starts to open up for the Zeiss SF and then it shuts again. Will the problems ever cease?

 

[Dennis Mau]

Don't laugh too hard! Your favourite bin still has the worst glare control of all the alphas! That's what I call a proper design flaw.

You got to admit it is funny. 1st it was a broken hinge, and then a speck inside the binocular, now rusty hinges and brown stains on the armour.

 

[Rotherbirder]

For an SF that's only a couple of months old, it looks far older and more worn than my well-used, 11 year old 8x32 ELs! Wouldn't like to think I'd paid £2000+ for it.

 

[HighNorth]

For an SF that's only a couple of months old, it looks far older and more worn than my well-used, 11 year old 8x32 ELs! Wouldn't like to think I'd paid £2000+ for it.

Well, it's what's inside that counts!

HN

 

[dalat]

More hyperbole. The 8x32 SV is still my favorite and the 8x32 FL sits in a drawer. Wanna buy it?

I'm kidding of course. It is Dennis who invented the term "glaremonster" and who seems to be pretty obsessed about glare in bins other than his own...

I had a FL 10x32, it handled glare very well.

 

[Binastro]

What I want is a Ghostbuster.