My Swaro focuser is smooth as silk in both directions BUT it took some time to break it in. I think the Swaro focuser issue is just a design issue and it requires some use to smooth them out. This staining of the armour is weird in the Zeiss SF. Pileatus could be right. Certain body chemistries may be reacting with it. You can see by the picture the stain appears exactly where the binoculars were held.
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Discolouration and rusty hinges on Zeiss SF (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter HighNorth
- Start date
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
I tried 6 different EL swarovisons units recently, 32-50mm
and only 3 had a focuser that was acceptable to me,
the uneven sticky-ness is the worst trait,
even the acceptable ones have different resistance depending on direction, (no news)
the placement of the EL SV-focuser also makes it difficult to use more than one finger.
(it gets unstable moving your hand closer to you)
The Zeiss SF wins hands down, when it comes to focusing,
much easier to find a comfortable position and use whatever finger you
have available for the moment...
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brocknroller
A professed porromaniac
I guess I've just been extremely unlucky with my SF's then.
HN
Well, look, you were born in the European country with the highest wages in Europe, so you were bound to have bad luck sometime. It's the law of averages.
Either that or as an early adopter who lives in an extreme environment your experiences are the harbinger of things to come.... :eek!:
Some of those who are now posting, "No problemo" with their SFs might be back in a few months to report spots in the lenses, rust on the thrust washer, or a broken front hinge after they carelessly dropped their bins on a concrete floor. Only time will tell. :smoke:
I'm more interested in hearing Lee's story about the SV EL that broke in two. That should be reported to Ralph Nader. Same thing happened to the Chevy Corvair, the reporting and investigation of which started his career.
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perterra
Well-known member
I'm confused, wouldnt that hold true for any binocular bought?
brocknroller
A professed porromaniac
Originally Posted by brocknroller View Post
Some of those who are now posting, "No problemo" with their SFs might be back in a few months to report spots in the lenses, rust on the thrust washer, or a broken front hinge after they carelessly dropped their bins on a concrete floor. Only time will tell.
Not every one, certainly not the bulletproof MIGHTY ZEISS CONQUEST HD, which can take anything you can throw at it including buckshot.
extreme testing
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Some of those who are now posting, "No problemo" with their SFs might be back in a few months to report spots in the lenses, rust on the thrust washer, or a broken front hinge after they carelessly dropped their bins on a concrete floor. Only time will tell.
Not every one, certainly not the bulletproof MIGHTY ZEISS CONQUEST HD, which can take anything you can throw at it including buckshot.
extreme testing
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I think if you had some time with the Swaro focusers they would smooth out. They have to be broken in like a new car. Once they are broken in they are like butter on a brass door.
brocknroller
A professed porromaniac
I think you should give the SV EL's the middle finger and keep the rest for the SF.
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perterra
Well-known member
Parlor tricks not withstanding, you never know what may get broken.
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
brocknroller
A professed porromaniac
If you are listening to Dennis, then you are being steered well off in the wrong direction.
This whole thread, about stains, is IMO, farcical. Troubador's last post made the most sense. I was going to say the same thing but didn't want the Swaro ****storm raining down on me......
Am I saying this is all a ''non-issue?''
Edit - just to be fair, this over-attention to minor problems is a bit of an epidemic here and does extend to Swaro as well, with a very few posters that push the ''anti-rolling ball'' agenda and the like, to the point where an outside observer is [very falsely] led to believe they are dealing with a huge problem. I think this sort of over-the-top repetition [because some people just love to express themselves, even if for the 1000th time on the same subject] does a real disservice to this forum and the binoculars discussed here.
All very IMO.
The disservice is in denying real issues by calling them "non-issues," because some individuals don't experience them, are fanatical about their brand, and keep ill-advising others that they won't experience them either because they believe their eyes/brains/perceptions are the axis on which the entire world turns.
If those denials would stop, it wouldn't be necessary for anyone to point the same issues again.
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Vespobuteo
Well-known member
some were new, but not all of them,
I saw no correlation between age and focus function,
so they does not seem very consistent in this aspect,
some difference in resistance depending on direction I can live with, but not the stickiness,
The view through the 8.5x42 is stunning but the focuser could be a showstopper to me.
The two SF:s I tried had clearly smoother focusers than
the first units and they were more even over the focus range. I think the focuser now equals the HT.
The armor also had a better fit and feel, and the casting and overall finish looked better to me.
PS.
No, I saw no stains, and the hinges had all shiny happy washers.
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Your EL sounds a peach Dennis.
Tell you what, lets make a deal.
On the basis that your EL has a nice focuser I'll agree that folks should not worry about the many reports of poor Swaro focusers.
In return you can agree that on the basis of my experience of 8 SFs that haven't stained and the more than several people that have posted about SFs and never mentioned stains (and only 3 reports of SFs that did, for reasons unknown) folks should not worry about SFs staining.
I think that is more than fair.
What do you say?
Lee
You're confused. No one denied, they explained. We have three SV's and they are all different. My wife (all of 110 pounds) uses the stickiest focus and she never complains. In fact, she likes that it stays put and does not easily move when touched. Hers also is imbued with some situational glare. Again, she has no complaints. She prefers the SV over her SE, which some have said controls glare better than the 8X32 SV. Dennis has repeatedly said his focus improved with use. So did mine. So did my Leica Ultravid. No one denied anything; they explained their experience.
You're a rebel without a Swarovision. Buy one, use it for a year and get back to us. Otherwise, accept the fact that most SV users report positive experiences you cannot change. Nothing you or anyone else says on these forums is necessary. :eek!:
This is a Zeiss thread and I hope they sell a lot of SF's and keep pushing the optics envelope. Maybe I'll be a happy customer someday. |
|I agree the SV's aren't without their problems and the sticky focus can be one of them. I am not trying to make the SF's look bad to put the SV's in a better light. It sounds like the SF's have a problem with staining sometimes so it is something to watch.
I`m going to chip in here, (not sure if its wise).
My 8x32 SV focus...........like butter over the whole travel, ever so slightly more weight counter clockwise, glare control could be better at this level, I can live with it given how well it does everything else and as I never have another alpha with me to compare under the same conditions I can`t say if its worse at the exact same time.
RB........could`nt care less, and IMO its not a fault in the binoculars execution or design, merely a trait you accept or buy elsewhere.
Like Pilly I find the latest SF`s outstanding to look through and have no doubt they`ll sell thousands, I still think it looks and feels a bit "cheap" for the substantial asking price, this was my first impression and its stuck with me, I think its the colour and texture of the armour that does it.
My 8x32 SV focus...........like butter over the whole travel, ever so slightly more weight counter clockwise, glare control could be better at this level, I can live with it given how well it does everything else and as I never have another alpha with me to compare under the same conditions I can`t say if its worse at the exact same time.
RB........could`nt care less, and IMO its not a fault in the binoculars execution or design, merely a trait you accept or buy elsewhere.
Like Pilly I find the latest SF`s outstanding to look through and have no doubt they`ll sell thousands, I still think it looks and feels a bit "cheap" for the substantial asking price, this was my first impression and its stuck with me, I think its the colour and texture of the armour that does it.
Well you are keeping a close track on criticisms made of SF aren't you.
Are you keeping a track of the compliments paid too????
I used to but there have been so many over the internet I stopped a couple of months ago. Here are some:
Not only is the SF's field of view extraordinarily wide, but it's also sharp edge to edge.
Colour reproduction and contrast are also excellent.
The SF is really faster in focus: easy focusing on flying birds
-The balance and grip is excellent
Sharpness across the field of view- the 8x42 is outstanding
For me the SF is the perfect binocular
Got mine a few days ago I can say that the Victory SF 10x42 binoculars are exceptional.
- Optics are stunning
- The usability and focusing are fantastic
- very light
because of the balance and weight distribution of the SF it "feels"lighter and that is immediately obvious when you take an SF in your hands.
I was surprised by how light in weight the pair were, and well balanced they are, despite the length of the barrels
I consider the Victory SF 10x42 spectacular bins and I have never used anything better
However everything about the bino is flawless, Fast focus is a real delight to get on birds FAST! Flat field across the view Colors simply real
We have gotten no SF's returned from any customer for any reason
At this moment we received 6 SF's which are sold to very satisfied customers.
Surely the finest 8x42 roof currently available.
the sharpness of our 10x42 SFs is equal to our 10x42 Swaro SVs.
I find that the SF has very natural colours and brightness
SF has an edge as sharp as they come
Did a comparison between SF 8x42, SV 8,5x42, FL 7x42 and SV 8x32 today.
The overall winner to me is clearly the SF:s.
I use my SF 8x42 for astronomy, and I haven't noticed any central astigmatism.
OMG! The field of view is amazing—much wider than my Nikon.
The weight distribution is a huge improvement—because they naturally tilt upwards, they feel lighter than they really are.
The more I used them, the more they impressed me. And then, of course, there's the Zeiss optics. Brilliant, yes. At the end of the weekend, I really did not want to give them back.
They really are everything Zeiss says they are. And more.
delightful instruments and a pleasure to use. Optically they are stunning
SF is Sharp, very Sharp almost to the limit of FOV
SF has the most real color reproduction of any bin i ever tried (including my 10x42 SV )
Is very VERY well corrected for CA far away of my leica ultravid
for me SF is even better than SV
the best on this Zeiss is the 3D and Pop in the view…It has some of the character that only can be found in the best porro bins, For me this 3D and huge FOV are the big advantages of SF
The focus on the Swaro was excellent, but in my opinion, the SF was even better. can't remember a more precise and yet smooth focusing mechanism. the SF felt noticeably lighter than the Swaros, more so than the actual 45g difference in specs.
If something happened to your 10X42 Swarovision, would you replace it with another of the same or would you change over to the the Zeiss SF 10X42? Thanks, good question. In my opinion the SF has technical 2 pros which I like : it is sharper and has a larger FOV
The thing that will absolutely astound you is the pronounced 3d effect,the most i have ever seen in a binocular,bags more than my zeiss nobilem 10x50 porro.Makes everything else seem flat in comparison and leaves a very vivid impression ,you just want to keep picking them up and use them on anything.
The Nikon EDG is still an excellent binocular but I prefer the SF for some of the same reasons that I prefer the SF over the SV.
Colour reproduction and contrast are also excellent.
The SF is really faster in focus: easy focusing on flying birds
-The balance and grip is excellent
Sharpness across the field of view- the 8x42 is outstanding
For me the SF is the perfect binocular
Got mine a few days ago I can say that the Victory SF 10x42 binoculars are exceptional.
- Optics are stunning
- The usability and focusing are fantastic
- very light
because of the balance and weight distribution of the SF it "feels"lighter and that is immediately obvious when you take an SF in your hands.
I was surprised by how light in weight the pair were, and well balanced they are, despite the length of the barrels
I consider the Victory SF 10x42 spectacular bins and I have never used anything better
However everything about the bino is flawless, Fast focus is a real delight to get on birds FAST! Flat field across the view Colors simply real
We have gotten no SF's returned from any customer for any reason
At this moment we received 6 SF's which are sold to very satisfied customers.
Surely the finest 8x42 roof currently available.
the sharpness of our 10x42 SFs is equal to our 10x42 Swaro SVs.
I find that the SF has very natural colours and brightness
SF has an edge as sharp as they come
Did a comparison between SF 8x42, SV 8,5x42, FL 7x42 and SV 8x32 today.
The overall winner to me is clearly the SF:s.
I use my SF 8x42 for astronomy, and I haven't noticed any central astigmatism.
OMG! The field of view is amazing—much wider than my Nikon.
The weight distribution is a huge improvement—because they naturally tilt upwards, they feel lighter than they really are.
The more I used them, the more they impressed me. And then, of course, there's the Zeiss optics. Brilliant, yes. At the end of the weekend, I really did not want to give them back.
They really are everything Zeiss says they are. And more.
delightful instruments and a pleasure to use. Optically they are stunning
SF is Sharp, very Sharp almost to the limit of FOV
SF has the most real color reproduction of any bin i ever tried (including my 10x42 SV )
Is very VERY well corrected for CA far away of my leica ultravid
for me SF is even better than SV
the best on this Zeiss is the 3D and Pop in the view…It has some of the character that only can be found in the best porro bins, For me this 3D and huge FOV are the big advantages of SF
The focus on the Swaro was excellent, but in my opinion, the SF was even better. can't remember a more precise and yet smooth focusing mechanism. the SF felt noticeably lighter than the Swaros, more so than the actual 45g difference in specs.
If something happened to your 10X42 Swarovision, would you replace it with another of the same or would you change over to the the Zeiss SF 10X42? Thanks, good question. In my opinion the SF has technical 2 pros which I like : it is sharper and has a larger FOV
The thing that will absolutely astound you is the pronounced 3d effect,the most i have ever seen in a binocular,bags more than my zeiss nobilem 10x50 porro.Makes everything else seem flat in comparison and leaves a very vivid impression ,you just want to keep picking them up and use them on anything.
The Nikon EDG is still an excellent binocular but I prefer the SF for some of the same reasons that I prefer the SF over the SV.
Lee
John Dracon
John Dracon
Have been tempted to ask HN if he chewed tobacco. That stain looks like ..... Regarding the issue of stains on the body, Zeiss has a solution. Just produce the SF in what Henry Ford did with the Model T - the customer can have any color he wants as long as it is black. Stainless black!
brocknroller
A professed porromaniac
I am not trying to make the SF's look bad...I'm just trying to get my story straight for when I have to return them to the store next week. :smoke:
HighNorth
Well-known member
John, I do smoke cigars from time to time, but I hadn't done so at this particular occasion. I did eat some crisps while at an outing though, and I also handled a gas burner. Maybe some oil or other chemical compound got on the bins? :smoke:
HN
