New Zeiss binos 8x40 SFL and 10x40 SFL (8 Viewers)

[batho66]

New lighter binos are introduced today on the German Webpage.

8x40 with 640 g, 140 m FOV, 1,50 m close focusing limit, 90% transmission, exit pupil distance 18 mm, length 144 mm, width 114 mm. Price not published, should be available in July. So, it has the same weight as the NL Pure 8x32.

German homepage: ZEISS SFL 8x40 | Fühle die Intensität. Nicht dein Equipment.

Regards
Thomas

 

[batho66]

English webpage: ZEISS SFL 8x40 | Feel the intensity. Not your equipment.

 

[batho66]

The 10x40 SFL has the same data as the 8x with a FOV of 115 metres.

ZEISS SFL 10x40 | Feel the intensity. Not your equipment.

 

[Dr. K]

Damn.

+2oz for 25% increase in exit pupil diameter and larger fov than my 1yr old EL8x32...

good of them to tell us early so I can budget for this.

 

[Troubador]

English webpage: ZEISS SFL 8x40 | Feel the intensity. Not your equipment.SFL

SFL40mm has same length and weight as NL32!

Lee

 

[batho66]

Now I see the first price tag in a German shop: 1800 € for the 8x40 SFL, 1850 € for the 10x40 SFL.

 

[pm42]

Seems like a very interesting product but I wonder how they will compare with the SF.
Because if they are as good or even "almost as good", I see no point in getting something bigger & heavier.

But I would be very interested as they would replace my NL Pure 8x32 & 8x42.

 

[NoSpringChicken]

I received an email about them from WEX this morning. 8x40 is £1550 and 10x40 is £1600. They sound interesting, especially as the Swaro EL 32s are no longer on sale.

Ron

 

[PeterPS]

The SFL follows the NL: single bridge/hinge, likely Zeiss has abandoned the double bridge/hinge to get a lighter and smaller bino.

 

[Hermann]

The SFL follows the NL: single bridge/hinge, likely Zeiss has abandoned the double bridge/hinge to get a lighter and smaller bino.

Well, well. I'd rather think they went back to their roots, after following Swarovski when they introduced binoculars with a double bridge. That's a concept I never understood.

And I must admit, these new bins look rather interesting. I think I'd prefer them over heavier bins even IF the heavier bins are a bit "better" optically. Light, slim, reasonably priced. Looks good.

Hermann

 

[henry link]

A few things caught my eye.

The diopter adjustment appears to be done the simplest way, by rotating the right eyepiece. Presumably to save weight.

The AFOV (subjective viewing angle) appears to conform to the ISO method. An odd choice since it almost certainly understates the true AFOV.

Field flatteners are not mentioned. A simple eyepiece would save weight, but at the inevitable cost of higher field curvature and off-axis astigmatism.

What does "designed by Zeiss" on the hinge cap mean? "Designed by" is usually a euphemism for outsourced manufacturing.

What is the "UHD concept"? It's said to include a "special coating" and an "improved optical design". How is the coating "special" and compared to what? How are the optics "improved" and compared to what?

 

[Binastro]

The same way Fairy liquid is always Improved and New every few months for the last fifty years.

B.

 

[batho66]

What is the "UHD concept"?

I think the term "concept" refers to the used glasses, so Zeiss talks also about the "UFL concept". Here the improvement is against the HD concept used in the Conquest series.

 

[Dr. K]

A few things caught my eye.

The diopter adjustment appears to be done the simplest way, by rotating the right eyepiece. Presumably to save weight.

The AFOV (subjective viewing angle) appears to conform to the ISO method. An odd choice since it almost certainly understates the true AFOV.

Field flatteners are not mentioned. A simple eyepiece would save weight, but at the inevitable cost of higher field curvature and off-axis astigmatism.

What does "designed by Zeiss" on the hinge cap mean? "Designed by" is usually a euphemism for outsourced manufacturing.

What is the "UHD concept"? It's said to include a "special coating" and an "improved optical design". How is the coating "special" and compared to what? How are the optics "improved" and compared to what?

I’m grateful that more discerning eyes are inspecting the images. It may be dangerous to assume that this is a reconfigured SF and not something new, warranting new evaluation.

 

[Ignatius]

All that superlative teutonic marketing bollix is making me gag ... and definitely not reach for my wallet. YMMV

 

[MiddleRiver]

Trinovid HD’s focus on barrel and I’ve never had issues with it. Seems like it eliminates many issues.
That said, my favorite is still a simple wheel as the retrovids use… so easy to tweak on the fly.
I’m also attracted to weight reduction. Maybe Leica will rethink their top line ;-)

 

[Brummie]

It may be dangerous to assume that this is a reconfigured SF and not something new, warranting new evaluation.

Well, they're not part of the Victory line, so I doubt they're reconfigured SF. More likely a reconfiguration of the Conquests and perhaps to compete with a variety of other Japanese-made lightweight, mid-range binoculars.

Will the optics be significantly better than those competitors (to justify the higher price), and will they rival the SF (other than in FOV)? If the answers are yes, then these could be a good option for folks wanting a lightweight alpha binocular and willing to sacrifice FOV over exit pupil to achieve that.

 

[Troubador]

Field flatteners are not mentioned.

The downloadable brochure confirms field flatteners are fitted to SFL.

Lee

 

[dries1]

A slightly better Conquest here, I wonder if they will have decent eyecups. The price is even higher than the SLC, but it should be good for the geriatric community.

 

[henry link]

The downloadable brochure confirms field flatteners are fitted to SFL.

Lee

Thanks Lee, much better information there.

Unfortunately, the cutaway is done in Zeiss' current obfuscating style and leaves us guessing about things that should be clear. Still, it looks like the objective design has returned to the fixed triplet and moving focusing element from pre-SF Zeiss binoculars. The eyepiece looks like it could be a 4 element Konig with a one or perhaps two element field flattener in front, a bit more like the Swarovski EL/NL eyepiece than the SF eyepieces, especially the 32mm SF.

Things in the SF left out of the SFL include UFL (Ultra-FL lens design) and oddly HT (High Transmission) glass.

Here's a link to the brochure: https://www.zeiss.com/content/dam/c...re-zeiss-sfl-and-victory-sf-binoculars-en.pdf