New Zeiss Victory SF !!!!!! (1 Viewer)

[Pinewood]

Well, I bet you didn't know this about the SF



http://blog.eastmans.com/zeiss-vict...mail&utm_term=0_aec388f646-8256496de9-9796153

Hello Jabali,

Without reference to how the SF accomplishes this feat, I remain incredulous.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[Troubador]

Well, I bet you didn't know this about the SF

http://blog.eastmans.com/zeiss-vict...mail&utm_term=0_aec388f646-8256496de9-9796153

They forgot to mention that the coatings are designed to enhance the deer's aura so that you can tell what mood it's in. You don't need to actually see the deer, if its behind some scrub you will see it's aura hovering in the air, like hot air being blown up where the sun don't shine.

We learn something new every day don't we? :-O

Lee

 

[Alexis Powell]

Well, I bet you didn't know this about the SF ...

Awesome! I thought this could only be improved with faster refreshing photoreceptors or faster retinal/brain processing, neither of which are yet available from ophthalmic or neural surgeons! I suppose this advance also makes image stabilization technology obsolete! So cool!

--AP

 

[jan van daalen]

It has been 310 posts back since CJ joined us at her thread.
Anyone heard from the Queen of the South?

Jan

 

[oetzi]

Well, I bet you didn't know this about the SF



http://blog.eastmans.com/zeiss-vict...mail&utm_term=0_aec388f646-8256496de9-9796153

Ah, well, I do not quite understand what that means.

"These binoculars were built to enhance small movements at a distance making it easier to spot game. Small movements, like the flicker of an ear or antlers twisting in the sage after a buck beds down that would be unnoticeable otherwise, are now easily visible. The glass and coatings were formulated to maintain clarity even when the target is in motion. This way it keeps the “movement blur” to a minimum."

Marketing BS? Excellent payment? Mind-enhancing drugs?o

 

[Troubador]

It has been 310 posts back since CJ joined us at her thread.
Anyone heard from the Queen of the South?

Jan

No Jan, looks like she has gone walk-about again.

Lee

 

[David in NC]

I am REALLY wanting a Victory SF 8x! :t:

I missed several birds my last time or two out due to the narrow field of my Leicas. Also, the HT focuser was way faster for me when I tried them all side-by-side. The SF is supposed to be better still...!

I'll have to sell my beloved Ultravid HD and my Kowa 10x Genesis though to get the SF! GOD I am like a kid! o

It is also mind-boggling to look back at the first thread in June of 2014!!! It really doesn't seem that long ago we were waiting for the announcement!

Has it REALLY been THAT long???? :eek!:

 

[brocknroller]

I am REALLY wanting a Victory SF 8x! :t:

I missed several birds my last time or two out due to the narrow field of my Leicas. Also, the HT focuser was way faster for me when I tried them all side-by-side. The SF is supposed to be better still...!

I'll have to sell my beloved Ultravid HD and my Kowa 10x Genesis though to get the SF! GOD I am like a kid! o

It is also mind-boggling to look back at the first thread in June of 2014!!! It really doesn't seem that long ago we were waiting for the announcement!

Has it REALLY been THAT long???? :eek!:

Seems that long to me and then some, particularly with the earth slowing down.....

I sold my SE and I'm selling my beloved EII, not to buy an SF but to pay vet bills (totaling $2,465, almost the price of an SF).

If narrow FOV and a stiff focuser are the issues, you could buy a Nikon 8x30 EII (8.8*) FOV and save yourself $2,199 in addition to the savings in chiropractor bills since the EII only weighs 20 oz. You can buy a new one from Amazon for just a bit more than my used sample plus free shipping. The black body model I sold Bruce H last year had the smoothest and fastest focuser I've used that could accommodate with my eyes without overshooting my target, and the contrast was superb. The sweet spot wasn't as wide as my gray body model, the only niggler.

I'm sure the SF is the "bees knees," as the Brits say, but from down here in the money pit, I can't see any bin being worth $2,600, particularly with so many good choices in the mid-price and second tier segments today.

Now if I had a LEO's salary, maybe I'd feel differently, but I'm a Taurus.

Enjoy the SF and your second childhood! Everybody deserves two, because we never knew enough to appreciate it fully the first time around.

brokenroller

 

[SteveTS]

I sold my SE and I'm selling my beloved EII, not to buy an SF but to pay vet bills (totaling $2,465, almost the price of an SF).

brokenroller

brokenjuan,

There is a bumper sticker that reads, 'I like cats, they taste like chicken', food for thought, and you could get back to what's important in life - like playing 'Chinese Roulette'

best wishes,

 

[Troubador]

Now if I had a LEO's salary, maybe I'd feel differently, but I'm a Taurus.

brokenroller

This LEO (Cancerian actually) is retired and is lacking a salary, but also lacking all of the stress that went with it. It's a fair swap.

All Taureans talk a load of Bull, its in their nature, they can't help it, poor things.
Fortunately that goes for most of us on BF anyway so they fit right in.

Oops. Troubadoris is a Taurus.......help..........

Lee

 

[BruceH]

I am REALLY wanting a Victory SF 8x! :t:
.........

David .... Just out of curiosity, are you saying this because of what you learned from the various threads and reviews discussing the Zeiss SF or have you had a chance to see one? I had a chance to see some pre-production units last summer and they were quite impressive. As far as focus wheel travel, I was able to go from about 15 ft to infinity with less than one sweep of the finger on the focus wheel. Not to fast and not to slow, just right said Goldilocks.

If you have not seen one, then I suspect there will be some at the NRA annual meeting being held in Nashville TN in a couple of weeks. It is only about a five hour drive for you. There should also be a lot of other stuff on display that would be of interest to someone in law enforcement. (Admission is free but membership is required to enter the exhibit hall. They might have an exception for police officers?)

I am with you on wanting an SF, but in a 10X for my uses.

.........

If narrow FOV and a stiff focuser are the issues, you could buy a Nikon 8x30 EII (8.8*) FOV and save yourself $2,199 in addition to the savings in chiropractor bills since the EII only weighs 20 oz. You can buy a new one from Amazon for just a bit more than my used sample plus free shipping. The black body model I sold Bruce H last year had the smoothest and fastest focuser I've used that could accommodate with my eyes without overshooting my target, and the contrast was superb. The sweet spot wasn't as wide as my gray body model, the only niggler.
..............
brokenroller

My ears were burning last Saturday but I thought it was from the noon day sun while walking around the AZ Game and Fish Outdoor Expo. Turns out it was coming from Brock. Brock is right on about the smooth focus, although it is not as fast as the SF. The center view on my black body model is quite large, no complaints at all. Every thing is sharp in normal centered vision and edge drop off in minimal. So, the center view on Brock's gray body must be exceptional.

 

[brocknroller]

David .... Just out of curiosity, are you saying this because of what you learned from the various threads and reviews discussing the Zeiss SF or have you had a chance to see one? I had a chance to see some pre-production units last summer and they were quite impressive. As far as focus wheel travel, I was able to go from about 15 ft to infinity with less than one sweep of the finger on the focus wheel. Not to fast and not to slow, just right said Goldilocks.

If you have not seen one, then I suspect there will be some at the NRA annual meeting being held in Nashville TN in a couple of weeks. It is only about a five hour drive for you. There should also be a lot of other stuff on display that would be of interest to someone in law enforcement. (Admission is free but membership is required to enter the exhibit hall. They might have an exception for police officers?)

I am with you on wanting an SF, but in a 10X for my uses.

My ears were burning last Saturday but I thought it was from the noon day sun while walking around the AZ Game and Fish Outdoor Expo. Turns out it was coming from Brock. Brock is right on about the smooth focus, although it is not as fast as the SF. The center view on my black body model is quite large, no complaints at all. Every thing is sharp in normal centered vision and edge drop off in minimal. So, the center view on Brock's gray body must be exceptional.

It is exceptional. I have to move the bird to the edge to get it to blur. That's why I won't let it go for less than the price of a new one - an EII in the hand is worth two from Japan. But no hits, so I guess I'll try to sell something else.

Why do you want to spend $2,600 on a 10x42 SF when you have a 10x35 EII? Are you finally getting some rain out there?

brokenroller

 

[David in NC]

David .... Just out of curiosity, are you saying this because of what you learned from the various threads and reviews discussing the Zeiss SF or have you had a chance to see one?

A number of reasons really...

I made a full public admission in a thread a year or two ago that I suffer from "upgrade-itis" on almost any piece of gear that I own after I've had it a while. So I'll admit openly that SOME of my desire is just because it's the newest "hotness". Admittedly, this can be a never-ending and open-ended quest (what will Swaro fire back with...what will be the next major upgrade to Leica's flagships?)

I love my Leicas-my first true "alpha". The closest I'd ever owned before were some Swarovski 8x30s in the early to mid-90s that were mind-blowing, but I wasn't a birder or hunter and finally sold or traded them in some gun trade. The Leica's are very compact for a "full size" binocular. The view is awesome-not arguing that. The FOV is a little tight though. I never noticed it looking at feeders, but I've done a lot more intense birding in the last couple months than ever before (check my thread on birding with my 8 year old nephew in the "Your Birding Day" subforum.) I have found myself missing some birds in practice (in the woods). It "feels" like a wider field of view would help.

Also, the only time I ever actually handled a Zeiss HT (a year ago next week at the Birding and Optics Expo in Columbus OH) I VERY NEARLY chose it over the Leica, but settled on the Leica for the image (color balance) and the small size, BUT the HT focuser was WAY better. It almost seemed like an autofocus camera lens when it settled on an object or bird even though it required me to roll the wheel...it was that fast and "intuitive". If the SF is better still...I'm all excited. :t:

Finally, the general consensus here of folks that have handled one is a final deciding factor for me.

I am a lowly public servant however o WITH a wife who is unemployed right now finishing her Master's degree...so unless I decide to sell BOTH my Ultravid HD and my Kowa Genesis 10x, I don't think an SF is in the cards until mid-2016... :-C

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

David in NC, post 2713,
My advice:wait until 2016, a lot of the fun is longing for the best and that is over when you have what you wish,
Gijs

 

[Hermann]

David in NC, post 2713,
My advice:wait until 2016, a lot of the fun is longing for the best and that is over when you have what you wish,

AND you never know what'll be on the market by then ... :smoke:

Hermann

 

[Alexis Powell]

AND you never know what'll be on the market by then ... :smoke:

Hermann

Or that will be announced to be on the market in 2017 (with actual release in 2018, and widely available or lemon free version in 2019). --AP

 

[Troubador]

Or that will be announced to be on the market in 2017 (with actual release in 2018, and widely available or lemon free version in 2019). --AP

LOL

When you say 'widely available' do you mean in 'up to more than 95%' of shops?

Lee :-O

 

[BruceH]

.................
Why do you want to spend $2,600 on a 10x42 SF when you have a 10x35 EII? Are you finally getting some rain out there?

brokenroller

2.82 inches of rain YTD at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The SF will be my primary summer and fall binocular when I do a lot of cruising of the State's high county back roads spotting for wildlife. Most of the viewing with these during my extended backwoods camping trips will be either from or near the truck. ( The Monach 7 8X30 is my current hiking binocular.) It can be very wet up there (9,000 ft) during the monsoon, but I tend to stay out of the rain. Humidity could be an issue for the EII since I leave my binocular stored in the truck during these trips.

The primary reason for wanting the SF in addition to the EII is that I do not see them offering the same view. Basically it is the difference between a roof view and a poro view. The SF offers the best roof view I have seen and the EII (especially the 8X30) offers the best poro view. So, depending on what kind of viewing I am doing will determine which is the best tool to use. These two compliment rather than compete against each other.

I prefer a roof for viewing detail and for spotting specific parts of the view due to the more up front presentation. Winter time is for viewing flocks of ducks in the various riparian ponds. The more realistic presentation of the setting offered by the EII can be breath taking when viewing the right scene.

Finally, being an optics enthusiast , of course I would love to have a Zeiss SF. After my brief use of the Zeiss SF last summer, I left thinking it may have been the finest binocular I have ever used.

Yes, the cost is high, but amortized over the life of the binocular, the cost per trip is not that much to obtain some of the finest views possible.

A number of reasons really...
........ :-C

David ... Thanks for the follow up. I hope you get a chance to see the SF and then let us know what you think. The HT is also excellent. I had a 8X42 HT for about a week, but my brother had more of a need and desire for it so he has it now. I used his HT for a couple of weeks last fall and it was impressive. Zeiss, Swaro, Leica, EDG, all are excellent. It comes down to finding the attributes of each that best match your priorities. It is looking like the SF will be a great match for me.

 

[Hermann]

Or that will be announced to be on the market in 2017 (with actual release in 2018, and widely available or lemon free version in 2019).

Well, I wasn't necessarily talking about Zeiss ... There are other players that seem to have some new products in the pipeline, and maybe there'll be a surprise (or two) in the not-too-distant future.

Hermann

 

[brocknroller]

2.82 inches of rain YTD at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The SF will be my primary summer and fall binocular when I do a lot of cruising of the State's high county back roads spotting for wildlife. Most of the viewing with these during my extended backwoods camping trips will be either from or near the truck. ( The Monach 7 8X30 is my current hiking binocular.) It can be very wet up there (9,000 ft) during the monsoon, but I tend to stay out of the rain. Humidity could be an issue for the EII since I leave my binocular stored in the truck during these trips.

The primary reason for wanting the SF in addition to the EII is that I do not see them offering the same view. Basically it is the difference between a roof view and a poro view. The SF offers the best roof view I have seen and the EII (especially the 8X30) offers the best poro view. So, depending on what kind of viewing I am doing will determine which is the best tool to use. These two compliment rather than compete against each other.

I prefer a roof for viewing detail and for spotting specific parts of the view due to the more up front presentation. Winter time is for viewing flocks of ducks in the various riparian ponds. The more realistic presentation of the setting offered by the EII can be breath taking when viewing the right scene.

Finally, being an optics enthusiast , of course I would love to have a Zeiss SF. After my brief use of the Zeiss SF last summer, I left thinking it may have been the finest binocular I have ever used.

Yes, the cost is high, but amortized over the life of the binocular, the cost per trip is not that much to obtain some of the finest views possible.

.....

Bruce,

It amazing that you have to spend $2,100 more to get a view in the "latest and greatest" roof that is as good as an "old technology" 8x30 EII! I was going to drop the price of my best EII in the classifieds, but now I think I will raise it!

Or course, you could put the EII in a Zip Lock bag with a package of desiccant, but that wouldn't be as much fun!

Since the life of the SF will probably be longer than mine (unless I drop it on its bottom hinge), I couldn't use amortization as a rationale for purchasing a $2,600 pair of binoculars even if I could afford it.

But if you can afford it and your wife isn't going to kick you out or set off on a $2,600 revenge shoe buying spree, then by all means, GO FER IT! You can't take it with you (unless they bury you in a generously proportioned sarcophagus).

It's been snowing here all day, summer appears to be very far away.

brokenroller