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

[Alexis Powell]

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...

Unfortunately, I wasn't necessarily talking about Zeiss either. Premature, protracted, and problematic product roll-outs are common across the industry these days. Recall the Swarovision release? The EDG binocular release and the cancelled Nikon Monarch Fieldscopes? Now the SF. I'm sure we'll see many more of these cases in the future.

--AP

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

AP, post 2721,
The Swarovisions were not prematurely releaesed, only the announcement of their introduction was too early since the quality of the housing was not meeting the demands, this has been discussed into detail on this forum. Any idea about the role of us as demanding consumers in this internet age: we want everything now and we want the best at the lowest possible price and we have no loyalty what so ever to any brand.
Gijs

 

[ceasar]

AP, post 2721,
The Swarovisions were not prematurely releaesed, only the announcement of their introduction was too early since the quality of the housing was not meeting the demands, ............................ .


I guess so. Not exactly like announcing a birth; more like announcing an impending birth without giving a specific date for the blessed event.

Bob

 

[[email protected]]

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.



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.

Nice explanation of the different views between a roof and a porro. Have you ever compared the SF to the SV? I would say you are correct when you say the EII is the best porro and the SF is surely one of the best roofs. That would be a good pair to own.

 

[Alexis Powell]

AP, post 2721, The Swarovisions were not prematurely releaesed, only the announcement of their introduction was too early...

So long as we're quibbling about the details, I agree that they weren't prematurely released, which is why I used the word "roll-out" in the previous sentence, because for me that word includes product announcement. Release is used in the second sentence, but I was thinking of how it was protracted, not premature. In the old days, by the time I'd see an advert or article in the photo mags, the product would be available, or nearly so. These days, some products are announced even before they have pre-production samples. The Swarovision EL was the first sports optic that I can remember that was announced, and for which samples were already in the hands of reviewers, that had a relatively delayed market release.

--AP

 

[BruceH]

........ Have you ever compared the SF to the SV? ............

I have looked though various Swaro EL SV models many time and my brother has a SV EL 12X50 that I look though on occasion. However I have not done a side by side between the Zeiss SF 10X42 and Swaro SV EL 10X42.

My preference for the SF is:
- Larger FOV
- Smoother focus mechanism
- Assumed better stray light handling
- No rolling ball in the 10X (but that may be the case for the Swaro 10X)
- Nice handling for a full size binocular (but the Swaro is also nice)

 

[Robert Wallace]

Chris Packham President of the British Trust for Ornithology was presenting the BBC's "Springwatch" programme last night sporting Zeiss SFs rather than Nikons. A true accolade, he joins Simon King as a Zeiss user. top men using top bins, Zeiss must be pleased!

 

[PennineBirder]

More likely that both of these gentlemen are 'sponsored' by Zeiss??Product placement like this is worth a lot of money to manufacturers and they will no doubt be prepared to pay TV celebrities to sport their bins when on TV.

Bill Oddy in his Leica sponsored heyday was always seen on TV with Ultravids. He uses Swarovski now. . .

best
Peter

 

[SteveTS]

Prestige by association has been a salient feature of this thread since its very inception.

Kudos to Chris though, the best bins in life are free !

 

[tynedale]

More likely that both of these gentlemen are 'sponsored' by Zeiss??Product placement like this is worth a lot of money to manufacturers and they will no doubt be prepared to pay TV celebrities to sport their bins when on TV.

Bill Oddy in his Leica sponsored heyday was always seen on TV with Ultravids. He uses Swarovski now. . .

best
Peter

It was clearly a step forward from the HT he was using in the recent series. I did notice that the rainguard didn't seem to work so well, it never seemed to stay in place in any of the scenes. But as you say product placement is now such a full blown industry I wonder why anyone would be swayed by it anymore.

Barrie

 

[Torview]

Obviously Zeiss don`t reckon Michaela is worthy enough, she`s sporting the same 32mFL she`s had for some time now.

I assume Chris still uses Nikon SLR`s.

 

[BruceH]

Here is a link to a photo of Mr. Packham using his new Zeiss SF ....

http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/wp-co...s/carousel/Chris_Packham_2_by_Paul_Carter.jpg

Here is a YouTube video where Mr. King is promoting the SF ......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGINwVavN_w

Swaro has been the master of this kind of exposure. Even Nikon has done a similar sponsorship with the "Birding Adventures TV", but is was not dedicated to one particular model but all Nikon products.

I do not know if use by the celebrity itself has an influence for many but it can make people aware of the new Zeiss SF if per some slim chance they do not peruse this Zeiss sub-forum!

 

[Troubador]

I have met Simon King and he is a nice guy, but I could also tell that he is totally and utterly and absolutely a professional. There is no way he would tolerate or be associated with any equipment except those of the highest standards.


Lee

 

[PennineBirder]

I have met Simon King and he is a nice guy, but I could also tell that he is totally and utterly and absolutely a professional. There is no way he would tolerate or be associated with any equipment except those of the highest standards.

I wasn't suggesting King or Packham have sold out on their standards - far from it. The Zeiss binoculars they are using are fine instruments. I use a Zeiss HT myself and cannot rate it too highly. My only point was that we shouldn't assume that if we see a celebrity on TV using any piece of kit it is because he/she has gone out and bought it. That is precisely what the manufacturers want us to think, and why they often sponsor celebrities in this way.
best
Peter

 

[Troubador]

I wasn't suggesting King or Packham have sold out on their standards - far from it. The Zeiss binoculars they are using are fine instruments. I use a Zeiss HT myself and cannot rate it too highly. My only point was that we shouldn't assume that if we see a celebrity on TV using any piece of kit it is because he/she has gone out and bought it. That is precisely what the manufacturers want us to think, and why they often sponsor celebrities in this way.
best
Peter

Hi Peter

I'm a HT fan too!

In today's cynical and social-media-connected world, I really can't imagine that Zeiss would think they could convince anybody that King and Packham have bought their bins. But I am sure they hope that the integrity that both of these guys have a reputation for will make their endorsement of SF convincing.

Lee

 

[garymh]

Hi,

BBC rules state that presenters cannot be filmed using equipment which they have been given or loaned for them to endorse.

Any equipment, such as cameras, binoculars, etc, which presenters use while filming must be their own personal property with suitable receipts as proof.

 

[Troubador]

Hi,

BBC rules state that presenters cannot be filmed using equipment which they have been given or loaned for them to endorse.

Any equipment, such as cameras, binoculars, etc, which presenters use while filming must be their own personal property with suitable receipts as proof.

Thanks for clarifying that Gary: good to know :t:

Lee

 

[jfwoodman]

How was the edge sharpness on the Zeiss SF compared to the Swarovski SV?

Edge sharpness was not a high priority for me, so I didn't pay much attention to that.

 

[Subzero888]

This Dutch reviewer does a side-by-side review (3 parts) of SV and SF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k2hIHkUIIs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW4LlbEymhg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Spwi2fB4JQ

Looks like he likes both bins and it all boils down to personal preference. SF doesn't look too shabby next to the gorgeous Swaro.

Translated page of the website

https://translate.google.com/transl...nl/test/zeiss-vs-swarovski&edit-text=&act=url

 

[oetzi]

This Dutch reviewer does a side-by-side review (3 parts) of SV and SF.


Looks like he likes both bins and it all boils down to personal preference.

As it should.