Thank you Gijs, that was a useful read!
There was one place where Google Translate failed and I can't determine what it meant to say, can you help me please?
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Review of 8x25 Victory Pocket (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Troubador
- Start date
Thank you Gijs, that was a useful read!
There was one place where Google Translate failed and I can't determine what it meant to say, can you help me please?
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
sedgemoor, post 241,
It says: the Seagull ED can , as far as user comfort and performance is concerned, compete very well with the Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 and the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25, and costs almost half their price.
Gijs van Ginkel
It says: the Seagull ED can , as far as user comfort and performance is concerned, compete very well with the Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 and the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25, and costs almost half their price.
Gijs van Ginkel
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
My comfort depends on FOV, and in that area of performance, I would argue that the Seagull ED is _not_ competitive with the Zeiss Victory Pocket.
--AP
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
alexis powel, post 243,
If FOV is a major factor for you than the Seagull is not your binocular, that is understandable.
Gijs van Ginkel
If FOV is a major factor for you than the Seagull is not your binocular, that is understandable.
Gijs van Ginkel
I do too, they have 2 sizes, a bigger one which I have on my 8x42s and a smaller one that Ih have on my 8x25. They fold and work great on the Victory 8x25
I have ordered on ebay a Pocket with field optics winged eyecups, should received next week
I have also ordered from my dealer a CL 8x30 and habicht 8x30, should be here in 2 weeks, the comparison will be interesting
Interesting to read the continuing chatter about these binoculars.
Have to say that I continue to really enjoy mine. Given the excellent handling and comfortable, clear view coupled with their light weight and compact size I'm using these more than any of my other binoculars for the time being anyway.
Having a quality compact has been a great addition for me, whether it be for attributes of carry consideration or wielding a lower key binocular than a 32 or 42, they have increased the frequency to which I have a pair at hand translating to more viewing and of course more birding.
Have to say that I continue to really enjoy mine. Given the excellent handling and comfortable, clear view coupled with their light weight and compact size I'm using these more than any of my other binoculars for the time being anyway.
Having a quality compact has been a great addition for me, whether it be for attributes of carry consideration or wielding a lower key binocular than a 32 or 42, they have increased the frequency to which I have a pair at hand translating to more viewing and of course more birding.
I have received my Victory Pocket from ebay today, so I didn’t have many time to test it but anyway here is some of my inputs (vs Habicht 8x30 from memory):
- the bin is quite compact, really cute, even if it weights only 290g the bin is 'dense' and has a very nice feeling in the hands
- the finish is good, the inside of the barrels is clean and I don't have see any defects, the smell is a bit chemical however, the smell of the Habicht is more natural
- sadly the bin seems to attract dust and finger prints easily, Habicht again is better
- the case is little than expected, however the magnetic clip is not practical, same with the loop belt, Opticron made a compact neoprene case for 28mm porro that have the same inner size than the Victory pocket unfolded, I think I will get one if I decide to keep the Victory
- the strap is thin and not so long, it is what I would expect for a pocket bin, I expected a worse strap given the previous reviews, I don't have use the strap however
- the handling is quite good it feels more like a mid size bin than a pocket bin, in your hands the bin feels really great
- focus is smooth, from my point of view it take too much turn to go from 0 to infiny but its ok, also compared to Habicht it can take more time to have the exact focus, I suspect its easier with the Habicht because of its higher contrast
- diopter adjustment is easy compared to reviews I have read, 0 is marked with a white symbol easily found and by a firm click that is also easily felt
- resistance against light is outstanding, very little flare or glare in very harsh conditions : contrast is easliy kept and the view is not distracted, far better and usable than the Habicht
- colors are a bit on the cooler side, Habicht is more neutral / natural
- CA is very well managed, I hardly see some CA with hard contrast and metalic objects, of course if you look for you have some CA at the extreme edge with high contrast but it is not the typical usage, CA is better managed than Habicht and so than new CL 8x30
- sharpness is quite high, the bin is bright, no eye strain, really as a high end bin it is like "thru an open window", from memory Habicht however seems to have the edge in term of "thru an open window", certainly helped by the more 3D experience
- the view is a bit flat in close up, but nothing worse, typical roof, I suspect however that with direct comparison with the Habicht it would be difficult to come back to the Pocket for close up view
- eycups now, as said they don't extend enough and are a bit smaller than a 8x32, however the Habicht is not better, all that said once you find a good position the view is comfortable, but maybe due to the small exit pupil eye placement can be difficult sometime, however don't be mistaken, looking thru the Pocket is really nice
- some users feel the view is not as immersive as a 8x32 for example, I think it is not due to the FOV or something inherent to the optical quality (the pocket is really great optically), my idea is that because of the long eye relief and short eyecups, the view is distracted by the outside environment because the eyes are not plunged inside of the eyecups, I have ordered Field Optics eyecups which should help greatly in term of immersive experience and eye placement
All in all, I would say that the Victory Pocket is a great bin, compact but with great handling, light but dense, nice design, cute, very good control of flare / glare which greatly help in real life for ease of view, almost no CA (I'm quite sensitive to CA), very good "thru an open windows" experience (Habicht have the last %).
Can't wait to compare the Victory with Habicht and new CL (should received next week) and to decide which one to keep, but Pocket has already some serious strongs (price, size, design, flare, glare, CA, transparent view, etc)
- the bin is quite compact, really cute, even if it weights only 290g the bin is 'dense' and has a very nice feeling in the hands
- the finish is good, the inside of the barrels is clean and I don't have see any defects, the smell is a bit chemical however, the smell of the Habicht is more natural
- sadly the bin seems to attract dust and finger prints easily, Habicht again is better
- the case is little than expected, however the magnetic clip is not practical, same with the loop belt, Opticron made a compact neoprene case for 28mm porro that have the same inner size than the Victory pocket unfolded, I think I will get one if I decide to keep the Victory
- the strap is thin and not so long, it is what I would expect for a pocket bin, I expected a worse strap given the previous reviews, I don't have use the strap however
- the handling is quite good it feels more like a mid size bin than a pocket bin, in your hands the bin feels really great
- focus is smooth, from my point of view it take too much turn to go from 0 to infiny but its ok, also compared to Habicht it can take more time to have the exact focus, I suspect its easier with the Habicht because of its higher contrast
- diopter adjustment is easy compared to reviews I have read, 0 is marked with a white symbol easily found and by a firm click that is also easily felt
- resistance against light is outstanding, very little flare or glare in very harsh conditions : contrast is easliy kept and the view is not distracted, far better and usable than the Habicht
- colors are a bit on the cooler side, Habicht is more neutral / natural
- CA is very well managed, I hardly see some CA with hard contrast and metalic objects, of course if you look for you have some CA at the extreme edge with high contrast but it is not the typical usage, CA is better managed than Habicht and so than new CL 8x30
- sharpness is quite high, the bin is bright, no eye strain, really as a high end bin it is like "thru an open window", from memory Habicht however seems to have the edge in term of "thru an open window", certainly helped by the more 3D experience
- the view is a bit flat in close up, but nothing worse, typical roof, I suspect however that with direct comparison with the Habicht it would be difficult to come back to the Pocket for close up view
- eycups now, as said they don't extend enough and are a bit smaller than a 8x32, however the Habicht is not better, all that said once you find a good position the view is comfortable, but maybe due to the small exit pupil eye placement can be difficult sometime, however don't be mistaken, looking thru the Pocket is really nice
- some users feel the view is not as immersive as a 8x32 for example, I think it is not due to the FOV or something inherent to the optical quality (the pocket is really great optically), my idea is that because of the long eye relief and short eyecups, the view is distracted by the outside environment because the eyes are not plunged inside of the eyecups, I have ordered Field Optics eyecups which should help greatly in term of immersive experience and eye placement
All in all, I would say that the Victory Pocket is a great bin, compact but with great handling, light but dense, nice design, cute, very good control of flare / glare which greatly help in real life for ease of view, almost no CA (I'm quite sensitive to CA), very good "thru an open windows" experience (Habicht have the last %).
Can't wait to compare the Victory with Habicht and new CL (should received next week) and to decide which one to keep, but Pocket has already some serious strongs (price, size, design, flare, glare, CA, transparent view, etc)
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wachipilotes
Well-known member
Please, you know if the Zeiss Pocket have some blackout problem ?
Thanks
Wachi.
Thanks
Wachi.
Due to exit pupil size, eye placement can lead to blackout if badly done, however I wouldn’t let some mixed feeling, the view thru the pocket is easy and beautiful
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If you wear spectacles then aligning the Pockets with the eyes to avoid blackouts just takes a little practice. If you don't wear spectacles there is easily a chance that you will push the eyecups too close to your eyes (because the eyecups are smaller than on a 32mm) so you need a little more more practice to position the eyecups under the eyebrow arch rather than pushed back against the eye socket. It sounds more complicated than it is and there are different ways of doing it and it becomes 'natural' very quickly.
Lee
Lee
I've become so accustomed to my Pockets that I find eye placement easy and comfortable (non spectacle wearer).
Perhaps at first I may have tweaked the positioning somewhat but I don't recall this so much in comparison to how easy, bright and clear the view struck me, and continues to, as well as the handling for a compact.
If I were to describe the positioning on my brow, compared to my 32 and 42's where it's more into the eye socket and under the brow, the Pockets rest more onto the lower portion of the eye brow rather than into the eye sockets. I may have to test my memory but currently being in bed that's for another day.
Regarding blackouts, zero issues for me.
Troubador sums it up pretty well I feel.
Perhaps at first I may have tweaked the positioning somewhat but I don't recall this so much in comparison to how easy, bright and clear the view struck me, and continues to, as well as the handling for a compact.
If I were to describe the positioning on my brow, compared to my 32 and 42's where it's more into the eye socket and under the brow, the Pockets rest more onto the lower portion of the eye brow rather than into the eye sockets. I may have to test my memory but currently being in bed that's for another day.
Regarding blackouts, zero issues for me.
Troubador sums it up pretty well I feel.
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mulligatawny owl
Well-known member
Just doing some out of the window A-B ing between my new Zeiss 8x25 pockets and my previous compact favourites the Bushnell custom 7x26 and wow what a difference! Amazing how much brighter the modern coatings have made up for the smaller aperture. The 7x26 are no slouch in the sharpness compartment but small details of foliage on distant pine trees are mush compared to the Zeiss.
Comparing them also to my SFs they hold up shockingly well. Hard to believe I'm looking through an 8x25!
I've only had these things one day but I can tell they are gonna be a life changer in allowing me to travel light and have such amazing performance in such a small package.
Focus wheel so much nicer than the CL companion 8x30 also
Comparing them also to my SFs they hold up shockingly well. Hard to believe I'm looking through an 8x25!
I've only had these things one day but I can tell they are gonna be a life changer in allowing me to travel light and have such amazing performance in such a small package.
Focus wheel so much nicer than the CL companion 8x30 also
Just doing some out of the window A-B ing between my new Zeiss 8x25 pockets and my previous compact favourites the Bushnell custom 7x26 and wow what a difference! Amazing how much brighter the modern coatings have made up for the smaller aperture. The 7x26 are no slouch in the sharpness compartment but small details of foliage on distant pine trees are mush compared to the Zeiss.
Comparing them also to my SFs they hold up shockingly well. Hard to believe I'm looking through an 8x25!
I've only had these things one day but I can tell they are gonna be a life changer in allowing me to travel light and have such amazing performance in such a small package.
Focus wheel so much nicer than the CL companion 8x30 also
It's quite a thing to have a compact that perform so well. I've heard "game changer" and now "life changer".
They really are quite good and I'm using them more than anything else in my possession, currently out and about with them right now.
If I had to gripe the one small thing I've noticed is that the diopter adjustment and focus wheel are ever so slightly skewed on their axis but perform perfectly well.
mulligatawny owl
Well-known member
Life changing might be too strong a term I suppose but I'm looking forward to being able to go out on my mountain bike for example without having to wear a sweaty rucksack with my heavier bins in. Sometimes I'd put my Sightron 8x32 or Bushnell 7x26 in my handlebar pouch but even that was a bit bulky and the optics on these Zeiss are a lot better than even the Sightron.
Just out with the Zeiss this morning and I notice the focus is a bit awkward with gloves on but really nothing to worry me.
Also noticed a little more in the way of flare spots than the SF , a bit like I noticed with the HT , but again nothing to worry about. Thinking about it, they actually strike me more of a mini HT than an SF for some reason.
They really are awesomely sharp and really surprisingly bright. I honestly never thought I'd see this sort of performance in an 8x25.
Just out with the Zeiss this morning and I notice the focus is a bit awkward with gloves on but really nothing to worry me.
Also noticed a little more in the way of flare spots than the SF , a bit like I noticed with the HT , but again nothing to worry about. Thinking about it, they actually strike me more of a mini HT than an SF for some reason.
They really are awesomely sharp and really surprisingly bright. I honestly never thought I'd see this sort of performance in an 8x25.
Gijs van Ginkel
Well-known member
mulligatawny owl, post 256,
Try the Bynolyt Seagull ED 8x25 very well suited as small volume instrument with very good optical properties for a price of 300 euros, see the 8x25 mm binocular test report under "Verrekijkers testen en vergelijken"on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor. I was surprised by the combination of compactness, handling comfort and optical performance.
Gijs van Ginkel
Try the Bynolyt Seagull ED 8x25 very well suited as small volume instrument with very good optical properties for a price of 300 euros, see the 8x25 mm binocular test report under "Verrekijkers testen en vergelijken"on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor. I was surprised by the combination of compactness, handling comfort and optical performance.
Gijs van Ginkel
mulligatawny owl
Well-known member
Gijs, yes I saw your reviews when originally researching compacts, although finding a way to easily translate was a bit of a challenge.
I did look up the seagull ED's but they all appeared to be out of stock and I don't think they are sold at all in the UK which is a shame as they are much cheaper than the Zeiss, a real bargain I'm sure if they offer similar performance.
Going by memory I got the impression that the CL 8x25 came out top in your review. I did try them once in a shop against the Terra 8x25 and they were way better than the Terra. I also compared the CL to the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 and concluded that I may as well just get the Monarchs again ( I used to own them)
Would be very interesting to compare the Zeiss pockets to the Monarchs 7s now.
I did look up the seagull ED's but they all appeared to be out of stock and I don't think they are sold at all in the UK which is a shame as they are much cheaper than the Zeiss, a real bargain I'm sure if they offer similar performance.
Going by memory I got the impression that the CL 8x25 came out top in your review. I did try them once in a shop against the Terra 8x25 and they were way better than the Terra. I also compared the CL to the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 and concluded that I may as well just get the Monarchs again ( I used to own them)
Would be very interesting to compare the Zeiss pockets to the Monarchs 7s now.
Mark9473
Well-known member
These appear to be the same: https://www.ddoptics.de/natur_de/fernglaeser/fernglaeser-kaufen/fernglas-8x25-luxhr-pocket.html
mulligatawny owl
Well-known member
Good spot, that's a very good price too. Quite happy with my Zeiss now but sounds like these would make a nice alternative, FOV much more modest though.