Review: Zeiss Diascope 85FL (1 Viewer)

[salty]

Lots of great advice and input here. Let me just say that I spent a couple hours with Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski side-by-side. The Zeiss clearly had the best resolution. Other factors such as contrast and color hue etc I had a harder time judging, but on pure resolution, the Zeiss was best.

this what i keep hearing. i think as the zeiss isnt as popular than the leicas and swaros, it doesnt get the praise it deserves.

i will be doing my own tests at the weekend, as im VERY interested at buying a 85FL.

 

[jourdaj]

this what i keep hearing. i think as the zeiss isnt as popular than the leicas and swaros, it doesnt get the praise it deserves.

i will be doing my own tests at the weekend, as im VERY interested at buying a 85FL.

Salty,

I have the 85T*FL and 20-60X Zoom and love it! You will not be disappointed
if you get one, and you won't regret not getting the Swaro/Leica/Kowa comparables. For me, it came down to price between the Zeiss and the Swarovski ATS80HD. The Zeiss was (in my tests) slightly brighter than the Swaro at 60X, but maybe not quite as contrasty, but again, unless you are standing next to both of them, you'll never remember the differences....

Best,

Jerry

 

[salty]

Salty,

I have the 85T*FL and 20-60X Zoom and love it! You will not be disappointed
if you get one, and you won't regret not getting the Swaro/Leica/Kowa comparables. For me, it came down to price between the Zeiss and the Swarovski ATS80HD. The Zeiss was (in my tests) slightly brighter than the Swaro at 60X, but maybe not quite as contrasty, but again, unless you are standing next to both of them, you'll never remember the differences....

Best,

Jerry

i keep on hearing about the zeiss being the brightest scope, (yes it is 5mm larger on the objective, but that doesnt always mean anything).

if it is as good at high power as people say it is, then im sold. i need a zoom scope, and the zeiss is supposed to be THE scope at high power ie: 40x upto 60x. i was really happy with my old APO televid, i could not fault it optically, so im interested to know the difference in these two scopes.

 

[postcardcv]

this what i keep hearing. i think as the zeiss isnt as popular than the leicas and swaros, it doesnt get the praise it deserves.

i will be doing my own tests at the weekend, as im VERY interested at buying a 85FL.

Make sure you test it side by side with the other scopes you are considering. I tried the 65 version last week, having read reviews of it I was expecting to think it was the scope for me. However I did not get on with it, I found the soft edges at the bottom end of the zoom very off putting, and found the focus wasn't as smoother as the Leica 62.

I went in expecting to end up wanting a Zeiss, but instead decided that when my APO77 sells I'll be getting an APO62.

i was really happy with my old APO televid, i could not fault it optically, so im interested to know the difference in these two scopes.

I'd say there isn't too much to chose between them - the Zeiss has a wider FOV, but also has those soft edges. The Zeiss has the bigger objective, so in theory should have better light gathering (I know it's often commented on how bright it is). Both have dual focusing system (which I really like), and both are a very similar price. No doubt when testing one of the small differences will be the thing that makes you like one over the other. Good luck at the weekend - I hope birdfair answer your questions about scopes, without raising too many new ones.

 

[mike.keeley]

I'm fairly new to bird watching but have reached the end with my Opthlyth 80

Would you buy a this Zeiss or the leica APO 77?
I intend to get into digiscoping during a long break to Ireland this Autumn

Mike

The Zeiss Diascope 85FL

The scope:
Although this scope has a larger objective lens than most, it is one of the lightest scopes on the market and is surprisingly compact as well. The scope body weighs in at 1,450g and the length is only 345mm, so compares extremely well against its competitors.
The Diascope has twin focus knobs, fine and coarse, with sufficient space between the two for my fingers to operate one without accidentally moving the other, fat fingers coupled with gloves may prove problematic in the depths of winter.

Gearing of both knobs was suitable for the task, the fine being very smooth and allowing the tiniest of focus adjustments. My own preference is for a single well-geared focus knob on a scope, a secondary ‘fine tune’ knob seemed to provoke more fiddling than necessary, time that could be better spent viewing the subject. I do know many birders who couldn’t live without their dual focussing systems, so it’s just a personal matter and I’m sure that it wouldn’t be long before this slight annoyance would be forgotten.

The Diascope has an amply proportioned sunshade that can be pulled out to give the objective lens protection from rain and sun. Atop this sunshade is an elongated sighting vee, allowing rapid and reliable subject acquisition with no parallax problems that are associated with small single foresights.

I tested the angled version of the Diascope 85, rotation of the body was a simple affair that only required a small lever switch to be operated to enable body rotation.
Another feature of the scope body was the ability to lay it on a flat surface, a rubber underside grip gave it a solid feel in this position, though the opportunities to use this feature in the field may be limited for the birder. Almost without saying, the scope is fully waterproof and Nitrogen filled.
The colour of the scope tested was a non-reflective satin silver/grey, though green is available.

Eyepieces tested with the 85FL were the 40x and 20-60x zoom, a 30x is also available along with an astronomical eyepiece adapter and SLR camera adapter. All the eyepieces feature the popular pull-up/twist eyecups,

The 40x eyepiece gave a very impressive image, field of view was as wide as most 30x eyepieces and the resolving power with optimum air conditions was class leading.

The 20-60x zoom eyepiece was no less impressive in the ability to resolve detail at higher magnifications and again it was class leading at beyond 40x. The field of view with this zoom is exceptional but there is a small visual penalty to pay when the zoom it at lower magnification, notably at 20x. This minor problem takes the form of distortion around the edge of the image, this does limit the useable field of view slightly at lower magnification but is not apparent at higher magnifications. At magnifications above 50x, the wider than average field of view becomes quite noticeable in comparison to other zooms on the market.
Depth of field wasn’t quite as impressive as the field of view, though still comparable with many scopes on the market.

Glass wearers were particularly impressed by the zoom eyepiece and the image it presented to them, a number commenting that it was the best image they had seen thorough a zoom eyepiece.

Having had over two months to use this scope in a variety of conditions, it’s quite clear that 85FL scope provides excellent viewing in almost every situation that the birder is likely to encounter. As would be expected of a scope with an 85mm objective lens, the image is brighter than that from any 80mm scope and also capable of resolving more detail

The image from the Zeiss Diascope was on the colder side of neutral, which makes a change from the numerous scopes providing a slightly yellow cast to the image. Chromatic aberration was all but non-existent during testing.
The ‘feel good’ factor of the image presented was high, but this would have been increased to the very highest levels if the extra brightness of the image hadn’t had an impact on the contrast, I felt that the contrast was slightly lacking in comparison to the very best scopes.

Though slight, the extra brightness that this scope gives can make a difference to what can be resolved in trying conditions. At the end of the day, literally, this could be a major factor in deciding if this is the scope for you.

Andy Bright

 

[salty]

I'm fairly new to bird watching but have reached the end with my Opthlyth 80

Would you buy a this Zeiss or the leica APO 77?
I intend to get into digiscoping during a long break to Ireland this Autumn

Mike

what ever suits you!

as mentioned, i owned the leica APO77 and was never let down by it, yes it is a little longer and heavier than the others, but it is still a good piece of kit, optically superb plus it has one of the best focussing wheels out there.

im getting my zeiss 85FL tomorrow, after much testing and reviews, even considering going back to the leica at more than one point, i have settled on this being my next scope.

lighter, brighter, shorter and only a tad more expensive than the leica, it is the one for me - and yes, it is said to be an outstanding digiscoping scope.

be warned though, they are not available everywhere like some scopes, for instance, my local optics stores in newcastle all sell the leica, but you have to order the zeiss. i was told of a 4 week wait at the earliest, and they were going to charge more than £300 more than the same kit that i have just bought from warehouse express, who had them in stock and ready to go.

£1297 for a zeiss 85FL angled in green, 20x-60x zoom amd manfrotto 055v with 701rc2 head.

this kit from jacobs, special order only, £1600!

although jacobs do sell the leica APO 77 with 20x-60x zoom for just £950, now that is a bargain. same price i paid from that store last year, leaves you with a few hundered quid for a good tripod and bag etc.

 

[hornet]

They're both excellent - I'm afraid that to be sure what is right for you, you're going to need to check them both out in person, along with at least the Swarovski and Nikon equivalents.

If you look at a recent thread started by Salty (called Scope Dilemma) you'll see that this is a tough call. They are all excellent optics, each with subtley different optical and handling features. They are summarised well by various contributors on that thread so I won't go over them all again here.

It's going to be down to these little features in the end - which focus mechanism do you prefer, which image (slightly 'warm' or 'cold'), wider fov or sharper edge to edge, weight and size, and so on.

99 percent of people who choose one of these top scopes are delighted by them, so my advice is to get to a good optics shop and find the right one for you. Nobody else's opinion but your own really matters when you're spending that much money!

 

[hornet]

Oops, Salty beat me to it while I was still typing!

For what it's worth, I agree with his choice (I've got the Zeiss 65). But it's still worth reading his threat for all the pros and cons from other BF'ers.

 

[dbradnum]

I'm fairly new to bird watching but have reached the end with my Opthlyth 80

Would you buy a this Zeiss or the leica APO 77?
I intend to get into digiscoping during a long break to Ireland this Autumn

Mike

Although I happen to agree with Salty, and bought a Zeiss 85 after lengthy comparison with the Leica, there is only one answer to this question:

Go somewhere to try them both side by side!

They're both fantastic pieces of kit, and whichever you buy will not leave you disappointed. In the end, the decision has to be a personal one, however much you read other people's views - which image do you prefer? Which feels nicer to use?

 

[art92101]

Still like the Zeiss 85FL

Being a new birder I hesitated at spending the money but nw i am glad i did. I bought the 85FL becasuse I got a great price on it from Euro optics LTD. I also spent the money and bought the carbon fiber Manfrotto 055MF3 and with the 3130 I have a GREAT setup. I have been most pleased. And I still get lots of WOW factors from fellow birders when they look through my 85FL. I recommend it. For the price it can't be beat. the CF tripod is a bit light but on a windy day I just add a ballast (nearby rock in a doggie bag) as it has a strap and hook for the effort.

Although I happen to agree with Salty, and bought a Zeiss 85 after lengthy comparison with the Leica, there is only one answer to this question:

Go somewhere to try them both side by side!

They're both fantastic pieces of kit, and whichever you buy will not leave you disappointed. In the end, the decision has to be a personal one, however much you read other people's views - which image do you prefer? Which feels nicer to use?

 

[Geoff Brown]

I was in the happy position two years ago of being able to compare Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski scopes for a whole two months side by side at an RSPB "Aren't birds brilliant" campaign. All the scopes were first class performers as you would expect but to my eyes the Zeiss was the slightly better, being fractionally clearer and sharper even with various different eyepieces.

 

[teircel]

After much, soul serching, pouring over the avalible reviews, comparing, etc, I settled on the 85FL and never looked back. I couldn't be more pleased. While they are still not made to be absolutely foolproof, peep ID has certainly become much more pleasurable with the outstanding views provided by the Zeiss. With near perfect veiws my confidence is certainly increasing. Come on winter!!! Just bring on those gulls!!!
Make your choice, don't second guess it, just enjoy your new view of mother nature.

Cheers

 

[Paul Jarvis]

There is now doubt the Zeiss is good and the FOV is the best there is out of the top scopes not to mention the price. But beware of the new Kowa range when they eventually come to the party, they will own the dance floor if the price is right.

 

[Swissboy]

.... just enjoy your new view of mother nature.

How right you are. It was a true revelation for me many years ago when I got my first looks through the then brand new Leica APO77. Needless to say, I tried to get one as fast as possible. Meanwhile, the selection of top-end models has considerably increased. But all of them offer that WOW effect when changing from a cheaper or much older model. I had changed from a more than 20 year old Bausch&Lomb Balscope which, at the time, was considered top-notch.

 

[Swissboy]

...But beware of the new Kowa range when they eventually come to the party, they will own the dance floor if the price is right.

That'll really mix up the market. I wonder whether that will really happen.

Your addition "if the price is right" might mean two different things, however. Either, the Kowas might be a little bit inferior but much cheaper. If that is the case, I doubt that they would own the dance floor. Or they might be at the VERY top, but should then not go the Swaro way by being overpriced. If they'd really be way up there, they might well own the dance floor for a while.

Most likely, however, that would only hold for those who do not already own one of the top-notch models. At least for now, it is hard to imagine such a quantum leap in performance that we'd all switch to a new model even if we could afford it. Except for a few perfectionists, of course. And then, there are always a few who need to impress others. Just as with those monster cars that reveal a lot about the deficits of their owners. :egghead:

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

Sorry Swissboy but it is a bit like people buying BMW, it is the badge they want, it does not always follow it is the best. I have seen other reports on the Kowa and they apparently are reported to be very good. There is no doubt the new Leica will also be excellent but I bet that moves into Swaro prices as well and Zeiss seem to being heading there as well.

 

[Paul Jarvis]

The new kowa has a 88mm objective and dual focusing, it is definately a step up from th 820 series. You are right there is some people out there who must have the latest products, and there are some who buy in to the name. The little kowa man told me it will compete with the swaro, leica and zeiss, but they have not yet decided on a price nor is it on the web site yet.

I take your point though as you've broken it down.

 

[Swissboy]

The new kowa has a 88mm objective and dual focusing, it is definately a step up from th 820 series. You are right there is some people out there who must have the latest products, and there are some who buy in to the name. The little kowa man told me it will compete with the swaro, leica and zeiss, but they have not yet decided on a price nor is it on the web site yet.

I take your point though as you've broken it down.

It's going to be a fascinating winter, reading what people will have to say about the new Kowas! Particularly the XD (ED/APO) scopes.

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

It is indeed, with so many new products to whet our appetittes not to mention new compact digitals to get us all going.

 

[iporali]

It's going to be a fascinating winter, reading what people will have to say about the new Kowas! Particularly the XD (ED/APO) scopes.

Agreed - it looks like Kowa is boldly attacking on two fronts: objective and eyepiece. Zeiss pioneered a wide-angled zoom, but as has been mentioned frequently, its edge sharpness (& geometry - if you ask me) leaves something to be desired. Now if Kowa can bring the same wide fov with good edge performance, while maintaining their traditionally excellent colours, contrast & CA correction, they may have a real winner in their hands.

It may well be that there is more "cost-efficient potential" to develop the eyepieces rather than the objective - our astronomer-fellows already know the price of that route. But show me a zoom with 2.4° real fov, good ER and no TCA... :t:

Ilkka