SFL 8x30 and Kidney Beaning (1 Viewer)

[pm42]

Hi,
I got my SFL 8x30 last week and if you want to know what I think, read another one of the positive reviews here. They are everything I expected, the replacement for my tank-built, decades old Trinovid 8x32 but better, lighter with bigger eye-relief so I can use them with eyeglasses... Or to put it another way, the Ultravid 8x32 I would have bough if they had more ER.

At first, I experienced kidney beaning when panning. That's ok, not the first time but it usually stops quickly once I've built the muscle memory to have and keep the best eye position with new binoculars.
This was not the case. So I wondered if I would return them but experimented and found out that having the eyecup around 2mm out fixed this.
So I cut 2 o-ring from a 2.5mm rubber plate I had with a laser cutter and now everything is fine.

Maybe it can help someone who has the same problem.

 

[Tubster]

Any chance you could post a photo of your DIY solution? Thanks for posting this!

 

[Bill Atwood]

Replacement O-rings for faucets are an alternative. ID of 1-1/4" or 1-5/16" should work. Useful ring thicknesses are 1/6", 3/32" and 1/8". I use two 1-1/4 ID ones that are 3/32" thick.

 

[Troubador]

Replacement O-rings for faucets are an alternative. ID of 1-1/4" or 1-5/16" should work. Useful ring thicknesses are 1/6", 3/32" and 1/8". I use two 1-1/4 ID ones that are 3/32" thick.

I also have found plumbers' supplies shops to be a good source of o-rings.

 

[Bentley03]

I also have found plumbers' supplies shops to be a good source of o-rings.

Maybe Zeiss themselves should diversify their business into the o-ring market, the need for them appears to be a trait across their premium lines of binoculars.

I'll get my coat...😉😇

 

[Troubador]

Maybe Zeiss themselves should diversify their business into the o-ring market, the need for them appears to be a trait across their premium lines of binoculars.

I'll get my coat...😉😇

LOL. They are hardly alone in that.

 

[Canip]

Maybe Zeiss themselves should diversify their business into the o-ring market, the need for them appears to be a trait across their premium lines of binoculars.

I'll get my coat...😉😇

🤣

 

[pm42]

Replacement O-rings for faucets are an alternative. ID of 1-1/4" or 1-5/16" should work. Useful ring thicknesses are 1/6", 3/32" and 1/8". I use two 1-1/4 ID ones that are 3/32" thick.

I tried this but I had a hard time getting the one thick enough for me in the correct size quickly.
Also any excuse to use my laser cutter is good enough.

Any chance you could post a photo of your DIY solution? Thanks for posting this!

Sure, here they are.
I bought this (from amazon.fr but I thought I would avoid the french description here):

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Abrasion-Resistance-Precise-Printing-Engraving/dp/B082QSFSW3

Then I started to cut a simplest pattern after mesuring the diameters. It is not easy to cut that deep: I had to remove the ashes inside the "cut trenches" with the tip of a knife and cut again. 3 times worked.
It took me around 2 or 3 hours to find the good parameters and process but most of this time was waiting for the laser to do its work, slowly and being free to do other things.

I painted the edge of the ring black because I love the Rolling Stones and because its is nicer this way.

One last thing: once the rings were in place, I found that extending the eyecup would sometimes result in unscrewing them even when not in the upper settings.
So I applied a little pull force on them, not to much and then tried to turn them clockwise to screw them. It worked fine.

I cannot recommend this DIY solution especially if you can find o-rings but it worked fine for me (and I love building and fixing things even more than the Rolling Stones).

3D printing could work too.

 

[tehri]

😜

 

[Bill Atwood]

Maybe Zeiss themselves should diversify their business into the o-ring market, the need for them appears to be a trait across their premium lines of binoculars.

I'll get my coat...😉😇

Use them on Swarovski's too.

I'd rather the manufacturer's back off on ER in their bin designs.

 

[Bill Atwood]

I also have found plumbers' supplies shops to be a good source of o-rings.

Ace Hardware stores in the US are a good source

 

[Bentley03]

View attachment 1502373

😜

And tins of Zeiss branded kidney beans on supermarket shelves anyone?

🫣

 

[tehri]

 

[Zedster]

I just got a pair of SF 10x32s from another member and I have similar issues with them. I played around with the eyecups and I need about that much distance to get rid of beaning. So I guess I'll try the O-ring solution. Interestingly on my SFs, the eyecups maximums don't work in either direction. All the way in is too far in for my glasses but all the way out is too far for no glasses. It's an interesting issue and one that I've never experienced before in any of my other binoculars.

 

[Bentley03]

View attachment 1502410

Oh...😂

 

[Troubador]

I just got a pair of SF 10x32s from another member and I have similar issues with them. I played around with the eyecups and I need about that much distance to get rid of beaning. So I guess I'll try the O-ring solution. Interestingly on my SFs, the eyecups maximums don't work in either direction. All the way in is too far in for my glasses but all the way out is too far for no glasses. It's an interesting issue and one that I've never experienced before in any of my other binoculars.

What problem do you encounter with the eyecups screwed all the way out?

 

[Bentley03]

I just got a pair of SF 10x32s from another member and I have similar issues with them. I played around with the eyecups and I need about that much distance to get rid of beaning. So I guess I'll try the O-ring solution. Interestingly on my SFs, the eyecups maximums don't work in either direction. All the way in is too far in for my glasses but all the way out is too far for no glasses. It's an interesting issue and one that I've never experienced before in any of my other binoculars.

I'm really sorry to hear you have these issues, but I'm all too familiar with them and suffered the same experience as you (as recorded on other threads on this forum). I was left feeling thoroughly incompetent...maybe I am? 😉🙃

I'm sure advice will be forthcoming from the many wise and very helpful members on here, but personally I never managed to get comfortable with this format in the Victory SF range, admitted defeat and gave up.

Hopefully you will ultimately fair better than me and be able to get comfortable with them. I wish you the very best of luck! 🤞

James

 

[kimmik]

Compact, long eye relief, wide fov, no kidney bean. Pick three. I've not found one that offers all four, maybe in 2050.

 

[Zedster]

Compact, long eye relief, wide fov, no kidney bean. Pick three. I've not found one that offers all four, maybe in 2050.

Well to be fair they aren’t particularly compact. My opticrons make them seem giant.

 

[Zedster]

I'm really sorry to hear you have these issues, but I'm all too familiar with them and suffered the same experience as you (as recorded on other threads on this forum). I was left feeling thoroughly incompetent...maybe I am? 😉🙃

I'm sure advice will be forthcoming from the many wise and very helpful members on here, but personally I never managed to get comfortable with this format in the Victory SF range, admitted defeat and gave up.

Hopefully you will ultimately fair better than me and be able to get comfortable with them. I wish you the very best of luck! 🤞

James

I’m quickly learning to adjust. When you hit the sweet spot of IPD and eyecup placement they’re fine. But if you’re just a BIT off? Ouch