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SIG SAUER Zulu10 HDX binoculars? (1 Viewer)

iseegeorgesstar

Well-known member
United States
It looks like sig sauer released an updated version of their binoculars in August 2023? The former line Zulu9 was upgraded to Zulu10.


10x42 - $1400 - fov 6.6deg - 16.7er
12x50 - $1500 - fov 5.5deg - 16.5er
15x56 - $1700 - fov 4.5deg - 17.8er

Anyone try these out?

The 15x look juicy especially...wonder how they compare to the meopta 15x56
 
They remind me of the Vortex Razor UHD's in shape and size, and they both have AK prisms, except these are priced a little lower. They would probably have higher transmission than the Meopta 15x56 because it has an SP prism. I bet they would be very bright and good in low light, like the UHD's are. The Zulu 9's were always well regarded, so these could only be better.
 
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They remind me of the Vortex Razor UHD's in shape and size, and they both have AK prisms, except these are priced a little lower. They would probably have higher transmission than the Meopta 15x56 because it has an SP prism. I bet they would be very bright and good in low light, like the UHD's are. The Zulu 9's were always well regarded, so these could only be better.

Looks an awful lot like the vortex UHD, second clone of them I’ve seen after sightrons (only available in Japan).
My guess was that they're japanese sourced. I saw a user comment once that said they preferred the 15x meopta over the 15x maven. So I always wondered what a shootout between the two would look like? I was about to refer to the meopta's as czech glass now but I realized I'm not sure if that's the case. They might just be assembled at the Meopta CZ factory. So maybe it's just japanese glass vs japanese glass in the end.

The 10X42 with AK should be an interesting glass. The 12X50 as well.
My thoughts exactly -- really need to try all three!!

Perhaps Pinac will take pity on us and post a user report on these and whether the upgrade is just functional or optical and if they're just another rebranded clone.
 
Perhaps Pinac will take pity on us and post a user report on these and whether the upgrade is just functional or optical and if they're just another rebranded clone. :ROFLMAO:
 
Perhaps Pinac will take pity on us and post a user report on these and whether the upgrade is just functional or optical and if they're just another rebranded clone. :ROFLMAO:
And now we wait, birding for the elusive avian Pinac... 🔭

(I wanted to post a binocular emoji but it turns out we don't have one. So I opted for the telescope emoji.)
 
Very interesting. I wasn't aware of that. It really begs more inquiry into the clones question. I noticed the barrels on the razor 18x are slightly wider at the end. So makes me wonder if that's an aesthetic choice or more evidence to being a different bino. Since I think the mag difference of 15x vs 18x on the same aperture bin would be located in the EP?
 
It looks like sig sauer released an updated version of their binoculars in August 2023? The former line Zulu9 was upgraded to Zulu10.


10x42 - $1400 - fov 6.6deg - 16.7er
12x50 - $1500 - fov 5.5deg - 16.5er
15x56 - $1700 - fov 4.5deg - 17.8er

Anyone try these out?

The 15x look juicy especially...wonder how they compare to the meopta 15x56

Interesting binoculars. The question is if eye relief is sufficient for eyeglasses.
One thing to note is that all the normal binoculars have around 4mm exit pupil. No true low light option.
 
Interesting binoculars. The question is if eye relief is sufficient for eyeglasses.
One thing to note is that all the normal binoculars have around 4mm exit pupil. No true low light option.
That's a good point. Meopta has a 8x56 format, I believe. And other similar high quality Japanese glass bins have a 10x50 format occasionally.
 
:)
SIG Sauer calls it „the all-new ZULU10“, so shouldn‘t we take their word for it?
;-)

The funny thing is that apparently they also released a new mid-tier binocular called Zulu 8. Even though Zulu9 has been out for a while. So if you went by their designations you would never know it. Also I got a headache writing that...
 
From what I found so far online (so take it with a grain of salt) -- all the binos with AK-prisms (apart from any European makers) are made by Kamakura. But not all are Made in Japan as Kamakura also has a Chinese plant. The Kite Cervus HD 8x56 for example is made in China AFAIK. And I am guessing the same is true for the DDoptics "Pirschler" models that also feature AK-prisms. They are far too cheap to be made in Japan.
Also -- Maven is a Kamakura-factory on US soil to be able to get government contracts AFAIK.
The differences between all those are probably coatings, glass, etc. So there will still be noticeable differences in optical quality.
 

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