Zeiss Dialyt 7x42 TP (1 Viewer)

[Arthur Red Rod]

Hello everyone,

I caved into my addiction again and managed to source a 7x42 Dialyt TP (no West Germany label) from a local birdwatching group. I was kind of just entertaining myself with friendly conversation but managed to get what I think is an okay price in 2020 (about 900 USD after conversions).

I don't really see myself ever spending the coin on a modern alpha bino and the reviews on here have made me really curious to try this classic. Moreover, the old-school ruggedness and general appearance are appealing in a way I have not experienced with another bino. Should I go ahead and seal the deal on these, or swallow the temptation and move on?

 

[WJC]

Hello everyone,

I caved into my addiction again and managed to source a 7x42 Dialyt TP (no West Germany label) from a local birdwatching group. I was kind of just entertaining myself with friendly conversation but managed to get what I think is an okay price in 2020 (about 900 USD after conversions).

I don't really see myself ever spending the coin on a modern alpha bino and the reviews on here have made me really curious to try this classic. Moreover, the old-school ruggedness and general appearance are appealing in a way I have not experienced with another bino. Should I go ahead and seal the deal on these, or swallow the temptation and move on?

Hi, Arthur,

That is an ALPHA if youre going by the standards of Alphaisms. Frankly it is as useless a moniker as all the old junk sold on eBay as VINTAGE!!!

I bought a Nikon 8x32 SE years ago for a very good price. And now, thanks to all the people who have a hard time with integrity, the English Language or ... both, I have (drum roll, please) an ALPHA, without one more penny being spent! :cat:

Good luck,

Bill

 

[Pinewood]

Hello Arthur [nice name]

I do not wish either to encourage or to discourage you but I would point out two focussing features of the Dialyt. It uses a moveable bridge which means that if focusses slowly; that the near focus is not what many want in binocular; and that it is not truly waterproof. The focussing also means that it is not as prone to chromatic aberration as are internally focussing binoculars.
I do not think that I would part with my 7x42 TP Dialyt for US$900 because it delivers a nice wide view in a very handy package.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

 

[Arthur Red Rod]

Hello Arthur [nice name]

I do not wish either to encourage or to discourage you but I would point out two focussing features of the Dialyt. It uses a moveable bridge which means that if focusses slowly; that the near focus is not what many want in binocular; and that it is not truly waterproof. The focussing also means that it is not as prone to chromatic aberration as are internally focussing binoculars.
I do not think that I would part with my 7x42 TP Dialyt for US$900 because it delivers a nice wide view in a very handy package.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:

Thanks for the information, Arthur. Do you think the focusing mechanism is something that has to be serviced after a certain number of years, or should it last a lifetime with mindful use? I have read some reports of focusing wheel gremlins.

 

[elkcub]

Arthur,

I second what Arthur said, and wouldn't part with mine either. They're vintage alpha's that are very much "keepers".

Back in 1995 Eagle Optics sold them for $898, which would be $1,529 today, and they retain high second-hand value in part because they're durable. I believe Zeiss will still service them at a reasonable cost even though you're not the original owner, as they did with mine.

Happy birding,
Ed

 

[normjackson]

I have read some reports of focusing wheel gremlins.

The focuser might not be the first choice if consistent operation in extremes of temperature is high on the priority list and (although I believe the later iterations of the model were covered by a Zeiss guarantee against water ingress) it might not be the absolute best for environmental sealing. Then again complaints about grease-free internal focusing mechanisms designed to excel in these areas are not unheard of on this forum. |=)|

 

[Arthur Red Rod]

Sigh. Well, I suppose it's time to raid the coffers once again. 3
I have a pair of mint, refurbished Hensoldt Fero D16's with the reticle and laserfilter removed on the way from Germany, so I think I will compare and post the results. The Fero's have supposedly been re-collimated and service checked by some "specialist".

A battle of classics: porro vs. roof - the results should be fun!

 

[Troubador]

On ferry ships traveling to the Scottish islands off the west coast, I regularly see these being carried and used in all weathers. Arthur has summed them up nicely.

Lee

 

[edwincjones]

Hello everyone,

........., the old-school ruggedness and general appearance are appealing in a way I have not experienced with another bino. Should I go ahead and seal the deal on these, or swallow the temptation and move on?

I went through this a few years ago with the dialyt 8x56.
My brain said pass, but my heart said obtain. My heart won
and I am pleased-very pleased.

edj

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Arthur,

Several years ago I posted a link to a 9 page article by the late professional ornithologist Francois Vuilleumier ‘Are Zeiss binoculars the preferred instruments for birdwatching?’
It’s from the Spring 2007 edition of the Zeiss Historica Journal, see from page 13 on at: https://issuu.com/zeisshistoricasociety/docs/pdf_zhs_journal_spring_2007

It included then contemporary and earlier views on birding binoculars. And Francois also described his extensive use of the 7x42 Dialyt under extreme environmental conditions
- see the last paragraph in the first column on page 19 of the extract

. . . so as long as you don't use the Dialyt in conditions more severe than those detailed by Francois, you should be OK!


John

 

[Sebzwo]

If you need to dive with it you can pick it's East German cousin CZJ 7x40 EDF for support.
Otherwise you have got some great performing low light binocular that is worth to keep for sure.

 

[WJC]

Arthur,

I second what Arthur said, and wouldn't part with mine either. They're vintage alpha's that are very much "keepers".

Back in 1995 Eagle Optics sold them for $898, which would be $1,529 today, and they retain high second-hand value in part because they're durable. I believe Zeiss will still service them at a reasonable cost even though you're not the original owner, as they did with mine.

Happy birding,
Ed

Okay, okay. Let the record show that Ed KNOWS what an ALPHA is and what journalists have transformed VINTAGE to be. He is like that! :t::cat:

Bill

 

[Alexis Powell]

If you like them and can afford them, go for it! Life is short. Get what you love. I don't use mine much anymore, but I'll never give them up.

--AP

 

[Arthur Red Rod]

Well, I am arranging the pick-up of the binos now. Some small part of me is still saying I'm nuts, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
Unfortunately, the previous owner can't locate the rainguard for the eyepieces - does Zeiss still supply accessories and ship to Canada? On a side note, does anyone also happen to know how much Zeiss charges for a cleaning and tune-up?

 

[Ries]

I had my eyes on a pair here, which seemed to go cheap and last time I saw it it was at 250...but bidding went fast so doubt that it was the end bid...it was gone when I watched again a few hours later...

 

[Patudo]

I have a slightly different opinion to what is undoubtedly one of the great classic binoculars. Although I think this model still, without question, delivers a great image, I very seldom use it these days - just as Alexis has mentioned, and I wonder how many hours the others here who own them actually spend in the field with theirs. 7x is just a touch underpowered for a lot of the birding I do, and in the majority of situations where it isn't (birding in wooded areas etc), I've come to favour the fast focus and compact package (though the 7x42 handles well, in its own way) of my 8x32 FL. But if you know that 7x magnification, and the 7x42 format in particular, works for your particular circumstances, go for it.

The bridge of my 7x42 was a little wobbly when it came to me - I tend to press my binoculars quite firmly against my glasses at times and this would at times cause the binocular to change focus. A trip to East Coast Binocular Repairs resolved this issue, but it's something I would definitely look carefully at if I were purchasing another one. It's the main mechanical weak point of this design.

I agree with Mr Pinewood that I most probably would not sell mine for US$900 (I'd consider it carefully though!!!). But if I didn't have one, and had US$900 of disposable income to go towards binoculars, knowing what I know now, I'd put it towards something else.

 

[elkcub]

Okay, okay. Let the record show that Ed KNOWS what an ALPHA is and what journalists have transformed VINTAGE to be. He is like that! :t::cat:

Bill

Let's drink to that. B

 

[Alexis Powell]

Zeiss Classic rainguard discontinued!

...the previous owner can't locate the rainguard for the eyepieces - does Zeiss still supply accessories and ship to Canada?...

In response to your query, I looked for a link for purchasing the Zeiss Classic rainguard. It is a legendary rainguard, preferred by a good number of in-the-know ocular rainguard haters and devotees alike, and last I knew was still available for sale (long after the demise of the Classic binoculars). I don't know if Zeiss has reserved some stock for repair orders, but I'd give them a call and find out. Not sure that anyone makes a similar product. A sad day.

--AP

 

[Patudo]

I use the Opticron 40mm BGA rainguard with mine, and am so satisfied with it that even after obtaining the original Zeiss one I haven't switched it over. Thoroughly recommended. It's far better than the original Zeiss one on my 8x32 FL which often comes adrift after less than a hundred paces.

Opticron also actually (on doing some quick research) do one called the Universal XL that looks very similar to the Zeiss type.

Here's my 7x42 on a beautiful autumn day a couple years ago, at one of my favourite places in the Canary Islands. I had tried it in the hope that its wide field of view would better capture the flocks of pigeons I was watching. It did that well, but the Barbary falcons that would occasionally appear would at times move so far away that I needed more magnification to follow them.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of my relationship with this binocular. What I see when I look through it is more beautiful than almost anything else I own, but when I look back to the most memorable moments I have seen through a binocular, the great majority have been with something else.

 

[NDhunter]

Good stuff, I have both the 7x42 BT and the BTP. I am mostly a collector and don't use these
much, but the optics and handling of this model are superb.

I should sell one of these, but I don't get around to it.....

This thread should be moved up to the Zeiss subforum.

Jerry