Zeiss SFL 8x40 This Year's Best New Birding Binocular! (1 Viewer)

[[email protected]]

I have had the Zeiss SFL 8x40 for a few months now, and I have used it extensively birding in bright daylight and in the evening at dusk, and I just can't find anything really wrong with it. It is kind of like a Triathlete. It is not the best at everything, but it seems to do everything a birder needs pretty well. It is more compact and lighter than an NL 8x42 or Zeiss SF 8x42, and it doesn't have the glare issues that the NL 8x32 and SF 8x32 do.

In fact, it controls glare better than most binoculars I have used, and if you go down the list it is pretty good at everything. It has very sharp edges, very little CA., the color purity is the best I have seen in a binocular, it is very sharp on-axis, very bright with almost 92% transmission, and it has no RB to speak of. The ergonomics are excellent and that is what set's it apart from binoculars like the HG 8x42. The Zeiss focuser is in a better position, and it is much smoother than the HG.

The optics in the Zeiss are a notch above the HG also with much better contrast and color purity. The whites are whiter and the blacks are blacker. The NL 8x32 and SF 8x32 have larger FOV's but after trying them both I realize they both have glare issues and the NL requires overly sensitive eye cup adjustments probably because of the wide FOV. The Zeiss SFL 8x40 to me is a smaller version of the SF 8x42 or SF light. I nominate it for nest new birding binocular of the year.

 

[[email protected]]

If you like to read reviews, there are a ton of them on the Zeiss SFL. Most don't say too much negative about it outside of the price, and Zeiss has lowered that by $250.

Zeiss SFL 8×40 binoculars review

These binoculars from Zeiss somehow squeeze just about all the excellence of...

www.birdwatching.co.uk

Zeiss SFL Binocular Review — Birdwatching Dot Com

Yet another review of the 8x40 SFL

Hi all, I honestly have found some of the negativity and ramble by others on Lee's thread to be tiresome and counterproductive, so I'm posting a separate review here. Y'all may do what you will with it. I pre-ordered a pair as soon as they were available. I received them about a week ago...

www.birdforum.net

Zeiss SFL 10x40: A Field Review

My review of Zeiss SFL 8x40 proved so popular ( Zeiss SFL 8x40, A Field Review ) that the thread it generated has reached over 44k hits at the time of writing this, demonstrating how much interest there is in this new series of models from Zeiss. However, there have been several protests that...

www.birdforum.net

My video review of Zeiss SFL 8x40

Hello everybody. On my website "Binomania.it" you can find the review of the Zeiss SFL 8x40, including video on the YouTube channel. In my site there is the translation option in various languages, I hope it will help you. English subtitles by dowsub.com have also been included in the video...

www.birdforum.net

My video review of the new ZEISS SFL 8x40 - Binoculars - Cloudy Nights

My video review of the new ZEISS SFL 8x40 - posted in Binoculars: Hello everybody. On my website Binomania.it you can find the review of the Zeiss SFL 8x40, including video on the YouTube channel. In my site there is the translation option in various languages, I hope it will help you. English...

www.cloudynights.com

Field Test: Zeiss SFL 8x40 Binocular | Grand View Outdoors

The author tests the new Zeiss SFL 8x40 binocular during South Dakota’s 2022 spring turkey season.

www.grandviewoutdoors.com

Zeiss SFL Review | 10x30 & 10x40 | Insanely Good | Best In Class Ultralight Binoculars - Backwoods Pursuit

When we first considered putting together this Zeiss SFL review, we didn't really know what to expect. Zeiss Optics has made top notch binoculars, spotting

backwoodspursuit.com

Zeiss SFL 10x40 vs. SF 10x32 Binocular Review

Zeiss has recently released two models of compact binoculars, the Zeiss SFL and SF. Both raise the performance to weight ratio, but which one is best for you?

www.rokslide.com

Zeiss 10x40 SFL Review

www.scopeviews.co.uk

Zeiss SFL Binoculars

The optics experts review the top optics and best accessories available, at various price points, from all major manufacturers. The reviews cover all aspects of the items including their accessories. From the most expensive to the most moderate priced items. What you get and what you should expect.

www.optics4birding.com

ZEISS Victory SFL 8x40 binocular - BirdGuides

The launch of two new ZEISS binoculars sets modern optics in a traditional format. Mike Alibone sheds light on the new models.

www.birdguides.com

https://www.houseofoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PERFORMANCE-OF-THE-ZEISS-SFL-8X40-IN-COMPARISON-WITH-SOME-OTHER-40-MM-BINOCULAR3.pdf

An Official Journal Of The NRA | First Look: Zeiss SFL 40 Compact Binocular

The Zeiss SFL (SmartFocus and Lightweight) provides traditional Zeiss optical performance combined with a compact and lightweight design.

www.americanhunter.org

All-new ZEISS SFL review by Nikhil Devasar Photography ZEISS SFL 8*40, The lightweight model among high-performance binoculars... | By ZEISS Nature IndiaFacebook

All-new ZEISS SFL review by Nikhil Devasar Photography ZEISS SFL 8*40, The lightweight model among high-performance binoculars...

www.facebook.com

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=673194340798423

The Best Binoculars of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We tested the best binoculars for birdwatching, hunting, traveling, and more for their optical resolution and low light capability.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[[email protected]]

Outdoor Life thought it was the best new birding binocular also.

The Best Binoculars of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We tested the best binoculars for birdwatching, hunting, traveling, and more for their optical resolution and low light capability.

www.outdoorlife.com

The Best Binoculars: Reviews and Recommendations​

Best for Birdwatching: Zeiss SFL 8×40​

Scott Einsmann
SEE IT
Score Card

• Optical Performance: Very Good
• Mechanical Performance: Excellent
• Design: Excellent
• Price/Value: Very Good

Key Features

• Double-hinge, open-barrel design
• Right-barrel diopter control
• Oversized focus wheel
• 4.9-foot close focus
• Weight: 22.6 ounces
• Smart Focus wheel zooms from close focus to infinity in 1.4 turns
• Also, available in 10×40, 8×30, and 10×30 models

Pros

• DoubleLink Bridge enables good barrel grip
• Premium glass and coatings
• Extremely light weight

Cons

• At $1,500, it’s a pricey binocular
• Straps and case are fairly pedestrian

The world of premium binoculars apparently has no upper limit. You’ll pay over $3,000 for Swarovski’s excellent NL Pure and over two grand for Leica’s stunning Noctovid. Zeiss, too, asks nearly $3,000 for its marvelous Victory SF binoculars. So to find a binocular that performs nearly on par with those flagship models for half the price is worth shouting about.

Zeiss saves some money on its SFL model by importing this model from Japan; most of the brand’s super-premium optics are made in either Germany or Portugal. And it has found some additional savings in glass by using thinner lenses than it uses in its SF line. Those thinner lenses also allow the SFL to shave nearly half a pound from the SF in the same configuration.

But the image delivered by those halfling lenses is every bit as sharp and vibrant as those of Zeiss’s other premium binoculars. The SFL easily posted the top resolution score at this year’s optics test, and testers raved about the vibrant image with rich contrast and stunning colors. It lost points on disappointing low-light performance, which was partly due to its diminutive 8×40 configuration.

The SFL was designed to appeal to birdwatchers, who are willing to pay for lightweight, bright, and crisp binoculars. But the reason the SFL is here in the top spot is its wider field-worthiness. Its oversized focus wheel riffs from an extremely tight, close focus of 4.9 feet out to infinity in just 1.4 rotations of the wheel. That’s a huge asset for tight-cover deer and hog hunters, but also for Western hunters who might pan from middle-distance cover out to far vistas in the same field of view. The smooth and fluid focus wheel moves as though it rides on ball-bearing tracks.

The Zeiss’s name stands for “Smart Focus Lightweight,” and the 1.5-pound heft makes this the lightest premium bino on the market, and a wonderful companion for long hikes over difficult terrain. The balance and grip provided by the open-bridge design makes the SFL feel even lighter, and testers gave high praise for the binocular’s tapered eye cups that were extremely comfortable to use for extended periods.

That’s the real question to ask of a binocular—how long do you want to spend behind it? The more and longer you use a binocular, the more objects—whether warblers or caribou—you’ll spot. There are few other pieces of hunting gear that have that outsized effect on your outcome. If the 8×40 isn’t for you, look to the SFL in 10×40, 8×30, and 10×30.

Since our binocular test, we have kept reaching for the Zeiss any time we required a binocular, one of the surest signs that it’s an optic worth a long look. And longer possession.

 

[Paultricounty]

I usually don’t read more than the first sentence or two of Dennis’s posts, because of the nonsense before the sales. But is it me , or didn’t he say a two weeks ago he just got the SFL’s? And now here he’s saying he had them a few months.

 

[[email protected]]

Less than two weeks ago:

Is the Zeiss SFL 8x40 worth the difference in price over the Nikon MHG 8x42?

I like my SLC 8x56 for static use and when I don't hike too far, but I am looking for a good lightweight 8x42 for hiking further distances. I have tried the NL 8x42, and it is a little heavy for a 42 mm and I had glare problems with it and I tried the Zeiss SF 8x42 four times and I get an orange...

www.birdforum.net

But that's not counting the one he sold last year because he claimed to prefer the Swarovski 8x32NL.

https://www.birdforum.net/threads/zeiss-sfl-8x40-binoculars-usa-now-sold.428623/#post-4376731

I said the SFL was easily worth the difference in price over the Nikon HG 8x42 in that thread. At first, I preferred the NL 8x32 over the SFL 8x40 because it had a bigger FOV. But the longer I used it in the field, I realized it had glare problems.

I couldn't overcome the glare problems even with tedious eye cup adjustments, so I eventually gave up. I am not going to try to set my eye cup within a .5 mm in between click stops to avoid glare that shouldn't be there in the first place in a $3000 binocular. When you set your eye cups in between click stops every time you use the binoculars, you knock them out of adjustment.

Also, I think the NL 8x32 is heavy and bulky for a 32 mm binocular. The SFL 8x40 is the same size and weight, but it has a 40 mm aperture, gathering almost 2x the light and with much easier eye placement. So the NL 8x32 was replaced with the SFL 8x40. It is just a matter of personal preference.

The Best Binoculars of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We tested the best binoculars for birdwatching, hunting, traveling, and more for their optical resolution and low light capability.

redirect.viglink.com

 

[Gorgo]

I have had the Zeiss SFL 8x40 for a few months now, and I have used it extensively birding in bright daylight and in the evening at dusk, and I just can't find anything really wrong with it. It is kind of like a Triathlete. It is not the best at everything, but it seems to do everything a birder needs pretty well. It is more compact and lighter than an NL 8x42 or Zeiss SF 8x42, and it doesn't have the glare issues that the NL 8x32 and SF 8x32 do.

In fact, it controls glare better than most binoculars I have used, and if you go down the list it is pretty good at everything. It has very sharp edges, very little CA., the color purity is the best I have seen in a binocular, it is very sharp on-axis, very bright with almost 92% transmission, and it has no RB to speak of. The ergonomics are excellent and that is what set's it apart from binoculars like the HG 8x42. The Zeiss focuser is in a better position, and it is much smoother than the HG.

The optics in the Zeiss are a notch above the HG also with much better contrast and color purity. The whites are whiter and the blacks are blacker. The NL 8x32 and SF 8x32 have larger FOV's but after trying them both I realize they both have glare issues and the NL requires overly sensitive eye cup adjustments probably because of the wide FOV. The Zeiss SFL 8x40 to me is a smaller version of the SF 8x42 or SF light. I nominate it for nest new birding binocular of the year.

View attachment 1538593

What about the Opticron Aurora's / DDoptics SHG models? Are they really inferior to the Zeiss SFL? Most users seem to praise them much, including their glare resistance.

 

[[email protected]]

What about the Opticron Aurora's / DDoptics SHG models? Are they really inferior to the Zeiss SFL? Most users seem to praise them much, including their glare resistance.

I am not familiar with the Opticron Aurora/DDoptics SHG models, although they get a lot of positive comments on Bird Forum. Opticron seems to be more of a UK brand, and I don't see them widely available in the US. Here is a review by Neil English, and he rates them highly. Also, here is a review of the DDoptics SHG by Canip who also rates them highly. If anybody has compared either of these to the Zeiss SFL 8x40, it would be interesting to hear their comments.

Product Review: Opticron Aurora BGA VHD 8 x 42. | Neil English.net

DDoptics SHG 8×42 – Binoculars Today

 

[Jos Stratford]

The constant personal insults flying on these optics threads are tedious and serve only to put folk off from reading. Several abusive posts have been deleted.

Denco clearly annoys a number of the posters on the optics forum, but after reading numerous threads, the pattern seems to be he posts his views on optics, everybody else repeatedly posts their views on Dennis.

He is entitled to put his view, to change his view, to buy and sell whatever he wants. Either ignore him or post your contrary views on the optics.

 

[LucaPCP]

The constant personal insults flying on these optics threads are tedious and serve only to put folk off from reading. Several abusive posts have been deleted.

Denco clearly annoys a number of the posters on the optics forum, but after reading numerous threads, the pattern seems to be he posts his views on optics, everybody else repeatedly posts their views on Dennis.

He is entitled to put his view, to change his view, to buy and sell whatever he wants. Either ignore him or post your contrary views on the optics.

Thank you Jos. I for one do not appreciate the posts by those who take it up personally against denco. Everybody is entitled to their views and to changing them, and we should keep the discussion focused on optics, and not on comments on other posters.

 

[Ignatius]

The constant personal insults flying on these optics threads are tedious and serve only to put folk off from reading. Several abusive posts have been deleted.

Denco clearly annoys a number of the posters on the optics forum, but after reading numerous threads, the pattern seems to be he posts his views on optics, everybody else repeatedly posts their views on Dennis.

He is entitled to put his view, to change his view, to buy and sell whatever he wants. Either ignore him or post your contrary views on the optics.

Reading through the forum's older posts I have long noticed that there is a slew of, mostly self-appointed, 'experts' who disparage anyone whose views differ from their exclusive insights. I for one would rather read Mr. Denco's wild tales than the arrogant put-downs from some of the others. Thankfully there is the Ignore button to be wielded on those wannabes who annoy or contribute nothing but haughty garbage.
P.S. I think it is a real shame that the mods allow a whole thread solely intended to put another member down - the OP is one sad sack. There is nothing to see here and I for one am moving on.

 

[Swedpat]

I tried this binocular a few weeks ago. And I compared it side by side to Leica Trinovid 8x42 HD. I perceived it as both sharper and brighter than Trinovid. And with wider FOV. But it is not as small as I expected, actually a few mm longer than Trinovid.
While Trinovid is a good binocular it did not give me the WOW-feeling as SFL did.
If I could afford SFL 8x40 I would probably get one. But I want to try SFL 8x30 first, which format is more attractive for me.

 

[Ted Y.]

the pattern seems to be he posts his views on optics, everybody else repeatedly posts their views on Dennis.

You get it wrong with this part.

Not "everybody else" "posts their views on Dennis", some. Even so, nothing wrong with it (if not against BF rules) if it is about Dennis as member of BF and not personal. Do you agree?
Nothing wrong to establish trust or to demonstrate the lack of trust, with proofs (about knowlege in the optics realm).

Some others post their view about Dennis posts. Nothing wrong with it, right?
Some others post something else, not related to Dennis as person nor to his posts.
You cannot find something to think about in the posts of Dennis, from a staff member perspective? All are perfect?

You identified a pattern. A wrong one (in my opinion).

Most important, are you neutral? Reading your generalization not based on facts, I think not.

 

[Ted Y.]

Either ignore him or post your contrary views on the optics.

I agree 100%. Ignore in the meaning of the word, not only using "Ignore" option.

 

[[email protected]]

I tried this binocular a few weeks ago. And I compared it side by side to Leica Trinovid 8x42 HD. I perceived it as both sharper and brighter than Trinovid. And with wider FOV. But it is not as small as I expected, actually a few mm longer than Trinovid.
While Trinovid is a good binocular it did not give me the WOW-feeling as SFL did.
If I could afford SFL 8x40 I would probably get one. But I want to try SFL 8x30 first, which format is more attractive for me.

What was it about the SFL 8x40 that gave you the WOW feeling? The bigger AFOV or something else. I haven't tried the SFL 8x30, but several comments have said it is a bit more finicky for eye placement and not quite as bright, especially in low light and with the smaller EP that is probably true but try them and see how they work for you. You may really appreciate the smaller size and lighter weight.

 

[Jos Stratford]

You get it wrong with this part.
Not "everybody else" "posts their views on Dennis", some. Nothing wrong with it (if not against BF rules).

Apologies, if it wasn't clear - "everybody else" wasn't intended to mean everybody else on the entire thread, but everybody else in the arguments that I was referring to.

 

[Swedpat]

What was it about the SFL 8x40 that gave you the WOW feeling? The bigger AFOV or something else. I haven't tried the SFL 8x30, but several comments have said it is a bit more finicky for eye placement and not quite as bright, especially in low light and with the smaller EP that is probably true but try them and see how they work for you. You may really appreciate the smaller size and lighter weight.

The design is clean and it's good looking. The image is very sharp, bright and wide.
It really felt superior to Trinovid. Maybe Trinovid is mechanically better. Maybe it's not really brighter but whiter/cooler, which gives the impression of brighter. The focusing wheel felt perfect without play.
Without comparison side by side I can say SFL 8x40 is optically superior to Conquest HD 8x42 which I have had. And I think Conquest is slightly better than Trinovid.

 

[Patudo]

"a passion for the glass"...

 

[[email protected]]

The design is clean and it's good looking. The image is very sharp, bright and wide.
It really felt superior to Trinovid. Maybe Trinovid is mechanically better. Maybe it's not really brighter but whiter/cooler, which gives the impression of brighter. The focusing wheel felt perfect without play.
Without comparison side by side I can say SFL 8x40 is optically superior to Conquest HD 8x42 which I have had. And I think Conquest is slightly better than Trinovid.

Yes, I would put them SFL, Conquest HD and then Trinovid. The Conquest HD for the price/value ratio has to rank very high, though, and the the Trinovid is nice for birders that like saturated colors. The SFL is not a huge difference from the Conquest HD, but it is better.

The focusing wheel on the SFL is excellent and one of the reasons I like it. It is very smooth, fast and fluid. I always had trouble with the eye cups on the Conquest HD because they were really hard to move.

I tried a Zeiss SF 8x42 just before I got the SFL 8x40 and the SF didn't work for me, but I can see the similarities in the view between the two. The SF of course has a bigger FOV. The SF 8x42 although a little heavier and bigger than the SFL 8x40 is an excellent binocular if it works for you and price is not a consideration.

 

[tenex]

Opinions seem to vary on what makes the forum (not) worthwhile. Good to know...

 

[Scott98]

There's a lot to be said for lighter weight, it makes a huge difference in the field for me. I probably should have just picked up a pair of 8x40 SFL's to go with my 8x42 SF"s instead of going on a porro binge and getting 3 pairs of 35mm porros

But's it hard to buy the 8x40 Zeiss if you already have 8x42. If only they made a 7x40 SFL.....they could have captured more of my $$$...instead I ended up buying retro 7x35 porros and a new pair of 10x35 E2's to get something lighter and smaller than the SF's