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Zeiss Victory HT 8x42 vs. Victory SF 8x42 (1 Viewer)

oldtimer88

Active member
United States
I have read through the threads on this topic but I am unfortunately still at an elementary knowledge level when it comes to the intricacies different glass and how they are built and packaged. So apologies in advance if some of this is found elsewhere, many posts are several hundreds of words. I am hoping for a short answer or simplified response...

Is the absence of a field flattener noticeable? Maybe the better way to frame the question - Is the absence most noticeable when the viewer is used to a bin with a quality field flattener like the SV? and do some binoculars have a higher quality level of flattened field vs. some that do a poor job of flattening the field? (i.e. it is only noticeable on a relative basis, and varies based on field flattening technology that the viewer is used to)

Eye box forgiveness is probably the most important consideration for me given the high quality. Which of these is expected to have a more foregiving eyebox? Is there any rule of thumb to determine this without actually looking through the two binoculars? i.e. any quantitative spec that determines eye box forgiveness. I am worried that I will just accept some minor blackouts as a compromise. No compromises should be made imo.

After overall forgiveness, depth of field or focusing speed (same as DoF?) is most important. Does the AK prism imply a more sensitive focus? I enjoy a slow focus but not so slow its tiresome getting from infinity to close focus. I thought the Nikon focus was fine. Any insight here is appreciated! I

Lastly, the category these both fail in is size and weight...as I have a B2 9x45 Maven and I continue to tell myself I will buy a smaller 8x32 binocular but seem to just gravitate toward standard 8x42. Is the 8x32 Victory SF a contender if you can pick from either of the three choices?

I swear this will be my last purchase. A true one and done. I swear.

Thanks in advance.
 
Field flattener- two extremes of "field flatteners," Monarch HG and Swarovski EL/NL. To me not noticeable with Monarch HG. EL/NL- you will notice immediately compared to almost any other binocular. The complete FOV will be in focus from edge to edge.

Eye box comparing HT 8X42/SF 8X42- I'll have to defer to someone that has experience with both and I can't really remember some details with the SF 8X42. I will say the SFL 8X40 has a very user-friendly eye box.

DOF has do to mostly with the magnification- 7X has more DOF than 10X. Focusing speed and DOF are two different things. Focusing speed is-how much do I need to turn the focusing nob to be focused on desired object? Some are slow, have to move the knob a lot. Some are "fast"- not as much. Is basically said in comparison of one binocular to another. Leica Trinovid(Retrovid) has an awesome slow focus! Prism type has nothing to do with focus speed.

Size/weight- a SFL 8X40 is a great compromise between the 32 and 42mm binoculars.

I tried to be concise as possible!
 
So you realize the HT's haven't been made for about 10 years I think? There are going to be differences between the two. Most likely the SF's have better edge sharpness. The AK prisms don't affect focusing at all. The focusing speed and focuser is really nice on the SF's and I would assume on the HT's as well.

If this is going to be your last purchase, you better check out both the binoculars in person :) The one thing about your post that jumps out at me is the eye placement thing. The SF's are known to have difficult eye placement. I've got the 8x42 SF and that is the one thing I do not like about them. I would expect the eye placement difficulty to be worse at 8x32 because of the smaller exit pupil but I haven't tested it. Don't know if it's any better in the HT's. My best binos for eye placement are Nikon EDG and Swaro SLC 56mm, FWIW.
 

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