Optics4Birding.com: Zeiss Reviews

The following comments are the opinions of the writers. We're publishing them here with the permission of their authors, with minor edits for clarity or brevity. If you would like to submit a comment, send me an email.

Arriving at Cape May, money in hand for the touted zeis 7x42's; but after an hour of trying [I could not] see better then with my B&L 10x42 elites. I tried every thing they had for another hour. Sadly I said to Louise I'm very disapointed I wanted something especially good for warblers. Wait; she said and pulled out her personal binos out of a purse on the floor no case all dirty. Funny looking binos? I was shockedÿ at the clarity and depth of field, looked at the eye chart, wow! exactly the same magnification as my 10's! Looked out the window and was shocked again by how much depth was in focus! and how bright! Wow! I bought her last pair of Leicas 8x32, and to this day never even adjusted for my own eye sight. I thing I figured out why this seller of Zeis in Zeis Land was using Leicas.

(I still can't figure out why most of those birders down there all have German tank commander long tube 7 power Zeis)

Joe Worley, 23 July 1997

I've had a pair of 7x42s for twelve years. They have been used almost daily for birding, hunting(in all kinds of lousy conditions),and on our sailboat(in lousy weather). Three years ago the focusing wheel got sticky so I sent them back to Alexandria, Va. for cleaning. They came back regreased and have performed flawlessly. My wife has had a pair of 10x40s for eight years. They haven't been used quite as hard, but nevertheless have performed wonderfully. The 10s are better for stationary targets. The 7s are better for following movement, because they have a wider field of view, and are better in acquiring the target again because of the wider view. The 7s are of course brighter than the 10s(lower magnification and larger objective lens), and with the wider field are hands down my favorite. The rubber armoring on both models absorb some shock and provide a tough non-skid surface that is helpful onboard the boat or when laying on an otherwise slippery surface. I've handled lots of binos and to me Zeiss is the worth the price.

John Funk, 2 July 1997

I have had a pair of non-armored Zeiss Dialyt 10 x 40s for about 15 years. I have had the focussing wheel repaired once. My main complaint is the lack of close-focus. I have recently tried R.O.R. (after reading about it on BIRDCHAT), and indeed it has made them look like new again.

I also have a pair of B & L Elite 8 x 42's, which I bought 3 years ago. Initially I found them to be far superior to the Zeiss, with increased brightness, closer focus, and a wider field of view more than compensating for the lower magnification. However, I've had to send them back for repairs to the focus wheel once, and have them re-rubber armored once, and also now, some subtle scratches on the lenses have reduced the clarity a little, and R.O.R. can't seem to do the same as it did for the Zeiss.

Richard Stern, 7 Jan 1996