Zeiss HT 10x42 showed up

[Gman]

Bb, memory is fading, that's all I got, my buddies el's also crapped the diopter adjustment and had to go in for warranty, possibly twice, will take the build quality of an slc over the el's, I likely will be adding the 15x slc's to stable in near future but if there was only 15x ultravid hd judging by how well he 12x ultravid hd compares to the big eyes a 15x ultravid hd would handily rule that class if leica gets on it....

I dig my 10x Ultravid HD's. I think they're right up there with all being discussed in optical clarity.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Ryan was able to look through the HT's on last weeks bear hunt and was impressed. I'll get him to chime in with his thoughts.

Like I had mentioned before, these are the best binoculars I have seen and have taken some abuse in the last couple months. I will give another update when I get back from the jungles of North Idaho.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I will say I am no optics expert but I have looked through most of the top glass over the last couple of years. I can tell within the first few second if I will like the glass in a particular pair of bino's. Again this is just my eyes my opinion but it's the way the glass picks up brown colors. I have never liked Zeiss or Leica's for this reason. I have always been drawn to SLC's and Kahles bino's. But the HT's are different, they have that brown color I am looking for. The field of view seems huge and they are very bright in low light. I would love to get these next to a set of SLC HD to compare.

 

[armyjoe]

Hands down I think they are the best binoculars I've ever looked through. The price a big huge kick to the balls but you get what you pay for. Crazy bright in low light conditions

I still think the meopta hd's are the best bang for the buck. Just had to throw that in Haha

 

[fillthefreezer]

Hands down I think they are the best binoculars I've ever looked through. The price a big huge kick to the balls but you get what you pay for. Crazy bright in low light conditions

I still think the meopta hd's are the best bang for the buck. Just had to throw that in Haha

joe, some of your analogies just have me rolling. a big huge kick in the balls, attack pants a ball sweat monster... hahaha

 

[cmeier117]

Can someone remind me what there warranty is again? 5 year no fault? and then limited lifetime after that?

 

[armyjoe]

Can someone remind me what there warranty is again? 5 year no fault? and then limited lifetime after that?

Lifetime Transferable Warranty All Zeiss Binoculars, Riflescopes, and Spotting Scopes (EXCLUDING THE PARTS and SPECIALTY PRODUCTS LISTED BELOW) come with a Lifetime Transferable Warranty. This warranty gives the purchaser (“you”) specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc., (“Zeiss”/ “we”/ “us”) warrants that products sold will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. If determined to be defective, Zeiss will pay for the cost of labor and materials required for the repair. If the product cannot be repaired due to defect, Zeiss will replace with same or equivalent product at Zeiss’ discretion. All products have been designed to meet ISO 9022 Standards and are guaranteed to be fog and leak proof.
This warranty is subject to the following terms and limitations:
(1) Warranty coverage begins on the date of purchase. In order to make it easier to provide you with warranty service, Zeiss strongly suggests that you send us the completed warranty registration card within 60 days of purchase.
(2) If we are unable to repair the product it will be replaced with same or equivalent product at Zeiss’ discretion.
(3) This warranty will be null and void if repairs are attempted on the product by anyone other than Zeiss or the product has been subjected to misuse or abuse.
(4) This warranty is given exclusively by Zeiss and not by the dealer from whom you purchased the product.
ITEMS NOT COVERED FOR THE LIFE OF THE PRODUCT:
(5) WEARING PARTS, SUCH AS CARRYING STRAPS, PROTECTIVE CAPS, RUBBER EYECUPS, RUBBER ARMORING, POUCHES, CASES, RUBBER EYEPIECE RINGS AND/OR PROTECTIVE CAPS ARE WARRANTED FOR ONE (1) YEAR FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE.
(6) SPECIALTY PRODUCTS:
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE WARRANTED FOR FIVE (5) YEARS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE:
20x60 Stabilized Binocular,
20x60 Stabilized Monocular,
5.6x60 Night Vision Mono.
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCT IS WARRANTED FOR ONE (1) YEAR FROM DATE OF PURCHASE:
Scopz Sporting Glasses.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Cameron,

AJ posted the Limited Lifetime Warranty, but you are correct, Zeiss now offers an additional 5 year NO FAULT warranty only on sport optics purchased from an Authorized USA dealer.

 

[cmeier117]

Thanks Joe and Matt. I wish it was lifetime like Vortex but 5 years isn't too bad. I assume Promotive is a licensed dealer?

 

[Matt Cashell]

With Promotive, you are actually buying directly from Zeiss, USA, so ... yes.

Here is the No Fault "Policy," which only applies to certain products:

http://sportsoptics.zeiss.com/conte...ce-support/customer-service.html#inpagetabs-2

 

[Matt Cashell]

So,

I finally got my hands on the HT for awhile today. I also had the EL SV, SLD HD, Ultravid HD, and two Razor HDs. All of them were in 10X42 with the addition of 10x50 Razor HDs.

This was not a real evaluation as it was indoors and just 1/2 hour in duration, but I did things like look at edge performance, distortion, and CA control, which can be done even indoors with a suitable high contrast target. I used black lines on a white wall. This was not a low light test or a resolution test.

First, the HT. This binocular gives the "wow" moment when you bring them up the first time. The sweet spot was wide, and edge was a little soft. Pincushion Distortion was present at mild-moderate levels. It was very similar to the SLC HD in all areas, except CA control, where it was a little better at the edge. I found it a very impressive instrument that I would love to spend more time in the field with. It didn't seem easily tripod adaptable, though.

The SLC HD. Great in all areas. Very similar to the HT, including the wide sweet spot and mild edge softness. The SLC HD does have the normal tripod exit, which is awesome.

The other binocular that was very similar was the Ultravid HD. I actually haven't seen one for a long time, and forgot just how nice the view is. It was a lot like the SLC HD and HT, but shows more distortion.

The Razor HDs: These are low distortion binoculars. There is very slight pincushion, and I noticed no rolling ball. Lines bent very little at the edge. They are also very lightweight. The eyecups were thin, and kind of felt unusual to me. CA control was good in the middle and OK at the edge. They had pretty good resolution at the edge though. It was clear to me that these were a pretty good upgrade to the previous generations and warrant a close look to guys in the price range.

The Swarovision EL: I looked at these when they were brand new to the market, and they showed lots of rolling ball (the globe effect) to me. The edges of the view just seemed to "swim" when I panned. I could not see any distortion at that time. Now with this newest version, I can see the slightest amount of pincushion distortion, and no matter how I panned, I did NOT see any rolling ball! These binoculars were super-sharp at the edge. They did not seem to lose any resolution at the edge. This has really renewed my interest in this binocular.

Of course, much more would need to be done to get a definitive comparison done, but one thing is for sure: The top-end binoculars available to hunters are impressive!

 

[Racethesunset]

BB, would you lean HT or Razor HD? What if the HD had EL eye cups?