Well, it does seem like the fb page is AWOL, and the website is still offline ..... I do hope they make a comeback
What folks don't realize is that:
"(they) coulda had class. (they) coulda been a contender. (they) coulda been somebody,
As far as the actual products go, the ZRS HD, ED3, and Prime HD, represent very good value for what they* are ....
(* provided you get a suitable quality example).
I myself have the 8x43 ED3 - best ergonomics on the market, bright, neutral view, excellent CA handling in the centre, wide field of view, and wild pincushion to give that quasi-3D effect. I love the oversize knurled metal focusing wheel, and fast ratio focus speed - perfect.
As far as the focus wheel backlash goes, it seems to range on a spectrum ..... no, or negligible backlash = stiffer focus -----> 1, or 2mm backlash = perfect light touch (Zeiss/Nikon Alpha style).
My own unit falls into the latter part of the spectrum. This backlash used to be a non-negotiable fail for me initially ...... now, half a dozen years down the track I really don't consciously notice it.
So much for the oft quoted 'myth' on this forum that you have to be a long term owner to give a considered opinion on a bin - not worth the breath with which it is said IMHO .... give me a technical, or engineering type, optics connoisseur, or propeller head adept at evaluation and 1/2 to a couple of hours of varied conditions and environments.
Had the ED4 been as much of an improvement over the ED3 as the ED3 was over the ED2, and delivered on time and on quality target for the same great value for money pricing, then no doubt we would be talking great things about Zen-Ray.
As for any CS issues Zen-Ray has been having lately (and to what extent or % we really don't precisely statistically know - there seems to have been some premature bleating on this particular sub-forum), let me pass on a little analogy .... when the Koreans made inroads into the Japanese stranglehold on the TV market back in the 90's and noughties, they didn't worry about repairs, or matching the Japanese 'Alpha dawgs' 《0.5% field fault rate. They just shipped vast quantities of containers of restyled, value-priced product over here with only ~95-97% of the product fault free, and implemented seamless and prompt new product replacement policies. Customers flocked to them (well relatively anyway).
Perhaps Zen-Ray has been hit with a higher than expected reject rate, and this is affecting the bottom line ..... :cat:
They either fix the source quality (perhaps not easily influenced since the Bushnell Legend M units I saw had exactly the same issues), and/or secure more financing to support the business and allow a pipeline of new product to be successfully introduced.
I hope they make a go of it.
So what to do? My recommendation is the same as it has always been - if you can try the unit you intend to purchase in person beforehand and can get it at the right price, and if you also get along with it, then by all means get yourself a great bin.
I may be a bit unusual in that CS means pretty much nought to me - I expect my products to be trouble free until they are technically obsolete or catastrophically die. Not for me the constant tinkering. My Zens have been living in my car as 'beater bins' for the last few years - getting knocked around (flying off the passenger seat into the footwell at high speed /G under heavy braking etc, and they have not one single problem.
Buyer beware, but these are still top of the pops at the entry level tier (well unless you are lucky enough to get a ~$150 Bushie M and like the lesser ergos). Maybe you can pick yourself up a better than RRP deal - but do check the individual unit/ return policy first.
Chosun :gh: