Very excited today to have sourced an unsold shop demo Zeiss Victory HT 8x42, bearing in mind that the model was discontinued c.2019 and renewing my acquaintance with it since last using Troubadour's copy in early 2021.
As it happens, this afternoon in Devon where I drove 250 miles to pick up the binoculars was extremely wet and heavily clouded — excellent conditions to test the high transmission AK prisms and Schott glass. The magic was there as the dioptre adjustment fell quickly into place — not always true for me — and there was that absolute focus snap and revelation looking out from and also at dense dark undercover. Though HTs don't have the survivor SFs' Ergo Balance concept (i.e. face end weighting for better handling balance) a forward grip on the objective end of the barrels seems pretty instinctive after past familiarity and that way the finger(s) fall readily on to the large focus wheel.
My only slight negative with this probably long unused example is that the wheel makes a slight clicking noise on direction changes but hopefully that will lessen with running in and if it persists or becomes irritating a trip to Gary at ECBR would always help.
I just love the sheer brightness of these HTs both in dreary dark conditions and from memory on sunny days too. I am looking forward to comparing again with FL 7x42 to see if it is right that the rendering of reds and pinks is improved in the HT, courtesy of the Schott glass.
Are there many of us left who are still using this last of the AK generation — last in x42 anyway?
By the way, I don't see QC failings in this bin, but please bear in mind it's only day 1 of possession after about 20 minutes of try out. We read of some problems sometimes with the x54s, but there was very little indeed to fuss about with the 8x42 I used before and the click on this one's focuser is really pretty minor. Eyecup adjustment feels if anything more positive than before. So far so good, in fact nearly ecstatic!
Tom