• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Zen Ray ZRS HD (1 Viewer)

Ah, so 12x is a target. I actually think I could hold 12x a bit. The detail one sees should be better at 12x vs. 8x, not so much at 10x where I do see some, but a lot of it is wishful thinking. But I just want 12x42, not 50mm or more.
 
Yeah the 12x is a target. I can hold a 12x for a bit, but not a 15x, really need a tripod. So this is just in the thinking stage right now.
 
working at cold weather

I wrote to Zen-Ray about this problem.
reply: "The focus wheel should be able to handle cold temperature condition with improved manufacturing process."

Owners of Zen HD,
coatings on your Zen HD is water-repellent & antiscratch ?
 
Last edited:
Owners of Zen HD,
coatings on your Zen HD is water-repellent & antiscratch ?

Neither.

Zen said they looked at the water-repellent coating but didn't like the change in brightness and slight change in color.

Promaster are the only Chinese ED with water-repellent coating.

I don't know of any Chinese ED with scratch resistant coating.

It's all a trade off ;)
 
Promaster are the only Chinese ED with water-repellent coating.
I don't know of any Chinese ED with scratch resistant coating.
It's all a trade off ;)

chinese binocular with water-repellent - Bushnell Legend ?
(But Legend isn't ED.)

Hmm.. If Zen HD use grease in focus mechanics, how it will work after 5-10 years..
my old binoculars works well.
 
chinese binocular with water-repellent - Bushnell Legend ?
(But Legend isn't ED.)

Hmm.. If Zen HD use grease in focus mechanics, how it will work after 5-10 years..
my old binoculars works well.

The new Legend Ultra are supposed to have ED glass.

I am sure none of the Zen Ray, either the ZRS HD (which is the subject of your post) or the ZEN ED have water repellent or scratch resistant coatings.

Almost all binoculars will use some kind of grease in lubricating the focus mechanism. Some combinations of very expensive metals, when paired, will provide some natural lubricity, but that will be found only in higher price levels. Anything in your price here, will have grease. There a far more options in grease today, so it is quite easy to expect moderns greases to be quite resistant to having the grease dry out. That was not the case, not so long ago.
 
The new Legend Ultra are supposed to have ED glass.

Will probably be Chinese and will have Rainguard.

But I forgot about them because they are still mythical despite being revealed just before the SHOT show in January. Most recent statement was "they don't have a ship date" from Bushnell.

No one has looked through them so far so we have no idea of their quality yet.

I'm starting to bet on second half of the year for these. Bushnell has done a long preannounce before with some products.
 
I'm starting to bet on second half of the year for these. Bushnell has done a long preannounce before with some products.

I hope you are wrong with that one....

...but somehow I think you are probably right.
 
If Zen make 7x HD Summit (and Zen ED),
7×32(7×36) , it will be very interest binocular.

Compact 7×36 - size <= 130×130mm, Eye Relief 18..20mm, wide FOV (9 deg.) and goof sharp & great depth of field..

7×35 format is very polular, but 7x with Roof prism now makes very rare.
 
What about a 7x42 ZRS?

Considering the small number of 7x42s on the market (not to mention affordable ones) I can smell another untapped market.

;)
 
What about a 7x42 ZRS?

Considering the small number of 7x42s on the market (not to mention affordable ones) I can smell another untapped market.

It would need a wide (450 feet or more) FOV. Not sure how the flat field of the ZRS and that "requirement" would work together.
 
True, the flat field design would probably require a compromise or two but mmx does have the right of it a bit. The 8x ZRS is wider in field of view than most of the $300 roofs so why couldn't the 7x version at least equal many of the 7x42 roofs that came before it? Say, 420 feet or so?

Again, a $200-$250 7x42 with ZRS level design would be a big hit and would be easy to recommend to folks looking for an easy to use, high performing, inexpensive binocular.
 
Ok the name game here. Promaster really likes the words Infinity and Elite. If you have the names right, then I think I'd do a ZRS HD (if that's what you mean and not the ZEN ED) The Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED is virtually an optical twin of the ZEN ED and both are a step above the ZRS HD and the Promaster Infinity Elite (without the ELX ED in the name).
 
Last edited:
Steve,

I honestly forget, did you have the non ED Elite from Promaster?

I wouldn't mind doing a comparison between the Promaster Infinity Elite (non-ed) and the Zen Ray ZRS. I think you may be right in that the ZRS would come out on top as it seems like a more sophisticated design but it would be fun regardless.
 
No actually I have not had a regular Infinity Elite. I was more or less saying that based on knowledge of the ZRS, I'd just go that route. I was going off some comments Doug @Cameraland made about them. Kevin had some sort of a Promaster, but if I remember it was a 7x32 and one quality notch below.
 
I had a non ED Promaster Infinity Elite 8x32. Reviewed elsewhere in the forum (can no one use search ;) ). Very compact (just on theedge of being too small). Sharp but with a lot of stray light problems. It went back.

I have the previous version before that Promaster 7x32 which is a nice non phase-compensated roof design that's rather spoiled in it's implementation. Looks like a small "Chinese ED" i.e. longer focal length objective than you might expect. Cost $40. I kept it and it is my "sitting on the window ledge" bin. Again search for the review.
 
Yes, non-ED Elite from Promaster.
Infinity EL 8 x 32 Binoculars
"Prism Coating: Silver and phase coated."
Hmm, 95$ on Ebay for compact 8x32.. quality image for 95$ ??
(Zen store don't sell ZRS 8x32 now, only 8x42 ? ).

http://promaster.com/products/produ...culars&sm=sm2_601&dir=&page=PROD&product=6944


Steve,
I honestly forget, did you have the non ED Elite from Promaster?


I finally got ZRS arrived last Wednesday.
Overall, It goes by SP>ZRS>>Monarch. With its price of $170 ( I got their coupon deal), ZRS is a very good value for its quality.


On ebay http://stores.ebay.com/ScopeStop now sells
Pentax HRC on 200$ and SP on 300$. (http://stores.shop.ebay.com/DIGITAL-iSHOP__W0QQ_armrsZ1)
SP 8x32.. hmm.
7.5 degrees and you say, that its slightly sharper, than ZRS ?
 
Last edited:
The 8x32 SP is a beautiful little bin and one of my favorite 8x32s short of the big name Zeiss, Leica and Swaros. I could easily be content with it as a full time bin.

I don't mind stray light issues as much as Kevin so that non-ED Elite has me a bit intrigued. I need to find them on Ebay and put a bid in on one of them.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 15 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top