Description
Zeiss Victory HT 8x42 Price - *1459.00 Pros Faultless, *Best in class* image quality Quality materials throughout Solid build and quality finish Top level performance Zeiss badge! Aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically superb Cons Diopter slightly stiff on first use Background Zeiss*everyone with an interest in optics from cameras to telescopes to microscopes will have probably heard of them. Zeiss are a German company which has been flexing its optical muscles for decades and is the creator of models like the Dialyt, which are still optically superb and highly thought of. The previous generation Victory FL binocular was very nice to use and was a superb rival to the Swarovski EL. Now updated to the *HT* model let*s see if the Zeiss quality remains and whether it matches, or betters, the excellent Swarovski SV. Design While other manufacturers are using the *open hinge* design, Zeiss has stuck with the more traditional design for their Victory HT. The Victory HT isn*t the most compact binocular but is fantastic to hold and never feels a burden to carry. Zeiss has clearly put thought into the design of the Victory HT. The rubber armouring feels strong, the eyecups are comfortable and little bits of detailing give this binocular a quality appearance with strength to match. Even the Zeiss labelled rainguard have a quality feel and out of the box this is a quality binocular. The mechanics are what you would expect of Zeiss, silky smooth. Precise focusing is very easy with the Victory HT thanks to a fantastically smooth and freely rotating focus wheel which also has a quality rubber finish to provide grip when fine focusing. Unlike the Conquest HD the focusing isn*t overly critical which makes it very easy to adjust. For design the Victory HT is as good as it gets in the binocular world. Robust and easy to use while being very traditional Zeiss in appearance and having a quality feel. Optics This is crunch time now for the Victory HT. It looks and feels great but what about to use? Has Zeiss pulled off a master stroke and bettered the fantastically engineered Swarovski SV? Short answer*.YES! The image is bright and crisp on first view and as you adjust to it the sharpness, clarity and perfect colour representation come into play, there is no tint at all. Objects appear to jump out at you. This may only be an 8x binocular but somehow everything appears much bigger, closer to a 10x than an 8x. The field of view is also superb meaning the Victory HT is useful for a variety of scenarios. When something is this good, or in some cases bad, it is very hard to describe how good (or bad) that thing is. To sum it up very simply the Victory HT, for us, is THE top binocular for optics that money can buy. To top the Swarovski SV takes something truly special and when you pick up the Zeiss Victory HT you can feel just how special it is. The moment you look through it you are witnessing the best that money can buy in the world of binoculars, they are simply fantastic and have set a new standard for brightness, sharpness and overall optical quality. Current owners of Swarovski binoculars may not *upgrade* to the Zeiss Victory HT, but those looking for a top of the range binocular then look no further. Conclusion The Zeiss Victory HT 8x42 has been a very easy binocular to review, there is just so little to fault about it. Optically its unmatched, Swarovski owners may not agree, and they have good reasons not to, but for us the Zeiss Victory HT just has that little bit more, the margins are fine but they are noticeable and at this price it*s important to know you are getting the best out there. Overall Zeiss has produced a superbly built binocular of the finest quality. Some may find it a touch heavy but in reality it*s actually lighter than the Swarovski SV.
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