Zeiss Victory SF 10x42

I had been following the development and long anticipated release of this new Victory SF range of binoculars back in 2016. I couldn’t wait to see what Zeiss were going to bring to the table in terms of cutting-edge optics, but more than that, something that had been designed from the ground up specifically to cater for the birdwatching market.

I have owned many different configurations of Zeiss binoculars over the years and up until the point in time when the new SF was due to be released, I was using the somewhat bulky 12x50 BGAT model. It was a fantastic piece of equipment but heavy and prone to eye cup degradation - as the rubber aged it would perish.

With the promise of great ergonomics, balance, light weight and genuinely wide field of view the Victory SF looked sure to dominate its predecessors of the Victory FL and HT lines so I made a bee line to purchase them as soon as possible. I wanted the 10x42 configuration because the field of view was so good and wouldn’t be too much of a compromise compared with the 8x magnification models. I wanted binoculars to bring the image closer, to see details in my observations – the whites of the eyes.

Given that my previous binoculars were on the heavy side, coupled with the fact that I would be using my new purchase for prolonged periods of time, hiking in Scotland and the Pyrenees with them meant that the relatively light weight of the 10-power model would be a great option for spotting golden eagles and vultures respectively. If I was heading out for the mountains and really desired to close down the gap between me and the birds (which for the most part would be more than 50 yards away), I had to take the bigger magnification model with me. (Tip: Don’t wear the supplied neck strap next to bare skin wearing a T shirt hiking in direct sunlight for 9 and a half hours – it will rub your skin right off without you knowing. Owch! Lesson learned. Silly me).

After testing the 8x power, because that was all that was initially available, I knew the 10 would surpass my goals and aspirations. In fact, I was so keen I tested one of the first pairs available in the UK and was sold on the big brother and up until that point in time, they were the best binoculars I had ever used.
What did I like about them? Not only is this model light in weight, but it is specifically well balanced, tipping the ocular end into the eye socket where the fulcrum of your hands is then slightly relieved of some of the weight load. If you are in the habit of resting your eye pieces comfortably in your eye socket then this may be advantageous to you for prolonged use. Having said that, I like to hold the binocular with more grip when tracking and moving from target to target, and so although this feature is beneficial for observing stationary wildlife when you are stood up using them, it may not be the way you use them for the majority of the time when panning. The idea is great in principle and it does work exceptionally well, but perhaps not for all your observations which include sweeping movement. With the greater weight being at the ocular end, the balance in use is none-the-less superb and feels reassuringly correct whether you rest them on your eye socket or choose not to. When stood observing for a long time, this is when this feature comes into its own.

When I discovered that this model range of binoculars had been designed by Gerold Dobler, formerly optics design engineer for Swarovski and then chief product designer for Zeiss, I was totally enamoured with the fact that these had been designed by a super-experienced bird watcher and expert in his field. It was like a personal mission to innovate for birders that would be out in the field using their binoculars for a long time, perhaps dawn until dusk.
What are some of the other advantages about these binoculars for birders and in fact hunters too? It has to be their ease of use. You can lift, place and even focus these binoculars very easily with just one hand. Why is this important? It’s just that much less fatiguing and tiring to use. Instead of starting the countdown in your head as to when you are no longer comfortably able to use them, as if in some way you have to only use them in measured shifts of time, you can have prolonged observational stretches without as much effort.

This fact alone makes them a joy to use, simply from the point of view that you can use them more of the time to you are out and this in turn translates into seeing and observing more of the natural world you may otherwise miss. This is not insignificant if you have spent thousands of pounds on your safari holiday or trip into the jungle. The least you can do is see as much of what you came to see as possible. For me, the weight of the binocular has become one of the most significant criteria by which to assess them by for this reason.

If you can’t use them for long, you are compromising your observation experience. From this perspective, field of view almost takes second place in importance, and yet with this model, even the field of view is not compromised. Their stunning 120m at 1000m means you don’t miss out on the action at this higher power. If you are not taking a spotting scope with you, taking these 10x is almost a ‘no-brainer’. Why? Amazingly they weight the same as the 8x power model, which is really impressive. Yes, the 8x have an incredible field of view of 148m at 1000m, which of itself is an indulgent experience and very hard to beat and perhaps the way to go if you are also taking your scope with you. Find your target and drill down, but with the 10x, finding your target is never a problem and they are no heavier. For me it’s a win-win situation.

Additionally, these binoculars benefit from what is now a much refined and is arguably the slickest focusing control I have ever used. They are a joy to use and the images are not as cool as the HT line but more neutral without being warmed up like in the Leica models. You could say their colours are more representative of what you are actually seeing with the unaided eye. Colour contrast could be more dynamic but it isn’t missed, instead it’s more relaxed and natural. You focusing finger also is more relaxed as the focusing knob is in line with your hand’s natural position – another major ergonomic bonus for prolonged use.

I was disappointed with the grey mark one version due to a quality control issue with differing colour rendition and brightness between barrels, which when I realized was there, really bugged me. I want consistency at this price, not a combinative effect between barrels to produce and overall rendered image. I first noticed it in lower light conditions before sunset on Dartmoor. This was after I had been to Bird Fair and the Zeiss team upgraded my eye cups to a newer version as employed in the soon following black version mark 2. My focuser and eye cups for that matter had never manifest any issues for me, but some users had suffered yellowing of they grey body armour and plasticky sound rotation of the focus knob. I was assured at the show that no optical upgrades had been made in the newer black version and that they were in fact internally exactly the same…

I have to say I was somewhat perturbed that the newer version came out so soon after the mark 1 with the aforementioned improvements. That and the quality control issue was mildly upsetting to say the least. When you buy one, you want a good one. Although every binocular is different from each brand, the perceptible differences should be virtually zero at these prices. Swarovski’s quality control I have found to be better, but I was impressed with Zeiss’ initiative in upgrading my eye cups…at the Bird Fair show.

That was a few years ago now and I have tried the newer version and found the unit I used to be flawless. The ergonomics are stunning for my large size hands and the images are scintillating with great definition even at dusk thanks to superb modern coatings and big prisms.

They are also immense fun to use for digi-binning and can enhance your digital photographic images with beautiful depth of field and bokeh of out of focus highlights.

If you buy the 10 you will still enjoy the 8 and vice-vesa. They are both so good in their respective camps. It’s a bit like trying to choose between a knife and fork. The 10 though is the knife which can also do the job of the fork very well, whereas the fork will never cut quite like a knife.

I have used many different binoculars in the past and last year I decided to buy once and for all. I checked Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica and Nikon. I prefer these Viictory SF binoculars over all others.