Thread: Zen Ray ED3? other options?

I have a pair of vortex viper HD and i love em they come with a no questions asked warranty.. I had them along side $4000 swaros in bright clear conditions and i couldn't see the difference. They are ergonomic and compact definitely worth a look

what is the wieght those vipers we another one that kept popping up when researching, they look fantastic not particularly light but it seems like you have to go big $$ to get light

Originally Posted by scottrods

bugger all supprt for ZR's though. Digit can try as best as possible but he indicated to me that ZR no longer supporting older models in NZ, so my ED2's are never going to get any support

Digit is no longer the agent, but I've never seen anything to suggest ZR will stop honouring warranties because they don't have a local agent? Or do you mean something else by 'Supporting'? Its a pretty ambiguous term.

We still support the warranty on the Zens by sending the optics back to the USA for repair.
The reason we no longer bring them in is that we cant be competitive with the likes of Cameraland and Zen-Ray themselves. The wholesale margins on the Zens were around 25-30%. We pay gst on everything we import whereas almost all of the zen ray range fitted under the NZ gst threshold. Cameraland sells thousands of dollars of zens to NZers per month. We didnt get anywhere near that amount of sales even though we were the ones that introduced these binoculars to NZ and raised the profile here to a point where cameraland and zen-ray now cash in big time.

Its no skin off our nose though and they are still the best binocular available for anywhere near the money. We still tell consumers to buy direct from Zen Ray and we still support our own customers who purchased through us for warranty. Unfortunately if you buy from overseas you are on your own for warranty.

The Vipers I think are a budget version of the Zens - but sell for more here in NZ? Likewise with the top of the range spotting scope.

If you are looking for a great value binocular you cant beat Zen Ray.

of all the zens which one is the one to go for Digit?

how can anyone not like you when your such a good bugger

Zen-Ray PRIME HD Binoculars from Zen-Ray Optics ?

ZRS HD 8x32 Binoculars SUMMIT from Zen-Ray Optics

And how do mid and compact binos compare with full size?

ZRS are excellent value. I put them a step ahead of the Minox HG when comparing side by side. This was observing resolution and chromatic aberation. They were a giant step ahead of the Nikon Monarchs.
The ED3's are another level up again with better CA handling and better resolution. The ED glass requires a longer design though so the ED3 is bigger and heavier than the ZRS.
Rumour has it that the Primes are the same as the Leupold Gold Rings that are no longer manufactured, but built to a higher? spec for Zen-Ray. But thats just rumour.
Personally I wouldnt use compact binos for extended observation. If you are glassing for longer periods I would go for a full size bino.

Is the prime worth the extra coin over the ED3?

I never got the chance to do a comparison with the Prime.

Originally Posted by Bill999

Is the prime worth the extra coin over the ED3?

I recently imported a pair of the 'open box' ED3 10x43 units from CameralandNY. Landed for well under $500 - no issues at all .

I've always used 8 power binoculars , what advantages or disadvantages are there to 10 power ?
What do you guys prefer ?

Ken

Originally Posted by Pop Shot

I recently imported a pair of the 'open box' ED3 10x43 units from CameralandNY. Landed for well under $500 - no issues at all .

what do you mean "open box"?

Open box = demo models Pop shot?

There about 369 from Zen Ray direct. I’m interested to here of any comparisons between the ED3 and the prime HD before I buy a pair.

Originally Posted by Ground Control

I've always used 8 power binoculars , what advantages or disadvantages are there to 10 power ?
What do you guys prefer ?

Ken

10x power for most work and 15x for long range Sika