Telescope Reviews: Mini -Review of Zeiss 7 x 42 ClassiC

Zeiss 7 x 42 B GA *T* *P* ClassiC Dialyt

A “non -technical” review by Kenny Jones

An Introduction :

The Zeiss 7 x 42 ClassiC is a Roof Prism binocular with a long history.

This model first appeared in July 1981 since when ,particularly in the first decade of existence , it gained a reputation with serious “birders” as being one of the very best binoculars ever produced , if not THE best .
It’s now dated design ( 23 years later ) has mixed consequences .

On the one hand , it is an instrument tried , trusted and adored by countless connoisseurs who surely can’t all be wrong , and one that never fails to impress anyone looking through one for the first time.

On the other hand , it’s outdated appearance and body texture , increasingly unfashionable low power , questionably over -sized exit pupil , odd shape and generic features such as rubber eyecups and narrow central focusing wheel seem to have slowly had the effect of removing it from people’s minds when it comes to considering the purchase of any of the very best low power binoculars currently available .

My primary uses of binoculars are for daytime terrestrial activities ranging from watching soccer and cricket from distances between roughly 50 and 100 yards , tracking aircraft , nature study and medium to long range landscape and seascape viewing.

Much of this type of viewing involves moving objects , and because of this I find 7x with an extra -wide field to be about the best compromise.

To me ANY binocular configuration is a compromise and there is definitely no such thing as any one “perfect binocular” , but for most of my type of viewing , this binocular comes as close as any I’ve ever tried in around 40 years of regular use. During the past 4 years I have become increasingly interested in astronomy , or at least in very basic sky -gazing for fun and relaxation, and for this hobby too , this is a very useful instrument that provides very satisfying views , particularly in darker sky locations.

Prior to the introduction of the Ultravid Range from Leica , and Victory 2 range from Zeiss , I spent many hours trying out practically every top quality binocular from the stables of those two legendary central European manufacturers , in addition to the most recent offerings that existed in early 2002 from Nikon and Swarovski , along with several other models that seemed very highly rated by other experienced binocular users , particularly from Pentax , Canon and Minox and I emerged convinced that this model , purely on optical performance , was still right up there with the very best of the best .

Nothing I have seen since then has changed my mind about that.

Phase correction, which is achieved by coating the prisms,is a feature added to the original model about a decade ago ,and corrects for an inherent “disadvantage” in a roof prism binocular as compared with porro prism models , and before it was introduced by Zeiss , and without it to this day , NO roof prism binocular would be capable of optically equalling the performance of the very best porro prism binoculars.

In fact,personally ,I am not yet convinced that even this vast improvement quite brings the very best roofs to an equal level optically speaking to the very best porro prism binocular I’ve ever used , which is undoubtedly the Nikon 8 x 32 Superior E.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Rubber Armoured Roof Prism
Centre Focus with Right diopter
7x magnification
42mm objective lenses
Exit -Pupil - 6mm
Weight -- 28 ozs -----800 gms
Height -- 7.5 inches - 190 mms
Width - - 5 inches -- 125mms ( at 67mm IPD setting )
Eye Relief - 19mm
Twilight Factor - 17.1
T.F.O.V -----8.6 degrees --- 450 feet at 1000 yds ---150 metres at 1000 metres.
A.F.O.V -----60.2 degrees
Waterproof -- YES according to Zeiss - No according to some.
Nitrogen Purged -- NO

UK price NEW in 2004 is around £575.

BUILD QUALITY

This robustness of this model is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that after many years of use in the field in all conditions by hundreds of die -hard birders I have never once heard a report of any being adversely affected by rain , moisture or physical shock. It looks and feels as if it would withstand an hour in a washing machine , followed by an hour in a dishwasher , followed by an hour in a tumble dryer although I would NOT recommend this be put to the test.

The slightly shiny rubber armouring does not conform to everyone’s idea of elegance or of being pleasing to the touch , but on both counts this feature presents no problem for me.

As mentioned above , the central focussing wheel is very narrow compared with those on almost every other binocular I’ve ever seen , and I must admit I do not particularly like the feature myself. Some users have commented on the stiffness of this narrow wheel , but I found that the movement gets looser with continued use, but tends to stiffen up again if it is very cold.

The focussing gear ratio is very positive , i.e it takes only a very slight adjustment to alter focus from an object 50 yards away to one 500 yards away.
In this respect it is the complete opposite of that of the original Swarovski EL models, which can require as much as a full turn to re -focus from near to far terrestrial objects.

The rubber eyecups are another feature which many people do not like , and which have clearly been improved upon for eye-glass wearers since the introduction of the twist -up / down -- pull -up / down type of adjustable eyecups found on almost every other top quality roof prism binocular ( including the Zeiss Victory models)

Unlike most people ,if not wearing my glasses ,I actually PREFER soft rubber eyecups to the harder flatter surfaces found on twist -up / pull -up types that all the other top end roofs have these days , and have long considered “winged” eyecups to be amongst the most underrated feature of any binocular. I have very deep set eyes below a very protruding brow and as a result I am particularly sensitive to and annoyed by extraneous light entering the eyecup areas.

Not that the eyecups on the Zeiss 7 x 42 are of the winged variety.

Coatings are Zeiss patented and have a distinct purple colour.

BASIC IMPRESSIONS

Until I started wearing glasses to correct for astigmatism and short -sightedness in both eyes ( worse in my left eye ) I had considered these binoculars to be EXCELLENT for daytime terrestrial use ,(particularly when viewing objects from the “closest -focus” distance of around 11 feet up to around 100 yards, between which distances the experience of looking through them literally DOES appear as though you are simply standing 7x closer to the object)
but lacking somewhat for astronomy use.

I could never seem to attain that sharp , crisp , “diamonds against black velvet” effect that I had read about other people experiencing with some of the top Japanese binoculars from Nikon , Fujinon and Takahashi , and presumed this was the downside of it being an extra -wide field binocular optimised for daytime use. My glasses seem to have eliminated about 80% of that.

There is still some field curvature at the edges but with such a whopping wide 8.6 degree TFOV I don’t even need to look near the edges really.

I’m not a walking encyclopaedia of the heavens ,but all I can say is that these binos offer seriously NICE wide -field views of the night skies with pin-point stars.
At 7x the image is easy to hold steady , which is just as well because like my other most favourite binocular , the Nikon SE 8 x 32 , it has NO facility for a tripod adaptor. Lying on my back on a comfortable sun -lounger on a warm early autumn night in the Mediterranean or Canary Islands with these at my eyes is one of the greatest “outer -body” pleasures I have ever experienced.

In daylight ,the image through these 7 x 42s is brighter than that through ANY 7 x 50 binocular I’ve ever used.

Although not strictly “optical “terminology, I think most readers will understand my non -technical description of the image being almost unbelievably bright , sharp , crisp and clear.

When testing against very bright and highly contrasting objects next to each other I have never noticed the slightest sign of chromatic aberration( green, yellow and blue coloured rings around objects are something I HAVE spotted in both Nikon and Swarovski roof prism binoculars which cost a good deal more)

Speaking of colours , colour rendition through this binocular is pleasantly neutral ,yet retaining a "vibrancy" factor which seems to inject extra life into fauna and flora.Through it, a study of plant leaves from a distance of about 20 feet displays variations in colour shades as subtle as those found on paint colour charts, with every shadow , crevice and complex detail seemingly even more apparant than if viewed by naked eye from 2 feet away.

Every single person I have allowed to look through these binoculars has reacted with almost disbelieving “wow” comments.

Realising this review has probably gone on too long already I will conclude with an attempt to summarise my feelings about this model.

In my opinion it’s most outstanding features are :

1. Incredibly bright , clear , sharp images.
2. Extra - Wide field of 8.6 degrees ( 450 feet at 1000yds ) ( 150m at 1000m ).
3. Because of 1 and 2 above - and it’s “low “ 7x power - great “ease “ of view.
4. Excellent resolution and contrast and good depth of field.

Features that COULD be improved upon include

1. The narrow focusing wheel .
2. There is some doubt about whether or not this model is truly waterproof.
3. Not everyone likes the feel of the rubber armour.
4. The “all inter -connected ” bino , case , rainguard and lanyard is a good idea but one which I personally find rather annoying.

My bottom line is this :

If anyone is seriously considering spending up to £1000 UK for a low -power binocular , I greatly urge them to at least TRY this model ( for around half the price of some) before making their final decision.

Kenny Jones , March 2004.

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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton

Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera