Telescope Reviews: Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT v 7 x 42 FL

The road sweeper from that celestially forsaken place called Tyneside has been pestering me for some time now to carry out a side by side comparison between my Zeiss dialyt 7 x 42 classic and his 7 x 42 FL .

Note that in spite of having owned the FLs for about a year now , and having been a regular contributor to the CN forums ever since ( apart from immediately following a brief spell of dummy throwing from his pram ) the acid - tongued one has made no attempt to write a review of his own , through which to enlighten us shallower - pocketed souls .

Having no access to personal transport or computer , and refusing to provide a personal telephone number through which to contact him , I'm not sure just HOW this man expects ME to meet him to conduct such a bino shoot - out .

In any case , given his record of having accused me of :

(a) bestiality ( with repeated references to my passion for sheep watching )

(b) bisexuality ( with comments about a gold necklace which was presented to me as a gift )

(c) miserliness ( with repeated derogatory comments about a shirt I own )

(d) having doubtable origins and social status ( with reference to my physical appearance ) and ,

(e) suffering from a form of insanity which at one time was believed to be affected by changes of the moon --

to list but FIVE different lines of personal attack , I am surprised this man has the nerve to even dare meet me in the flesh ( expecially given my clear advantage by ways of intellectual capacity , wordly experience and a strongly suspected advantage in REACH )

Of course , so little is actually known about the physical attributes of Napier , that for all we know he could be a six foot six , 300 pound , kick - boxing champion , but let me assure you folks -- even if he is , he will not frighten me .

When I wrote my review of the 7 x 42 BGAT , the few aspects I suggested COULD be improved upon , included the narrow central focussing wheel , those foldable rubber eyecups ( for wearers of glasses and the fashion conscious especially ) the " waterproofing " and the general appearance of the binocular ( debatable at worst ).

I might even have mentioned the slightly noticeable CA too , at the very edges of the field of view .

Well , it would seem that ALL those points have been addressed by Zeiss in the FL model , which has now officially superceded the old classic .

That much ( or little ), plus the ability to focus slightly closer with the FLs , can be quite safely deduced from a cursory glance at the technical specifications and promotional spiel offered on Zeiss web sites .

Apart from those things ( which may well prove worth the not inconsiderable 35% price difference to SOME people ) and that strange but true "status symbol factor " associated with " owning the best " which affects many of us , it WOULD , I concede , be interesting to ACTUALLY compare the two side by side .

Obviously , in the case of these two owners , the presence of a REFEREE may prove prudent .

I will keep members posted of any further developments , but don't hold your breath -- this Napier is an elusive character .

Regards , Kenny

--------------------
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