Zeiss Victory 8x32 T* FL LT Binocular (Black)

I purchased this binocular to use when flying and when hiking steep hills. It reduces weight and needed space. The quality seems to be as good as there is. I would take off a fraction of a point because the focus is slightly quick.

i have had many binoculars that i use in hunting this is very good binoculars, had this a year and i like it , small light weight and one good lens never hurt my eyes looking in them when hunting ,i tested this in hunting very clear and when i mean clear its clear see game far away lens are 32 but still better then 42 mm lens i used so far pricy but good no complaints on this worth the price

I am a Volunteer in Parks (VIP) with the U.S. National Park Service, presently working in Pinnacles National Park, CA. I work in Resource Management & work in the Cal Condor & Prairie Falcon projects, as well as Trail Roving with our Visitors. This ZEISS Victory 8x32 FL is both light weight, a small package for my day pack, & more importantly a precise bino. It has excellent low-light capabilities, super bright light-gathering qualities, & great clarity. I have other binos & scopes, & this bino fits well into my field pack & is light weight w/o sacrificing quality! I purchased the Demo version & am well satisfied. The Customer Service @ EO is great & super helpful. I would recommend this bino as a primary optic or adjunct to others in your tool kit! The EO folks are tops! jbw

I have spent a fair amount of time with these birding in Saudi Arabia, the Bahamas and Wisconsin. Yes the optics are world class, but the best part is the perfect ergonomics. They are light and fit my medium male size hands well, making them easy to keep on target and reducing eye fatigue. The rubber covering is just right in hot, and humid environments and also cleans well.
I'll be very happy with these for the next 15 years!

This may be the best bargain in German binoculars. The glass is as good as any, the mechanics and ergonomics are top notch. We use it primarily for hunting, but also for bird watching, and it really comes through in the early and late minutes of the day when light is scarce.

I have use these medium sized Zeiss FL's for several years for birding and general observation on hikes and travel. I always observe wearing eyeglasses. Zeiss FL 8x32's are extraordinary and match the view, weight, focus smoothness, and ergonomics of top 8x32's from Leica and Swarovski (I haven't compared them to the new Swarovision 8x32 EL's).

I was curious about the recent (03/27/12) one-star review of this binocular. The one-star reviewer wrote that his Zeiss 8x32 were excellent when used without eyeglasses. So I assume that his binoculars were not manufacturing defects or damaged during shipping.

But how did he get a "tiny peephole" view when he viewed with eyeglasses? Zeiss describes one of the features of these glasses as, "four position click-stop eyecups". To go from fully extended (for viewing without eyeglasses) to the fully retracted (maximum eye-relief) position for eyeglass wearers, you must adjust through ALL four click-stops. If you don't, eyeglasses + extended eyecups allow you to convert one of the world's best views into a "tiny peephole".

I wrote this review because I appreciate the high level of skill and engineering that manufacturers put into the very best binoculars, and the Zeiss 8x32 T* FL is a member of that class.

I just ordered, tested and returned a pair of Zeiss 8x32 T FL binoculars. The eye relief for this binocular line is only 16mm. Respecting the incredible quality Zeiss binoculars offer I will admit that when I took my glasses off and focused the image was absolutely incredible, as well as the brightness and field of view. But, as a lifetime eyeglass wearer I cannot with a clear conscience recommend these bins to anyone who wears glasses. With glasses it's as if you're looking through a teeny tiny peep hole at a construction site. My other pair of binoculars are a pair of Meopta Meopro 8x42s. Meopta binoculars are excellent for eyeglass wearers and a tremendous value for the price. In my humble opinion, if you wear glasses look for bins with an eye relief > or = to 18mm. The Swarovskis I have tested offer bins with this level of eye relief.

This is a superb pair of binoculars in terms of function and form. It has excellent optical characteristics, and is wonderful to hold and use. It rivals my beloved Leica Trinovid 8x32 BN, and then some. In addition to the spectacularly bright and sharp view, it has very well developed ergonomics that facilitates holding, carrying and using the binoculars for extended period of time. Its highly tuned focus wheel has movements that are just in the exact middle between stiff and smooth. It is a treat for myopic users when they want to enjoy the full scene without the glasses, yet offers excellent field of view with the glasses on. Eagle Optics provided excellent service with an extremely hard-to-beat price.

Bought a pair of Zeiss Victory FL 8x32 binoculars, and are they amazing! Incredibly bright and sharp, and the focus is buttery smooth.
I've taken them on several day hikes and they have become my favorite pair of binoculars.
These were a pair of demos, but they arrived in perfect condition.
Highly recommended!

Recently got these binocs based on online reviews and have been very pleased. It is winter now and I am able to use them quite easily with mittens (a plus!). The optics are bright and clear. I have developed a minor physical disability that made it difficult to focus and hold steady my other pair of high-end optics (now residing with a lucky friend). I was anxious these would not meet my needs but they are beautiful, light, clear, easy, and steady. I am anticipating lots of birding from now on. These are small enough to pack anywhere.

I have been fortunate to have used some of the best rated binoculars of their time. In the '90s I had a pair of B&L Elites. I might still be using them if I hadn't left them on the roof of the car one sad day. After trying Swift Ultra-lites for a year, I bought a pair of Nikon 8x32 Superior E's. They were wonderful for 12 years, but finally accumulated enough damage to warrant replacing them. I wanted to stay with the very best view available. After six months of reading, talking, and testing, I settled on the Zeiss 8x32 Fl. As amazingly good as the Nikons were, these are even better. They have a quicker yet lighter focus, wider field of view, and seem to have a greater depth of field. They are the quickest glasses to get on a bird that I have ever used. Add on the excellent lense cap arrangement, and compact, well padded case, and they are just a little better than anything else available.

I've never regretted buying a Zeiss 65 mm Diascope Spotting Scope several years ago. So, although I have a fine mid-level 8 x 32 binocular of another brand, I tested the Zeiss Victory 8 x 32 FL Binocular when I was at Cape May in 2009. I decided to purchase it last month, January 2011. I like everything about it--the light weight, the field of view, the responsive focus knob and especially the clarity and brightness, characteristics I have relied upon with the Diascope. I am a 75 year old female birder.Clarity and brightness are important to me, particularly since the majority of my birding is done in Oregon, often in low light and cloudy and rainy conditions. The rain guard and lens cover accessories are also an asset. The transferable lifetime warranty enhances the investment.

I own two pairs of top of line 8x32 optics and by far prefer my Zeiss. They are extremely bright and several ounces lighter than my other pair. To date they have worked perfectly and without defect and I have now owned this pair for several years. I also own a full size 8x42 but have found that over the years this is too much weight to be carrying around on a full day of birding. Besides a side by side comparison between the two revealed that the 8x32 Zeiss outperformed the 8x42 Leica trinovids. Another great aspect of this 8x32 Zeiss is the close focus. All in all an excellent bin for the serious birder. I should say one of the reasons for my preferring a light bin is that I also frequently am toting along a Cannon EOS 50d which weighs a ton. So having a light bin is extremely helpful. I love the case that comes with this bin which is small and attaches to your belt which again makes this binocular easy to have with you at all times.

These Zeiss Victory 8x32 T* FL LT binoculars were exactly as described. Even though they were Demos, you would never know it. Since I use them often, I enlarged my vest pocket, so they just fit. I especially like the focus locking mechanism. With proper care, they should last a lifetime.

My biggest question prior to ordering a pair of Zeiss Victory 8x32 T* FL LT binoculars was are they really worth over $2000? In my 50 years of birding I have owned about six pairs of quality binoculars including the vintage heavyweight Swift 8,5 x 44 Audubon, Leica 10x40 BGA, B&L 8 x42 Elite (circa 1977), Swarovski 10x42 ELs, and several Nikon compact models. I didn’t really need new binoculars, but the allure of Sharper, Brighter, Lighter, Faster, plus the promise of a significant rebate on the obviously inflated price convinced me to order a pair with the firm resolve that I would return them within the trial period if not fully satisfied.

It is now three months later. I have used the FLs for at least 80 hours in the field and I am pleased with the purchase. They have not fully displaced my ELs as my favorite all-around pair, but the FLs do have notable advantages over any of the other pairs I have owned. First, they are very lightweight. A few ounces or even fractions of an ounce may not seem like much, but this lightweight pair is easier to hold for long periods of study without a brace and they eliminate neck strain, even without the harness that I find almost essential with the ELs. This means I both wear them more and can take them on or off more easily, while driving to work, for example. I have been learning digiscoping recently. With the additional burden of a digital camera, scope, tripod, adapters, etc., anything that lightens and simplifies my overall field kit, but still commands a wide range of superior optical capability enhances the experience. The FLs are a better complement to my full birding battle dress uniform than any of the other pairs I own.

I travel internationally frequently and always pack my binoculars in carry on luggage. The light weight, compact size and well-designed, durable, lens covers make this the clear choice for birding trips abroad.

As far as I can tell, Zeiss implies that the Lotec lens coating makes this instrument worth more than models with the previous lens coating. Lenses still fog quickly going from cold to warm environnments I gained more advantage from the actual lens covers more conveniently applied and removed than on my other pairs of binoculars.

Other positive features I like include the very wide angle of view, very sharp images, and easy focusing. I have big hands and my interpupilary distance is wider than many binoculars accommodate. These FLs fit my eyes and my hands well. It has been easy to find and manipulate the focus wheel, even with gloves on. I judge overall ease and speed of focusing of the FL’s as much superior to the ELs. Minimum focus distance was adequate for my purposes.

As an eye-glass wearer, both long eye relief and “naked eye” infinity focus compensation (to accommodate my high degree of near-sightedness when viewing without my glasses) were critical performance criteria. If I was not completely impressed in both of these respects, I would have returned the purchase. The FLs fully met my expectations more completely than any of the other binoculars I have owned.

The FLs have two obvious limitations in comparison to some of the other quality binoculars I have owned. In low light conditions such as at dawn or dusk or on very dark days, they do not provide images as bright as binoculars with larger objective lenses. Similarly, if I don’t have my scope, I find the difference between 8X and 10X binoculars is significant for identifying distant raptors, shorebirds or waterfowl.

Overall, if you can afford the price and want every marginal optical and quality advantage conferred by the best binoculars on the market, this model is a good candidate and you will never need to buy another pair… until the next even more expensive, technically advanced miracle instrument comes along.

Will Weber
JOURNEYS International, Inc.
Ann Arbor, Michigan

This Zeiss does everything right. It's compact, lightweight, razor sharp, and bright. The fast focus is a real treat--light, quick and exact. Plenty of eye relief means an easy, relaxed view even with glasses. I prefer mid-size binoculars and these are among the very best.

I am a confirmed 8x32 binocular user/owner. I was fortunate enough to be working when prices were still in the range of almost affordable and ended up with a pair of Swarovskis, Leicas, and Zeiss in this size. I do international birding and may spend 12-16 hours with bins around my neck, so I put a premium on weight, but still need quality. I've never felt I sacrificed an ID to low light conditions with a 32. The optics in all 3 glasses are superb. The Zeisss T*FL may have a bit more "pop", but really hard to choose between them. The Swarovskis have slightly wider field of view, but this is negligible. The Leicas are smallest, lightest, the Swarovskis the largest, heaviest. I think the Swarovski ELs feel the most comfortable in my hand, but this is offset by the weight and length. Where the difference is really noticeable is in the mechanics. The ELs have the usual Swarovski problem of long throw (revolutions from min-max focus).