Cutting edge inventions are nothing new for Zeiss and its new generation Diascope houses the latest focusing technology. Zeiss introduces a dual speed focus within a single knob that automatically adapts the precision and fast focus to your needs. The optical excellence of the Diascope centers on the fluoride glass and multi-layer lens coatings that provide impressive brightness and contrast for images with little to no color fringing. The 85mm Diascope offers excellent light gathering ability in low light conditions and over long distances. Zeiss covers the Diascope with a limited lifetime transferable warranty.
Optical Features
| Fluorite Glass |
Enhances resolution, color, and contrast. |
| Fully Multi-coated Lenses |
Increase light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces. |
| BaK-4 Prisms |
Optimize light transmission through the prisms. |
Construction Features
| Porro Prism |
Offer maximum image quality and durability in a traditional design. |
| Angled Body Design |
Is favored by users of different heights for viewing without adjusting the tripod height as frequently. The angled design works well when viewing at an upward angle. |
| Dual Speed Focus |
Allows for precision with coarse and fine adjustments. |
| Magnesium Alloy Body |
Is sturdy and resistant to corrosion. |
| Rubber Armoring |
Provides a secure, non-slip grip. |
| Sunshade |
Reduces glare and shields the objective lens from raindrops. |
| Rotating Tripod Ring |
Allows greater flexibility when positioning the spotting scope. |
Design Features
| Waterproof |
Optics are sealed with O-rings to prevent moisture, dust, and debris from getting inside the spotting scope. |
| Fogproof |
Barrel is filled with nitrogen gas to inhibit internal fogging. |
| LotuTec® Lens Coating |
Repels water and residue on outer glass surfaces. |
Great scope
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11/27/2011
by
Russ from Vienna, VA
I've had this scope with the 20-60x zoom eyepiece for about 7 years. I love it and my main regret is that I did not get a scope of this quality years earlier. It is very bright and clear, and is fully competitive (IMHO) in its size class with any other high end scope.
I bought my dad a Pentax with similar optical specs, but about 50% of the price. There is no comparison with the scopes side by side, either for quality of image or ease of use. The Zeiss is far superior.
The angled eyepiece is good if you frequently have people of different heights looking through your scope, but you have to get used to aiming it. Not a problem for me now, but it drives people used to straight scopes crazy.
My one negative for my setup is that it is not parfocal with the zoom eyepiece. When you change the zoom magnification, you have to refocus. Obviously, if you are zooming in on a distant soaring hawk or a fast low flying duck, this is awkward and I have missed more than one bird trying to get the right focus after zooming from 20 to 60 times.
One last anecdote. I did not get the scope from EO and the vendor who I did buy it from packaged it with a cheap tripod and head. After having the scope about a year, I was carrying the scope across a parking lot and the head released, dropping the scope to the pavement from shoulder height. It was clearly messed up optically after that.
I sent it to Zeiss to repair and they shipped it back to Germany. It took them almost 6 months to get it back to me, but they replaced most of the optics including the zoom eyepiece for a $300 repair fee. Though the 6 month wait drove me crazy, the scope was basically like new when I got it back.
I immediately got the Zeiss cover and a top of the line Manfrotto tripod and head once I had the scope back. The moral for me was definitely not to be "penny wise and pound foolish" on the accompanying accessories.
DiaScope is Awesome!
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11/21/2011
by
zzbirder from Virginia
We have owned this scope for over 4 years and used it for birding all over the US. Also have a Swarovski 65mm (for air travel as carry-ons get smaller) and while both are good the Zeiss excels in distance and low light. On a carbon fiber tripod it is quite luggable and stable. The focus knobs can be a bit stiff in cold weather but I like the fine tuning. Coupled with a Canon Elph P&S I have done some decent digiscoping w/o having to fool with adapters/mounts (but check out Nikon P500 for real zoom power!). It is fantastic for shore and water birds. Can't tell you how many times I've identified birds that fellow birders with binocs couldn't even see. My wife and I are "Mutt and Jeff" height-wise so the angled eyepiece is a real boon. If you think of this as a lifetime investment it's probably cheaper than movie tickets...:-}.
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