Thought I'd post a query to those forum members who own or have access to one of these Chinese ED-roofs. I currently have for testing one sample of the Hawke Frontier ED 8x43, which has a stated field of view of 426 feet/1000yds or 8.2 degrees. As part of my usual testing procedures, I measure the linear field as centimeters at 10 meters, measuring the widest diagonal (in this case top-bottom of the field) I can fit inside the field-stop, with the eyecup fully retracted, binocular mounted on a tripod. To avoid having magnification differences between close/far focus from influencing the reading, I focused the binocular to 1km. In this test setup, the field width was 134cm, which translates to 134m/1km or ca 400ft/1000yds or ca 7.7 degrees. The result for both tubes was the same to within a cm.
Now it would be interesting if others could duplicate these measurements, which are easy and quick to do if one has a measuring tape and some means of holding the binoculars immobile. Is the field the same for the Zen-Ray as for the Hawke, and has the field-stop been altered in one or the other since their production started?
Kimmo
Good test Kimmo,
I found this earlier when I tested the Zens against my MeoStars. The Meopta has a FOV of 411 and I posted the Zens FOV fit well within the MeoStars FOV.
No one else would confirm this though.
Cheers
My quick measurements were at 10 yards, tape horizontal across the field. It was a nasty cold day and I had a bad cold, so the measurements need to be re checked anyway. I had the ZEN ED 8x43 as 425' @ 1,000, which is right at specification of 426'. The 8x42 Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED was 404', vs the listed 393'.
I will re do the test this weekend using the same method as kimmo and will post here what I get.
I will say that from the brief time I had a Meopta Meostar 8x42 alongside the ZEN ED 8x43, the Meopta definitely was not obviously wider. They actually seemed pretty close, but the specified fov is pretty close too. Too close for me to notice without seriously looking for it, which I wasn't.