Are todays binoculars really better than they have ever been ? .Obviously they are lighter and made of exotic materials , and nitrogen purged , but have the optics taken a significant leap ? . the reason i ask is i consider the zeiss 7*42 classic , yet to be bettered , does anyone agree / disagree ?.
The optical design of the Zeiss 7x42 Classic has most of bells and whistles of current roof prism binoculars despite its age. High transmisssion Abbe-Koening prisms, phase coating, and multi-coatings. Check the information I left on your thread "Best bins?".
Ive just changed my Ziess 7x42s for Leica Ultravid 8x42s these were 15 years old and when i looked through a new pair at the Bird Fair last year i could see they had made internal improvements the image looked slightly sharper,and slightly less flare.If buying new then image wise there's not likely to be much in it,but they are an old design eg rubber eye cups,narrow focusing wheel, and worst of all the diopter focus always moves so i had to stick mine down with tape.This design was good in the late 80s but Ziess should have revamped this model.Dont know why they still dont optically they are as good as any thing on the market.