Customer Reviews

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Good Optics For the Money Review by BigDog

Value
Quality
Price

I purchased these binoculars specifically for 3D archery at distances under 50 yards and in low light conditions. The optics are good for those distances, as are the low light capabilities. I would definitively like to see better fitting lens caps and retention systems to protect the glass. Overall, I am pleased with my purchase. (Posted on 5/6/12)

Excellent Review by Phil

Price
Value
Quality

Very good. rubber lens caps are easy to loose. (Posted on 1/10/12)

back up bins Review by jackouk

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Value
Quality

I live in the uk and my primary use for bins is birding, however all I want them for is to identify and watch our feathered friends and not as a fashion accessory, so I'm not gonna spend hundreds on Swaros etc. Also bearing in mind that optics in the UK are way overpriced anyway, I had previously purchased a pair of 8x43 ed2s and had them for about 18 months but wanted something a bit more compact and lighter for holidays and also when lumping a scope around.
I have had the zrs for about a month or so and they are so good that they are now my everyday binocular. They are almost equal optically to the ed2 with the possible exception of skywatching, which I'll come to in a while. The minor differences only become noticeable with a side by side comparison.
The image of the ed2 pops more - more like your'e walking into the image and this may be due to the greater depth of field. The slightly less field of view is not an issue to me and I haven't really noticed any extra focussing due to the depth of field. ED glass improves fringing so the ed2 should perform better and it does slightly - I have to look for fringing but the zrs are not far behind in this, but they aren't quite as good which could be the reason the ed2 seem slightly clearer when skywatching.
Resolution on a test chart is slightly better on the ed2s but not noticeable in the field and brightness, colour and contrast are equal.
Taking everything into consideration, except the price, the zrs are superb and the compactness overides the slightly better optical performance for me, I have not come to a birding situation where the ed2s would have given me any benefit.. Add the price of these and they are unbelievable, even with import duty added.
The ed2 are superb and the best binoculars I have ever used but the zrs are so close as to be negligable. Roll on zrs eds!

(Posted on 9/13/11)

Better than expected Review by coin hound

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Value
Quality

I bought these to replace a much more expensive brand. NO REGRETS.

Much better than my Nikon or Leupolds.

Took them to PA last weekend--the sights were stellar.

On par with my Minox HGs. (Posted on 8/30/11)

Excellent binoculars for travel Review by HikersRS

Price
Value
Quality

I bought 2 of these before going to Alaska with my family. We took 2 other pair (smaller and cheaper) we already owned. We ended up sharing the Zenrays because they were far superior. The view through the binoculars was crisp and clear. They are heavier and bigger than the most compact binoculars but well worth carrying if you are viewing birds, animals, scenery. We spent a lot on the trip and using the Zenrays the binoculars truly enhanced our experience! (Posted on 7/22/11)

Incredible Value Review by Ryan

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Value
Quality

I had to purchase these after borrowing a pair from my friend. He has these as well as a pair of ED2 10x43's that he let me try out before I decided to purchase mine. Since this would be my first purchase of binoculars I wanted to try out as many kinds as I could. And luckily I knew someone that had many different pairs of them that I could try out. He immediately tried to sell me on the Zen-Ray brand and I am glad he did. Because after comparing them to the others, there was simply no comparison when you consider the quality vs the cost of the binoculars. Then after comparing the ED2 to the ZRS HD, I knew the ZRS was for me. It is just too good of a value to pass up. To me it was the fact that I was getting a pair of binoculars that was 90% of the value of the ED2 for half the price.
In the near future I will have a pair of ED3's, but the ZRS HD is an incredible value for someone not willing to step up to the ED line just yet. (Posted on 7/8/11)

Sharp. Review by Christina

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Quality

These binoculars are very sharp, and contrasty. I just finished spending some time looking at the birds in my backyard. We have a male cardinal who has lived here for years. When you look at him from a distance he is perfectly red. I watched him drinking out of the dogs trough in the kennel, and was surprised to see how much black coloration he had on his head and body. His wings were not full red either, but streaked with lighter and darker colors. These binoculars opened up a new world. Well worth the money spent. (Posted on 7/5/11)

Great option for the Bullseye shooter/Camp Perry Review by Brad (Ohio)

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Price

I am a Bullseye pistol shooter by hobby. On the line at Camp Perry every year I see many different makes/models of scopes and binoculars. Since most of us buy our own gear we are always on the look out for the best priced optics. For example, I use a Kowa TSN-602 (60mmm objective) spotting scope with a 20x-40x eyepiece when I am shooting. As this scope is currently the best glass I have (my old Jason binoculars just do not count) I compared the ZRS HD 8x42's to the scope.

Side by side comparisons, with the scope on a tripod showed that the ZRS HD 8x42's were brighter and more contrasty than the Kowa. (I took into account the extra objective size by only looking through one lens on the binoculars. It was still brighter than the Kowa.) This surprised me as the Kowa is a highly regarded optics company and this particular scope, which runs $500 plus with the eyepiece, and has a very good reputation.

I am well pleased and intend to let my fellow shooters look through these binoculars. I would certainly like to have a look at the Zen-Ray spotting scopes.

(Posted on 6/22/11)

A Wise Investment Review by bbutler316

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As a man who trusts in the Lord and the truth that He is the one who provides for me, spending His resources is not something I treat lightly. Since I can't take anything with me when He calls me home, I want to be found to be a good steward of His resources. There are many things I 'want', but very few things I really 'need'. Consequently, I own only one of anything I have pursued with His blessing, (except for a second compound bow that I'm trying to sell, which is a story in itself of falling prey to the 'I want it and want it now' disease). I placed binoulars in the 'want' category and asked Him for His blessing to buy.

Having never owned binoculars before, I put in the hours of research that is typical for me. Based upon my hunting style, where I am able to hunt (public land), and that this would be my one and only pair of binoculars, I established the following criteria in order of highest to lowest priority:

1. Prayer for direction and confirmation to make a purchase.
2. Personal budget limit and a firm conviction not to waiver from this limit.
3. Best available technology that fits my budget
4. Consumer reviews used very carefully. Due to the subjective nature of most reviews, a high level of discernent is needed when considering other folk's experiences.

I should also point out that my education and experience in the engineering field has been of great value to me in doing research on optics.

My research first lead to me to zero in on 8 x 42/43 mm binoculars. Having settled the magnification and field of view issues, I carefully read through many consumer reviews found on credible hunting forums and a few professional reviews that I have found to be trustworthy. Fully expecting to see good reviews from company names like Nikon, Swarovski and Leica, I came across two others that I had not heard of before. Namely, Vortex and ZenRay.

It seemed that no matter where I went in my research, Vortex and ZenRay were showing up more frequently. A common theme developed with both companys in that the quality and reliability of their respective products equalled or exceeded the 'big boy' competition and at far less cost. I made a decision to focus on Vortex and ZenRay products. Unfortunately, this decision came with a a catch - I would not be able to test these products out before purchasing due to the fact that neither company had dealers in my area.

My best approach was to do a side-by-side comparison of each company's products based upon technology, tech specs, warranty, price, calls to the companys, and a more refined look at consumer reviews. My choices were the Vortex Diamonback 8 x 42 and the ZenRay ZRS HD 8 x 42.

I concluded that both products truly measured up very closely and either one would be a fine choice. Remember though, that I am still dealing with two products that I cannot test out beforehand. Now it came down to a personal decision on which company would receive His resource. In the end, I had a strong conviction to purchase the ZenRay, and with an affirmation from the Lord, I made the purchase.

Since that time, the binoculars have been through spot and stalks in Florida's thick and sometimes brutal terrain, high humidity, heavy rains, mud, and yes, even a few cold days in Jan/Feb. I have also scouted with these binoculars. The optics have proven to be all that my research found them to be and actually exceeded my personal expectations. They proved to be durable and relatively light weight. They were not a hindrance on spot and stalks.

Also, I brought them with me to a local Bass Pro shops and did a visual comparison to comparible Nikon, Lieca and Swarovski products. Mind you, since this is subjective and the reader must rely upon my eyesight, I will state up fron that a have a mild astigmatism, mild presbyopia (need mild reading glasses) and find I am a bit sensitive to light, which means my eyes are drawn to optics that perform well in low light conditions. With that said, I experimented with various distances, objects and light conditions and I found that the ZenRays performed better than comparible units from the competition. In fact, the ZenRays outperformed models from Nikon and Lieca advertised with technology that one would expect to exceed the ZenRays, and all that for far less money.

In conclusion, My experience has affirmed that I have made a wise purchase. Now it is up to me to take good care of these binoculars, because I am counting on them serving me well for a very long time and eventually passing them down to my children.

(Posted on 6/20/11)

For the price, the quality and value of these binoculars is incredible, comparable to others costing 3 to 5 X more. Review by Dode

Quality
Price
Value

I purchased these binoculars primarily for hunting and general use while traveling or attending sporting events. They do an incredible job in low light conditions and the clarity/sharpness is unmatched in any other binoculars which I have tried. I have never captured the detail it reveals in viewing game/birds. The quality of the product appears to be solid and easy to operate/focus. I would recommend these binoculars to anyone looking for a great pair of optics at an incredibly low price. (Posted on 6/14/11)

Items 1 to 10 of 29 total

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