ZEISS SFL 40 BINOCULARS

I was delighted, therefore, to get the opportunity to review the Zeiss SFL40 binoculars. I have some experience with older Zeiss binoculars so I was interested to see what they would be like. I decided it was enough of an excuse to plan a few days’ hunting and fishing with my son Jack in the Alpine National Park to give them a fair run. I have instilled into Jack the importance of this piece of equipment and using them constantly to try and get the upper hand in seeing the deer first.

I quickly swapped out the binoculars on my harness and replaced them with the Zeiss. I carry my binoculars in a chest harness and because they are in and out constantly, I only use the lens covers and eye piece covers between hunts, not while I am hunting, just to keep them clean and dust free. The binoculars were in 10 x 40, which is perfect for most general hunting applications. ‘Made in Japan’ was marked on them, although I had to search a bit to find it. The Zeiss came with a case, strap for the case, strap for the binoculars, end caps, covers for the eye piece, cleaning cloth and manuals.

The binoculars were a lot lighter than I had expected, certainly lighter than similar offerings from Zeiss that I had used over the years. A little playing round with the dioptre adjustment soon had them properly adjusted for my eyes and set up ready to hunt. Neutral is marked on the adjustment ring. I found them positive and did not have to touch this again after it was set over the week of hunting.

I had told my son we would be in some good country, more open than what we normally hunted. Scanning with our binoculars was even more important because it was easier for them to see us as well. I was not disappointed when I began scanning and using them to look through light scrub. The focus was easy to use, smooth and you did not have to fumble to find it with your fingers for adjustment. The centre hinge held the position I needed without being overly tight. I didn’t need to leave my fingers in place either when making focus adjustments. There was enough focus adjustment available that I didn’t feel that I was constantly re-adjusting it once it was set at a particular distance. They felt comfortable in my hands. Being a 40mm objective barrel they had ample light-gathering ability as the first afternoon’s hunt drew to a close. The vision was crystal clear until my eyes let the side down rather than the binoculars.

The test binoculars also accommodated my new glasses well. I was still getting used to hunting with glasses as I had reached the age when I could no longer get away without them. This was something I had worried about, particularly in low light conditions, because I found it now much harder to see without glasses in these conditions. I was delighted that the Zeiss had adjustable eye cups with three positions, and the second position was perfect for me, so it was an absolute pleasure being able to see and use the binoculars with my glasses on right up until last light.

Our hunt on day two was going well. I just had the feeling we were in the right place with good sign and plenty of feed. I was pleased to watch my son enjoying his hunt regardless of the outcome, just enjoying the process and soaking it all in. Move a few steps, glass right to left, background, middle ground, fore ground, adjust position slightly left and repeat until all the ground had been covered. Move a few steps and repeat. I was enjoying using the Zeiss as they quickly adjusted to distance, and I was really happy with the clarity, quality glass.

After a while, my son stopped after glassing a slight ridge above us. His body language changed, and I knew he had seen something. He slowly lowered the binoculars raising his rifle and carefully moved forward. Even at 15 years old he knew exactly when to move and when to stop, until he had made 5m to a small sapling that would give him a solid rest. I had slowly raised the Zeiss and was carefully pulling apart the landscape to see his quarry. A flick of an ear from behind a tree was all I needed to zone in on the spiker that Jack was onto. Jack was by now set up, patiently waiting for a shot to present. I have taught him to take the first good opportunity and spent time with him on deer anatomy, so he knows where the vitals are. After a minute or so the young sambar started moving again and I picked up a doe with it. The spiker moved through some trees and came to a stop with his vitals clear, slightly quartering towards us. The shot rang out and I watched the deer launch into the air. It was a clear heart shot and he only made It a short distance. As we walked up, I reinforced the lessons of using the binoculars. He had just learned firsthand of their importance, with the result being this animal would now feed our family.

As with most things in life you pay for what you get. I think as I have grown older, particularly with my eyesight, I need all the help I can get. I have also learned through experience it is worth investing in very good quality optics. When you hear people talking about the difference being seeing things you would not pick up with a cheap pair of binoculars, they are not lying, it’s just fact. These are very good quality binoculars and if looked after should last a very long time. I would highly recommend these binoculars after using them for the week, I really could not fault them. The build quality is excellent, they are light and crystal clear. My biggest dilemma now is can I convince myself that my old pair are no good and I need these? They did work well with my new glasses. Safe and happy hunting.

“I was not disappointed when I began scanning.”