Victory RF 10 x 45 Binocular/Rangefinder Combo by Zeiss

From the well known German brand Carl Zeiss comes a binocular and laser rangefinder combination with built-in ballistic correction programme....

Introduction

There is really something special about super good quality optics. When I have the privilege of carrying them around for testing I just want to keep stopping for just one more look at that little bit of grass or head to that clearing for another look during the last half hour of light. They are just so crisp and clear that you can see every detail in behind every bit of shade and shadow that could hide a deer. And it wasn’t long before I spotted a Fallow hind out feeding on the fresh spring growth, range 425 metres.

The Company

Carl Zeiss have been making precision optics in Germany for over 100 years so they should have learnt a thing or two in that time. Actually, their history goes back to around 160 years and during that time they have manufactured such things as the lens that viewed the moon landing in 1969 and the lens for the world’s most powerful telescope to name just two. Carl Zeiss is an international group of companies in the optical and optoelectronic industry supplying more than 30 countries worldwide and employing around 13,000 employees. In their sporting section, which is just one of six departments, they also make spotting scopes and riflescopes as well as state-of-the-art binoculars, products which have earned them a very high reputation in hunting circles world wide.

Features & Benefits

Your choices for a top-end rangefinder, binocular combination is really only the Leica Geovid HD 10 X 42 or these Zeiss Victory 10 X 45’s. Let’s look a bit closer at the Zeiss...
The Zeiss is very fast at ranging distances in just half a second or less and will range right out to 1000 metres or more under good conditions.
What these Zeiss units also have is a ballistic programming feature where you can choose a trajectory path from six that is the closest match to your firearm. It only takes a few minutes to do this, then once you press the range button a second figure comes up just after the distance figure disappears that tells you how high (or low) to aim on your target. It is simple, fast and a great reminder of your bullet drop each time you range something. The ballistic feature only works out to 500 metres or so, any further than that and it tells you to “walk closer!” I’m just kidding, but 500 metres is the maximum.
The unit has an extraordinarily long battery life claimed of more than 10,000 measurements while Leica Geovids quote 500 on their website, but the Leicas are a bit cheaper.
The rubber outside with the finger grips is nice to use and the eyecups have a very wide range of settings that click out to allow for the user to wear glasses or not.
With all this internal glass (4 prism lens) and technology does come a trade-off in weight. Despite the housing being made of magnesium they still weigh almost a kilogram which, to be fair, is a little heavier than Leica Geovids. The Zeiss claim to be accurate to within a metre up to 600 metres and with this company’s reputation for testing I have no doubt that would be correct.
The lenses external surfaces have a tough dirt repellent coating that also repels water making them very easy to clean, nice.
The red distance display numbers automatically adjust in brightness to match the surroundings which means you can read targets in any light conditions. My only gripe (if I don’t mention the price) is the LCD was a little difficult to read when you swung into a brightly lit subject as it took a reasonable bit of time for the unit to adjust itself.
They have a scan mode as well and, as you would expect, they are waterproof, fog proof and dustproof.

Conclusion

Having great optics like these is an absolute luxury. Will you shoot more game by using them? Well, maybe yes. You will use them more often and the more looking you do the more animals you will see.
When it comes down to the two very top brands like Leica and Zeiss, if price is no issue to you, then I expect you would most likely go for your favourite brand. Once you try Zeiss, it may well become your favourite!
I wonder how long I can keep them before Cameron Sports wants them back??? Now, where did that deer go?

For more information see www.zeiss.com
Distributor enquiries: Cameron Sports Imports Ltd,
e-mail: sales@camsport.co.nz.