anyone going to pre-order the zen-ray prime hd?

sk1

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just curious if anyone is planning on purchasing one....im not technical when it comes to optics so i wont pretend to be, but they look good to me....am tempted to order a pair being that zen ray has them covered by a no fault warranty like vortex...i guess they start shipping the beginning of july and you can get them for $555, and i believe they have a 30 day return policy

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/prime-hd/prime-hd-1042.html
 

Matt Cashell

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Time will tell, sk1.

Specs look good.

The fact that the delivery date has been delayed a few times seems to indicate that Zen Ray's quality control is trying hard to make sure the product meets expectations.
 

Travis Bertrand

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I have the ed3s and I would expect nothing but quality glass from the glass they put out, I would miss the open bridge design if I upgraded.
 
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sk1

sk1

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ive never owned an open bridge design, using them in the store it seems nice, but i dont really think it makes much of a difference to me.....im pretty sure i might have to give these a try.....i hope they don't get delayed anymore and are all they are hyped up to be
 
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sk1

sk1

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Steve C does lots of optics reviews on various forums and what not, he posted on MM that he has a pair to review and they are the "real deal"
 
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sk1

sk1

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well right after i posted that i decided to look further into things and a couple guys to include Steve C have the Prime HD to review....here is the thread if anyone is interested http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=231804

i am concerned about the weight at a heavy 29oz, and then the huge oculars....i always do extensive reviews before buying stuff but this time i decided to just go for it at the pre-order price. Hopefully that July5th ship date is accurate and I will have them soon, order placed for a 10x42 five minutes ago!

oh and apparently focusing is counterclockwise from close focus to infinity, which im sure i can get used to after a bit....those were the only 3 negatives i could find in their intial reviews everything else sounds great.

im still pretty excited about my order, hopefully that doesnt change when they arrive!
 
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JNDEER

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well right after i posted that i decided to look further into things and a couple guys to include Steve C have the Prime HD to review....here is the thread if anyone is interested http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=231804

i am concerned about the weight at a heavy 29oz, and then the huge oculars....i always do extensive reviews before buying stuff but this time i decided to just go for it at the pre-order price. Hopefully that July5th ship date is accurate and I will have them soon, order placed for a 10x42 five minutes ago!

oh and apparently focusing is counterclockwise from close focus to infinity, which im sure i can get used to after a bit....those were the only 3 negatives i could find in their intial reviews everything else sounds great.

im still pretty excited about my order, hopefully that doesnt change when they arrive!

Thanks for the link on the reviews. The bino's look to be very good for that price range and I am excited to get my pair. Although, I really hope they fix that 10x cups for glasses wearing folks like myself, that was a big selling point for me.
 
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sk1

sk1

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well, people are starting to get their primes....I'm a little scared based off some of the initial reviews here http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=231804&page=4

I am half tempted to just cancel my order and get the ED3's....but I keep holding out hoping I am one of the guys that the prime works well for....not sure what to do!

JNDEER - did you get yours yet?
 
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Jujawa

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I bought the Prime HD's Monday and they arrived today, Thursday. Awesome fast shipping, but I feel bad because Ive read other posts of people who preordered and dont have them yet. I got the 8x42's and I definitely like them so far. They feel and seem smaller than my 8x42 Talon HD's, which I like. They are a step up in fit and finish. I am still undecided about keeping them or not. Im an optics novice so take this with a grain of salt, but the view was only very minimally better to my eye. Im not sure if its worth the extra money it would cost me to keep them. But for what its worth I did notice that the view was superior to the Talon HD's. Now I just have to decide whether or not its enough of a difference to actually help me find animals.

Tough decision. Somebody make this easier on me by buying my Talon HD's from the classifieds.
 
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sk1

sk1

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I really really wanted to give the prime's a chance, but i have the ed3's on the way.....i may not have made the right decision in changing my order, but it saved me $100 to use on my tz 6000 pack, and i just flat out wanted decent binos that work well and the ed3's fit the bill....some people love the primes, other people don't....as im sure it is with all binos, but there was enough negative feedback to shy me away for now.

ed3's will be the nicest bino i have ever owned and plenty good for many years to come
 

Travis Bertrand

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You can't go wrong either way sk1 , I really like my ed3s. Like you, they are the best binos I have ever owned and the second cheapest ones I bought!
 

JNDEER

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I am not an expert on Binos.

I own a bushnell legend, Vortex Diamondback, Vortex Razor (non-hd) and now the Zen Ray Prime. I have never looked through Swaro's or any glass more expensive then the ones I have owned.

The reviews on the Primes, IMO, are from novice binocular holders. I think they have not spent much time behind a bino and really do not know what to expect or the hype got to them and expected some kind of miracle binocular instead of appreciating what they were holding in their hands.

The glass is awesome. My pair does have a flaw in the left ocular. At long range glassing I can see some kind of dust or water spot inside the glass. It is not noticable unless I am panning while glassing and Charles has said to send them back ASAP to get them cleaned up and returned within 7 days (leaving today for a 4 day hunt so I will return them when I get back). My actual only complaint is the Diopter adjustment is really sensitive and after hiking around and going through brush it moves. When I return them I will see if they can make it tighter.

Other than that they are hands down way better than any of my other binoculars. When comparing them directly to the Razors I can see about 3-8 minutes earlier and longer. The image throughout the hole viewing area is brighter. With the razors the outer perimeter is less bright than the middle and with the Prime they are not. Images at longer distances (greater than 400 yards) are more detailed and crisp with the Primes. Another big thing is sunlight hazing effect. I glass sometimes to the west as the sun sets in the evening. With all the other binoculars the hazing in the glass is horrible, including the Razors. With the Prime it is 100x better and almost not even effected which is huge for me in some of the spots I hunt.

I am happy I jumped on the band wagon early and got them for less than what I paid for my used Razors!
 
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sk1

sk1

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i got my ed3's today and im happy with them other than i tihnk i do see a spec inside the left lens....darn it. so far i cant tell that it causes any issues but thinking of getting them replaced just because, not sure if its worth my time though.

glad you're happy with the primes!
 

millsms

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Question for Zen Ray users. 1) Are they made in China? and 2) why do they look exactly like Vortex??? just wondering if anyone knew. Thanks
 

Travis Bertrand

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Question for Zen Ray users. 1) Are they made in China? and 2) why do they look exactly like Vortex??? just wondering if anyone knew. Thanks

1.Yes they are made in china.
2. You will have to ask zenray why they look alike. They are not the same internally, SIMILAR but not the same.
 

dotman

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Correct me if i'm wrong but I do believe the vortex talons are made in china, same factory as the zr's even. Only the highend vortex optics starting with the vipers are made in japan.
 

2ski

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I will admit, that for myself, I read reviews from those who got theirs a couple days before I got mine. I looked for the blackouts they talked about them, so I found them as well. Now when I look for them in other binos, I readily see them on all binos. So its the way that I, as a novice, look through binos that creates that effect. It happens when I look to the edges, but most of the time when I look through a bino, I look straight ahead and I couldn't be more pleased about that veiw. And yes, I read so many things online about them and was so hyped up that I expected them to get up and do the dishes too.

I am absolutely pleased with my Primes. They are so clear and I absolutely love the picture. This weekend, we were looking at birds about 50 yards away with about 10 minutes of light left. My friend couldn't believe how well they looked. The only thing that made me pause and think about going for the ED3's is the weight. A bit on the heavy side.

If anyone interested in getting the Prime's is in MT, I would be willing to let them check my pair out. I know it kind of made me a little nervous placing that pre-order without looking through some. And since we don't have any dealers in MT....
 

Matt Cashell

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Rizzy,

I should have my Zen Ray Prime HD review done shortly, where I had them side by side with ED2s and Swaro SLC neus.

While the ED2s (and ED3s for that matter) and Primes aren't far away from each other optically, the differences in build are much larger. The Prime is near-alpha in build quality, fit and finish. The eyecups are very wide, and will not fit everybody.

I will try to find time to finish up the review with pics.
 
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