| This Zeiss 85mm Victory Diascope straight-through 20-60x spotting scope uses the unique Zeiss FL Concept optical system to bring you images that are so bright, sharp, and realistic that it’s almost like the spotting scope has vanished and you’ve suddenly been transported to within a few feet of your target.
The FL Concept objective lens uses state-of-the-art multiple thin lens technology, with a total of five lens elements in the objective lens rather than the two lenses used in other scopes. More than twice the number of optical elements to work with gives the Zeiss optical designers the extra freedom to fine-tune the Diascope’s optical performance to a level of perfection previously unavailable from any spotting scope.
Extra low dispersion fluoride (FL) Schott ED glass elements are combined with ecologically-friendly lead- and arsenic-free glass in the Zeiss FL Concept lens; renowned Zeiss T* (T Star) multicoatings are used throughout to maximize light transmission for sharp, bright images; and protective LotuTec lens coatings on the external optical surfaces shed water and dirt. The result is images that are bright and realistic, with natural color rendition, and virtually no color fringing. (Please note that fluoride ED glass elements are not the same optical composition as the more fragile calcium fluorite crystal lenses used in some scopes.)
The scope’s 85mm aperture gathers almost 13% more light than a conventional 80mm scope. This extra light-gathering can often mean the difference between identifying a life bird and missing it entirely in the poor light conditions of dawn or twilight.
The Victory Diascope’s black armored body is good-looking and durable. The armor helps absorb shock and noise and provides a more secure grip in wet weather. The retractable lens shade improves both visual and photographic contrast and is armored for protection against bumps. A sight line molded into the lens shade armor helps you quickly align on distant targets. Both 1/4" (U.S. standard) and 3/8" (European standard) tripod mounting threads are provided.
The scope’s straight-through design is generally better than a 45° viewing angle model for quickly locating birds in the field. With a straight-through scope, you can sight over the barrel to center in on the bird before trying a high power eyepiece view that often has a confusingly narrow field. It is difficult to sight over a 45° viewing barrel, as the prism housing and eyepiece can block the view. The lens shade can be rotated to either side of the scope body, however, to bring its built-in sighting line to a more visible position, making this less of a problem than with other 45° scopes.
On the other hand, a 45° viewing angle is generally more comfortable than a straight-through scope for watching treetop activity or for extended observing from a blind or back porch. You won’t get a crick in your neck from crouching over to look through the scope as you often have to with a straight-through model on a too-short tripod. A 45° viewing model is also more convenient for observing couples of varying heights who must share a single scope, as there is little need to constantly raise and lower the tripod to a comfortable height for each observer. The Zeiss Z85ABZ is a 45° viewing angle version of this scope, should that style be more convenient.
The 85mm Victory Diascope is O-ring sealed and nitrogen-purged to be fogproof and waterproof. It is capable of operating over a temperature range of 2 degrees below zero to +131 degrees Fahrenheit – from the Arctic to Death Valley, from the Serengeti Plains to Costa Rica.
This 85mm Victory Diascope body is supplied with a 20-60 power zoom eyepiece. This eyepiece provides a good 129’ field of view at 1000 yards at 20x with 15mm of eye relief. At 60x, the field is still a generous 60’ wide, with 12mm of eye relief. The eyepiece has a pull-up rubber eyecup. Once up, a slight twist clockwise locks the eyecup in its raised position. A similar twist counterclockwise lets you lower the eyecup for eyeglass use. Rubber caps for each end of the eyepiece are provided for protection when it is not in use. The eyepiece comes in a protective zippered nylon case with belt loop.
This Zeiss 85mm Victory Diascope is also available with a wider power range 20-75x zoom as model #Z85BHZ. A fixed power wide angle eyepiece (40x, with a 90’ field, part #Z30N) is available as an option for either scope.
The external optical surfaces of the Zeiss Diascope’s eyepiece and objective lens are treated with permanent “LotuTec" coatings. These special hydrophobic (water-repelling) coatings are so smooth, even at the molecular level, that water can find virtually no grip on the optical surfaces. This causes the condensation from rain, fog, snow, or your own breath to form in much smaller droplets than on standard optical coatings. Smaller droplets scatter less light, resulting in higher light transmission and a clearer image. Oil, dirt, and grease are similarly repelled, making for simplified, streak-free cleaning.
The Zeiss 85mm Diascope has a dual-speed rotary knob focusing mechanism built into the top of the prism housing for one-finger focusing with either hand, even while wearing gloves. This Zeiss dual-speed innovation combines two focusing speeds in a single control knob. The Precision Mode provides accurate focus, while the Rapid Mode engages automatically when needed, adapting its speed to every requirement – all with a single knob. Focusing always starts in the Precision Mode, no matter at what distance you are focused, with a 270° rotation in either direction fine-tuning the current focus slowly and precisely. However, once you move the knob past the Precision zone, the focus speed automatically increases by a factor of five, to move the focus point rapidly. Stop moving the knob and focusing automatically drops back to Precision Mode, no matter where you are in the focus travel.
The Victory Diascope can be used as a 1000mm f/12 telephoto lens by adding a T-ring to fit your 35mm or DSLR camera and optional camera adapter #ZPA. This straight-through Victory Diascope is generally more usable for photography than an angled-viewing scope, as it handles more instinctively like a camera/telephoto lens combination. The barrel of the scope can be rotated from side to side to give a vertical or horizontal picture composition during photography. Click stops are built into the rotation mechanism at 45° intervals, although the scope rotation can be set at any angle you choose and locked into place with a knob at the side of the scope body.
If you need big light gathering for low light or high power use, realistic color in virtually all lighting conditions, and the detailed resolution that only an 85mm aperture can provide, this is a scope to fill your every birding need. The 85mm 20-60x zoom Zeiss Victory Diascope is a scope that will give you a lifetime of premium optical performance.
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