New ZEISS SFL 50 Binoculars - 50mm brightness in a 42mm body

What's the perfect sized binoculars?

We talked about different sizes of binoculars last week. (You can read more here.)

Binoculars capture the light that falls on their front lenses,  concentrates it, magnifies the image and presents it to your eyes.

The larger the binoculars, the more light is collected and the better the image will be. The problem is that as binocular increase in size and complexity their cost and more importantly their size increases dramatically. 

For bird watchers and nature viewers especially, getting the right balance becomes important when you need to travel out in the field. 

The magic "just right" number for many are binoculars with a lens of 42mm in diameter. In fact, 42mm binoculars are probably the most popular in the world, with around 60% of global sales being this size. 

So, while there's no one "perfect" binoculars, the 42mm size is very popular as it's large enough to collect enough light for great views, while not being too heavy carrying around.

Why go bigger?

There's certainly advantages in using larger binoculars.

50mm binoculars will gather more than 40% more light than a pair of 42mm. This results in brighter views, especially in the early morning or when it starts to get dark at the end of the day. The additional "information" collected by the larger lenses will also produce a more detailed image, even at the same magnification. 

For example, the birds on the other side of the river will appear the same size in the eyepieces of 8x42 and 8x50 binos, except there will be more details visible the larger size. 

The larger exit pupil in the 8x50 is larger for more in-depth experience.

BUT - the 8x50 binos will be heavier and larger. 

 Why not both?  The ZEISS SFL 50

What's exciting us here at BINTEL about the new ZEISS SFL 50 binoculars is the chance to have the advantages larger optics in the smaller form factor normally found with 42mm sizes. 

All of the ZEISS SFL 50 - the 8x, 10x and 12x - are all shorter than other premium 42mm sized binoculars. More importantly, they're also lighter. ZEISS has been able to achieve this with the use of thinner glass lenses, along with use of magnesium throughout the chassis. 

The current SFL 30 and 40 binoculars are remarkable small for their optical size and have become popular with our bird watching customers and we imagine the new ZEISS SFL 50 models being a popular choice for serious observers. They simply let you see more while carrying less.

You can check out the entire ZEISS SFL range here.

We're expecting the new SFL 50 models to available in Australia next month.

Cheers,

Earl White

BINTEL 

12th of April 2025