Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics The new ZEN ED 3

It is actually staying put at a position that is about half a click...if that makes any sense.

JGR,

The eye cups extend and retract on the ED 3 just the same as they do on the ED 2. Both have one intermediate stop at the same place. I would venture to suggest that if you were happy with the ED 2 in that regard, you will be happy with the ED 3 as well. I never had a problem with eth eye cups staying put on the ED 2, but then again, I use them all the way out.

just sold my ED2 on the fleabay and went ahead and ordered a pair of 10x43 ED3.

I know wrong forum but ...

If anybody else wants to sell an ED2 10x43 let me know.

Ditto.

I have the ED3 for more than a week now. The improvement over ED2 is quite impressive. I like the new rubber. The low-key less-busy design is quite pleasing to look at. But the optics is what that matters the most. It's very crisp and bright. I think they are still running the 20% discount (coupon code: ED3). At $440, it's about the same as 10x43 ED2.

Steve,

Any more comparison between the ED3's and the Vortex Razor HD's?

I just finished a busy couple of months and have not done much with any optics, except for an inexpensive 7x knockabout I keep in the tractor and swather while haying. My Razor HD focus wheel came off in my hand about the start of this, and I have not yet sent it back to Vortex. I need to send the ED 3 specimens back to Zen Ray, so I may be short on opportunity for further comparison. However, I have showed both binoculars to quite a few different people. Exactly none preffered the Razor, especially when they found out the prices of the two. This surprised me a bit as I really figured the Razor would have done a lot better than no preferences. I will say, that from a strictly personal view point, that I do prefer the ED 3. This is strictly because the Razor, while a very good binocular optically (and I now admit to being a bit skeptical of the durability...it sure looks flimsy under the focus wheel) simply can't separate itself from the ED 3. This is something that needs to happen for me to justify keeping a nearly $1,200 glass when the $450 is so close as to be inseparable.

FWIW, the Zen Prime HD will be out around the first of the year. This will go for about $600-650 and that is going to be my next serious binocular purchase. This is a new design and a serious attempt by ZR to both sharpen up the edge performance and flatten the field of view. I don't expect centerfield performance to be a whole lot different from the ED 3.

Thanks for the info.