Zeiss SFL 10x40

Working at Outdoorsmans, I talk to a lot of people who are struggling to navigate the maze of binoculars and seek my help to find the best balance of quality and price. My employment has its perks, and luckily, I can experience a lot of different binos and give suggestions based on real experience in the field. I’ve had the pleasure to use the Zeiss SFL 10x40s fairly extensively and I believe they are highly underappreciated. Zeiss packed these little binos full of features at a value to get excited over. 

The first thing that jumped out at me was how small and lightweight the binoculars were. At 1 pound 6.6 ounces, their weight is virtually unnoticeable in a bino harness and certainly helps prevent additional shoulder soreness when paired with a heavy pack. Also, at 5.7 inches long and 4.5 inches wide, these are one of the most comfortable binos to hold in hand. They are easier to keep steady than larger binoculars and I can keep them up to my eyes for a longer period of time before tiring. This is crucial when I am hiking ridgetops and don’t spend the time to set up my tripod. 

Zeiss decided to really impress me when they stuffed incredible glass into the SFL 10x40s. I was very interested to see how the 40mm objective size would compare to the more common 42mm, and honestly, I did not find any significantly noticeable difference. The SFLs were just as bright as the Swarovski EL 42s and the glass clarity is similar. Zeiss’s T* coating gives good color contrast and ultra-clear detail in low-light conditions. The crystal clear glass makes the binoculars addicting to look through and easy to relax while looking through them. It feels as if nothing is fighting your vision and your eyes can spend all day truly picking apart a landscape without fatigue. The SFL 10x40s boast a 345 ft @1000 yard field-of-view and Zeiss’s field flattening lenses provide crisp, clean edges. This combo makes it easy to pick up movement in your peripheral vision looking at big hillsides and equals more animals found, and less missed.

Most importantly, it is easy to install an Outdoorsmans Stud into the SFLs and utilize a Bino Adapter for quick and easy mounting on a tripod. Overall, the Zeiss SFL 10x40s are an incredible binocular and should be at the top of anyone's list who is looking to upgrade their binoculars, and viewing pleasure.