SHOT SHOW Report: New Zeiss Laser Rangefinder
In AccurateShooter.com’s 2007 comparison test of Laser Rangefinders, the Swarovski Laser Guide came out on top, though the Leica CRF 1200 drew praise for its light weight and extremely compact format.
There may be a new challenger to the Swaro for top honors. Zeiss has come out with a completely new, high-quality rangefinder, the Victory 8×26 T* PRF. Zeiss claims this is “the world’s first premium monocular with digital laser rangefinder, LED display, and integrated Ballistic Information System (BIS™).” Looking at the new product, we like the ergonomics, the centrally-located viewing lens, wide field of view (330′ at 1000 yards), and the superb optics. The “T*” in the title indicates a scratch-resistent, high-light-transmission lens coating.
If field tests show that the new Zeiss ranges as well as the Swaro and Leica, the Zeiss Victory 8×26 could hold the edge because it delivers ballistic drop info, while the others do not. With the Victory’s minimal beam divergence, Zeiss claims measuring accuracy of ± 1 yard at ranges up to 600 yards and ± 0.5% at ranges beyond 600 yards (max claimed range is 1300 yards). If those claims are real, the Zeiss Victory should “hit” your ranging target at long distances more easily than most other rangefinders on the market. (As laser beams extend over distance they spread out in a cone. That’s called beam divergence. The greater the beam divergence, the greater the risk of false readings, or getting no reading at all.)
The Zeiss Victory has a “street price” of about $700.00 and is currently instock at Adorama.com, Binoculars.com and other major vendors.
