Why had some sample shots been taken long before the test publishing date?
There’s no conspiracy theory concerning this fact. It often happens that we order several lenses or sets of binoculars for a longer test session. Most of their test we manage to publish soon afterwards but interesting novelties might appear on the market meanwhile and they might push already tested but not worked out instruments to the back. When a lens or a pair of binoculars loses its place in the queue it is sometimes difficult to put it back on the agenda. As a result, the record holder device has been waiting almost two years for the publication of its test. We do try to catch up (but still several tests have been placed in the drawer, waiting for better times) so don’t be surprised if we publish a test with strangely old sample shots from time to time.
