Zeiss Conquest bins (2 Viewers)

[John Cantelo]

Launched in November, according to bumf I've seen, these bins do not seem to have surfaced in the UK yet. Has anyone seen them? What are they like? Are they any better than similar models at a lower price sporting a less fashionable name? John Cantelo

 

[mak]

Arrived in the UK in the 3rd week of December 2003. 10x30BT*, 12x45BT* & 15x45BT* are available now, the 8x30 BT* should be here any time now.

 

[ps11aj]

I bought the 10x30 and I must say that I am pleased with them. They are small and easy to carry and they feel very robust. They are brighter than for example SWIFT Audubon 8,5x44 HHS and they are very sharp. I could not see any difference in brightness between these binoculars and much more expensive ones in the same size. The field of view is maybe not so great but it is a middle prise binocular so you can't get everything. I think they are very price worthy.
Pierre

 

[Andy Bright]

I tried the 10x30 last weekend and was very impressed by these lightweight binos. Close focus seemed very good, as did light gathering and general clarity.

 

[John Cantelo]

Pierre commented that the new Zeiss 10x30 Conquests are "are brighter than for example SWIFT Audubon 8,5x44 HHS and they are very sharp". This is quite extraordinary given the lesser power and greater OG size of the Audubons and indicates to me at least that they must be astonishingly good instruments. Personally, I'd wait until they bring out x8 or x10 bins in the 45mm range instead of the absurdly over powered bins they propose,
John

 

[ps11aj]

Pierre commented that the new Zeiss 10x30 Conquests are "are brighter than for example SWIFT Audubon 8,5x44 HHS and they are very sharp". This is quite extraordinary given the lesser power and greater OG size of the Audubons and indicates to me at least that they must be astonishingly good instruments. Personally, I'd wait until they bring out x8 or x10 bins in the 45mm range instead of the absurdly over powered bins they propose,
John

It did suprise me to. However; I had the opportunity to compare and saw it with my own eyes. It might be the difference in colour that has fouled me. The Swift was more yellow than the Zeiss but I did compare in dark conditios. I think I will find out if I have wrong, soon in this forum. But the reason I choosed them was the smaller size and lighter weight.
Pierre

 

[Edward woodwood]

can't see them being £700 or £800 better than what is available already.......

only 15 quid to join OBC!

 

[mak]

can't see them being £700 or £800 better than what is available already.......

only 15 quid to join OBC!

The RRP in the UK is £350, £380, £430 & £460 for the 8x30, 10x30, 12x45, 15x45.
Where does the £700 bit come in?

 

[ps11aj]

I gave 6000 sek (swedish crowns) for mine. Prices in Sweden is higher than in UK so this is midle price class here.
I work at least half of my time outdoors so I want small binoculars that does not interfear with my work and I found the Zeiss conquest 10x30 small inoff and still having very good optics. But of course bigger ones should be brighter. However I found these bright inoff to choose the 10x instead of the 8x.
Pierre

 

[DHB]

Conquest 8x30's

I just received a pair of the 8x30 Zeiss Conquest and the previous comments are correct. Very, very sharp and very bright. Here are my likes and dislikes so far:
1- very sharp, like razor sharp.
2- bright, bright as my 8x42 Eagle Optic Platinum Rangers.
3- perfect focus ratio- not to fine not to course.
4- Light, I'm not sure if they are as light as advertised but nice.

1- Lack of clarity at the outer most 15-20% of the edges.
2- some glare on oculars lens' with sun at your back or odd angles.
3- focus knob should have same armoring as body (a little larger would've helped too) it would make it easier to turn.
4- cheap rain guard and no obj lens covers.

Dave

 

[ps11aj]

I just received a pair of the 8x30 Zeiss Conquest and the previous comments are correct.
Dave

The main reason that I choosed the 10x30 was that I couldn't wait for the 8x30 to arrive. I haven't have any reason to regret i yet. These binoculars feels very steady in my hands and are also bright.

 

[DHB]

I sent my 8x30's (Conquest) back to Zeiss for inspection. The glare or flaring or reflection was totally annoying. I don't know if they are defective but Zeiss should receive them today. I will post the results.
Dave

 

[Steve Napier]

I would love to try the 15x45 Conquest model on the Moon.
I have a pair of cheap 20x60 Tento binoculars that were bought specificaly for Lunar observation.
A 15x magnification with Zeiss quality in a compact 45mm instrument sounds amazing.
Does anyone know why these are a LOT cheaper than other Zeiss models?
Thankyou
Steve.

 

[Leif]

Does anyone know why these are a LOT cheaper than other Zeiss models?

I suspect that were you to compare them to something comparable but twice the price, you would see that they produced an image that was not quite as bright, not quite as high resolution, not quite as high contrast, with more edge distortion and softness. It might also be that the build quality is not as high as the best, and they are not quite so durable. In other words they probably produce a decent image and perform well, but not quite as well as the best. In optics you tend to pay a lot for small gains.

 

[normjackson]

I dare say there has been some "streamlining of production costs"; less parts, cheaper materials, simpler assembly. Currently doesn't appear to be a step too far in that direction, though, as perhaps the Diafun was. Seem to recall reading somewhere that the Diafun was assembled, or maybe even completely manufactured in Eastern Europe to help cut costs.

 

[Leif]

I dare say there has been some "streamlining of production costs"; less parts, cheaper materials, simpler assembly. Currently doesn't appear to be a step too far in that direction, though, as perhaps the Diafun was. Seem to recall reading somewhere that the Diafun was assembled, or maybe even completely manufactured in Eastern Europe to help cut costs.

I think the Diafun was made in Hungary. Zeiss make a point of indicating that the FL is made in Germany! I heard that Leica have production facilities in Germany and Portugal and some people have the perception, real or imagined, that the quality is higher in Germany. Maybe one of the big manufacturers will ship production out to China and then costs should drop a lot, assuming the savings are passed on. There are some amazingly cheap but useable optics already coming out of China and favoured by amateur astronomers.

The car industry shows that made in Eastern Europe need not mean inferior quality, and in fact the converse can be the case c.f. Skoda and Volkswagon which are both owned by the same company and share some components.

 

[Curtis Croulet]

I guess it's just me, but if I buy an expensive binocular bearing the name of a legendary German optics company like Zeiss or Leica, then I expect the product to be made in Germany. Merely being "made to the same high standards" in some other country with cheap labor doesn't cut it for me. I'm spending extra bucks over, say, Pentax and Nikon, not just for the German name, but also for the fact that it's made in Germany.

As for Chinese optics -- a personal friend of mine makes and sells reflecting telescopes. His ads appear frequently in the American astronomy magazines Sky & Telescope and Astronomy. The primary and secondary mirrors in his scopes are made in his own factory. He is competing (with difficulty) with several companies whose scopes use Chinese mirrors. He attempted to lower costs by importing his diagonals from China, but the quality was so poor, he rejected the entire shipment and returned to making his own. Yet other brands are using these same diagonals right now. The Nov 2004 issue of Sky & Telescope has a review of a Chinese-made scope whose optics would have never left my friend's factory, or would be replaced if they accidentally slipped through. So I'm skeptical about Chinese optics!

 

[Leif]

So I'm skeptical about Chinese optics!

There must be a lot of variation and I suspect it depends on the quality control for each item. For example the Synta maksutovs are said to be very decent with many reviews all expressing surprise at the performance and low cost.

 

[Jonathan B.]

I guess it's just me, but if I buy an expensive binocular bearing the name of a legendary German optics company like Zeiss or Leica, then I expect the product to be made in Germany.

The Leica BC/BCA line (8x20, 10x25) is made in Portugal, and was made there prior to the name change from E. Leitz to Leica. I believe the 32mm and larger Trinovids have been made in Germany all along, as are the Ultravids.

I could not say that my 8x20 is less well-made than any other Leica binocular. It performs on a par with 8x20s from Zeiss, Swarovski, and Nikon.

 

[Curtis Croulet]

I'm surprised nobody has come back to challenge me with, "How do you know your 'Made in Germany' binoculars are really made in Germany?" Answer: I don't. For all I know, most of the parts are made in Malaysia or somewhere and it's only assembled in Germany.