Conquest HD 8X32's - eye strain? (1 Viewer)

b-lilja · May 10, 2013

I just bought a pair of these from B and H and had a bit of a jamboree at lunch, comparing them to Vortex Viper HD 8x32's, EII's, 8x32SE's, Nikon LXL's, and Vortex Viper 8x42. The Conquest image bettered all of them. I agree with comments elsewhere that the focus is too fast, but the diopter seemed great, as is build quality. Blackouts seemed to be right on the edge of acceptable, on the side of acceptable.

But here was the standout for me - they seemed like they might be slightly uncomfortable on the eyes. I felt just slightly tense, like they were doing something with my eye muscles. It wasn't an issue of them not being in focus. Could it be I have a pair that are a bit off collimation-wise? My imagination? It wasn't a strong feeling. But especially compared to my SE's, which I've now nicknamed "the big easy", they felt a little harder to handle. Whereas the SE's are just easy - no demands, comfortable, and feel like glasses I could look through for a long time. Even the Vortex's, which I've used at length in the past, felt more comfortable.

I just got these and need to try them again a couple of times but I'm curious about people's reactions.

ronh · May 10, 2013

Collimation error is what it sounds like to me. A good test of collimation is to look at the stars in a crowded starfield. Since one star looks pretty much like another, there isn't very good information to help the eyes strain themselves and make the corresponding points overlay. This is a very different situation from when you look at a tree, because then it's easy for the eyes to figure out that, hey, this should look like one tree, not two, and strain the muscles as necessary to achieve that.

Just go out and look up at a region where there don't seem to be any stars--you'll see plenty of dim ones in the binocular (kinda' miraculous), ideal for such a test. If it takes 2-3 seconds to pull the images together, there's a collimation error.

Ron

dipped · May 10, 2013

Is the dioptre adjustment spot on. Collimation is best checked on a point source defocussing the dioptre so you have a point ideally in the centre of the defocussed point.

Kammerdiner · May 10, 2013

You might also check to see if the view is easier when you go to focus clockwise, or counterclockwise. Set the diopter to be perfect from one direction, then check the other.

I think Holger Merlitz noted that the 32mm Conquest HD he tried (2 samples??) had a bit of slack in one barrel. Meaning it will focus perfect one way but not the other. I've seen that myself (not in a Conquest) and until you figure out you have to come to focus from the same direction every time it sure feels like eyestrain.

I should add that my eyes don't "accomodate" worth a squat, so that makes it even more critical.

Hope this helps,

Mark

PS: I think most porros are immune to this because there's only one gear train and it moves both eyepieces exactly the same. Hence the "big easy" view of the SE.

Odradek · May 11, 2013

Well, i dont know if i really got what you mean (my english is not the best). But as i received my 8x32 Conquest HD i had sometimes the impression that my eyes want to look like in a X direction. Hard to explain, but at the bottomline it just felt wrong whatever they (my eyes) wanted to do there. It was not a real big problem, but big enough to notice it. In the beginning i also thought it was a collimation issue. But as more as i used the Conquest HD as lesser(?) this problem appeared.

Now i have this bino about 2 weeks and i really dont see this issue anymore. No matter how long i look or how much i am panning, everything is fine. Maybe you should give it a bit time?

So far, i am absolutely pleased with this bino :t:

Chris 37 · May 15, 2013

5 or 6 weeks ago I bought my conquest hd 8x32 and had the same problem with eye strain. I wasn´t sure if it was my eyes, my imagination or the binocular.
But it bothered me enough to send it back and have it exchanged for another one.
No problem at all with this one - no strain on the eyes! So, I think it was the bino.

brocknroller · May 16, 2013

b-lilja said:
I just bought a pair of these from B and H and had a bit of a jamboree at lunch, comparing them to Vortex Viper HD 8x32's, EII's, 8x32SE's, Nikon LXL's, and Vortex Viper 8x42. The Conquest image bettered all of them. I agree with comments elsewhere that the focus is too fast, but the diopter seemed great, as is build quality. Blackouts seemed to be right on the edge of acceptable, on the side of acceptable.

But here was the standout for me - they seemed like they might be slightly uncomfortable on the eyes. I felt just slightly tense, like they were doing something with my eye muscles. It wasn't an issue of them not being in focus. Could it be I have a pair that are a bit off collimation-wise? My imagination? It wasn't a strong feeling. But especially compared to my SE's, which I've now nicknamed "the big easy", they felt a little harder to handle. Whereas the SE's are just easy - no demands, comfortable, and feel like glasses I could look through for a long time. Even the Vortex's, which I've used at length in the past, felt more comfortable.

I just got these and need to try them again a couple of times but I'm curious about people's reactions.

Really? Better than the 8x32 SE? Dennis, could you please chime in here and straighten b-lilja out?

Too bad about the collimation. From the posts above and from my own experience with out of collimation bins plus what you described about your eye muscles being tense, that does appear to be the issue. I can feel it strongest when I pull my eyes away from the bin and my focus returns to normal and I can feel my eye muscles relax.

If you really like the Conquests ask for another sample. Then do the test again. If the image seem better to you and the eye strain is the other issue, it should still come out on top.

Brock

Conquest HD 8X32's - eye strain? (1 Viewer)

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