Conquest 10x42 HD Comparison to Victory 10x42 HT (1 Viewer)

This is a comparison of the Conquest 10x 42 HD to the Victory 10 x42 HT….. I want to thank Eagle Optics in WI/ USA…I have no affiliation with them but their service and policies are superb.

This review will be done in parts…..the first part will be what I call (part 1) “Out of the Box” or my first impressions as well as looking at the elements of the bino’s. Other parts to this review will be optics in regards to (2) Sunny Days, (3) Evenings and lastly (4) Cloudy or Rainy days which simulate the tropics in forest.

Out of the Box…Part 1

This one clearly belongs to the Victory HT as quality is evident as well as should be given the price-point. The HT has a solid feel, good armor which is two toned…with the outer portion of the barrels being slightly textured. The inner armor is the same armor that the Conquest has and although the Conquest is also two toned, the outer tone is still smooth, not texture….just raised a bit.

The Eyecups on the HT are superb…easy to turn. The HD has what it appears to be the same eye cups although they appear cheaper to me. They are not as easy to adjust. HT wins here…

Focal Wheel..the HT has s revolution of 1.75 according to the specs, 1.25 on the HD. So while a difference in revolution, they are both silky smooth,…nice knobs, easy to focus. I prefer the larger knob of the HT. Also the placement of the HT is more upfront but HT is longer, so the knob can be more centered. If you have bear paw hands or fat hands, you will find the HT much more comfortable. But overall, finger placement on the bino is superb for both of these bino’s.

Diopter…the HT has the diopter behind the focal knob although separate. While difficult to turn, it stays…and it easy to read your number in case another user adjusts. The HD has the standard diopter adjustment on the right eye piece. Not all that difficult to turn and has hashmarks to record your adjustment but no numbers etc to indicate which hashmark is yours. HT wins here…

Ergonomics…. Both just plain feel good. Zeiss has done an excellent job in their R and D and have come up with bino’s that you just want to hold, you want to pick up and go with.

Accessories: Bottom line, HT wins easily here. The case is above average, the eye cup covers fit nicely, the strap is a bit better than the HD’s….the lens covers while not great, are not the extremely poor quality of the HD. The lens covers for the HD will not last long, trust me. Zeiss did a great disservice to the Conquest by having such poor accessories. True, they do not effect optics but what this poor showing in accessories does is place a ‘Question’ in the buyers mind that if Zeiss cheapened out on the lens covers, straps, case…all to save a few bucks in retail cost, what else have they cheapened ‘inside’ the bino? That question lingers on in my mind and is always there. Will the already cheap feel of the eyecups be unusable in a few years ? Will the focus knob have issues and cannot be fixed by Zeiss? So, you see, it pays Zeiss to spend a bit to make the consumer think quality is quality. While the optics might be quality in the Conquest, they become slightly suspect by the “out of the box’ treatment you provide.

Sunny Day Part 2 Review; Evening Hours Part 3 Review

Part 2 Review …Conquest HD vs Victory HT (10x 42)

Sunny Days.

The optics of the Conquest are excellent….this is coming from a $1000 pair of binoculars being compared to a $2250 pair. I am impressed by the optics of the Conquest in comparison on sunny days. I used Forsythe Refuge in New Jersey to view shorebirds of all types as well as my house which is surround by trees and is very quietly located.

In regards to CA….not apparent on the HT….slightly under certain lighting conditions in the HD, although really not evident.

In regards to astigmatism…slightly apparent during sunning conditions in the HT, although not apparent in the HD. More official tests might confirm a bit in both although surely more so in the HT. This does not effect focus sharpness as both bino’s have sharpness. I know when I looked at the 8 x 42 Zeiss, I found more astigmatism associated with it but clearly not as much on the 10x.

Sharpness on both is excellent..again, the Conquest shines in the sun shine. Very clear. I feel it is easier to focus on an object with the Conquest, possibly due to the reduced focal revolutions. The HT allows one to focus easily too, you just have more ‘options’ perhaps due to revolution.

BIF….the HT is better here….not sure why, perhaps the large and centered focal wheel…but the impression I had in BIF is that I wanted the Victory HT. I enjoyed following terns and for some reason I found it easier with the HT.
When viewing peeps 50 yards away into the sun, the Victory provides more detail…. When viewing an Oriole in a tree with poor backlight, the Victory pulled out more color. When looking at a colony of Purple Martins, the Victory is more apt to pick up detail and color in the shadows even on a sunny day, while they are both about equal in the open sun.

When looking at shorebirds such as an Ibis where the color is iridescent, both do an excellent job of picking up color and texture.

I might add that with the Victory, it is extremely important to make sure your diopter is set properly. Since the focal wheel has more play within it (revolutions), you really have to refine your diopter settings to match the sharpness of the Conquest HD. The first few looks did not present themselves as being as sharp to me with the HT, until after I really fine tuned the diopter.
When viewing birds over rivers on a sunny day….I liked the BIF ability of the Victory when viewing Eastern Kingbirds fanning and looking for insects. When looking at a stationary target such as turtles at a distance, I preferred the Conquest sharpness and color.

Color…the Conquest I feel has a more truer color than the HT which is slightly ‘washed’….and I think due to the light transmission of 95% compared to the Conquest at 90%. I am not sure here, just a guess on the reason why but color is more darker and richer in the Conquest.

On a sunny day, there are even shadows…although not as predominate as a cloudy day would have. The shadows belong to the Victory, although not by much given the overall nature of a sunny day even brightens up the shadows. I have a feeling that when it rains, the Victory will shine here.

Sunny days at my house…..a toss up. I could see Towhees very well and even though a sunny day has shadows as the bird walks between the sun / shadows….both bino’s performed well. Both bino’s showed detail of bird feathers etc. ….Yellow Gold Finches were easily identified throughout the trees or the feeders, sun or shadows.

Overall….this is real close during a sunny day looking at shorebirds or birds over water. I would almost call it a toss up with each bringing a positive to the table. No negatives that stood out from my experience. Both quality optics. I might add that I also compared the Conquest 10 x 42 HD to a Swaro 8 x 42 SLC and saw little difference in color resolution and light transmission. The Conquest reminds me of the Swaro SLC in regards to that, plus it has a better focus wheel.

Overall I feel there is a lot of equality in this section of the review.

Part 3…Evening Hours on a clear day ….

I think this is almost a toss up…..The Conquest is surely darker but not to the point where one cannot see the coloration of the bird or details. The HT lightens up the evening hours a bit. I saw red cardinals and they both were a joy to view.

Catbirds in the shadows where clearly a HT affair, although the Conquest easily picked up perfectly. I can see where birds in the trees and against dark backgrounds or sky belonged to the HT as suspected. Again, not a lot….. and that makes you wonder about the $1000 + difference in price, ….but as I stated in my first Part (Out of the Box)…how long will quality endure in the Conquest? Not sure, but you see how that question lingers, even given a $1000 price difference.

I noticed that in woodpeckers the reds were more deeper in the Conquest while having a lighter shade with the HT. I think this is a theme with the HT. Given that it is has more light transmission and allows for better viewing in shadows and in poorly backlit situations, the colors in the HT will not be as deep/rich as the HD, although not nearly to the point of being distracted. If one did not have two bino’s to compare ‘side by side’ as I have, you wouldn’t know the difference.

Overall, the HT is slightly better but again, it depends on what your needs are. The Conquest HD stands up very well here in evening hours.

Still to come....Part 4—Rainy /Cloudy Days to simulate Tropics (need to wait for one to occur before posting review)

Part 4A—Bright Cloudy Conditions (not rainy)….Comparison of Zeiss Conquest 10x 42 HD to Victory 10x42 HT

Under optimum conditions, even a Tasco can perform fairly well….optimum being a sunny day, nicely colored birds perched within green foliage and for the most part, fairly close. But we all know ‘birding’ and many times optimum conditions do not apply. It is under these more harsher birding conditions that the Victory HT shines.

First, a bright cloudy day under a tree canopy near a feeder. Both the Conquest and the Victory were sharp but there was more eye strain when viewing the Conquest. Slight astigmatism with the Conquest. Under sunny days viewing bright colors, the Conquest really shines and almost outperforms the Victory in color rendition and contrast. But in a bright cloudy day, the Victory is easier on the eyes, color is fine for both…sharpness is still evident on both although obviously diminished a bit on the Conquest to how it normally performs under sunny days. Again, while the sky is cloudy, the birds are still against a pretty dark background.

But birding many times is ‘above you’…over there, on top of that tree…or between the branches and against the harsh backwash of the clouds/sky. How many birds does one see in those conditions?

When viewing ‘above and toward the sky’ with the Conquest there is obvious CA…A blue/ purplish discoloration of the outer part of the lens; 360 degrees. While you can make it ‘distracting’ you can also make it ‘not distracting’…the choice is yours. The Victory has virtually no CA.

When looking at house finches in the top of the branches, backlit against the bright gray clouds, the Conquest has a real tough time picking up coloration and your eyes strain and you also squint at the sharp light looking thru the lens. There was also slight astigmatism with the Conquest as that added to the eye strain I believe. The Victory lens prevents you from squinting (no idea why) and your eyes are not straining. Rather you are viewing the colorations as well as detail (sharpness too). The Victory shines here and one actually has pleasure viewing birds against the harsh bright cloudy background. Did I mention, no eye strain?

When looking at passing gulls high in the sky or soaring hawks, you can pick up the details with the Victory and you have good sharpness too. I could tell I viewed a Laughing Gull. With the Conquest, I couldn’t tell as the light just washed out the features of the bird. Again, CA was present with the Conquest and none with the Victory.
I viewed yellow Goldfinches amongst leafless twigs but with the same harsh backdrop; they had identical results even though I thought that being a bit lower and amongst some ‘brown’ that the Conquest would be okay. But it is evident that the harsh cloudy sky does not help the Conquest, and yet….many birds during a walk-about are found in those conditions.

This was a good field experience day…..moving away from ‘canned’ subjects or placement of birds on feeders or directly under the canopy was an eye opening experience as to the value of the Victory.

Still looking for a rainy day…..

Imans,

Your assessment is exactly as I have found with the HT. Brief viewing, in normal conditions, will not reveal the true attributes of the bino. It is, over time, the true worth is seen - harsh lighting, poor light, gloom, etc. and the HT is [IMO] unrivaled here.

After a day with the HT, I thought, it was a slightly better FL - Lee said the same. After a week, it was becoming apparent it was in a different league. And, now, after using the HT's extensively for breeding bird surveys, I can say I haven't used a better bino. in my life. It just keeps surprising me, time after time.

Great review, and part 4 is definitely where the HT shines. I think it is going to be tough for ANYBODY to beat the views the HT gives in low/harsh lighting.

Today we have had tropical storm conditions, and over 3" of rain. So, of course, I went out to the coast early this morning to see what the weather might be blowing in. I think you will find the same findings as in part 4A, the quality in harsh weather/lighting is unbelievable!

Immans, a very good review and one to which I can concur although I have the 10x42HT and the 8x32 Conquest HD.I am still getting used to the 8x32 which I keep in the car but also use as a warbler finder.Living where I do we often have very bright sunny days which also give heavily shady ares in woods under trees.It is in these areas that the HT shines being able to pick out the minutest detail and colour under the most testing conditions.I agree that on strongly backlit birds the HT has the ability to cut through glare and pick up definition far better than the Conquest.The Conquest is an excellent glass which I use often and I cannot really fault it but it cannot match the HT in certain ares as you described.I have birded in pooring rain and black skies and this is where the HT comes into it's own showing detail that no other glass I have owned would be able to achieve.I waited a long time for my Zeisses my only regret is that I was not in a position financially before to pruchase them as they have introduced a new vigour to my birding after over 60 years.Kind regards...Eddy

You all have found the treasure of the HT.... sunny days are great with many binoculars but those tough cloudy, rainy, backlit washed light days...those are the ones where the HT shines.

In the sunny day, I was somewhat amiss by why the Conquest and the HT were equal, but not now...pretty obvious. A real keeper the HT is..

Looks like we will have a rainy day soon, so...will give it the last test runs...

Imans, thanks for a fine format, and test... After joining in late '11 I'm continuing see to from time to time very useful new comparison schemes and bird watching conditions seldom dealt with adequtely being addressed well. BTW, don't know how often hunters have to view against backlighting. If that's rare it's another sign that the hunting empahsis by Zeiss for the HT is mostly advertising strategy.

pompadour said:

Imans, thanks for a fine format, and test... After joining in late '11 I'm continuing see to from time to time very useful new comparison schemes and bird watching conditions seldom dealt with adequtely being addressed well. BTW, don't know how often hunters have to view against backlighting. If that's rare it's another sign that the hunting empahsis by Zeiss for the HT is mostly advertising strategy.

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I agree, there is much to learn from reading about individual birding / hunting / nature obs. as we hear about situations that cannot be replicated in the lab., or through an optics shop window.

I just spent two day doing breeding bird surveys in the deep woods - the sun didn't come close to shining both days, misty with some drizzle. I have never appreciated the HT's more than here - it's clear that brightness equals resolution in these situations as the HT could resolve details where my FL floundered.

Now, the HT might not work for someone that wants to use them to read line charts or look at graph paper - but they are ideal birding glass, no doubt about that.

james holdsworth said:

I agree, there is much to learn from reading about individual birding / hunting / nature obs. as we hear about situations that cannot be replicated in the lab., or through an optics shop window.

I just spent two day doing breeding bird surveys in the deep woods - the sun didn't come close to shining both days, misty with some drizzle. I have never appreciated the HT's more than here - it's clear that brightness equals resolution in these situations as the HT could resolve details where my FL floundered.

Now, the HT might not work for someone that wants to use them to read line charts or look at graph paper - but they are ideal birding glass, no doubt about that.

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Sounds like the HT did just as advertised....that is one of the reasons why I purchased it too. Today I was out and about and just about every bird I saw was high up in the trees with the clouds as a backdrop.... so HT a success.

True...the charts and paper might say one thing but reality in the field says another. This is a solid birding bino...

i am a hunter..

And I can tell you that quite often I am looking at an unfavorable angle compared to the Sun. (On a West facing slope looking to the West in the late afternoon)

It is this feature of the HTs that really have piqued my interest in them a lot. I know with my current pair of binos (10x50 Burris..15 years old) in these conditions the view is washed out by glare and details are hard to discern.
If they perform well in this respect I will NEED to acquire them! The price tag is what is holding me back and the fact that I have yet to put my hands on a pair.

So, I read with great interest about these mythical HTs. I really do appreciate all of the owner reports.
Thank You!

roseburg said:

And I can tell you that quite often I am looking at an unfavorable angle compared to the Sun. (On a West facing slope looking to the West in the late afternoon)

It is this feature of the HTs that really have piqued my interest in them a lot. I know with my current pair of binos (10x50 Burris..15 years old) in these conditions the view is washed out by glare and details are hard to discern.
If they perform well in this respect I will NEED to acquire them! The price tag is what is holding me back and the fact that I have yet to put my hands on a pair.

So, I read with great interest about these mythical HTs. I really do appreciate all of the owner reports.
Thank You!

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Roseburg,

It has been mentioned by a number of people here (myself included) that the new Zeiss Terra ED has outstanding glare control! And it's FOV is almost as wide as the Zeiss Conquest. At $350.00 you may want to check one out. Your closest Cabelas probably has them in stock.

Bob

Hi Bob, I looked on Cabela's site and they don't list the Zeiss Terra ED, funny they show a link to a $20 rebate for the Terrra HD binocular.

mooreorless said:

Hi Bob, I looked on Cabela's site and they don't list the Zeiss Terra ED, funny they show a link to a $20 rebate for the Terrra HD binocular.

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It should be there or coming soon. I just saw a picture of it in their Fall Master Catalog with the Victory HT and the Conquest HD. Page 485.

Bob