[Torview]

I did not intend my first real post to be about equipment but I picked up a mint Zeiss conquest 8x30 from SW Optics today for just £339. I`ve been after a lightweight bin, my Nikon hg l seems pretty heavy after a while. Its a model I would probably have ignored as a rule but what a cracking view I found it to offer. I can see myself reaching for this one time and again. Just wondered if anyone else is impressed by them ?

[temmie]

I like the very bright view and light weight (some would say plastic feeling). I don't like the focus of the ones I handled, it was always quite stiff. Also, the field of view is quite narrow. As an eyeglass wearer, this is a little uncomfortable. I like binoculars with a wide view that are not too critical for eye placement. If you don't wear glasses and the focus softens a bit, it's a great binocular for that price!

[James Bean]

I had the Zeiss Conquest 8x30 and found it to be very sharp, certainly towards the centre of the image. However, I was less impressed by the focus action which, although tolerable, tended to be a little stiff. Which is why I went the opposite way to you: I bought a Nikon 8x32HG which has a beautifully smooth focus and a nice big, sharp view too, although a bit on the heavy side (the 8x42 is even heavier). I liked the look of the Conquest, but always felt the body 'cosmetics' let it down somewhat; it didn't feel as expensive as its price tag. £339 is a fine price though; new, I've seen them twice that.

[Torview]

Thanks for the response, I concur on the focusing, not an eyeglass user myself, "yet !" certainly no match in edge sharpness compared with the 8x42 hg l. I tried the Nikon edg 8x32, that was stunning, would love to try a hg l 8x32, but will probably enjoy the little conquest till funds allow me the edg or Zeiss fl.

[Alfie S]

I also have the conquest 8x30s I find them very sharp & they continue to work very well in lowlight conditions almost as good as my 8x56 bins, The focus is a bit stiff but I had read about this before I purchased them, For their compact size I really like the performance

[Nixterdemus]

Congrats on the new acquisition. Looks like I've taken the plunge on a marked down demo Conquest 8x30B T.

Don't know much about them, but I'm anxious to try them out and compare them to some others.

[temmie]

I compared them side by side with the 8x30 CL Swarovski. I would say they are half the price and as good (I honestly don't get the hype about the 8x30 Swaro, but hey, I am a Zeiss fan ;-) . They feel light but rock solid at the same time.
Zeiss will come out with something new early next year. The representative I was talking to really had to bite his lip. The only thing he wanted to say is that I had to wait until jan-march 2012 and he gave me a link:
http://www.zeiss.com/zeissexperience

And nothing more...

[Kammerdiner]

Originally Posted by temmie

I compared them side by side with the 8x30 CL Swarovski. I would say they are half the price and as good (I honestly don't get the hype about the 8x30 Swaro, but hey, I am a Zeiss fan ;-) . They feel light but rock solid at the same time.
Zeiss will come out with something new early next year. The representative I was talking to really had to bite his lip. The only thing he wanted to say is that I had to wait until jan-march 2012 and he gave me a link:
http://www.zeiss.com/zeissexperience

And nothing more...

Tantalizing to say the least. Looks like two rollouts or something. No mention of cost on the Jan. 2012. FL2 or CL competitor? I should think you'd lead with a flagship, yes?

[FrankD]

Hmm, this reminds me of when Swaro introduced the Swarovision. This should be good.

[Nixterdemus]

Last day of the extended blk Friday weekend sale, but Cabela's has the 10x40 Conquest for $750 which is 50 clams cheaper than Dougie over @ CLNY.

315' FOV is tight, yet the 10x should bring you closer to the front row perch.

Duly noted that Cabala's sale price on the 8x42 was 800.

ETA: As a side noteof sorts the oft acclaimed Meostar, in the 10x42 build, only has 330' fov, is an inch shorter in length, not even 1/4" wider though 1.4oz heavier which is to be expected I suppose due to the extra 2mm objective. Not quite sure if the ABK prism is a match for the extra 2mm of glass or if it's more than a match.

[Torview]

Just to update my feelings on the focusing on this model after 3 months of almost daily use. Some posters felt the focuser was stiff and I concurred with that, however after many hours of use its now as smooth as you like, still finding much to like about them.

Interestingly I had a chance to compare them side by side with a colleagues brand new Opticron 8x32 oregon le wp recently, a lovely little bin. I know these to don`t compete in the same price bracket but I thought I`d share our thoughts.

The Opticron gives an 8.1deg field of view compared to 6.8 on the Zeiss, but it did`nt feel much wider in use.

The Opticron was a tad brighter, probably the 32mm objective against 30mm, but had a warmer colour cast, we both felt the Zeiss was the more natural here.

Zeiss feels much more solid.

The big difference was in image sharpness, here the Zeiss just blew away the Opticron, although the Opticron did manage to retain the same level of sharpness across the field where as the Zeiss softens a little towards its edges.

With a new 8x32 conquest hd promised for late summer in the UK, I`m sure this old model will be discounted, we both felt it offered a very very sharp image thats hard to equal in a mid sized binocular under £500.