Gijs:
I cannot download your tests, and I would sure like to.
I am not able to translate.
Jerry
Jerry, You owe me a beer. Gijs you owe me two beers. :t:
Here is how Google Translate sees Gijs's test.
Introduction.
Researched are four viewers, of which three copies of the Zeiss Conquest 8x42 from different production periods and the probably unknown for many Kahles Helia 8x42.
The Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42
In the past five years I have researched multiple copies of the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42. When comparing the research results, it appeared that there are some differences between the Conquest viewers studied. That is not surprising, because manufacturers use a quality standard with certain quality margins. The size of these margins partly determines the final price of the viewer. After all, the greater the loss of lenses, prisms and so on, because they fall outside the quality margins, the higher the production costs become. The result is that there is a price tag on minimum quality variation and optimal quality. The Zeiss Conquests are priced in the so-called middle segment, i.e. around 1000-1200 euros and they can tolerate a slightly wider quality variation than with viewers of 2000 euros and higher.
The original Zeiss Conquests were made by Zeiss-Wetzlar itself in Germany or in one of the Zeiss satellite companies elsewhere in Europe. With the introduction of the new Conquest HD line, Zeiss opted for a different course, probably to save costs, because ultimately the size of the current Zeiss viewer program is only a very small part of the total Zeiss production. Zeiss viewers are, as one of the directors has ever noticed, the "flag" on the production pallet of the company. If that is really the case, then Zeiss viewers must also be able to make that appearance ... The Zeiss Conquest viewers are now being made entirely in Japan, by a large viewer manufacturer, who makes viewers for many companies under many names, such as Bushnell, Bynolyt, Kite, Opticron, Zenray and so on and so on. The Conquests are, as far as I know, made according to a design by Zeiss with the agreed quality criteria and quality margins. Because the name "Zeiss" and "Made In Germany" have a high quality image, it was important for Zeiss that the Zeiss logo and "Made in Germany" would be placed on the viewers. This could be achieved by taking the viewers, who are made ready in Japan, including all quality standards and quality controls, in several (marked) parts again, so that they can be assembled quickly and easily in Germany, thereby satisfying them. the European guidelines for "Made in Germany".
I now take a closer look at the quality of Conquest nr 3 from the table. That is a viewer from the most recent production, where all childhood diseases should be.
The weight of the viewer is almost 800 grams (787 grams for the "bare" viewer to be exact, so there is not yet the weight of the protective caps for eyepiece and lenses and the viewer belt) on the heavy side, but that also makes the viewer stable again. The viewing position of the viewer is good, the eyes for the viewer strap are ergonomically well placed, so that they do not fall (disturbing and / or painful) in the mouse.
The eye caps can be turned in or out, allowing a number of fixed intermediate positions, so that the user can set the optimal distance of the eyepiece-ocular lens. There is a quality problem around the corner, because the twist resistance of the left and right eyecup eyeshells differed in my test copy nr 3 (that is the most recent production!) Rather: the left turned smoothly, the right irregular and heavy: very disturbing. The eyecups are attached to the viewer house with a threaded mount (handy in connection with self-cleaning and / or replacement) and that did not run smoothly with test specimen No. 3. A minus for this Conquest HD 8x42. In itself, that problem with new eyecups must be easy to remedy, but here the quality control has dropped a stitch.
The Conquest's focusing wheel runs comfortably smoothly with a fairly short stroke, but it also has a slight dead stroke, which is not disturbing. The ring for adjusting the difference in strength between the two eyes is below the right eyepiece and rotates heavily. That is fine too, because you do not want this ring to twist unwittingly while using the viewer in the field. The hinge of the viewer bridge rotates heavily and that is also desirable, because with a low rotation resistance there is a risk that the viewer will unintentionally double-fold. On the other hand, too high a rotational resistance is very frustrating.
If we compare the measurement data in the table between the three Conquests studied (nos. 1 to 3, production between 2012 and 2016), it appears that there is only a slight variation in weight, shortest setting distance, actual magnification and light transmission. The variations are small and, in my opinion, fall within the limits of acceptable quality margins, with the exception perhaps of the shortest setting distance. That is a great score and worth a compliment for Zeiss and the Japanese maker of the Conquest.
The KAHLES Helia 8x42HD
The name Kahles will be unknown to many in the viewer world, but in the hunting world Kahles is a quality concept.
A short history of Kahles.
The name Kahles is connected to the historically earliest production of rifle scopes by the founder of the company Karl Robert Kahles. In 1898, he produced in his optical company in Vienna the first, completely handmade, rifle scope with the name "Telorar". After his sudden death in 1908, the company was continued by his wife Anna. The company flourished and when the sons Karl and Ernst Kahles were old enough, they took over the business of their mother. It was son Karl Kahles, who besides the production of rifle scopes also started producing binoculars for hunting and for sport. In the beginning of the 1970s, it turned out that there were no heirs Kahles, who could continue the business and in 1974 Kahles was sold to Swarovski. From May 1989, Kahles Limited is an independent company within the Swarovski group.
The KAHLES HELIA 8X42HD fits seamlessly within the original production pallet of Kahles. Originally, Kahles made all the parts of (focus) viewers themselves, but that is difficult to keep up with at the present time for price-technical reasons, so that various parts are made in low-wage countries. Kahles does not provide information about which manufacturer is used to deliver (parts of) the Helia viewers and anyone searching on the internet will undoubtedly get an idea about it, but that remains a guess for the customer. Kahles says that all components that are crucial for the quality of the (focus) viewers in the company itself are made. This may explain why the Helia viewer studied here makes such a good impression. It is a beautiful viewer to see through its design and color: a slim viewer house with open bridge and beautiful reddish brown hard rubber upholstery. The weight of 738 grams is pleasantly low for an 8x42 viewer. But not only that the comfort of use and the optical quality of the viewer are a pleasant surprise, you judge yourself. The viewing position of the viewer is excellent and the construction of the open bridge makes use of the viewer with one hand possible (with big hands that is more difficult). The in / outable eyecups feel solid and have three positions: fully screwed in, intermediate position and fully extended. This allows the user to set the optimum distance between the eye lens and the outer eyepiece lens. The eyecups have soft rubber edges, so eyeglass wearers do not have to worry about damaging the glasses. The eyecups are basically a fixed part of the viewer house, the user can not remove them for cleaning or replacement. In case of damage, the viewer has to go to a repairer and that takes time and money. Correction for the difference in harvest strength can be made by rotating a ring under the right eyepiece. It has a somewhat higher rotational resistance, so that the adjusted crop-strength correction does not just rotate during the use of the viewer. The kink resistance of the viewer bridge between the two viewing tubes is good: not too light and not too heavy. The turning resistance of the focus wheel is quite high, which requires some work for a quick change in sharpness.
The optical quality of the viewer is good: a beautiful clear image, almost to the edges sharp with little remnants of color shading at the edge of the image. The viewer image shows virtually no field curvature, so that straight lines at the edge of the image field also remain straight. The transmission at 83-86% is lower than the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x42 tested here. In order to check whether the transmission values measured by us correspond with the transmission data from Kahles, their measurement data were placed next to ours and they appeared to be identical within the measurement error. The slightly lower transmission values of the Khales Helia 8x42 compared to the Zeiss Conquests 8x42 means that the Kahles viewer has a slightly lower effective light intensity than the Zeiss Conquest viewer.
The color rendering of the Helia is good with some emphasis on red, so that the image gets a slightly warm character. The Kahles Helia 8x42 is determined by its good quality-price ratio and its performance for many viewers in the same price range (800-1200 euro) a competitor to take into account.
The Helia comes with accessories that are low in use (that is important when hunting not to drive away the game unintentionally): a rain cover and lens cover of (beautifully executed) felt and a matching carrying strap. In short, everything has been thought about when designing this viewer.
Cheers
Lee
