Zeiss Zeiss Conquest 8x30B T* Binoculars better than Leica Trinovid 8x20? (1 Viewer)

denco@comcast.n · Mar 14, 2008

Zeiss Conquest 8x30B T* Binoculars better than Leica Trinovid 8x20?

I was kind of looking at getting some more compact binoculars in addition to my Leica Trinovid 7x42 BN's. Do you guy's think the Zeiss Conquest 8x30B T* Binoculars would perform better overall than say the Leica Trinovid 8x20's or Nikon HG 8x20's. I can get them for about $500.00 shipped on E-bay.They are relatively small and compact and I don't want to spend $900.00 for Leica Trinovid's 8x32 BN's. Are they any good for a compact?

Dennis

Alexis Powell · Mar 14, 2008

[email protected] said:
They are relatively small and compact... Are they any good for a compact?

Relatively small???? Compared to what?! They're bigger than all the top 8x32 models, even the 8x32 EL and are nearly the size of the Leica 7x42 Ultravid. If you want small, get the 8x20 Ultravid. If you want to save some $ and get small, get the Zeiss 8x20 Victory. My warranty replacement pair of the latter (newer than my original pair, and thus dielectric coated) does not have the flare/contrast issues that I reported with my original 8x20 Victory. I haven't tested them rigorously side by side, but my initial comparisons have found the flare resistance equal and brightness superior to my 8x20 Ultravid.

--AP

ThoLa · Mar 14, 2008

[email protected] said:
Do you guy's think the Zeiss Conquest 8x30B T* Binoculars would perform better overall than say the Leica Trinovid 8x20's or Nikon HG 8x20's.

Dennis

Yes, they will. They have a much better light gathering power, eye placement is easier. The 20 mm models have the advantage of being foldable so they can be stuffed into a shirt pocket. In all optical respects the Conquest will win.
The small Trinovids have one other disadvantage: the focussing know is tiny and so deeply sunken into the body that it is close to impossible to turn it. A useless construction.
Unless you go for miniature size and minimal weight, the Zeiss is in a different league.
Tom

ceasar · Mar 14, 2008

ThoLa said:
Yes, they will. They have a much better light gathering power, eye placement is easier. The 20 mm models have the advantage of being foldable so they can be stuffed into a shirt pocket. In all optical respects the Conquest will win.
The small Trinovids have one other disadvantage: the focussing know is tiny and so deeply sunken into the body that it is close to impossible to turn it. A useless construction.
Unless you go for miniature size and minimal weight, the Zeiss is in a different league.
Tom

Tom,
Can you clear this up a bit? What is a "focussing know?"

I have no trouble focusing my 8 x 20 Trinovids.

Thanks,
Bob

ThoLa · Mar 14, 2008

ceasar said:
Tom,
Can you clear this up a bit? What is a "focussing know?"

I have no trouble focusing my 8 x 20 Trinovids.

Thanks,
Bob

Hello Bob!

You don't knob what a focussing know is?

Sorry, one of my fingers overtook the other it seems.
I was referrring to the focussing knob.
The little Ultravids have a nice big one (knoB) but the Trinovids have one that is totally hidden. I have tried a little Trinovid once because I want a foldable, but optically good mini, too. But Leica's prices induce a hydraulic system conntected to my eyes that blurs my vision. So I thought maybe I take a slightly cheaper, old-fashioned Trinovid. But the focussing kn... was so tricky to operate that I discarded the idea. They should be fix-focus in the first place.
Focussing is always a problem with those tiny gadgets. The only exception seem to be the Ultravids.
So now I am pondering the same question: get one of them, or get an 8x30 for practically the same price??????

I add some little pictures which will probably SHOW what I mean about the focussing .... mechanism.
What the pictures will hopefully show is that the focussing knob of the Trinovid hardly protrudes above the surface while the one of the Ultravid protudes nicely and can easily be grabbed and turned with one or two fingers.

Best,
Tom

ceasar · Mar 14, 2008

Tom,
I see what you mean!

I have no trouble with the Triny's knoB though. Was just using it yesterday looking through my American Legion's windows while quaffing a cold one. My Legion overlooks a lake and sits on 235 rural acres. I saw mallards, mergansers, canada geese, blue jays and when I finally walked out the door I saw a Red-tail hawk in a nearby Oak tree being mobbed by a bunch (murder) of crows. The "cold ones" didn't affect my ability to focus those little bins either.

In fact, I think I'll go visit the place now.B

Cordially,
Bob

FrankD · Mar 14, 2008

Dennis,

I thought you owned a pair of the 8x32 BNs?

I agree with the posts above. Optically I would prefer the Conquests because of the larger exit pupil. However, if compact size is your priority then the Conquests aren't going to fit the bill.

denco@comcast.n · Mar 15, 2008

FrankD said:
Dennis,

I thought you owned a pair of the 8x32 BNs?

I agree with the posts above. Optically I would prefer the Conquests because of the larger exit pupil. However, if compact size is your priority then the Conquests aren't going to fit the bill.

I had a pair of Leica 8x32 BN's but sold them to get the 7x42 BN's I have now. The Conquests looked fairly small to me and I liked the view a little better than the Leica 8x20 Trinovids. They were also a little easier to use than the smaller binoculars so I thought for $500.00 dollars they weren't too bad of a deal.

Dennis

etudiant · Mar 15, 2008

It depends very much on personal preference. An 8x30 is much more user friendly than an 8x20 in terms of sensitivity to eye placement and ease of viewing, at least for me. Otoh, the 8x20 just is in a different league for portability. So which is the more important factor for you?

Tero · Mar 15, 2008

Shop around, there are some good 8x32s around, not that the Zeiss are not good. I have not checked out 8x Zeiss, only 10x.

You can even get Ed glass if you want
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=4886
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=4745

denco@comcast.n · Mar 15, 2008

etudiant said:
It depends very much on personal preference. An 8x30 is much more user friendly than an 8x20 in terms of sensitivity to eye placement and ease of viewing, at least for me. Otoh, the 8x20 just is in a different league for portability. So which is the more important factor for you?

I actually prefer the 8x30's or 8x32's because of the user friendliness factor. I just don't like the double hinge design of the 8x20's even though their size is really convenient because you can stick them in your shirt pocket. The eye placement is really more difficult on the smaller 8x20's and I don't like that either. I had a pair of Nikon HG 8x20's and a pair of Leica Trinovids 8x20's and I ended up selling them. Just in my opinion way more hassle than a good 8x32 or 8x42.

Alexis Powell · Mar 15, 2008

Sounds to me from your subsequent posts that you already knew the answer to your query (or the answer you wanted) before you even asked! If the 8x30 Conquest (the least compact 8x30 or 8x32 roof prism that I've ever seen) meets your needs for a "compact", then by all means choose it. If the double hinge aspect of pockets is a problem for you, try the Zeiss 8x20 Victory or the Leica 8x20 Ultravid. The former is a single hinge, and the latter has positive stops to the outward adjustment so that it can be unfolded just like the Victory (If focusing with right hand, unfold right side to its limit, then adjust left side to get proper IPD). Lining up good compacts like these with your eyes is much easier in my experience than with most others because their position of the focusing knob allows them to be held deeply and securely in the right (or in the case of the Ultravid, either right or left) palm, rather than with the fingers and finger tips.

--AP

denco@comcast.n · Mar 15, 2008

Alexis Powell said:
Sounds to me from your subsequent posts that you already knew the answer to your query (or the answer you wanted) before you even asked! If the 8x30 Conquest (the least compact 8x30 or 8x32 roof prism that I've ever seen) meets your needs for a "compact", then by all means choose it. If the double hinge aspect of pockets is a problem for you, try the Zeiss 8x20 Victory or the Leica 8x20 Ultravid. The former is a single hinge, and the latter has positive stops to the outward adjustment so that it can be unfolded just like the Victory (If focusing with right hand, unfold right side to its limit, then adjust left side to get proper IPD). Lining up good compacts like these with your eyes is much easier in my experience than with most others because their position of the focusing knob allows them to be held deeply and securely in the right (or in the case of the Ultravid, either right or left) palm, rather than with the fingers and finger tips.

--AP

Here is a pretty good review of the Zeiss Conquest 8x30:

http://www.birdforum.net/reviews/showproduct.php?product=203

Dennis

mooreorless · Mar 16, 2008

ThoLa said:
But Leica's prices induce a hydraulic system conntected to my eyes that blurs my vision.Tom

:-O Thanks for the laugh.
Steve

Zeiss Zeiss Conquest 8x30B T* Binoculars better than Leica Trinovid 8x20? (1 Viewer)

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