Has anyone compared the Nikon with the Zeiss conquest hd in 10x42?
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I have just now (this is about central sharpness of 10x42 models only).
First, mounting both binos side by side on tripods, and observing a "mixed landscape" with multiple features and nicely structured into foreground, middle ground and background (see pic).
Then, again mounting each bino on tripod and using an A4 format printout of the USAF 1951 test chart (see pic), noting results for 3 different setups (observing distance 10m, artificial lighting):
- bino as is (observing through both tubes)
- putting 2.5x Kite Optics booster behind right eyepiece, observing through right tube only
- putting 4x Zeiss booster behind right eyepiece, observing through right tube only
(Note:I did not use a 6x Zeiss booster which I tend to use for binos with larger exit pupils; here, it did not make sense, because with a resulting exit pupil of less than 1mm the floaters in your eyes usually prevent you from seeing any more details than with lower booster).
Observing the landscape, both binos showed similar central sharpness / contrast, very nice crisp images in both instruments; the Nikon exhibited slightly better peripheral sharpness.
Using USAF 1951, the Zeiss proved to be just slightly ahead of the Nikon, as the following results show (number as per marks on the pictured USAF). Here, I tried to determine down to which size the bars could still be clearly identified as horizontal resp. vertical in each bino:
No booster: Zeiss B6 (possibly C1), Nikon B6
2.5x booster: Zeiss C4, Nikon C3
4.0x booster: Zeiss C6 (possibly D1), Nikon C6
The result doesn't come as a surprise to me. Despite the fact that the Nikon Monarch HG without any doubt is a very fine binocular, in several tests I did during the last few years, both the 8x42 and the 10x42 Conquest HD always came out as surprisingly sharp binoculars, hardly much behind the "very alphas". They still are an excellent choice in my view (you have to find your own way to cope with the "kidney beaning tendency" of the 8x Conquest HD or get the special eyecups which Zeiss supplies).
For what it's worth.
Canip