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I love my Conquest HD 10x42's so much, that I'm contemplating a pair of Ultravid 10x42 HD Plus... (1 Viewer)

ZDHart

Well-known member
United States
o_O This sounds a bit odd, I know. How ironic. You love something so much that you are thinking of getting something ELSE!

Any thoughts with regard to comparing the two? The Conquest HDs are great bins which I very much enjoy, but I recently discovered the Ultravid image "look", with the potential extra clarity of alphas, that I think I would really appreciate.

I do understand that my beloved Conquest HD 10x42's may not see a lot of use from me, after acquiring the Ultravid. But I know my wife will certainly enjoy the Conquest HDs, as well.

Anyone here with experience comparing these, or applicable thoughts?
 
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"This sounds a bit odd, I know. How ironic. You love something so much that you are thinking of getting something ELSE!"
When it comes to binoculars see below.
This is a condition called binocular acquisition syndrome (BAS) and this forum can if you let it, serve as an enabler.
 
What about treating your wife with the UV HD+ and keeping the Conquest HD for yourself?

My wife can enjoy any and all binoculars in the household.

No shortage of nice bins (eight pair) to choose from in our house . And, any and all of our binoculars are close at hand for us both to use, as we may wish to. She had been happily using some Alpen bins and I encouraged her to step up to a pair of our Conquest HDs. (I'm the bin addict in our household.)

My wife is much less interested in using binoculars than I am, and her use of binoculars is dramatically less than my own. So, as little as she uses binoculars, she's content using any of our full-size bins. Being much less particular about bins than I am, she doesn't note much difference between the bins that we have. She had been quite contentedly using a pair of Alpens, which I wasn't all that happy with, so I decided to substitute some Zeiss Conquests (we have two pair of them) in the place where she had been using the Alpens. She didn't seem to notice much difference, but she says she does like the Zeiss. And, there's a second pair of UV HD+ arriving tomorrow, which she can use as she wishes to. We are blessed with a nice variety of excellent choices of bins on hand, so, there is plenty of goodness to share in this household. :)
 
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"This sounds a bit odd, I know. How ironic. You love something so much that you are thinking of getting something ELSE!"
When it comes to binoculars see below.

This is a condition called binocular acquisition syndrome (BAS) and this forum can if you let it, serve as an enabler.
Yep... it's a condition that I have suffered from, over a range of different hobbies... firearms, flashlights, knives, guitars, and now binoculars. Also known as gear acquisition syndrome "GAS".
 
ZD...it's kind of like the moon pulling the tide. Hard to resist but if you have something you are really happy with then the new ones probably won't bring much more enjoyment. That has been my experience... Every new toy will need to be sold or given away at some point.
 
I have been quite happy with the performance and image quality of my Conquest HD 10x42s. They are great bins!

That said, in comparing with the Ultravid HD+ 7x42s which I just received today, I can definitely see a bump up in clarity and sharpness with the Leica Ultravid. Which leads me to think that a pair of UVHD+ 10x42s would be quite enjoyable to use! I'm thinking I will return for exchange the UVHD+ 8x32s I just received last week, in favor of UVHD+ 10x42. I don't really "need" the very compact 8x32s and would certainly use the 10x42s much more often.

I'm surprised to say this, because I've loved them so much, but up until recently, I would never have though to sell my Conquest HD 10x42, but with a pair of UVHD+ 10x42s at hand, I probably could let the Conquest HDs go to someone who would appreciate them.
 
Yep, it's hard to resist. I'd still say you need a good pair of of stabilized bins to really zoom into that expansive view you have. My favorite all around are the Canon 14x32 IS. I think the higher power would take it to the next level... You could hedge and get it from a place that is easy to return.
Best wishes in your optics journey.
 
Yep, it's hard to resist. I'd still say you need a good pair of of stabilized bins to really zoom into that expansive view you have. My favorite all around are the Canon 14x32 IS. I think the higher power would take it to the next level... You could hedge and get it from a place that is easy to return.
Best wishes in your optics journey.

Dave... you're right... 14x would be pretty sweet with the distant views and with IS... what's not to love about that. Certainly an option which I should give serious consideration to. Thank you.
 
They are my favorite but not everyone is a fan. If you have a big enough view then they are great. But, I'd strongly suggest getting it from a place you can return if something about them rubs you the wrong way. We will enable you to spend money on optics...
 
The UVHD+ 10x42 arrived. And my-oh-my. What an incredible pair of bins.

Yes, there is a substantial difference between the wonderful Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 and the Leica UVHD+ 10x42.

The incredibly detailed clarity, razor crispness, and rich, punchy colors with the Leica are instantly evident. No careful comparison is needed to see that the Leica UVHD+ bins are at an entirely different level.

My glasses wearing wife much prefers the way the Conquest HDs fit her and is very happy with them, so she has taken over both the 8x32 and 10x42 Conquests that I previously used. And her previously used 10x42 Alpen Wings ED pair will be gifted to someone.
 
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