Try the Fujinon HC 8x42 on a cold day. Those all metal eye cups will freeze your eye sockets. For me, that is a deal killer right there!
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I tried a slug of $1K roof-prism binoculars and I think the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 is still the best for the money! (1 Viewer)
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The Zeiss Conquest HD eye cups are ok IF you don't change them. They are tough to move if you do. It is funny that Zeiss never fixed them, although I hear you can get a new pair from them.
I had my Conquest HD 8x32s for a couple of years and no issues with the eyecups but then changed my spectacles and found I needed the optional longer eyecups. Zeiss provided them free of charge, I unscrewed the original eyecups and removed them, then installed the new eyecups, all without any problems. Not saying that folks who have reported difficulties are mistaken, just pointing out this isn't a universal problem with every Conquest or its eyecups.
Lee
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Lol, that’s some very descriptive math you have there. Sounds like you narrowed down the percentages in your head pretty good. How about I take a stab at it in a much less mathematician way. A $500 Binocular is a good quality Binocular, $1000 binocular is a very good pair of binoculars, at $1500 an excellent binocular and over that are the best binoculars made in the world.
Although we all want to think we have the best, or in this case close to the best by throwing numbers at it. To convince our biases that the amount we spent was the best of something, best all around, best for the price, best in a category, best of the ones we tried or almost as good as the best, all to legitimize to ourselves that we bought the best $1000 binoculars.
So we can throw around 5%, 10%, of this or that to convince ourselves of something, but the bottom line is a $1000 binocular is what $1000 binocular is, just a very good binocular, not a great binocular, those are reserved for the ridiculously high priced Alphas.
Thank you
That’s not going to happen anytime soon since we live in Florida. Even if we didn’t, their eye relief is more than sufficient for those who do not wear glasses to not jam the Fujinon eye cups into their eye sockets. If you are a eye glass wearer, your eyes never touch the eye cups.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Some people actually feel that the Zeiss (conquest , not FL, SF) are cold, although I do like them. I prefer a little bit of that saturation of color that the Leica’s bring, as well as a few other Binos today. I think that’s why Zeiss moved away from that extremely very neutral view. Sometimes the conquest seems a little bit too bright, if that makes sense, another reason the MHG are very nice. I do like the fast focuser on the conquest, but some in the threads complained that’s its to fast and over focus, and have to come back a bit. But you can’t have everything at a $1000 price point.
I was pleasantly surprised that the Ultravid has a fast focuser. There’s only a 1.25 rotation and snaps into focus where your never fiddling around, but that’s what separates the good from the true alphas.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
No, Zeiss never fixed them, it’s a design flaw on the whole conquest line. It’s a real shame because optically there real nice for that upper mid grade $1000 price point that they fall into. Zeiss does have another set of eyecups that have slightly longer eye releif, that they will supply. They really did help a bit with a faster eye positioning. I had them for all my conquests. I gave them to my buyers when I sold.
Love my 10x42 MHGs. Did a direct comparison to the Trinovid HD and Conquest in 10x42. All nice glasses but the HG stood out in fov, weight, sharpness to edges and overall sharpness. Very noticeable when looking up a far off mountain basins. Reminded me of how my EDGs picked up long range detail. However others prefer the Leica and Zeiss so that’s great as well. I’m sure to their eyes the others are better.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Great glass, there is something about Nikon why people love they’re hi-end glass. I can agree more with you about the Tinovid, nice binocular , beautiful build quality , lots of contrast, very warm. But not corrected for CA near as well as the MHG. I think some people like to say that the Nikons aren’t sharp on the edge only because they advertise a Field flattener that isn’t so flat. But overall it’s not bad at all to the edge.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Actually this is A universal problem with Conquest eyecups. Not the eye relief or replacing them, just the clunky, hard to turn plastic nature of them. If you look at thread after thread on these otherwise fine binoculars the the major one complaint is the eyecups. Because there are many good choices in this price range it was the deciding factor for me to choose another option. But not everybody is as OCD as me. And let’s not forget the Zeiss fan boys and girls that will choose the Zeiss just because it’s Zeiss and overlook any flaws. Been there , done that.
Paul
tenex
reality-based
I think my wife has a similar issue... it seems to me that she may buy almost anything at first, and eventually discover what's right, or end up with a succession of items that just aren't. My theory is that all along it's about self-doubt, instinctively questioning and changing an impulse before even acting on it, or lacking the conviction to see it through, or ever be sure. And the trouble with an assistant (a role I do sometimes play) is that it doesn't really solve that problem; she would have to learn to trust and rely on her own instincts and judgment, which are probably at least as good as mine.
This sort of comparison one can conduct ethically if one lives near a major retailer like B&H... but to purchase nine binoculars, with the intention of maybe keeping one? No wonder we have this thread going also:
When a mail order bino goes back to the retailer- where does it go after that?
As a virtual babe in the wood when it comes to online purchases of new bino's- I never had to return one, Is there a standard policy (likely depending on the particular country the mail order business operates within) or is there a fuzzy meaning as to what constitutes a "new" binocular. I see...
www.birdforum.net
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Paultricounty
Well-known member
I doubt that he did that. I’d be shocked if someone would be that way Knowing the retailer would take a hit on every one. He probably tried a few from a few retailers returned them and then tried a few in some local stores. I doubt he had them side by side, you can tell by his description of each binocular, that he was generalizing. When ever I want something I do my research , narrow it down making sure I’m not ordering something I know I’m not going to buy. For instance, if I know I’m leaning towards a $1000 Zeiss , I’m not going to order a viper, or any other $500 bino To compare it to, that’s just wrong.I think my wife has a similar issue... it seems to me that she may buy almost anything at first, and eventually discover what's right, or end up with a succession of items that just aren't. My theory is that all along it's about self-doubt, instinctively questioning and changing an impulse before even acting on it, or lacking the conviction to see it through, or ever be sure. And the trouble with an assistant (a role I do sometimes play) is that it doesn't really solve that problem; she would have to learn to trust and rely on her own instincts and judgment, which are probably at least as good as mine.
This sort of comparison one can conduct ethically if one lives near a major retailer like B&H... but to purchase nine binoculars, with the intention of maybe keeping one? No wonder we have this thread going also:
When a mail order bino goes back to the retailer- where does it go after that?
As a virtual babe in the wood when it comes to online purchases of new bino's- I never had to return one, Is there a standard policy (likely depending on the particular country the mail order business operates within) or is there a fuzzy meaning as to what constitutes a "new" binocular. I see...
Once I narrow it down I’ll buy the two, I let the sales person know I’m going to buy only one and return the other. They seem to have no problem with that, at least the few times I’ve done it. Though I have been guilty of buying each from a different vender and just returning within the return window. But the binoculars I return you wouldn’t even be able to tell they were out of the box.
unfortunately for me many times I wanted to keep the Binoculars then finding something I wanted more, buying them, comparing them a few weeks and selling the almost brand new ones at a loss. I’m the kind of guy you want to buy used binoculars from.
Thank you
Paul
dries1
Member
The online dealers likely have to provide the service on returns, or they lose out to the competition. The purchaser has to be aware of getting something described as new from an online seller may show evidence of being used. This issue is not going away, and it goes for many other things besides binoculars.
YOU have to decide how much you are willing to pay for the small differences in binoculars as you move up in price. Frankly, anymore I find a $1K binocular performs well enough for my birding uses, and I don't have to baby it or worry about somebody stealing it it as much as a $2.5K binocular.
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I don't wear eyeglasses, and I HATE it when the eye cups are not long enough for the eye relief that I have to float them in front of my eyes to avoid black-outs. IMO, I didn't think the HC Fujinon 8x42 were much better than the Vortex Viper HD optically, and they are a quite a bit more expensive, and I hated their ergonomics with their square shape that don't fit your hands very well at all say compared to a Swarovski NL. Fujinon needs to redesign them. I thought the Fujinon's would be a stand-out optically because their porros are so good, but IMO they are pretty much middle of the road.
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The 10x42 MHG's are the stand-out in the MHG line. For some reason they perform better than the other formats like 8x42. Allbinos mentions this also in their testing.
The MHG's are bright and have a lot of contrast and pop, and that is why some people like them. The view looks a little "enhanced" compared to the Zeiss , so it comes down to what you prefer. IMO, the Zeiss view is more "real".
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Paul, there is no denying some folks have got Conquest HDs with eyecups that are difficult to screw up and down to the different positions.
The Conquest's eyecups consist of at least two components and they are made by injecting plastic into two different moulds. I have one set of regular Conquest HD eyecups and one set of the extended length eyecups and both of these eyecups are easy to screw up and down. It is inconceivable that the two sets of moulds used by the manufacturer to produce these eyecups were only used to produce mine. There will be Conquest HDs out there fitted with eyecups produced by the same moulds as mine and therefore that do not have the problem that you describe.
Therefore, no matter how common the problem is, by definition it is not universal.
I also find it hard to believe that by some fluke of good fortune I have two sets of eyecups produced off the only two sets of moulds that turn out easy-to-screw Conquest HD eyecups, so I am inclined to expect there are other mould sets producing equally easy-to-screw eyecups too.
Lee
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I can see if you constantly changed the positioning of the Zeiss eye cups it would be a problem because two people use the same binocular, but how many people do that? I pulled the eye cups all the way out, and they stay there.
The Trinovids and Leicas in general are one of the warmest glasses around. They have an almost yellowish, red tint to their view, and I am not saying that in a bad way. When you look through a Leica they are different from a Zeiss or Swarovski which are colder and more color neutral. You either like it or you don't, but it is there.