Thanks, for that information. The eye cup diameter makes a big difference in avoiding black-outs.
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Looking for a good 10x42 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter pluton
- Start date
I received the Tract Toric 10x42 and compared it to my Meopta Meopro Air 10x42 and I chose the Meopta because it had considerably better optics for only a $300 difference in price. The Meopta is much closer to alpha quality than the Tract with a much bigger sweet spot and much sharper edges. I think it is a little sharper on-axis also with a more transparent image. The Meopta also has considerably less CA than the Tract. I also prefer the open bridge on the Meopta which mimics the Swarovski EL because you can hold it with one hand easier. Also, the build quality of the Meopta is considerably better than the Tract being very close to the Swarovski EL in fit and finish. It was a pretty easy quick decision for me which one to keep. The Tract was returned.
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New...I've had Conquest HD 10X42 for several years. EXCELLENT binocular. For the money I'm not sure you can beat is.
The ideal of a used, excellent condition SLC or FL sounds good to me too. I've never owned a new SLC but have owned a couple of FLs...can't tell them from new usually.
The ideal of a used, excellent condition SLC or FL sounds good to me too. I've never owned a new SLC but have owned a couple of FLs...can't tell them from new usually.
Pretty happy with my Torics for less than half the price of the Meoptas. The Pro Airs are good looking and nice to hear the optics are good as well. Not sure why Meopta decided to use the the MeoPro name though as those are quite mediocre and don’t handle glare well. One would think Meopta would come up with a new name to avoid any association. Maybe just MeoAir.
Interesting comment on eyecup size as well. Small eyecups always cause blackouts for me. The Torics are quite standard for a full size bino and I’ve not experienced blackouts with them. I suppose different face shapes, eye socket size, and how one holds the glasses to ones face makes a difference. Glad there are lots of different options out there so we can all find what works best for us.
"We know that the Conquest is made in Japan?" Joachim?
That's a new one on me. I have Conquest HD 8x32 and 10x42, from about 2014, both of which were stated to have been "made in Germany".
Not that I can't appreciate Japanese manufacturing quality... which CAN be as good as, or better than, anywhere else on this planet. The Japanese have proven that they can compete with anyone for quality.
As I understand it, the Zeiss Terra line are assembled in China, with Zeiss glass which originated in Germany. No?
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Hi,
the only thing done in Wetzlar nowadays is final assembly from modules built elsewhere for the Victory series and customer care.
It used to be like this (most components built in Hungary, final assembly in Wetzlar) with the Conquest series before, when Victory was still actually built there, maybe that's why your examples are "Made in Germany", which unfortunately is a fairly lax designation of origin.
Today Conquest HD series is from Kama Japan afaik, and the Terra from Kama in China - except for the 25mm models which used to come from Japan until lately.
There is by the way no such thing as Zeiss glass, the company (independent but like Zeiss AG under the roof of Carl Zeiss foundation) you mean is called Schott. Whether the Terra ED line contains only Schott glass is hard prove or disprove, they advertise Schott ED glass so we probably have at least one ED element from Schott in there.
Joachim
dorubird
The unskilled mechanic blames his tools!
Made in Japan and assembled several parts in Germany...But, no matter where Conquest 10x42 HD it is made, it is an almost an alpha binoculars! We just have to look through them to see that the optical and mechanical quality is very obvious! Our eyes don't lie no matter where Conquest is made 
...for me, like many other consumers of binoculars around the world, HD Conquest is the best 10x42 bino under 1000 euro...
...for me, like many other consumers of binoculars around the world, HD Conquest is the best 10x42 bino under 1000 euro...Mikewander
Well-known member
I recently looked for a pair of 10x42s under £1000 and went for the new Opticron Aurora model.
I tried the Zeiss Conquest and other similar priced models, but had blackouts with them. I don't wear glasses and the Opticrons were perfect for my face. I could place them perfectly into my eye sockets with no blackouts. It seems to me that most manufacturers expect their end user to wear glasses.
I tried the Zeiss Conquest and other similar priced models, but had blackouts with them. I don't wear glasses and the Opticrons were perfect for my face. I could place them perfectly into my eye sockets with no blackouts. It seems to me that most manufacturers expect their end user to wear glasses.
Yes, it's pretty easy to induce blackouts with, probably, ANY binoculars depending on settings and how one swings one's eyeballs from side to side.
With careful adjustment to the face and eyes, and care in how the binoculars are held, it seems that one can avoid blackouts, most of the time, with almost all binoculars?Mikewander
Well-known member
So can too much eye relief.
Or eyecups too short to support the eye relief.
Maybe i should be calling it 'kidney beans' rather than 'blackouts'.
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Mikewander
Well-known member
@ZDHart.
With my Zeiss Victory Pockets i get blackouts if i jam them into my eye sockets. It makes no difference how i set the IPD. I have to hover them away from my face but it isn't a problem as they are so light.
With a pair of heavier 10x42s i want to be able to jam them into my eye sockets for the extra support.
With my Zeiss Victory Pockets i get blackouts if i jam them into my eye sockets. It makes no difference how i set the IPD. I have to hover them away from my face but it isn't a problem as they are so light.
With a pair of heavier 10x42s i want to be able to jam them into my eye sockets for the extra support.
That's interesting. Apparently, glass for all Zeiss binoculars is made in Germany.
Zeiss states that the Terra binoculars contain glass which was is made in Germany, with the binoculars assembled in China. The Terra 8x32 binoculars that I tested, for a couple of weeks, had excellent optics, though the focuser was a fair bit stiffer than I prefer.
And, of course, Kama Japan seems to be assembling fully "Zeiss-quality" binoculars, with the much-respected Conquest HD line. Apparently Zeiss produces the Conquest HD glass in Germany and ships to Kama Japan for assembly. Japanese manufacturing can certainly attain the utmost in fine quality.
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