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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Swedpat" data-source="post: 3168621" data-attributes="member: 21414">Several years ago when I was looking for a high class 7x42 I tried FL 7x42. Definitely a brilliant and sharp image, except from the edges. I chosed Swarovski SLC New 7x42 instead. Yes, FL 7x42 was brighter with a "whiter" image and sharper on-axis. The reasons for the choice of the SLC are:1: significantly lower price2: very flat image with a large sweet spot, sharp almost to the edges(SLC New was at that time one of the best out there in this respect)3: hold comfortThere is one thing I found a drawback, however: the weight. SLC New 7x42 is 950g. Last year I read about the new Conquest HD series and found the design attractive. This model has only received very good grades in reviews, as a good choice for the money. So I tried Conquest HD 8x42 and compared to SLC New 7x42. It's fascinating how much 150g lower weight can do, Conquest HD definitely feels more comfortable to carry around than the SLC New. I compared the image. Pretty similar AFOV, but with a whiter image. SLC New provides a warmer image. I found Conquest HD to be slightly sharper than SLC New. SLC New is better when it comes to edge performance, but Conquest HD is still decent in this respect. Because I have not compared Conquest HD to FL and it was maybe 7-8 years ago I tried the FL I can't know: but according to what I recall I think Conquest HD is better than FL at the edges. I don't doubt that FL overall is better than the Conquest, but have hard to think that the difference is more than marginal.</blockquote>

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