Have posted this in Hunt America also.

The Zeiss Conquest has been on the market for quite a while now. Would those that have bought one advance their opinions on them.
Specificically, how they compare with the Vari X III's from Leupold. They advertise 4inch constant eye relief. Is that really true? How is low light performance, resolution , durability etc.

Any problems with them? These scopes are about line ball in price so a good honest comparison is both fair and due.

I understand the Conquest does not have the expensive T* coating of the european Zeiss - how much difference does that make.

I had a look at a Kahles 1.5-6 x 42 in 30mm tube. Its huge, heavy & the image was not as bright or crisp as the Leupold Vari X III's. In Barsness's book "Optics for the Hunter, he rates Zeiss, Leupold & Swarovski for light transmission 1,2&3 in that order.

Kahles rated below the Vari X II but price wise is so much more. So you don't always get what you pay for.

Thanks,
JohnT

IMHO most foriegn scopes are too heavy and are hard to hold in the rings, for any lenth of time...Many of them have an expensive coating thats slicker than snot and that agrrivates the holding situation..They also rob you on repair and most don't honor the guarentee..I quit them and went back to the old reliable Leupold and that no spin guarentee...I like to buy American anyway, if its feasible.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I own a Conquest in 3.5-10. Its every bit of glass the Leupold Vari-X III is and maybe them some. Dimensionally, its about the same size. Clarity is superior IMO... The Zeiss factory rep I spoke with told me the Conquest is made with the exact same materials and coatings found on the German made Z series. They cannot use the same names for trademark reasons. But the lenses and other materials are made in Germany with the exact same tolerances and coatings as used with the German assembled cousins...
I've hunted with my Conquest a little this year and its been a good scope but I will admit its never been off 3.5 power since hunting season began... Can't vouch for warranty or customer service and hope I never have to. I'll buy another but my next scope will probably be my 3rd Vari-X III in 1.5-5X...I love that scope for hunting!

Thanks Jeff.

You do wonder with scope companies. The Vari X III's compared to the LPS series. Except for the scratch resistance, the coatings don't do much for light transmission. they both do 92% so they claim but the price differential is 2x or more.

Clearly, you don't always get what you pay for in optics!! I mean the differnce between the Conquest & the V series is about 3-4x.

Regards,
John

John,
I have a 3x9 Conquest atop a pre'64 Winchester in .30-06. It's marginally heavier than a 2.5x8 Leupold Vari-X-lll (which I also own) and appears to provide more resolution. Exterior finish is matte and stays put in Talley rings. Zeiss is selling them for $399 U.S. delivered and I doubt very much that a company with such a sterling reputation would do something to embarrass itself. Assembling the scopes in the U.S. also avoids having to pay German labor rates, too. They are squarely targeting Leupold's market, hence the lifetime transferrable warranty. I doubt very much that Zeiss will disappear so I bought with confidence and like mine very much. Competition is a good thing.