ZEISSConquest HD Binoculars Waterproof, Compact with LotuTec T HD Coated Glass for Optimal Clarity in All Weather Conditions for Bird Watching, Hunting, Sightseeing, Black

I tried a slug of $1K roof-prism binoculars simultaneously, and I think the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 is still the best for the money! I have been in the market for a good mid-range roof at about the $1K mark in either 8x32 or 8x42, so I ordered a bunch of them and compared them all together. To cut to the chase, I liked the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 the best overall. When I would compare them side by side, I would consistently be struck with the almost ungodly on-axis sharpness of the Zeiss and the overall brightness. The awesome optics combined with the best smoothest fastest focuser that you can use with one finger and the ergonomics and compact shape helped me make my decision to keep the Zeiss over all the other excellent binoculars. The Leica Trinovid 8x32 had beautiful saturated colors, but the FOV was narrower than any of the other binoculars and the eye cups were not long enough for the eye relief with my shallow eye sockets. The Vortex Viper HD 8x42 deserves "Honorable Mention" because it was the best binocular at its price point of $500, but it wasn't quite as sharp or as bright as the Zeiss and the focuser wasn't as smooth. The Vortex Viper HD 8x42 is a better binocular than the newer Nikon M7 8x42 or the Fujinon HC 8x42. If you can only spend $500, and you want a roof binocular, I would highly recommend it. The Fujinon HC 8x42 has terrible ergonomics with its square shape and almost all metal eye cups which are cold against your face on a cold day. The Meopta Meostar and Nikon MHG were middle of the pack. Good, but not as sharp as the Zeiss, especially on-axis. Of all the other binoculars I tried the Maven B1.2 8x42 was probably the closest optically to the Zeiss, but it wasn't quite as sharp on-axis, and it was heavy even for a 42 mm at 31 oz. and the focuser was tighter and not as smooth. Every time I went back to the Zeiss it would WOW me with its big bright FOV and extremely sharp, clear on-axis view. The Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 is fairly light at 22 oz. and it is pretty small and compact in your hands, and the armour feels very comfy and warm. The eye cups are still stiff when you extend them, but if you leave them in one position it is not a problem. The objective covers work good, the rain guard fits well and works good, the case is one of the best and the strap is great. The Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 looks tough, and it is. The build quality is excellent. It is an exceptional birding tool for $1K. I have had the Zeiss FL 8x32 and the Zeiss SF 8x32 and I don't feel they are worth twice the price of the Conquest HD for maybe 5% more performance. For $1K, the Zeiss Conquest HD IMO can't be beat. Here is a list of the binoculars I tried. I also have the Nikon E2 8x30 porro-prism and I think it is one of the best porro's you can buy, but that is another story!Kowa Genesis Prominar 8x33Leica Trinovid HD 8x32Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32Vortex Viper HD 8x42Nikon M7 8x42Fujinon HC 8x42Maven B1.2 8x42Meopta Meostar B1 Plus 8x32Nikon Monarch HG 8x42

Amazing binoculars. They grip well in your hands, the view is better than any binoculars I've ever owned. One thing that is no longer included is the quality certificate. That stopped 4 years ago. They didn't want to update the manual to exclude it. No big deal. The credible reviews show the 10x42 model out performs the Leica Trinovid HD in almost all categories.Before purchasing the 10x42 model, I deep dived and found that a lot of online video reviews that complain about the eye cups are unfounded. if your purchase is after 1/2024, the manufacturing process on the eye cup has improved. I contacted Zeiss and they assured me they will replace eyecups with just a phone call. Zeiss stands by these Conquest HD fully. As stated these Conquest HD's are fully manufactured in Germany. Assembly and all.I chose not to buy the Conquest HDX due to being manufactured in Japan. NO, I'm not biased, my family is Germanic and I prefer the quality being a notch above what you get out of the orient.

I bought these after returning the ***pold 12 x50 roof prism binoculars which were horrible to use and made my eyes hurt. Amazon prime took care of that lickety split. Thanks amazon! Look folks, I am an avid 40 year old outdoorsman/birdwatcher. I started using binoculars 30 years ago and these Zeiss 10x42's are amazing. The clarity is absolutely phenomenal!!!! The low light visibility looks better than what you can see with your own eyes. The close focus distance is closer than what they state in the tech specs. They are powerful, light-weight, and compact. Everything I was looking for in a pair of binoculars. The price tag was hefty. But as with all quality, precision German manufactured products, you get what you pay for. Thank you Zeiss. This will probably be the last pair of binoculars I will ever buy!

These 10x42 Conquests are a VERY bright binocular, and you notice it as soon as you place it to your eyes. A crystalline quality to the brightness, indicative of top optics, that bely the price at which Zeiss sells them. I also purchased the 10x56 Conquest HDs, with the intent to keep one of them. The 10x56s use Abbé-Koenig prisms, which in theory should let in more light, in addition to their larger 56mm objectives.Taken in isolation, the 10x56s are impressive too. But for the added size and bulk, they were not adding anything substantial for my use case, vis-a-vis the 10x42 Conquests. If I am buying a binocular with a 56mm objective, I might as well go for the 15x56, for the added bulk. In really low-light conditions (near pitch-dark to the naked eye), both of these binoculars exhibited a light-intensification effect, and to my eyes, both of them looked comparable, with a very slight edge to the 10x56.The eye-cups are a bit gritty and I am not a big fan of the diopter ring on the oculars, but I am willing to overlook that, for the high-quality optics. The Zeiss SFs and the Swarovski ELs and the NL Pures are of course a notch better in every way, but they cost over double and triple the cost of these Conquests, and I could not justify the additional cash outlay for the incremental improvement in performance.I returned the 10x56s and kept the 10x42s.

Great binoculars amazing clarity and light transmission.