Zeiss or Leupold

[Silvertip13]

Leupold as they are the ones that have the o-ring sealed scope covers that keeps the glass clean. In my opinion a dirty scope is hard to see through and butler creek covers aren't anywhere sealed enough for shiXXy days in the bush. If you don't actually use the rifle in the dirt and rain then the Zeiss. Just my opinion.

 

[Whitetail Junkie]

I've only ever had 1 Zeiss (Victory binos) in for warranty and the turn around time to Virginia was 3 weeks.

Considering we are talking about rifle scopes in this thread,my broken zeiss conquest 4.5x14x44 rifle scope took 4.5 months to get back to me fixed!

 

[stubblejumper]

Considering we are talking about rifle scopes in this thread,my broken zeiss conquest 4.5x14x44 rifle scope took 4.5 months to get back to me fixed!

I had a Zeiss scope damaged in a horsewreck, and it was repaired and returned to me in about a month.

In my opinion a dirty scope is hard to see through and butler creek covers aren't anywhere sealed enough for shiXXy days in the bush.

Butler creek covers have worked well for me on sheep, goat, and elk hunts, where it sometimes rained every day for over a week.

 

[noneck180]

.....

 

[Cinch]

Considering we are talking about rifle scopes in this thread,my broken zeiss conquest 4.5x14x44 rifle scope took 4.5 months to get back to me fixed!

Zeiss is Zeiss and the warranty is the handled through the same place, it's irrelevant whether it's a rifle scope, bino or spotting scope...

 

[gtrussell]

Lots of things are irrelevent,sounds like.

 

[Satain]

Zeiss then Nightforce...

How could you compare the top tier Zeiss to a NF? Not the Conquest but other's like there Victory to Hensoldt line-up??? NF is good but I don't think I would ever compare it to that. Next you are going to try and tell me that NF is better than S&B

 

[noneck180]

How could you compare the top tier Zeiss to a NF? Not the Conquest but other's like there Victory to Hensoldt line-up??? NF is good but I don't think I would ever compare it to that. Next you are going to try and tell me that NF is better than S&B

Yeah it looked that way, but I meant in regards to what the OP was asking..yes NF is better than the Conquest.

 

[gtrussell]

Some bushnells are better than some conqests.Oh,never thought I would say that.

 

[pazzo]

Some bushnells are better than some conqests.Oh,never thought I would say that.

Yep, these ones, from the '70s made in the Bushnell Custom shop (made in Japan). In fact, we have put these up against top of the line Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski binos and nobody could tell the difference.
ZERO eye strain, even after a solid hour of glassing a cut block

 

[bryan.14]

Yep, these ones, from the '70s made in the Bushnell Custom shop (made in Japan). In fact, we have put these up against top of the line Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski binos and nobody could tell the difference.
ZERO eye strain, even after a solid hour of glassing a cut block

My Grandpa wanted to by New high quality Binoculars to replace his old Bushnell 10x50mm. They surprisingly compare well with the other brands we were looking at.

 

[saskcop]

I am voting Zeiss. Unbelievable optics for the price - especially in low light. The colour rendition is also exceptional.

 

[dizzy]

My guess is the guys that own several dozen leupolds and a few zeiss's have accumulated the leupy's over time and the zeiss's and the past few years. There was a time when leupold was the best bang for the buck, those days are officially over. In Canada today zeiss optics run less money than comparable leupolds and offer better glass for the money. The best value is still a used leupold.

 

[gtrussell]

Leupold,new, used or any other way you can get one!

 

[Dogleg]

My guess is the guys that own several dozen leupolds and a few zeiss's have accumulated the leupy's over time and the zeiss's and the past few years. There was a time when leupold was the best bang for the buck, those days are officially over. In Canada today zeiss optics run less money than comparable leupolds and offer better glass for the money. The best value is still a used leupold.

Not in my case. The vast majority of my Leupolds were purchased after my Zeiss experiment.Optical quality is only one aspect to consider. Price? Well if you over-pay then maybe they're over-priced, but I seem to be able to get Korth approved Leupolds for the "American" price just by picking up the phone. Normally I can buy new Leupolds for less than they ask in the EE for used.

Once certain quality standards are met, suitability for purpose is more important to me. Zeiss only makes one Conquest that has enough eye-relief to work for most of my rifles, that being the 3-9. Everything of higher power is shorter, and it doesn't end there. I can do a flashlight test and read a tape measure as well as anyone, and there is half an inch of total bull#### in their eye-relief spec.Couple that with Zeiss measureing eye-relief from the glass and Leupold measureing from the metal and the longest eye-relief Zeiss that I'm familiar with is tied with a typical Leupold variable at its highest power.

I don't know why Zeiss thought it wise to put a huge occular lens houseing on their 40mm scope, but the end result is that it is quite possible to mount their scope in the lowest rings then not be able to open the bolt.

Then there's turrets that work backwards. Admittedly subjective,but it pisses me off.

Also subjective, but Leupold are sleek and trim. To me and many others they just look better. When's the last time you saw a custom rifle maker displaying his work with a Zeiss on board? How about an ad for a factory rifle?

Then there's trust. I order my powder a thousand bucks worth at a time,(yesterday was 12 bills) and I can't break a Leupold. That kind of trust is a difficult thing to put a price on, but its real. I've changed the barrel on many rifles before trying a different scope, with Leupolds I haven't guessed wrong yet.

 

[Dogleg]

Yep, these ones, from the '70s made in the Bushnell Custom shop (made in Japan). In fact, we have put these up against top of the line Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski binos and nobody could tell the difference.
ZERO eye strain, even after a solid hour of glassing a cut block

Bushnell custom shop? You do know that bushnel doesn't make anything, right? Its just a brandname and a distribution system.

 

[stubblejumper]

My guess is the guys that own several dozen leupolds and a few zeiss's have accumulated the leupy's over time and the zeiss's and the past few years. There was a time when leupold was the best bang for the buck, those days are officially over.

At one time every scope that I owned was a Leupold. Over the years I sold them all off, and replaced them with Zeiss, Swarovski or Kahles. I simply won't put up with eye relief that sometimes varies by more than an inch on a variable scope.

 

[rgv]

My guess is the guys that own several dozen leupolds and a few zeiss's have accumulated the leupy's over time and the zeiss's and the past few years. There was a time when leupold was the best bang for the buck, those days are officially over. In Canada today zeiss optics run less money than comparable leupolds and offer better glass for the money. The best value is still a used leupold.

To add to doglegs post again, declaring Zeiss to be the choice above leupold because of optics is like choosing what pickup truck to buy based on horsepower.

Optics are important. So is horsepower. But once the optical quality is sufficient for the task at hand (ie a sighting device, not an observation instrument), then you should be looking at the scope as a total package, and for me, Leupold makes a better sighting device for a hunting rifle that recoils a lot and will get packed all day, day after day.

Also, for the record I have a Zeiss Diatal that I bought in 1992, before I bought any Leupolds. It's a pretty good scope, smaller than the new USA Conquests and very good resolution.

 

[Woodbeef]

Between the two choices,I'd say the Zeiss. Up the $$ though and I'd say Swarovski or Kahles.

 

[pazzo]

Bushnell custom shop? You do know that bushnel doesn't make anything, right? Its just a brandname and a distribution system.

I stand corrected. I just reviewed my email from the Bushnell rep, whom I know here in Vancouver, and he called them "Bushnell Custom binoculars." They were the best optics Bushnell made back in the ’70s when they were made. Either way, they rival $2000+ binos from todays top brands.