Been scanning the threads and many people seem to either love or hate these.
Some people say they are pretty much equal to SLC which would make them a great buy at $750-$1000.
Some people say that aren’t any better than a BX-4 pro guide (which I currently use).
At this point in my hunting career, its hard to justify swaro prices when i still need to accumulate other quality gear. But i would like to know i have “the best“ in my current price range (sub $1000).
Haven’t found a set anywhere near me to try so wanted to get y’all’s thoughts, particularly on their low light capabilities
Since I've said both of these things in posts about the Conquest HD's (and I've owned 10x42, 10x32 and 8x32's in the Conquest HD) I'll chime in.
My observation that they out-resolve SLC's was based on direct comparison of two different pairs of Swaro SLC's that I owned over the course of 2 years directly against a pair of 10x42 Conquest HD's that I owned at the same time. (I actually owned SLC's, Conquest HD's, Trinovids, Meostars and Monarch HG's all at the same time) The SLC's and Conquest HD's were the closest in their ability to resolve detail. So close that it took me a half dozen local hunting trips over the course of a few weeks to make that call. A year later I still wasn't convinced so I bought another pair of SLC's and tried the test again. Once again, the Conquest HD's just ever so slightly out-resolved the SLC's. The final decision for me was made while observing a sitting Bobcat at 200 yards in drizzly rainy morning with very low light. I could see his whiskers with the Conquest HD's. I could not see them with the SLC's. It took that amount of a challenge to finally convince me.
Regarding the BX-4's, again, to my eyes they are incredibly good in the center resolution and pretty darn bright too. The biggest issue I had with those was the "tunnel vision" that I just couldn't get used to. But the handling and weight and build and comfort were all great. If you can't afford Conquest HD's, the BX-4's are the next best thing IMO.
What you'll gain by going to Conquest HD's is the field of view and some additional brightness. Yes, the "kidney bean" issue is there for people who don't wear glasses. My take on that is that Zeiss made a calculated decision to lean toward eyeglass users at the expense of too much eye relief for non-eyeglass users. If you consider the average age of someone who is looking to spend $1k on binoculars, it's probably a smart business decision. That said, the extended eyecups are a must for us non-eyeglass users and even then, yes, correct eye placement is essential for the x42's. However the 8x32's are excellent with the extended eyecups, and that is what I use now. Also, I spend a LOT of time with my bins on a tripod mount and when I do, I turn the eyecups in because it gives me the perception of a wider field of view and I can "look around" the image a bit more when I'm glassing.
What you'll gain by going to the SLC's is more weight, better resale value and that warm fuzzy feeling of owning a pair of Swaros that some people really need before they are convinced they have "the best." For those people, they are better off just getting the Swaros and being done with it because there is no convincing them that anything else measures up. For the rest of us, we'll spend the difference on another rifle or paying for a hunt or whatever, and just enjoy our Conquest HD's.
I am in a position financially (finally) that I can buy any pair of bins I want. I am 100% happy with my 8x32 Conquest HD's and don't even look at binoculars anymore which for me, is very weird. Because I was a binoholic for a long time.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. YMMV as they say. We all bring our own lenses to this game.
Anyway, my Conquest 10x42s have been all that I've looked for. My first binos are what you'd consider Zeiss Classics, so that's what I "upgraded" from. I moved from really good to better. Did not go from Bushnell's finest Black Friday Special to these.
