Zeiss Scopes

[accuracyman]

I have used Zeiss scopes for many of my hunting rifles over the years. I have many of the older MC Conquests that I am told were produced by Meopta for Zeiss. All of them were the 6.5-20x50 MC with target turrets. I have had awesome luck with these and their optics were great for the price. When these were discontinued I purchased a few HD5 Conquests. These were different from the MC's but once again the turrets were accurate and the glass superb. The only limitation was the turret only rotated 1 revolution limiting your dialup capabilities. For a hunting rig I never ran into this being a problem. The one thing in common between these two were the optics were superb.

I recently jumped into the V4 line of Zeiss. It was actually sent to me as a replacement for one I had sent in for repair. I hunted with this V4 this season and must admit that I am not impressed. Optically it is not nearly as clear as the MC it replaced. The mechanics are spot on and features are great. The turrets are no longer limited to one revolution and it has a zero stop. The real kicker for me is the low light performance (or lack of) and clarity. I cannot get a good clear picture thru this V4 and low light conditions I find myself cranking down on power to see my target. I have never had to do that on my older Zeiss. Does anyone else see the same thing with the V4 line? Mine is the 6-24x50.

It disturbs me so much I am considering taking it off and getting rid of it. My brother sees the same thing shooting my rifle equipped with this V4. I did look thru a few other V4's at Cabelas and they too are not very clear.

I appreciate your feedback because I have never been disappointed with Zeiss optics in the past.

 

[msinc]

Not familiar with the V4, all my Zeiss are either Diavari's or Victory HT's. I do know that, for my eyes at least, I can play with the diopter and I can get it such that the reticle appears sharp and "in focus" the view thru the scope doesn't look as good as it should. I believe this is an incorrect adjustment probably coupled with my own eyesight. This is true of many scopes, not just the Zeiss I have. Even scopes with side focus, if not adjusted properly will give a pretty much clear sharp reticle, but have a less than perfect view in the field.

 

[palo]

I also had the old conquest and hd5 scopes and then bought a V4 the same as yours.
It has good features and I liked the wide field of view but the glass was not as clear
as the other models. This model is made in Japan and the hd5 was made in Germany so maybe that's why the hd5 has better optics.
I ended up selling it as I got a good deal on a V6 5-30×50.
The glass on the V6 excellent .

 

[accuracyman]

That's good information. I was hoping the V6 would be better. I was a little afraid to try the V6 after my experience with the V4 so I ordered another Tract Toric. That is the best glass I have seen for under $2K! I guess I will have to try a V6 now I know the optics are better.
Thanks for the verification on the V6! I love the look and mechanics of the Zeiss just didn't love that V4 glass.