Zeiss vs Swaro SLC 15x56's

[xswanted]

Hi guys.

I was wondering if any one has looked at these two bonks side by side and compared them carefully??

The swaros are just over 650 dollars more and I don't know if they are 650$ better.

I've compared the SLC 10x42 vs the zeiss conquest 10x42 and I don't see a huge amount of difference, certainly not enough for the 1000 dollar gap of those two items.

I was wondering if the 15x versions are that close.

Any real world opinions would be great.

Thank you

 

[nakneker]

I've used them both. The Zeiss are good glass, IMO they are not equals to the swarovskis though. My biggest measurement of good glass is pretty basic. How long can I stay behind the glass before I get a headache or my eyes feel fatigued. I can stay behind the 15x swarovskis all day and have done so many many days. The Zeiss I tried were a friends, a guide. We both have good glass addictions and were comparing for fun. The Zeiss caused some minor irritations even though I took the time and carefully set them for my eye sight. My friend had the same opinion. It's hard to judge a brand on a individual product though, to be fair I would seek out as many reviews as you can.

 

[xswanted]

Very good thank you!

As far as the glass is concerned were they on par with the swaros?

Clarity, brightness and color for instance?

I have a hard time telling much difference in the 10x versions of each brand side by side. With maybe a slight edge in brightness to the Swaro.

Thank you.

 

[dbramley]

I have both, for me the quantitative image quality was equal but it was striking how cold the Zeiss image was. Very stark white with blue tinge. The Swaro's had a very natural warmth to the image, much more pleasant to sit behind for hours in the desert.

 

[nakneker]

The Swaros, for me, had richer color more in depth view if that makes sense. Very natural looking through them. Zeiss was good too, just came up short when compared.

 

[wedgy]

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/new-15x-monster-binos

Also give the Cabalas/Meopta Euro Instinct HD a try

 

[wedgy]

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f40/fs-docter-15x60-nobilem-binoculars-173580/

Doctor 15x60 for $625

 

[xswanted]

Thanks for all the relies fellas.

I decided to go with a set of 15x56 Zeiss Conquests.

If I decide I need the swaros these will be up for sale at some point.

I'm hoping to write a detailed review of the zeiss binos once they arrive.

Thanks again!

 

[JRS]

Thanks for all the relies fellas.

I decided to go with a set of 15x56 Zeiss Conquests.

If I decide I need the swaros these will be up for sale at some point.

I'm hoping to write a detailed review of the zeiss binos once they arrive.

Thanks again!

Is a tripod included

Your decision was a wise one

 

[nakneker]

Thanks for all the relies fellas.

I decided to go with a set of 15x56 Zeiss Conquests.

If I decide I need the swaros these will be up for sale at some point.

I'm hoping to write a detailed review of the zeiss binos once they arrive.

Thanks again!

Enjoy your new purchase! 15x binos have become essential to many of the hunts we do here in Arizona. I can't imagine hunting couses deer or some of the wide open spaces where you can see for miles without them. I grew up hunting with my uncles, their methods were walk, walk, walk and it was successful. However quality optics have saved miles of walking and have helped take some quality animals. I don't know how much you have glassed but for me it was hard to have the patience at first and I would glass too fast, scanning big country in minutes. It's evolved to were glassing for long periods has become very enjoyable/therapeutic even. Just an idea for you, I've used this to help me be patient. You might want to see how long you spend in each field of view when glassing. An example is if your glassing a hillside and break it up into a grid with a good tripod with your 15x binos see how long you spend looking into the field of view before moving to the next field of view, if your spending a minute or less chances are your not seeing everything that's there. If you start spending more time before moving to the next field of view it's been my experience you will see more. The other thing that helps is to train your mind to look for parts of animals. A foot, a antler, some hide, noses tend to stick out, you have to get out of mentality of looking for broadside animals and animal butts. I know this is long, just some tips I've learned.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Totally agree with the above statement on glassing more than walking.

On the glass comparison. I personally never liked the blue tint of the Zeiss glass. Their rifle scopes are the same way. Swaro's are always more comfortable on the eyes and very forgiving. Don't need to be aligned perfectly behind the binos all the time. Swaro glass is hard to beat. Comparing the two in a store does you no justice. If you can get the Swaro's and Zeiss outside just before dusk or looking at far away mountain sides, it's pretty obvious that the Swaro has the better glass

If you have a chance to compare the Zeiss and Swaro side by side, see if the store also has the Meopta Meostar B1 HD 15X binos. I know the Meostars will easily outshine the Zeiss Conquest hands down, and probably the Swaro's as well. The Meostar HD glass is more on par with Swarovski EL Swarovison, but at half the price. The Cabelas Euro HD Instinct binos are the Meostar HD's in Cabelas clothing. Same binos and glass. So if you have a Cabelas near by, put them up against the Swaro's or Zeiss and see what you think. I have the Meopta Meostar HD 10x 32 binos for high country hunting and they are a big step above any Zeiss HD glass I ever seen. I even prefer them over Swarovski EL Swarovison glass. Just my preference. To me, the Meopta glass gives more detail and truer color rendition.

For plains hunting where a lot of glassing is done from a vehicle, I am currently researching high power image stabilizing binoculars. I recently looked through a pair of Canon Image stabilizing 12x36 binos and was very impressed. The glass wasn't as nice as my Meostars by any means, but it was still surprisingly very good. The image stabilization was the most amazing thing. I quickly realized just how big a difference it makes to view things without the always present hand movements. It made making out fine detail sooooo much easier. Really was amazing. So far in my research, almost everyone prefers the Fujinon Techno Stabi 14x40 binoculars over all the Canon IS binos they have tried or owned. I am leaning in the direction of the Fuji binos right now, but will continue my research for a while longer and hopefully get to see through them myself before making the purchase.

 

[nakneker]

Solid information Ledd, thanks for posting.

 

[wedgy]

That's funny because I was just reading a review from Ken Rockwell about the IS binos and am a bit intrigued. Then searched some on Ebay. It would seem to me that the smaller objective would hurt the level of light gathering capability I'm after.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/fujinon-14x40.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujinon-Tec...ewItem&hash=item4d47b1845b:g:8VoAAOSwtnpXkTtT

 

[Ledd Slinger]

That's funny because I was just reading a review from Ken Rockwell about the IS binos and am a bit intrigued. Then searched some on Ebay. It would seem to me that the smaller objective would hurt the level of light gathering capability I'm after.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/fujinon-14x40.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fujinon-Tec...ewItem&hash=item4d47b1845b:g:8VoAAOSwtnpXkTtT

Yeah the Fuji 14x40mm obviously aren't gonna take in as much light as a 56mm objective bino and they don't have the coating secrets like Swarovski and other big name leaders. But the image stabilization I experienced with the supposedly inferior Canon IS binos was amazing. It's as if you don't need nearly as nice glass because the image is so perfectly stable that you can take your time and easily pick up extreme detail. The Fuji Techno Stabi binos are supposed to be the ultimate in IS because they will compensate for larger movements than the Canons. Fuji compensates for 5 degrees of movement where Canon only compensates for 0.7 degrees. Pretty big difference. Nice thing is that you don't need a tripod to keep a perfectly still image with high power 15X or 14X IS binos. Cannon even makes a 15X 50mm and 18X 50mm IS bino so at least they have a little bigger objectives. 15X in a standard style bino will almost always require a tripod to get their full effectiveness. And if you're gonna have a tripod, we'll then you might as well spend your money on a nice spotting scope. Which of course is a must have either way, high power binos or not.

I'll try the 12x36 Canons in low light when I get the chance to see how they do. 36mm is pretty small, but not far off from 40mm.