I am going to buy a new pair of bino's. Does anyone have any experience with the Zeiss Conquest 10X30, or the Steiner Predator C5 10X42?

I have and use two pair of Steiners  The go-to pair is 8 by 30 Nighthunter, a good stout general use medium sized pair of binocs.

I also use Stiener 25 by 80 Astronomical binocs, tripod mounted, to spy on elk a few counties away...

But,,,,the dream pair of binocs I long for are a pair of Lieca Duovids 10 and 15 by 50.  I could get rid of both Stieners then.....but I can't seam to afford the price of those rascals.

Zilla, you're comparing apples to oranges.  The Ziess are a great glass but much smaller in objective size.  You won't go wrong with either pair.

steiners are the go!! i've got a pair of 10x50 nighthunters. as the name suggests, excellent low light bino. i want a pair of 8x30 as well. every bit as good as leicas but half the price.

I have a pair of Zeiss victory? 8x 40s

Love the Zeiss but want a pair of swarovski EL. But like Mike I cant seem to afford a pair! Have to bite the bullet one day though.

Also would like to have a Swaro spotting scope.

To your question I do not think you can go wrong with the Zeiss, I have never messed with Steiner but abviously they are good glass as well. Cant go wrong either way, gotta love choices like that.

J

I own the Steiners now but if I had the funds to choose, the Zeiss would get the nod. There is no comparison between the two. I also would look at the Liecas as mentioned. Steiners are not in the same class as these.This is not my opinion, just the facts. Get what you can afford. But I do like my Steiners.

Mike

Steiner makes moderate to fairly high priced glass, and it's all pretty good.  Some is just better than others.  My brother has a pair of 8-30 Steiner Predators that are a few years old.  Those are very nice glasses.  In recent years, Zeiss, too, has offered lower priced glasses. I get the models mixed up, but I wouldn't automatically assume that the Zeiss is better than the Steiners.  Personally, I don't think there's a better glass around than Leica if you can swing it financially.

Don't skrimp on binos. Of course it depends on what and where you are hunting, but on some trips I have probably spent 4-6 hours a day looking through mine and have turned into one of my better investments. I bought Leicas 20 years ago and have used them a lot all over the world, from sea level to over 12,000' and from Australia and South Africa to the Arctic and Mongolia, with never a problem. I paid $472 back thenm but I still get offers for double that, if I ever want to sell them. I have a friend that returned two pairs of Steiners in a row for fogging up in wet conditons and although Zeiss is very good, they aren't in the same class optically with Leica or Swaro. Leica is my first choice, but Swaro is very close, Zeiss is third, but a bit farther back.

I'll second the Leicas. I bought the 8x32 model and they are wonderful. I don't have any experience with the two binos that you are asking about. Sorry

I have 8x30 Swarovskis and they are fabulous ! ............... I also bought my wife a pair of Nikon 8x30 and they are very good as well for the price I was very pleased so I just recently bought a pair of Nikon 10x56 that I will use in the truck and during summer scouting ......... they are also very good

I've just bought a set of SLC Swarovskis as well after wanting them for years. BEST $$$ I EVER SPENT!

Now off to cure my jet lag!


AK.

QuoteOriginally posted by Rick Perry:
........ I also bought my wife a pair of Nikon 8x30 and they are very good as well for the price I was very pleased ....

Rick, which model Nikon's ?

Thanx for the input.  I bought the Zeiss today.  I have experience with Swaro's, but don't have the coin.  And Lieca's are my first choice, but again not enough dinero.

For under $300 the Nikon Monarch ATBs are good glass. I popped for the big bucks and got some Leica 10X42 and am very happy with them.

I have used Steiners predators 8x30's for five years and love them, clear, rugged, and affordable.

i have the zeiss 10X30 and love them!

Make it a point to save until you get the best glasses available. Yea, they'll run you a few bucks but look at it this way; It's a one time investment that will heighten your time in the field and should last your lifetime, if properly cared for. Why handicap yourself by using cheap glasses?

JL

i soooo want a pair of leica geovid rangefinding bino's. 8 or 10 X 42. The big boss (wife) would kill me though.
$2300 online.

I have both-had both -my son just told me he can't find my Steiners,  Two years ago I hada rifle tag and out here it is possible to see a deer at miles-yes two to four miles.  While you can see its a deer, not a goat or sheep, you cna't tell antler size without good glass.  Spotting scope in the car, we had to hike/run for half that distance to catch the deer before he fed over the mountain.  I now have Zeiss.  You have a choice glass or shoe leather-good glass saves shoe leather.  JMO, but eh best you can afford-if it's a question of a couple of months to save-do it.  Back East a pair of Bushnells will do the trick, not so out this way....

Much depends on the application wanted for your bino's. Are you hunting out west, glassing long distances, for long periods of time mostly in good daylight? Are you whitetail hunting the upper Midwest where you may mainly use your bino's when something catches your attention, at closer ranges and often in lower light?

While a 10x is often best for the former, it is not for the later.

If bowhunting for whitetails in the upper Midwest, I've found that the best bino's are the Leupold 6x32 Katmai's. Yes, 6x. At 6x32, they are very bright and very easy to orient a deer with, using only one hand, with the other holding the bow. They also give you all the magnification you need out to 250 yards or so.

If you use the system of determining low light brightness, you'll find that 32 divided by 6 offers more brightness than 42 divided by 8.

Sadly, convincing hunters that 6x is a great power for most eastern bowhunting situations is a hard sell and Leupold discontinued the 6x32 Katmai last year. You can still find them with a google search for $290, vs the old $450 retail.

If anyone wants what I think is the best eastern bowhunting binoc, I can't suggest them highly enough.

QuoteOriginally posted by tradwannabe:
i soooo want a pair of leica geovid rangefinding bino's. 8 or 10 X 42. The big boss (wife) would kill me though.
$2300 online.

I have the 10 X 42 Leica Geovids and they are great. I also have a pair of the last generation 8 X 32 Leica, but I really want the latest Ultravid model which is smaller overall and has HD glass and better coatings. I also have the 8 x 30 and the 10 X 42 Swarovski binoculars and think they are close behind the last generation Leicas, but not in the same class as the new Ultravid Leicas that I do not have yet. In a spotting scope or a rifle scope, the Swarovskis are the best. I have the Swarovski 80mm HD spotting scope and it is definitely the best out there, although Leica has a new one coming out that I have not looked through yet. In optics, unlike many other sporting items, the more expensive models are much better if you can afford them. I hate crappy optics. I can say that the Signature Select optics from Burris are perhaps the best bargain in binoculars, even though they don't compare to the $1000 plus optics from the best makers. I won't talk about weapons optics here because they really don't belong on a trad bow, but I do not invest in the highest quality optics except for viewing purposes as opposed to sighting purposes.

Allan