Which is the better glass?

[TimeOnTarget]

Zeiss are the better glass for sure. 10x for all the way.

 

[2rocky]

For those of you who say 12x are to big to hand hold....I've managed to handhold 15's. Granted you gotta be braced, but it's not that bad. My buddy was looking though his on horse back so it can be done. Not ideal but definitely doable.

 

[Buckyranger42]

My favorite tool when I hunt out west are my Vortex Viper HD 10x42 nockers. I'm not saying Vortex is better than Zeiss, I honestly don't know, but I do know 10x42s work great for me in open country. Note I don't sit for long glassing sessions, and if I need more magnification I use my spotting scope. 12x50s will probably weigh more but provide better top-end magnification; 10x42s will probably weigh less and provide more comfortable "close" range viewing. I think the field of view will be similar.

The experts usually say higher quality glass will trump objective size and magnification.

 

[longbow51]

The Zeiss Conquest HD is pretty close to my Swarovski EL 10x42s, and I have 3 Conquest rifle scopes and they are great in low light. As for warranty, the Zeiss 5 year warranty is a "no fault" to my understanding. Drop them off a cliff and they'll fix or give you a new pair. They otherwise have the usual limited lifetime warranty.

My sister-in-law is an avid birder and loves her Meopta Meostars.

We are blessed with a plethora of fine optics.

 

[Elkmagnet]

For those of you who say 12x are to big to hand hold....I've managed to handhold 15's. Granted you gotta be braced, but it's not that bad. My buddy was looking though his on horse back so it can be done. Not ideal but definitely doable.

Not a matter of IF you can do it its a matter how well you can do it.
What way is more efficient at finding animals.
I would bet you money that the average guy can hand hold 10s and out spot the average guy hand holding 15s.
I can look through mine driving down the freeway but my efficiency is going to be crap.

 

[Elkmagnet]

My favorite pair of binos is the 10 ziess conquest. I liked the cables euros 2nd best and the swaro 3rd because the made me feel some eye strain for some reason.
The one thing I don't like about the Ziess is they are heavy for a 10x 40 class bino. At least compared to nikon and Leopold
I got mine for $800 new on ebay

 

[bman940]

When it comes to bino glass you will be hard-pressed to beat Meopta's MeoStar's. My buddy has a Swar. SLC and used my MeoStar 10x42's one day while we were driving around. Now he owns the MeoStar B1's in 10 and 12x50. To my knowledge, the Swaro's are sitting in the back of his safe. He was amazed at how bright everything was and their low light capabilities. You just can't beat the price and quality from Meopta. Here's a pic of my bud's 10 and 12X MeoStar's

 

[wyoboypt]

So I’ve been reading through other posts on binos and it sounds like for close to the same price I can get the Meopta Meostars. Are they significantly better? I am trying to go with the 12x50’s because I can’t afford a spotter and new binos right now so I’m trying to hit a middle ground between binos that I can handhold and mount on a tripod, while still getting the extra magnification. I currently have a pair of Nikon 10x42’s purchased on the late 1990’s and they’re falling apart on me. That being said anything is going to be better than what I have now but I don’t want to have buyers remorse either.

I run the 10x42 meostars and my buddy got the 12s a year ago (both HD) and he loves them. He Doesn’t run a tripod but I do on my 10s and I wish I would have started that a long time ago.

 

[Trial153]

Owned them both. The conquest get my vote...especially a set of demos at good price

 

[Brentc]

Between the two, I'd go Zeiss without hesitation. I've had a lot of Vortex optics over the years, to include a set of 12x Razors, and I've had to use the VIP warranty on almost every piece of Vortex optical equipment I've owned.

 

[MT_Chad]

I just got a set of zeiss 10x42 conquests in a rmef auction for 800 bucks. I haven't got a chance for a side by side with others yet, but have gotten chances in the past to look through the razors, maven, etc. The conquests are dam nice. Call me a snob but I like the fact they say "Made in Germany" on them. I couldn't pay 1000 bucks for a vortex that says made in china on it.

 

[Brentc]

All of my experience is with Made in Japan Razors, but I know Made in China Razors are out there.

It doesn't really matter where they're made, though. If you actually use Razors for more than just casual birding, you're likely going to need the VIP warranty at some point. Just the way it is.

 

[MT_Chad]

All of my experience is with Made in Japan Razors, but I know Made in China Razors are out there. I wouldn't roll the dice with the Razor unless you know for certain you're getting a Japanese pair. Even then, I'd still get the Zeiss.

My understanding is the new ones of the last 2 years or so are made in china, before that they were made in japan. If they were still made in japan they would be a contender, china not so much.

 

[Brentc]

My understanding is the new ones of the last 2 years or so are made in china, before that they were made in japan. If they were still made in japan they would be a contender, china not so much.

That may very well be. I'd definitely opt for the Japanese made version if I couldn't live without a pair of Razors. The UHD line I've seen are Japanese made.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

When it comes to bino glass you will be hard-pressed to beat Meopta's MeoStar's. My buddy has a Swar. SLC and used my MeoStar 10x42's one day while we were driving around. Now he owns the MeoStar B1's in 10 and 12x50. To my knowledge, the Swaro's are sitting in the back of his safe. He was amazed at how bright everything was and their low light capabilities. You just can't beat the price and quality from Meopta. Here's a pic of my bud's 10 and 12X MeoStar's

I couldn't disagree more with this. I had Meopta and they had nothing on Leica, light transmission, colour, clarity etc. Pick your comparison. Leica is what I run now which I would argue is on par with Swarovski a d far better than my meopta ever were.

 

[Brentc]

I couldn't disagree more with this. I had Meopta and they had nothing on Leica, light transmission, colour, clarity etc. Pick your comparison. Leica is what I run now which I would argue is on par with Swarovski a d far better than my meopta ever were.

Interesting. Most opinions of the Meostars are extremely positive. I picked up a set of Meostar 15s last year for long range glassing. Outside the $800 price difference, I had a hard time discerning any difference optically between them and the SLC HDs.

 

[bman940]

I couldn't disagree more with this. I had Meopta and they had nothing on Leica, light transmission, colour, clarity etc. Pick your comparison. Leica is what I run now which I would argue is on par with Swarovski a d far better than my meopta ever were.

It's all subjective, but I think you would be surprised by how many high-end binos/spotters that Meopta supplies the glass too. I can't imagine them supplying better glass to a competitor then the use in their own products. Buy what you think will work the best for your needs and eyes is what I suggest.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I’ve had good experience the one time that I used Zeiss’ warranty service and I personally wouldn’t let that factor into my decision. I’ll definitely buy Zeiss again

 

[HighDesertSage]

The new Vortex Razors are made in China. Nuff said there. I don’t have a problem with their stuff because I’ve had good luck with it, but at a $1000 price point, I expect better.

That being said, if you can scrape together a few hundred more bucks you can get into a pair of Swarovski‘s, which blow both out of the water. I was just able to pick up a pair of new 10x42 SLC’s for $1400 out the door. You can do the same if you shop around.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Interesting. Most opinions of the Meostars are extremely positive. I picked up a set of Meostar 15s last year for long range glassing. Outside the $800 price difference, I had a hard time discerning any difference optically between them and the SLC HDs.

Try it at low light you'll see the difference. The meostars are a great optic, but not Swarovski.