The "bird" in my handle comes from my interest and involvement in bird conservation. I spend a fair number of days in the field each year and lead small groups of donors to non-profits on birding tours as a thank you for their donations.

I have a chance to see all manner of binoculars from vendors and other birders.

For reference, in recent years have owned two pairs of Bausch & Lomb Elites which used to be on par with the big three, three different pair of Swarovskis, and two pair of Zeiss. Leica is my choice for spotting scope.

I took a group out last week and by the end of the day, one of the participants wanted to buy my Zeiss Victory's at my cost, right then and there. I had a pair of the previous model of Zeiss Conquest T's I also use, so said what the heck. The older Conquest T's are nice to use due to their light weight, so I had a pair for birding the rest of last weekend, which is hitting the peak of spring migration and in the middle of the surveys I do for Golden-cheeked Warblers.

Last weekend, a vendor was at a popular birding spot with demo binos from the big three, Swarovski, Zeiss, and Leica for comparison, as well as some lower price point binos and other birders were there to compare the missing models.

As with scopes, many evaluate binos solely on the image quality, which is understandable, but as with scopes missing some other critical factors for consideration.

Always check binos in bright hazy conditions if possible. Bright light can be as challenging for image quality as low light.

Besides image quality, size and feel in hand and speed of focus are very important and become very noticeable the more they are used and will play a factor in this evaluation.

So with that said, here are my impressions of the big three in side by side comparison in field conditions, which is different than looking inside of a store with fluorescent lighting.

First, all of the mid and upper level models from Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica are wonderful. There are no bad choices among them. Skip their entry level models and spend to jump to the mid-level models.

Binos to a degree are subjective, much like buying boots. Fit and feel to the eye and hand will vary with the user.

Swaro - The top of the line EL's use a "field flattener," which produces a uniform image across the full field of view. But, the image also lacks depth or "fullness" of the image compared to the mid-level Swaro SLC or Zeiss or Leica. Focus is slower i.e. takes more movement of the focus wheel than Zeiss or Leica. The SLC provides crispness and brightness essentially on par with the EL's and the image without the field flattener actually was more pleasant to my eye. Swaro glass has a green/blue tint, which is not exactly true color. Trueness of color can be important for bird i.d. sometimes. It is not a big factor, but something to consider.

I generally prefer 10x, but the 8.5x42 EL's really are the go to choice in the EL's. I had some 10x50 EL's, but they were like carrying a boat anchor by the end of the day.

Give the SLC's a serious look, they are as functionally useful as the EL's, a more pleasing image to my eye, and save $700 - $800.

Zeiss - for pure image quality, the top of the line Zeiss Victory edges out Swaro to my eye. There is more "depth" to the image and the color seems more neutral/true. The trade off is that the outer edges of the field of view become soft. If best image quality is your sole factor, take a look at the Zeiss Victory. The difference is slight and Swaro certainly is not a mistake by any means. The Victory model is a bit larger in hand than the comparable Swarovski. Zeiss focuses much faster than Swarovski, which for birding is important, and with deer hunting can be as well. The mid-level model, the Conquest HD is more compact in size and gives up little in image quality. Skip the Terra line. Pentax is a better buy for the lower price point.

Leica - sad to say, but the pattern of the last few years remains the same, Leica is not keeping up with Swarovski and Zeiss. Five years ago, most serious birders all used Swarovski. Zeiss seems to be cutting into the market share. Leica is becoming scarce to see being carried by more experienced birders.

The new Noctovids are extremely nice, but heavy in hand. There is no way I would lug these around for an 8 - 10 hour or longer day. The Ultravids are very nice, but not as bright as Swarovski or Zeiss. The now older Trinovids are perhaps the best value in the lineup and merit a look, but the Zeiss Conquest HD provides better image quality at the same or even lower price.

Other - Vortex, some folks love them, but to me they feel awkward and uncomfortable in my hand, but some folks absolutely love them.


After all of the side by side comparison and with a check from the sale of the Victory's in the bank, I purchased a pair Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42. The decision was based on image quality, speed of focus, and overall size and comfort in hand. I found a pair new in the box on ebay for $640 as a one off sale from an individual. There is a vendor selling them for $739, which is an incredible value. Cabela's is running an crazy deal on Zeiss Victory right now for $1,688, which I almost bought, but went with the Conquest HD due to the more compact size.

Thought the impressions and feedback might be useful to others.

Helpful thread Jeffbird!

Thanks for the info. Serious birders need serious binos and those translate well into needs of serious hunters.

Good info.

Nice. I've wanted to see a comparison for a while with the german Minox binos. Their new tac/lr scope is said to have glass up there with s&b, premier/tangent and close to Hendsolt. I can't help but think the binos have to be great.

I'm not a binocular expert, but for a few reasons I've used a lot of different binoculars. My experience mirrors jeffbird's. Zeis, Leica, and 'Swarovski do not make bad binoculars, but the Leicas are becoming outdated. Swarovski has been the gold standard for twenty years, but Zeis has now caught up in the last several years.

The feild-flattening lenses on the Swarovsi EL series is a big deal to many but inconsequential to a lot of others. Something I have found in common with people that can't live without field-flattener lens is that most of them wear eye glasses. It seems to correct common problems associated with eye glasses and binoculars. People like me, who don't wear glasses, often can't see a difference.

Field- flattener lens have some draw backs. When panning, it seems like the edges are moving faster than the center, which gives some people motion sickness. Light transmission is also slightly lower because the extra lens absorbs some of the light. I have found these draw backs to be minimal. A non-eye-glass wearer isn't going to complain about low light transmition in these binoculars but they are not going to complain about the ege clarity of the SCLs either. A lot of that may be because field-flatterer lens are only available in the extremely high-end binoculars right now.

BTW, Swarvski EL series isn't the only maker offering field-flattener lenses anymore. Zeis Victory binoculars are available with and without them. The Victory HT does not have them, the Victory SF does have them. The Nikon EDG series had them, but I think the are discontinued now. I don't know of any other, but there may be some.

I hunted in mexico and the guide had the german minox, i had the zeiss conquest 15x45 and the Minox had noticeably better glass and focusing for my eye especially out past a 1000 yards