John B from United States, MT Public Profile

I've used my Conquest 8x32 every day since it arrived months ago. As a matter of fact, the first thing I do after making coffee is scan the horizon from my dining room, checking for raptors, ravens and the local fox; even through window panes, this glass gives a remarkable view.

I often awake in the wee hours and take advantage of dark-adapted eyes to scan the deep sky. A couple of mornings ago, I noticed Sagittarius peeking over the horizon; even at this low elevation, the Conquest's modest aperture provided a very bright view of the Lagoon, Trifid and Omega nebulae, as well as myriad star clusters stretching northward. It was at this moment I realized the deficiency of the much larger 11x80mm porro glass I'd owned years ago; its contrast and transmissivity could not compare. The stars themselves reveal wonderful colors and contrasts; La Superb in Canes Venatici displays a striking deep red while the Trapezium sets the Orion Nebula glowing blue-green like a mercury-vapor lamp. Another thing I'm pleased to have discovered is the complete absence of the cruciform image artifact that plagues earlier roof prism binoculars; as a result, the moon through the Conquest is simply spectacular.

False color is well corrected in this glass, especially at the center of the field. Slight fringing is seen within dark objects on a bright day, but it goes unnoticed under the moderate illumination of cloudy, evening or early morning skies. The sharpness of the image is especially pleasing, a

I ordered a Zeiss Conquest 8x32 for my wife last Christmas; we were so impressed that she ordered one for me this Christmas. (Yes, as the Good Book says, she's "worth more than many rubies," indeed!) Having handled fine optics for nearly half a century, I find the wonderful image quality of this Zeiss a superb value for both birding and astronomy. With the additional funds I might have put toward a pricier glass from the Victory line, I purchased a Zeiss Dialyt 65mm spotting scope for my son, a US Forest Service professional.

What's really put the icing on the cake is the customer service experience; we've rarely been treated with the care, attention, know-how and courtesy that Beth and her associates, Nimra and Kamus, personify. With such customer care, why buy anywhere but Optics Planet?