Great all-round glass - Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32mm Schmidt-Pechan Prism Waterproof Binoculars

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, as is an absence of scattering that renders very high contrasts. The unusually wide field of view allows one to catch sight of passing birds, satellites or meteors that would go unnoticed in a glass with a narrower field.

On top of all this, the Conquest 8x32 is small, light and very comfortable for extended use, even in my rather small hands. The sturdiness, ergonomics and build quality are second to none. Great value.