Higher end scope cant decide

For low light? I can tell you from real world side by side comparison with a Leupold VX-5 3-15X56, Leupold VX-6 4-24X52, Swarovski z5 5-25X52 and a Bushnell 6500 Elite 4 1/2-30X50 the VX-5 lasted six minutes longer than them when "looking" at small deer antlers 131 yards away. I was stunned. I purchased all four of them so I had no axe to grind saying one was better than the other. They were laying on sandbags so they were quite still.

But a step up in price brings us to my friend's Swarovski z8i 2.3-18X56. It lasted another fourteen minutes over the VX-5!
I said "low/middle" tier Leupolds the OP was referring to, like the VX3 lines. The VX5 HD and VX6 HD are not in the same ballpark as the VX3 lines. They are a nice scope.
 
I have no experience with nightforce but I have several Leupold VX6-HD, Vx5hd, and Vx3i. The 5 and 6 have the firedot reticle which is absolutely amazing. The clarity in low light in all of them is great. They truly let me hunt every legal minute of the day. I feel you can't go wrong with either.
 
FFP but hard to miss this big circular reticle.

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