Swarovski vs. Zeiss, HELP

[Wille]

Looking to buy a new scope for a 300 WM and appreciate your comments.

Have been looking at the Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 x44 BT 4W and the Zeiss Conquest HD5 3-15 x 42 plex with a Kenton top nob.

About a $ 500.00 price difference between them and wanted to hear your comments on them scopes. Is the swarovski that much better ???

Thanks, Wille

 

[yawn]

I'v had that Z5 for a while now and had a good look at the Zeiss hd 5 recently. The better points of the Z5 for my liking are the 4w reticle, a little more mag, I have a personal preference for the swaro glass and they make a nice allloy flip up for the objective. On the HD 5 side its cheaper, has an extra 5 moa with its zero stop single turn over the Z5 and the turrets seemed a little more positive. If the internals of the zeiss are reliable Id be happy with either and still might pick up the hd5 for a little BSA .222 I have.

 

[8andbait]

I have both and I think the Z5 is worth the extra money. The glass is super great. My HD5 is decent but not great.

As mentioned above the 4W reticle is the perfect thickness and windage holds are great. The only drawback to the z5 for me is the limited travel but with that said I can still get out to 700 yards with a 200 yard zero at 5000 feet. You can also use the bottom of the reticle which is 10.25 moa and add the 13.25 moa in the dial for a total of 23.5 which should get you close to 1000. The zeiss has 16.5 moa with the zero stop and the swaro has 13.25 moa. I put an MOA turret from the Outdoorsmans on my Z5 and I love it. The HD5 clicks do feel more positive but the swaro has been dead on out to 700 yards and back to 200 on many occasions so I completely trust it will dial properly.

If you are buying for your primary rifle I think the extra money will be well spent and you will enjoy the benefits of the glass every time you use it. I will not be buying another HD5 after owning the Z5.

I put my HD5 on my varmint/backup hunting rifle and it is fine for that purpose.

 

[Sully2]

Do I think the Swaro is a "better" scope?.....Yes! Do I think its worth the extra $$ over the Zeiss?.....NO WAY.

Any "better" feature the Swaro has...you're never going to see in any hunting situation

 

[mackgee]

I love these debates...but when you ask "is something worth the extra money?" that makes it such a relative topic. What's the cost of have a few more minutes of light to be able to take a shot as it's getting dark? Is that worth it? You tell us, is that worth the extra $$$ to you? The Swarovski is a better scope when comparing the two, but they weren't made to compete against each other. These are two different scopes made to appeal to their price point consumers. I personally always buy the best glass I can afford...I don't want to be holding off on a last minute shot at a trophy because I didn't want to spend the extra money for a better optical instrument. So to me, yes it's worth it to have those few extra features and to have better glass. Only you can answer for yourself if that's worth it.

Mac

 

[bruce_ventura]

I like both scopes, but they are not in the same class. The HD5 is a good 5:1 zoom ratio scope, but only offers a doublet objective lens. The resolution, especially at large elevation settings (greater than +/-25 MOA), suffers a bit from blur. It's not a big problem, but it's noticeable when compared against a good spotting scope. Even still, the contrast is good and it's a big step up from scopes that cost $500-700. The reticle choices are limited, however.

The Swaro Z5 uses a triplet objective lens. This lens design is apochromatic and provides a sharper image, especially at large elevation settings. The stray light is very low - the contrast stays high even when looking into shadows while facing a setting or rising sun. The Z5 scopes use the Z6 erector optics and coil spring design.

I use the 3.5-18x44 with the BRH reticle. The resolution is so good that I don't bother taking a spotting scope with me when hunting deer. I use my binos on a tripod for spotting and the Z5 for judging details like antler points.

Coincidentally, HighPowerOptics has a display sample of the Z5 3.5-18x44 BT 4W on sale. It's in like new condition. That narrows the price gap a bit. See the post further down on subforum for more information.

 

[Varberger757]

I love these debates...but when you ask "is something worth the extra money?" that makes it such a relative topic. What's the cost of have a few more minutes of light to be able to take a shot as it's getting dark? Is that worth it? You tell us, is that worth the extra $$$ to you? The Swarovski is a better scope when comparing the two, but they weren't made to compete against each other. These are two different scopes made to appeal to their price point consumers. I personally always buy the best glass I can afford...I don't want to be holding off on a last minute shot at a trophy because I didn't want to spend the extra money for a better optical instrument. So to me, yes it's worth it to have those few extra features and to have better glass. Only you can answer for yourself if that's worth it.

Mac

+! A 100 % correct. To compare both scopes is like comparing apples and pears. The Conquest has a 1- inch tube, the Z5 30mm, so it's no wonder that the light - transmission in the Swarovski is much better. lightbulb The Z5 is in the luxury class due to price and design features, while the Conquest is an especially fabricated (decent) scope and reasonably prized for the US market. In catalogues for European countries, the Conquest is just missing! If there would be a fair comparison then between the Z5 and f. ex. the Zeiss Diavari Classic. The "low budget line" for Zeiss in Europe is the so called Duralyt. The thread starter should take a deep look into the scope market because there many other top scopes to find like Steiner (Nightvision), Leica Magnus, the brand new S & B, Docter Optics, Meopta's top line, etc.

 

[bruce_ventura]

...The Conquest has a 1- inch tube, the Z5 30mm, so it's no wonder that the light - transmission in the Swarovski is much better. lightbulb ...

Actually, Z5 scopes have a 1" tube, and tube size has no effect on light transmission.

 

[Wille]

Thanks for all the good comments

Regards Wille

 

[Sully2]

Thanks for your shared information. I prefer Swarovski over Zeiss Scope. Swarovski scope has great demand among the customers and has gained immense popularity among hunting world. It is useful in any extreme conditions, whether shooting in low-light environments and hilly areas. Swarovski scope always exceeds customer's expectation. If you looking for right binocular, then go through EuroOptic online store and know more about between Swarovski and Zeiss.

Sounds like an advertisement to me??

 

[Brewer]

Actually, Z5 scopes have a 1" tube, and tube size has no effect on light transmission.

X2 It is a common misconception, size of tube has absolutely nothing to do with how much light can get through a tube. if you have ever seen a diagram of light passing through a scope, you see that the light from the lens actually posses through a single point between lenses. that point is infinitely small.... tube size has to do with structural integrity and most significantly bigger tubes give you more windage and elevation.

 

[Wille]

Ballistic Turret questions
I´m about to buy a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 x 44 BT 4W scope for a 300 Win. Mag. hunting rifle and would appreciate your comments on what BT ring to get. The Z5 has an limit of 54 MOA on the BT turret´s elevation which is not bad for a hunting scope as far as I want reach out.
Will use factory ammo since I can´t get powder to make my own and what powder I have is saved to load my 270 Win that I use locally on Deer. The ammo to use is Federal Trophy Bonded Tip 180 grain bullet on the 300 WM and looking to buy a BT ring from Outdoorsman's for the Z5 scope.
What BT ring should I order, as it must match several requirements like: caliber, scope height, bullet, muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, ALTITUDE and temperature and here is where I´m stuck !!!
These two constraints that I need help on are Altitude and Temperature. Hunting situations take you to different setups and the altitude or elevation above sea level is the most important. Can´t order BT rings for every altitude because this would not be economical so a compromise must be assumed since I would like to reach out somewhere around 650 yards max.
Should I get a Custom turret mark in yards or one with MOA ???
Appreciate your comments, thanks
Wille

 

[bruce_ventura]

Over what range of altitudes do you plan to hunt?

Be aware that the Z5 BT turret only has 10.5 IPHY of range (nearly one revolution). You probably know that, but the other readers may not. You might get out to 650 yds at high elevation (>8,000 ft) with a 200 yd zero. At lower elevations, 550 yds is more likely.

Frankly, I would pass on the custom turret and just use the stock BT over that range. The custom turrets are more useful for the Z6 scopes that have a larger BT adjustment range.

Getting back to your question, I ran a few calculations for your caliber. The POI only changes 5 inches at 600 yds range for a 4,000 ft altitude difference, combined with a 32 F temp difference. Split the difference between your high and low conditions and you should be OK.

An error in muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient can cause a bigger POI shift than the error due to altitude/temp. If it were me, I would measure bullet drop at 500-600 yds for that ammo in my gun before ordering a custom turret. I would order the turret scale in yds and IPHY to match the turret clicks. If you can only get one or the other, definitely get it in yds (or meters). Getting a custom BDC turret in anything else defeats the purpose of a BDC turret.

 

[Wille]

Hi,

Got a tag to hunt ELK late november in Ely, Nevada and the elevation is 6000 ft.

Up in the Andes where I hunt Deer we hunt at 8000 ft

Now if I do a plains hunt in Namibia or Proghorn out west I would be at see level

Looks like I would need more than one BT ring