Zeiss HD5 vs Leupold VX5 vs...

[rdt270]

Hopefully you fellows with way more scope experience could help a Florida boy out. I am looking at these two: Zeiss HD5 3x15x50 and the Leupold VX5 3x15x56. I am mostly looking for the best low light visibility. Most shots will be out to 125yds with max at about 350yds. Won't necessarily be twisting on turrets alot but it would be nice at the range. Any thoughts, comparisons, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I compared a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50, Leupold VX-5 3-15X56, Swarovski z5 5-25X52, Zeiss Conquest HD 5-25X50, and some nice binoculars on 13" wide deer antlers 131 yards away for low light as the sun set. The Bushnell and the Swarovski lasted twelve minutes longer than the Zeiss and the Leupold lasted six minutes longer than the 6500 and the z5.

 

[wilkup]

I compared a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50, Leupold VX-5 3-15X56, Swarovski z5 5-25X52, Zeiss Conquest HD 5-25X50, and some nice binoculars on 13" wide deer antlers 131 yards away for low light as the sun set. The Bushnell and the Swarovski lasted twelve minutes longer than the Zeiss and the Leupold lasted six minutes longer than the 6500 and the z5.

What power were they all set for on? I'm actually not too surprised the Leupy lasted longest with that monster 56mm objective

 

[Rich Coyle]

They were all on 15X to match the Minox 15X58 binoculars. To get the z5 and 6500 to last longer all I had to do was turn up the magnification. The best scope I tried was a Swarovski z8i 2.3-18X56. It lasted two minutes longer than the VX-5. It cost more than twice as much to get only two minutes more.

An interesting fact is I also had a Swarovski z6 5-30X50 that went down six minutes before the z5 and 6500. We don't always get what we pay for.

 

[rdt270]

I compared a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50, Leupold VX-5 3-15X56, Swarovski z5 5-25X52, Zeiss Conquest HD 5-25X50, and some nice binoculars on 13" wide deer antlers 131 yards away for low light as the sun set. The Bushnell and the Swarovski lasted twelve minutes longer than the Zeiss and the Leupold lasted six minutes longer than the 6500 and the z5.

Thanks for the reply Rich, have you by chance made the same comparison with the same Leupy in the 44mm Objective?

 

[rdt270]

Anybody have any Tract Toric comparisons with these?

 

[Wedgy]

I had the HD5 3-15x when they first came out and was expecting a lot better glass for what it cost, not to mention limited elevation due to the 1" tube, and a zero stop that only gives 15MOA if you set it. I don't have the HD5 anymore to compare but the new Leupold HD glass in the VX-5 & 6 is way up there. Very close to my March scopes, better the Nightforce NXS glass(as is the March), I haven't compared it to the ATACR enhanced glass but that is nearly double the weight so not really worth comparing. The low light capability of the new VX-HD glass is really, really good, and that 56mm objective will allow you to see past legal shooting light. If you plan on shooting in low light consider using a lighted reticle, which the HD5 doesn't have. The Lupy VX-5 also has a 2 full turn zero stop.

 

[Rich Coyle]

rdt270,

Thanks for the reply Rich, have you by chance made the same comparison with the same Leupy in the 44mm Objective?

Not yet.

By the way there were two of us comparing when we did the z8i and others. Some times there are three guys but most of the time it is just me playing with my toys. One guy can see in the dark very well so his opinions are not valid for most of us. Up until he was about fifty he never used a flash light.

 

[rdt270]

Is the difference between the 44mm and the 56mm worth 300 dollars?

 

[Wedgy]

In a nutshell light is measured by exit pupil= objective diameter divided by the power, so the 56mm on 10x = 5.6mm
Vs 44mm divided by 10= 4.4mm
So all else being equal you will get about 20% more light from the 56mm on the same power

 

[rdt270]

Thanks Wedgy,I get the math part of it. I guess there is no fair comparison between the HD5 and the VX5 because they don't have the same Obj. diameters. So guess the question is, which is better(brighter longer) to those who have compared both the 3x15x50 HD5 or the 3x15x44? Obviously the 56mm should do better than either of these, It is $300 more than the 44mm VX5 and $400 more than the 50mm HD5. WWYD?

 

[Wedgy]

If I wanted the best low light scope I would get the 56mm. Regardless of that I still think the new VX-5HD & VX-6HD glass is better than the HD5 glass.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/725486665

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/734001995

WWYD ? = What Would You Do ? it took me a bit to figure out what that meant

 

[catorres1]

I don't have an exact apples to apples comparison, but maybe close. I have the 3-15 x 44 HD5 and a 3-18x50 VX6, not the HD version. In talking to someone on this board, he tells me that the glass between his HD and non HD version are pretty much unnoticable. So that said, I tested the VX6 and the HD5 at full light and low light on an eye chart at 130 yards. My son also looked and gave his input. In both cases, both low and full light, we could both see about 1.5 lines farther down through the VX6 than on the HD5. This held true all the way until dark....though we could see fewer and fewer lines as the light went down, the gap between them remained pretty consistent. BTW, my son could consistently read about 1 line farther than I could, that also remained consistent.
As much as I like my HD5, I moved it down in the pecking order, putting my VX6 on my most used rifle.
As mentioned, if you are shooting fairly long, the zero stop system on the HD5 is not so great. One turn, about 17 MOA, unless you remove the stop. I do like the locking turrets on the lockplex, and when I bought it, it was one of a very few that had this feature. It also has a thicker plex reticle that is easier to pick up on the target in lower light than on the Leupy.
However, the VX6 HD (and the 5 as well I believe) now has 2 turn lock turrets, and I had them retro fitted to my VX6 for very little money. Great system. I would recommend a firedot or illuminated reticle if you can swing it. HTH.

 

[rdt270]

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience. I hope everyone has a Happy and Blessed New Year. Has anyone tried the Tract Torics ? I have read some great reveiws.
PS: Sorry Wedgy, didn't mean to throw you with WWYD. I still aint figured out the new language they speak today.