Zeiss Conquest HDX 10x42 binoculars
- By Chris Parkin
- Last updated: 12/11/2024
Zeiss has been producing premium optics for over a century, and they continue to innovate with coatings and superb ergonomics to please users who seek optical delight and everyday usability. The Conquest HDX roof prism (Schmidt-Pechan) binoculars follow a familiar optical design, with twin tubes offering an apparently straight course from the objective to your eye, while within the outer tubes, ten optical elements direct the light back and forth to extend the light’s internal path to create the magnification. There are several 32/42mm objective lens models with either 8 or 10x magnification, as well as a physically much larger 56mm version where the Abbe-König prism design is used for improved light transmission.
Well packaged
The first encounter with the Conquests sees them in a simple box that hasn’t been designed as a pointless fashion accessory. Opening it shows a padded Cordura case with a shoulder strap. The additional neoprene neck strap also carries the ocular lens cap, which can be threaded from either side or both if preferred. The objective lenses have rubber lens caps which fit deeply within the body to prevent them from falling open too easily. Quite critically, they don’t automatically self-apply, which is really annoying on some binoculars. The lenses are physically recessed about 10mm within the natural rubber armoured coating that wraps the lightweight magnesium chassis. With up to ten elements, the optical package is advertised as having 90% light transmission, and it’s far easier to compare binoculars side by side as many share identical specifications.
Face up to it
Each extending eyecup has four positions to suit your eyes and skull shape, and the actual shape of the soft rubber coating is exceptionally comfortable. They fit repeatedly with perfect comfort into your orbital sockets. Diopter compensation is located on the right tube and can be lifted to unlock and balance the Conquests for your eyes. There is a single hinged bridge spanning the tubes to alter the interpupillary distance, and this is both smooth and firm in adjustment, meaning it can be set precisely, without intermittent sagging. Together with the eyecup shape, this makes the HDX binoculars notably comfortable for long periods of viewing.
There is a slightly stippled texture to the rubber armour, enabling a comfortable grip in both wet or dry conditions, and there are easily gripped serrations of similar material on the focusing dial. The front of the bridge also features a concealed ¼” thread for a tripod mounting bracket.
Buzzwords
The official information is littered with optical buzzwords that many manufacturers like to splash around. However, with Zeiss, you have no real doubt it has been done to a high level, maintaining the brand’s excellent reputation, all backed up with a ten-year warranty. The ‘FieldFlattener’ technology appears to provide excellent resolution across the entire field of view. I couldn’t detect any problematic chromatic aberration, thanks to the multi-coated Extra Low Dispersion glass, which is a significant advantage. This is further enhanced by the company’s other branded coatings within their HD manufacturing concept. Lotutec is possibly the most noticeable proprietary coating that Zeiss uses, and water is shed from the external lens surfaces with notable speed. All the usual atmospheric resistance factors are quoted, with nitrogen filling alongside a 4m dunk test for water resistance. I always fastidiously keep lenses clean where possible, yet it was noticeable that in similar scenarios, the Lotutec also sheds dust and fingerprints more easily. This factor also applies to sweat and grease from your face when in contact with the ocular lenses, making dust stick more easily if not avoided.
Where is it noticeable?
You can instantly detect that these binoculars are not made in China. Zeiss states that they are made in Japan on the underside and designed in Germany. The HDX carry all the company’s design hallmarks and the delightful image presentation, without any of the optical or mechanical downsides commonly detected on lesser competitors. Small factors like the radiused eyecup shape with reliable extension rotation detents mean the Conquests are instantly locked in position every time, with just a quick fingertip flick of the focussing dial required to address the current range.
I attained sharp focus down to 2m, and after several hours use in daylight through to darkness, experienced no optical strain. Re-focusing at range showed a medium depth of field with good natural ranging ability and a generally relaxed scanning capability over greater distances without sacrificing the precision to pick out detail and make it pop among foliage when necessary. The colours presented are true, and I got linear transit through to total darkness without experiencing any distinct steps in the optical experience.
The build is compact but they are not so small as to make them feel like a toy. The overall length is 155mm and they weigh 831g including the lens caps and the neoprene neck strap, which is itself comfortable and silent in use. Weight-wise, this is a 10% saving over standard HD models. None of the lens caps make noise if disturbed and these are the details that separate functional binoculars from exceptionally well-designed units that delight the buyer.
Conclusion
The new Conquest HDX binoculars aren’t just about superb image quality, they represent intelligent, integrated design in all aspects that impress me. The integration of shape, control, weight, and bulk simply makes them nicer to use. It also takes less time for them to become an intuitive part of your armoury, requiring no conscious thought. Yes, there are many cheaper binoculars of similar stated specifications that might initially appear ‘just as bright’, but they have bad eye cups that don’t lock in position, slight focal variations across the field of view and a questionable, yellowing image when the light fades. There is a good reason Zeiss is still in business after 120 years. Their design ethos combined with Japanese manufacturing has maintained an exceptional price/performance balance. I can’t help but consider this a distinct baseline for judging other binoculars.