In light of recent questions about cetain brands and the respective loyalty the have, i chose to conduct the following scientific test of a Zeiss conquest 3-9x40 rifle scope vs a cardboard papertowel roll.
the scopes...
#1 the zeiss is 1 inch-diameter center tube One piece body for superior ruggedness.
hard anodized black or stainless surface finish. The latter blends perfectly with stainless all-weather weapons.
6 different reticles including Z-Plex and reticle 4
Non-magnifying reticles throughout the entire power range to ensure that the reticle size remains constant and hides as little of the target as possible at long ranges.
Parallax-free at 100 yds or with parallax adjustment (AO) in the CONQUEST 4.5-14x44 AO MC and CONQUEST 6.5-20x50 AO MC.
Easy-to-use reticle adjustment with � MOA = 0.7 cm per click at 100 m allows quick and precise sighting in.
Large square reticle adjustment range - elevation and windage adjustments do not affect each other even at the ends of the adjustment ranges.
Long eye relief of 4" with the CONQUEST 3-9x40 MC and 3.5" with the other scope models.
Continuous eyepiece focusing from +2 to -3 diopters.
No change in the point of impact after power change or re-focusing.
Carl Zeiss MC multi-coating on all glass-to-air surfaces for maximum transmission (markedly above 90 %), color fidelity and brilliance.
Waterproof in compliance with ISO 9022-8 - even with elevation caps removed.
Nitrogen filling to prevent fogging on the inner lens surfaces.
Lifetime Transferrable Warranty
#2 the papertowel roll is a 1.83" diameter brown tube made of formed hard paper. it offers no adjustments or paralax correction and has no lens to coat. furthermore finding rings to fit it is nearly impossible. while the lack of nitrogen purging leaves the tube unable to keep water out, it is note that likewise water will not remain in. this unintentional feature make the tube clear even after a dunk in water, for a second or so.
the test parameters.
weight, glare, cost, color rendition, paralax adjustment consistancy and cost/ warranty.
weight, the hands down winner is the paper towel tube. w/o a doubt it weighs so little that you hardly notice it. points to the tube.
glare, again points to the tube. in its matte brown tectured finish there was no glare to speak of not even when held in direct sunlight.
color rendition, while the zeiss showed a wonderfull light enhancment ability the tube won. the colors seemed so lifelike it was hard to belive that it could have been improved upon.
paralax, while the zeiss showed only the most minimal of paralax adjustment from 3-9 and only at ranges of 300 yards or better the tube never showed shift from POI all the way out to 500 yard. amazing!
cost with an average cost of $399.99 (List Price:$453.00) the zeiss is certainly not the most expensive optic on the market and offers good value when compared to other euorpean optics, the winner again is hands down the cardboard tube. for an amount so small to be unmeasurabe i could equip every rifle i own w/ a tube for less than 1/100th of the cost of the zeiss.
summary while the cardboard tube caused some concerns in the begining it really shined in the test. there was no reticle provided so one was fashioned out of a toothpick colored w/ a sharpie. not dissimilar to a german #1. as mentioned earlier the tube has no adjustments, much like the balavar scopes, but in the end came out to not have any tracking problems either. the zeiss was heavier, cost more and much to complicated for most folks to use.
improvements we would like to see...
we would like to see another type of finish on the tube. perhaps some green or blk to make a camo finish would be nice. as well we are working on a lit reticle for the tube using 8 pound test Cajun Red fishing line and a live lightning bug. well save those results for the next test. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
