Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Conquest 3-9 X 50MM

I pretty much a novice when it comes to rifle scopes.My question is Zeiss Conquest 3-9X50mm is about $200 more than a 3-9X40mm.I assume it for gathering more light besides a larger field of veiw.Do you think 50mm bell is worth the extra $200 over the 40MM? Thank you very much.

Unless you hunt very late at night (ie: late night piggies and/or 'yotes at night) and at moderate to high power, then no.

The 50mm objective will give you better resolution in addition to better light gathering. I like the 50mm for elk for those reasons.

Have used Zeiss 3-9x40 and 3.5-10x44 for the past 6 years I would think the 40mm is more than needed.

Can not say enough about the brightest of Zeiss scopes.

I'm considering the same scope and had simular questions.

I think I will go with the 50mm for when I do night hunt hogs.

I have been considering one myself, I think I need the 50mm for my low light whitetail hunting.

Well.... that extra 10mm doesn't come free; it'll require significantly higher rings.

Beyond that, even in the Oregon gloom a 3-9x40 gets me to "last legal".

So- do as you will- I bet it's a very cool scope, and it'd be fun to try one- but the plain Jane 3-9x40 Conquest is a very bright scope.

It's about light transmission, not light gathering. Glass coatings make more difference in light transmission than the size of the lens.

You buy a Zeiss for the glass. A 40mm Zeiss will be brighter than most other scopes out there.

Just goes to show you...a real-life example that size doesn't matter.

TC

I have both. I have used the 50MM on a lot of hunts & find the additional size a non-factor. If you are putting together a ultra light weight rifle then a smaller scope is obviously the way to go. I can't say that there have been any shots I could not have made with the 40MM. Its like many of the tools we use that have very little practical difference. I have a number of Leupold 6X42s that work extremely well for low light hunting as well.

I've ordered one of these that should be here in a few days. I called the guys at Talley and they feel like their medium Lightweight series will work.

Not too big of a difference.

The couple of additional ounces is insignificant to the extra pounds I'm trying to lose from my body


I think this will be a good one.

It may wind up on my ML though.

Came in today!

I'm very pleased.

That's true, but when we're talking about the objective lens diameter of a riflescope, it's also about exit pupil. When people talk about a big objective being "light gathering," sometimes what they're really talking about is exit pupil.

For example, a 50 mm objective at 9X gives you an exit pupil of just over 5.5 mm -- which is about all the farther the pupil in old eyes will open. So, comparing that to a 40 mm objective at 9X, with an exit pupil of a little less than 4.4 mm, you have a brighter look through the 50 mm lens -- assuming lens coatings and glass quality are equal.

So, one reason for buying a scope with a larger objective lens is to be able to use higher magnification in waning light. Sometimes that's offset by the fact that you need higher rings for objective lens clearance, which might mis-align your eye behind the scope.

Steve

Steve,

You nailed it.

At 42yrs old, my eyes just aren't what they used to be. I now wear reading glasses and use a tad bit of distance correction. I err to the side of caution and go with the larger objectives to allow me a bit more magnification later in the day and often don't take my glasses on hunts with me.

I personally get tired of hear all the bullcrap from folks about 40vs50mm. I understand the equation and all that. I want the 50mm...I work hard for the funds that pay for my hunting toys and if I want to "waste" in on oversize objectives then that's my business.

I'm not trying to "maintain good lines" in regard to rifle appearance. I could care less. I like what I like. Heck, my main rifle will soon be wearing a freaking 56mm.

People are funny. There is so much discord amoung hunters on so many issues that the anti-hunters really don't have to do much potstirring. They can sit back and laugh at how we nitpick and backstab each other. It really is petty. We can be our own worst enemy.

If you dont mind my asking.
What 56mm are you planning on?


dave