Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Brightest Low Light Scope

I have eye trouble and I’m getting old as well.

In your opinion, what is the brightest low light scope you have ever used or tested, regardless of objective lens size.

Let’s just put this into two categories: under $1500 and over 1500.00

I appreciate your input. Thanks!

Interested to see replies

Schmidt and Bender 8x56mm Klassik LM About $1400.

Steiner Nighthunter Xtreme, over.

I have a friend who is no stranger to high quality rifle scopes. About 3 years ago he bought a Swarovski which I'm sorry to say I can't tell you any specifics about. I do know it will be in the over $1500 group. He tells me there is no comparison in low light brightness/clarity with any other scope he has used.

Honestly, I dont know how you can beat a VX-3 40mm.

Agreed. This has become my go to scope for hunting.

Just had this discussion with my Nieghbor and he settled on a Meopta 3-12x56 and I was very impressed by how bright it was in low light and I think it’s in the less than $1,500.00 category

ask bobby tomek

In the over-$1500 of hunting scopes, it's the Schmidt Bender Polar series. I've had both the 3-12x54 and 2.5-10x50. No other scope brand or series made transmits as much light.






In the under-$1500 category, there's no contest, though there are a number of solid choices. For me, it's the most recent production lines of the discontinued Docter Classic, Basic and Unipoint series and the subsequent Noblex N4 Vario, which is also now discontinued.

Much more than transmission goes into the equation for a low-light scope, however. All things considered, I prefer my Docter scopes over anything else I have tried -- and I've gone through quite a few scopes searching for that non-existent perfect low-light optic.

Many scopes can seem "bright" in normal lighting. You have to spend hours putting them on a resolution charts/grids and doing side-by-side comparisons in very low light or moonlight -- and under various atmospheric conditions -- to separate and rank them. Then, too, preferences can and will boil down to our own personal requirements of a scope.

I don't know what these two scopes sell for, but the Leupold 3-15X56 lasted six minutes longer than my Swarovski z5 5-25X52, Leupold VX-6 4-24X52 and my Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50. The Swarovski z8i 2.7-18X56 lasted another fourteen minutes. We were looking at tines on a 13" wide antler 131 yards away in the woods.

I’m pretty impressed with my VX-5HD 2-10x42, especially considering it doesn’t have a huge objective. I wish I could compare it with a bunch of high end scopes. To be honest, I’ve never seen a $1500+ scope in my life. In a store or otherwise.

For me it is my Zeiss Diavari VM/V 1.5-6x42 with the 30mm body and 1st plane #8 reticle. Those European guys get to hunt way later than we can and their Euro upper end scopes have the technology and coatings that transmit a lot of light. I have lost seeing the second plane (US standard) cross hair in fading light faster than I've lost seeing the animal image. I went to the heavy Duplex 1.5-5x20 in my Leupold and there is no missing seeing that reticle even into very low light. A bad experience with condensation taking out the battery compartment on an early lighted reticle scope was enough for me to have never bought another one.

I had several older Swarovski scopes and one Kahles 3-12x56. Some say these were the last lenses made using lead. And they were clear . Could easily see after legal shooting hours. I replaced these with the pro hunter models.
6-24x50 and 4-16x50 and 3-12x50. Could not tell any improvement over the older models. At least not enough to justify replacing them. Hasbeen

If price is not a limiting factor, Hensoldt ZF is the best I’ve looked through. They are about $7,500.

I have used my Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 on a few occasions to shoot pigs off of farm fields with only moonlight.

Swarovski/Kahles

30mm tube
2.5-15x56
3-12x56
I've used them for 35 years and noting else is even close...
Leupolds/Burris and all the rest can't hold a candle. Like the earlier poster said, they ALL LOOK GOOD IN DAYLIGHT ...

Swarovski PF8x56

I have 2 Kahles 1.5 X 6 scopes with 30mm tubes and 42mm objective lens. They are the best of what is in my scope collection. Not sure they are in the current Kahles line. I also have Sightron 8 x 32 with 56mm objective that are bright as well as a Nightforce with a 56mm objective that are bright. The Nightforce would be over 1500 the others under.

Yep Polar it is.

The lower the.magnification the better you can see with it. My first scope was a 1 3/4 to 5 Redfield. I could see to shoot deer in the woods with it after legal shooting time set on 1 3/4. And got in trouble for shooting one in the moonlight in thick woods.Dad wasn't amused.