Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Schmidt & Bender Opinion

Looking for opinions on low light performance of the Klassic 8 x 56 vs the Klassic 6 x 42. Thanks in advance.

8x56 was deemed optimum for human eyes in low light hunting decades ago. Both scopes have an exit pupil of 7. My eyes need more power in low light, not less. I do not have a 6x42 S&B to compare side by side, but I do have a 4x36 S&B I have compared. In daylight they are equal in brightness to my eyes, in low light the 8 power trumps the 4 power. I suspect the 8x56 will also trump the 6x42 in real low light situations due to the power. That said, the 6x42 is most likely the most practical all around hunting scope of the two due to its more handy size, broader field of view and more useful for close in shots less than 100 yards.

I use a lot of S&B 6x42's. I spent several evenings viewing with a S&B 8x56 last year and took time to compare it with a 6x42. The scopes were both recent production Klassics. My assumption is that they have the same number of lenses and same lens coatings, so the % of light passing through each should be the same. It appeared that way to me. In the lowest light, the 8x56 could make out a bit more detail than the 6x42. It's not a brighter image, it's a higher magnification image with the same brightness and exit pupil. Things can just be seen better with the higher mag if everything else is the same, so the higher power helps here. Most of what I was viewing was in a tree line at 175 yards. The difference was not massive, just a bit more detail. At that distance either would have worked. For my use, I prefer the 6x42 as an all around scope but I did like the 8x56 and will likely get another one at some point.

Thank you for sharing your experience, this is exactly what I was looing for.

View through the 8x56 S&B.
Dave

M700 .. 270 STW.
With 12x56 on top.
Dave

I like it alot
. dave

Dave

I got the 8x56 from Optics Trade.
The price has gone up a little since I got mine.
Optics Trade now has the Hungarian S&Bs for 839.00.
I've managed to get a couple deer with mine .
I also have several other S&Bs.
In the dark for the money it's hard to beat.
dave

They made a 7x50 Klassik up until not that long ago, and had illumination as an option.

I would like to try one but have never seen one for sale.

Spence

The latest info I have is that model has been dropped.
dave

Dave,

Do you have any experience with the 3-12x42 Classic? Thanks

On my Sako 338. Zero issues from all that recoil. Clear as a bell, no hiccups.

I had a 3-12x42 Klassik that I thought was very good but had a bit of a tunnel effect at lower powers, I have seen others have the same issue. Otherwise great.

The 3-12x50 zenith I had was spectacular but a little to heavy for me.

Spence

For low light, the 8x56 is slightly better than my 3x12x50 Klassiks and I prefer it for hog hunting at night on a 450 Bushmaster rifle. For all around hunting, the versatility of the 3x12x50 is the better choice.

No sir .
I do not.
dave

Of the S&Bs that I have had.
The best all around scopes have been the 1.5-6x42s.
I have a very old 80mm eye relief klassic that was my go to for many years .
I still have it . It still works and as a younger man abused it to no end.
Think I paid Dunn's 650.00 for it in 86.
Other than the short eye relief. Never had a complaint. And never had an issue.
Have a much newer 1.5-6x42 Zenith Flash Dot.
It's a definite step up in capability.
The dot is day or night capable and gives a lot of flexibility. ..ie works just dandy on running hogs.
S&B reticles typically are very heavy. But you can still loose them in dark conditions.
The only way you can loose the aim point in a flash dot is if the battery goes dead.
I have a 3-12x50 klassic. Have it mounted up on a 280 AI.
Just excellent in the dark.
Thing about the 50mm Schmidt's is they tend to run heavy.kinda always felt the extra weight makes the gun top heavy messing up the balance ... IMHO.
Id say the best Schmidt I've had in the dark was a 3-12x50 non AO non illuminated PMII..Still very much a load in the weight department. Was just excellent in the dark.
Only thing I have that beat it was a 5-25x56 PMII.
Wasn't fair to the 3-12 as you could turn up the power and light up the reticle and gain a little.
The 5-25 is pushing 40 oz........
The 8x56 from Optics Trade for 839.00 at 20.8 oz. Is very difficult to beat for money and weight.Its a big scope but it's doesn't seem to matter at least for what I'm using it for.
I find the newer Polar's and such, very interesting.
Surely a step up in capability. But freaken expensive and definitely not lightweights.
I'm thinking I'd be very comfortable with a 3-12x42 klassic.
There is one Schmidt I'm interested in.
The 1.5-8x42 Stratos.
If I ever get one first thing I'd do is send it in and loose the push button stuff and go to the Flash- Dot knob.
It's on the bucket list..

dave