Zeiss Conquest HDX 15x56 Binocular Field Review

At the end of January, as the OTC Deer hunts were winding down here in Arizona, I had the opportunity to get the new Zeiss Conquest HDX 15x56. 

To be honest, after receiving these at the shop, I thought, “Great, another 15-power binocular that won’t be up to par with the SLC 15x56,” which has dominated the West for only the last twenty years or so. Boy, was I wrong.

My first impressions on these were that the size and weight were pretty similar to the SLC 15x56. One of the coolest things about our office here in Fountain Hills, Arizona is that we have some desert shrub-covered hills right outside our front doors ranging from 300 to 700 yards, which give us a great look at the glass quality in an outdoor setting. I was a bit shocked, but my first thought was, “Wow, are these better than the Swarovskis?”

I knew the true test was going to be in the field. I had an old friend flying in from Washington state to catch the last couple days of our OTC Deer hunts here, and these were definitely coming with. This friend has not looked through either the SLC 15x56 or the Zeiss, so I figured it would be a good chance to get an unbiased opinion. So, Thursday morning, we set for the hills in hopes of finding a rutting Coues buck and checking out some new glass.

The Conquest HDX has a better field of view (measured at 1,000 yds) at 240 ft vs the SLC 15x56 at 234 ft. Weights are very similar–44 oz for the Conquest HDX and 43 oz for the SLC. The price for the Conquest HDX is very intriguing, coming in at $1,899.99, vs the SLC 15x56 at $2,399.99.

I have been using my SLCs almost exclusively for the last four months or so, and after using these Conquest HDX in the field, for the price difference, I can’t recommend these to a customer more. They held their own in glass quality, and the extra field of view is nice. I was trying hard to find major differences between the two and failed to do so. Also, my good buddy Mike, who hasn’t ever looked through either, kept asking me to use the Zeiss, as he thought it was the better optic. It’s not often you give someone a chance to use a pair of Swarovskis and they choose to use a different bino, so that’s saying a lot right there.

If you're looking for a high-powered binocular at a great price compared to some of the other high-end options out there today, I couldn’t recommend the Zeiss Conquest HDX 15x56  enough. If you have any questions, please reach out to me and we can chat more about them.