Have you ever taken photos through a scope? It's incredibly difficult to get the ret and background in focus perfectly. The reticle will be fine in "real life"
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I've got a Zeiss LRP 5-25x on the way as well as a big box from ZCO. Whatcha wanna see?
- Thread starter Tyler Kemp
- Start date
Is it just me, or perhaps an artifact of the photos, or…but the ZCO and Kahles seem brighter while the Zeiss seems to have better contrast a d color saturation???
There seems to be quite a qualitative difference, yeah?
There seems to be quite a qualitative difference, yeah?
I agree at the high magnification. The Zeiss definitely holds it own and overall I actually like it the best but that’s just what I am seeing in the photos. The Zeiss looks like a legit top scope IMO
Looks like the Zeiss "see's" more in the shadows as well. A side effect of the Rich Schott Glass used in Euro optics. In my experience. Contrast and color pop...........I'm sure the resolution is too close to the ZCO to see a difference, although it may not be quite as "sharp". However, without having either, I'm just going by the pics
In these pictures it looks "too fine" but I assure you it isn't in person. For some reason the camera doesn't like to focus crosshairs and image sometimes which makes it extra hard to see.
The illumination is DAMN GOOD though and would certainly dispel any reticle issues on a black background.
Pics of that and 650 yards on black cows coming.
Actually, @Tyler Kemp , I would be interested in your personal take....looking thru the scopes and not mobile phone pics....of this observation.
Is it real or is it Memorex?
Cheers
I will be happy to give my thoughts (I took notes during pics) but want to save that until you guys see some more pictures, or else I will taint the well in terms of public perception.
I also took out my nice DSLR but found no perceivable difference in pic quality, but that is another option as well.
I also took out my nice DSLR but found no perceivable difference in pic quality, but that is another option as well.
Here's some more anecdotal shots as the lighting was changing quickly. I think what you can see here is both scopes perform damn nicely, even when the sun is directly in front of scope, kinda washing things out. The ZCO and Zeiss at 10x are good examples of having the sun washing things out but still having a good image. Conditions were changing so quickly and the Kahles was obviously outclassed in the glass department so it wasn't included in these pics.
One thing I wanted to include was a shot with the Zeiss and the reticle illuminated at well less than full power. It will get completely daylight blind you bright without substantial bleed and is infinitely adjustable. I don't use an illuminated reticle hardly ever, but this one is well-done enough that I could be a convert.
ZCO at 5x and 10x
Zeiss at 5x, 10x, 25x, and then unknown mag but illuminated
One thing I wanted to include was a shot with the Zeiss and the reticle illuminated at well less than full power. It will get completely daylight blind you bright without substantial bleed and is infinitely adjustable. I don't use an illuminated reticle hardly ever, but this one is well-done enough that I could be a convert.
ZCO at 5x and 10x
Zeiss at 5x, 10x, 25x, and then unknown mag but illuminated
I particularly like the clarity between the black trough and the blue metal frame several hundred yards in front, still looking crisp!
We will be running a black friday special on these with an Audere mount or rings.
We will be running a black friday special on these with an Audere mount or rings.
The glass in the Zeiss looks great. I really never doubted that it would be on par with the top tier scopes. My biggest question on this scope at this point is the turrets. @Tyler Kemp
Will be snapping some low-light pics this weekend. Going long for antlerless season with the 338 Lapua AI.
Also have a shipment coming in by end of the year. Current intro deal on the Zeiss expires this Sunday
www.mkmachining.com
Also have a shipment coming in by end of the year. Current intro deal on the Zeiss expires this Sunday
ZEISS LRP S5 525-56 Black Friday Special Pre Order
ZEISS LRP S5 525-56. Includes Free Pro Series Throw Lever and Billet Level. Take 25% of rings and mounts with purchase. Free Shipping!
www.mkmachining.com
Thanks for posting these images Tyler. It’s a first glimpse, and as you said, an “anecdotal” one.
Before I comment a bit about my background:
I am an analyst by profession. Not counting family life, nor analyzing everything I have four lifetime passions. Photography, Shooting, Hunting and Fishing. As it is I analyze all of those too!
I’ve been shooting, hunting, and fishing for ~50 years. I’ve been selling photographs for ~45 years, with multiple book covers and single artist presentations in magazines. I also do astrophotography – an incredibly demanding endeavor as far as imaging is concerned - not for the faint of heart! I’ve posted some of my Astro images here at the SH in the Sidearms and Scatterguns thread. Like this one – The Andromeda galaxy from my backyard – from 2.5 million light years away:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Portfoli...ies/i-cxLVDQH/2/82734eb0/O/m31_30x20-3840.jpg
Point is, I know a bit about making images – a passion. I’ve used everything from 1950's Brownie cameras, to modern film 4x5 wood box cameras, to the latest and greatest digital stuff. I know a bit about imaging trains and processing....
OK now, with that out of the way I’ll comment….
“Anecdotal” is a correct assessment so thank you for being honest. Says a lot about you. The first thing I looked at in your images was the sky, that pesky thing around the scope tubes. In the images of the Zeiss the sky is blown out. Not so for the ZCO. That tells me one thing. Whether on purpose via processing or done automatically by your camera, The ZCO images are High Dynamic Range images, the Zeiss ones are not.
HDR images by default, and without processing will soften contrast. They bring detail into the shadows and control the highlights. Less contrast is the unedited result. Color richness is also affected because of lack of contrast.
Look at the fence in the foreground. It points to different lighting conditions. The Zeiss image at 25X is the only one at that magnification. That one is soft. It’s quite possible that the cows were not in the same focal plane as the reticle (parallax in scope terms), or it was an issue with the camera's focus.
All in all, the images are much appreciated. I do expect the Zeiss scope to absolutely dominate in the glass department. I know Zeiss glass well and love it. I look through Zeiss glass (plastic really) 24/7 because I always specify it for my progressive eyeglasses.
If we are going to use photography to compare scope glass it must be done in a strictly controlled environment and parameters spelled out as such. The truth and nothing but the truth kind of thing.
Lastly, I could not finish writing this without saying that rifle scopes are right up there with the most complicated, and therefore the most compromised “consumer” optics known to man. Scopes are incredibly complex, both optically and mechanically, and are made to be used in extreme environments.
I always wonder how they work as good as they do!
All this said Zeiss has been in the rifle scope business since 1904 - 117 years. Most all scope manufacturers have built on their achievements. Link to Zeiss history:
https://www.zeiss.com/corporate/int/about-zeiss/history.html
Thanks again for the post,
JAS-SH
Before I comment a bit about my background:
I am an analyst by profession. Not counting family life, nor analyzing everything I have four lifetime passions. Photography, Shooting, Hunting and Fishing. As it is I analyze all of those too!
I’ve been shooting, hunting, and fishing for ~50 years. I’ve been selling photographs for ~45 years, with multiple book covers and single artist presentations in magazines. I also do astrophotography – an incredibly demanding endeavor as far as imaging is concerned - not for the faint of heart! I’ve posted some of my Astro images here at the SH in the Sidearms and Scatterguns thread. Like this one – The Andromeda galaxy from my backyard – from 2.5 million light years away:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Portfoli...ies/i-cxLVDQH/2/82734eb0/O/m31_30x20-3840.jpg
Point is, I know a bit about making images – a passion. I’ve used everything from 1950's Brownie cameras, to modern film 4x5 wood box cameras, to the latest and greatest digital stuff. I know a bit about imaging trains and processing....
OK now, with that out of the way I’ll comment….
“Anecdotal” is a correct assessment so thank you for being honest. Says a lot about you. The first thing I looked at in your images was the sky, that pesky thing around the scope tubes. In the images of the Zeiss the sky is blown out. Not so for the ZCO. That tells me one thing. Whether on purpose via processing or done automatically by your camera, The ZCO images are High Dynamic Range images, the Zeiss ones are not.
HDR images by default, and without processing will soften contrast. They bring detail into the shadows and control the highlights. Less contrast is the unedited result. Color richness is also affected because of lack of contrast.
Look at the fence in the foreground. It points to different lighting conditions. The Zeiss image at 25X is the only one at that magnification. That one is soft. It’s quite possible that the cows were not in the same focal plane as the reticle (parallax in scope terms), or it was an issue with the camera's focus.
All in all, the images are much appreciated. I do expect the Zeiss scope to absolutely dominate in the glass department. I know Zeiss glass well and love it. I look through Zeiss glass (plastic really) 24/7 because I always specify it for my progressive eyeglasses.
If we are going to use photography to compare scope glass it must be done in a strictly controlled environment and parameters spelled out as such. The truth and nothing but the truth kind of thing.
Lastly, I could not finish writing this without saying that rifle scopes are right up there with the most complicated, and therefore the most compromised “consumer” optics known to man. Scopes are incredibly complex, both optically and mechanically, and are made to be used in extreme environments.
I always wonder how they work as good as they do!
All this said Zeiss has been in the rifle scope business since 1904 - 117 years. Most all scope manufacturers have built on their achievements. Link to Zeiss history:
https://www.zeiss.com/corporate/int/about-zeiss/history.html
Thanks again for the post,
JAS-SH
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