Which scope Swaro Z8i or Zeiss V8?
- Thread starter GMan14
- Start date
For what purpose?
Get behind them. I can’t get on with Zeiss illuminated reticles because of my astigmatism. It caused the illuminated dot to flair badly. Yet the Swarovski illuminated reticles and Schmidt and bender don’t suffer in the same way.
I found out the hard way having purchased three V8’s
I found out the hard way having purchased three V8’s
Predominantly stalking, so want to benefit from low light conditions with decent magnification. Also want to use it on range 500 - 1000m
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
Aaaahh!
The search for the one perfect scope for all occasions…..I don’t think they make that one yet, get 2, 1 for stalking and 1 for the range, you’ll make some serious compromises otherwise.
Have never bought the new Z series of Swaro riflescope.
But I can assure you at nearly £3k it's not worth it.
Plenty of Swaro Ds scopes on the Classifieds now, and for good reason!
Heavy
Stupidly expensive
Stupid maintube size (36mm, although there is a new version in 34mm I believe)
Reticle (4a) is terrible, 1970's design
Very poor contrast
Illumination has failed on mine (work rifle) but no time to send back to Ze Germans for repair.
Some of the best stalking/target scopes to be had were the Bushnell Elite Tactical/LRHS/LRTS.
Can be found for around £300 and the scopes above are not 10x better!
I have a Z8i and it's not a patch on a Z6i. Swarovski have missed the point by failing to provide 5mm click resolution at 100m. Top glass without precise adjustment is absolute bollocks.
Regards
JCS
Regards
JCS
Overlay
Well-Known Member
i’ve got both and they are both outstanding optics, zeiss on a 243 and the swaro on the 204
if i had to chose between the two it would be the zeiss purely on the red dot being as sharp as a pin
my advice would be get behind both of them and see which one suits you and your shooting
S&B are deffo worth a look through as well all top drawer optics
if i had to chose between the two it would be the zeiss purely on the red dot being as sharp as a pin
my advice would be get behind both of them and see which one suits you and your shooting
S&B are deffo worth a look through as well all top drawer optics
If you want to shoot extended range, you really need a FFP reticle for ranging and adjustments - it's not easy with a SFP reticle. Neither of the Zeiss are really designed for longer range, despite the mag - they just don't have the adjustment (see Richard Utting's excellent review). If you are hell bent on these then def look through them. I'm another that prefers the Swaro glass to the Zeiss - but that doesn't make it right for you.
Perhaps consider something like the IOR Lutaz or Ranger as a hybrid scope as an alternate to those you've mentioned. The glass is excellent (Schott) and the coatings make for good contrast, although they are not perhaps as 'bright' as the other two - but do very well at twilight.
norcan
Well-Known Member
I’d say that rules out the 4.8-35; the other two have more-useful magnification ranges for hunting, reasonably-sized main tubes (30 mm), and lighter weights.
For low-light stalking, I’d take a Zeiss HT over any of them; super-high magnification is pretty useless in dim conditions, and its 12X top end will get you out to 1000 m just fine.
On paper the Swaro has marginally better light transmission 93% compared to Zeiss at 92%.
Twilight shooting is relatively new to me, as I’ve always shot day time before stalking. After using various scopes in twilight, clarity seems pretty important to squeeze the most
out of successful lowlight conditions.
Magnification range gives plenty of room for change in my strategy/use, hence why I’m looking for a larger magnification range in hope it provides a more versatile one stop solution for that particular rifle. Noting other comments on FFP & SFP, arguably if you’re dialling in with correct ballistic data & turret the output is similar within a reasonable grouping assuming the turret rotates enough turns.
Another key consideration for me is weight in addition to magnification & light transmission. My key focus for this assembly is light weight as a primary with magnification & light transmission as secondary. The Swaro is ~200g lighter with larger magnification than the Zeiss. I’ve been recommended from others to go Zeiss, but the Swaro seems to fit the spec better on paper. Really I need to field test both!
The build I have currently (rifle, scope, mod & mounts) is just over 3.2kg without ammo based on the Swaro. This is the area I want to be
norcan
Well-Known Member
@GMan14
Just keep in mind that there’s a more to a long-range target scope than magnification, and capped hunting turrets aren’t exactly ideal for dialling — though the Zeiss can be equipped with their ASV+ option, which certainly helps.
By the way, 3.2 kg complete for a scoped and moderated rifle is incredibly light. Details?
Just keep in mind that there’s a more to a long-range target scope than magnification, and capped hunting turrets aren’t exactly ideal for dialling — though the Zeiss can be equipped with their ASV+ option, which certainly helps.
By the way, 3.2 kg complete for a scoped and moderated rifle is incredibly light. Details?
Weatherby Backcountry Ti (carbon stock) 2.2 kg, Swaro Z8 3.5-28x59 0.665kg, Freyr & Devilk titanium 3D 232 moderator .232kg & Dinpal titanium mounts 88g. Cost ~£8k for 3.2kg. Little bit more cost and weight for ballistic turret but think it’s negligible for the benefit@GMan14
Just keep in mind that there’s a more to a long-range target scope than magnification, and capped hunting turrets aren’t exactly ideal for dialling — though the Zeiss can be equipped with their ASV+ option, which certainly helps.
By the way, 3.2 kg complete for a scoped and moderated rifle is incredibly light. Details?
Difference of 1% light transmission ?????? You need between 3-5% at best to notice any difference in low light. Each persons preference is an individual thing. Some are brand loyal and cannot see past their own brand. Others get on with one brand better than the other.
Look through a range of models and choose the one that suits you. As for glass types, most company’s may use the same glass, the coating recipes are definitely different. Zeiss use to focus on the blue light spectrum, which may appear as low contrast during daylight but in low light is a benefit as the human eye is sensitive to blue light in lowlight conditions. Others focus their optics at varying light spectrums, not a negative, just a preference. High transmission figure may only be valid at a certain light reading, not across the entire spectrum, so a high transmission figure may only cover a small nanometer area and be lower at other points.
Look through a range of models and choose the one that suits you. As for glass types, most company’s may use the same glass, the coating recipes are definitely different. Zeiss use to focus on the blue light spectrum, which may appear as low contrast during daylight but in low light is a benefit as the human eye is sensitive to blue light in lowlight conditions. Others focus their optics at varying light spectrums, not a negative, just a preference. High transmission figure may only be valid at a certain light reading, not across the entire spectrum, so a high transmission figure may only cover a small nanometer area and be lower at other points.
moonstone gsp
Well-Known Member
I have both. Also have The best low light scope is my Zeiss HT 3X12X56. I reckon this gives me an extra 10 minutes over the V6 and z8i. I see them second hand on here and guntrader at really good deals.
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