The Zeiss 8x20mm Conquest is compact enough to fit into pocket, purse, or auto glove compartment. It’s the right choice for travel and for neighborhood birding walks where you don’t want to be weighed down by your full-sized binocular. It is also an excellent choice for a traveler to slip into his or her pocket for examining architectural details high up in buildings, cathedrals, etc.

The Zeiss Conquest Compact has superb high contrast optics with the very latest high-tech optical coatings. They make it very suitable for daytime birding in open meadows and grasslands, where high light-gathering is not essential. With only 20mm objective lenses, the 8 x 20mm Zeiss Conquest is not an overwhelmingly bright low light binocular, but it will do a more than adequate job of showing you details and color in muted light conditions.

Sealed and nitrogen-purged to be waterproof and fogproof, the Zeiss 8 x 20mm Conquest is a rugged and capable compact binocular that can take the worst climate extremes in stride. And it is small enough and light enough to take conveniently anywhere in the world.

Features of this binocular . . .

• Ultra-lightweight body: This H-body “mini” roof prism binocular weighs only 6.3 ounces. The rugged body is made of high impact polycarbonate. It has a non-slip matte black finish that provides a secure grip in wet weather and a cool grip in hot climates.

• Double-hinge body design: The 8 x 20mm has a double hinge design that lets it fold down to a very compact 4” x 1.75” x 2.75” size that fits comfortably into auto glove compartment, purse, or pocket.

• Fully multicoated: All optical elements are fully multicoated with patented and proprietary Zeiss T* (T-Star) antireflection coatings for maximum light transmission. These are the same multicoatings that are used on the most-expensive Zeiss binoculars. They yield a level of brightness and contrast that’s uncommon in a binocular in this size range.

• Phase coatings: The latest Zeiss P* (P-Star) phase-correcting coatings on the image-erecting prisms provide very high contrast and resolution. This is particularly visible when looking sunwards, where more color and detail is clearly visible in the shadowed areas of backlit or silhouetted birds. These are the same advanced phase-correcting coatings that provide such exceptional images with Zeiss full-size binoculars.

• Fully waterproof and fogproof: Sealed and nitrogen-filled to be completely waterproof and fogproof. The dry nitrogen filling makes the Conquest internally fogproof in all humidity and temperature extremes. The inert nitrogen also prevents the internal formation of fungus in high humidity climates, such as rain forests. This Conquest compact is designed to operate reliably over a wide temperature and humidity range – from Attu to Death Valley, from the Serengeti Plains to Costa Rica.

• Close focus: The 10.8’ close focus is good, although not exceptional. This is more a medium distance travel binocular than it is a binocular for butterflies and close-in birding.

• Wide field: The field of view is a more than reasonable 6.6°.

• Roll-up eyecups: The soft rubber eyecups roll up to block ambient light and improve the contrast when using the binocular without glasses. They roll down for eyeglass use.

• Eye relief: Eye relief is an acceptable, if not overlong, 12mm. Vignetting will be visible, but mostly minor, for those who must wear eyeglasses while observing. Unlike many binoculars, whose usable eye relief usually measures a millimeter or two less than that specified by the manufacturers, all 12mm of the Zeiss eye relief is fully usable.

• Fast focusing: Less than a single turn of the small ribbed focusing knob on the left side of the binocular hinge moves from the 10.8’ near focus to the horizon and beyond.

• Diopter correction: A second small knob on the right side of the binocular hinge adjusts the binocular to match your individual eyesight. The diopter knob has a smooth surface (compared to the ribbed focus knob) so you can’t accidentally change the diopter setting by mistaking it for the focus knob. In addition, the stiff action of the smooth diopter knob is quite difficult to turn accidentally, further preventing accidental changes in the diopter setting.

• Included accessories: The Zeiss Conquest Compact comes with a water-shedding padded Cordura-type soft nylon case with a Velcro closure. The case measures a very compact 4.75” x 2” x 3” in size so it can fit comfortably into auto glove compartment, purse, or pocket. The case has a belt loop for convenient no-hands carrying. The binocular has a permanently-attached thin woven neck strap.

• Lifetime warranty: This genuine Zeiss import qualifies for the unique Zeiss Lifetime Transferable Warranty available only to registered owners of Zeiss products that have been legally imported by Carl Zeiss USA. Click on the “Warranty Information” link to the left and then click on the “Zeiss” link in the warranty page that opens up for the full details of the Zeiss Lifetime Warranty.