I'm interested in a scope with high light transmission. I have been leaning toward a Nikon or Bushnell. Lately I have seen a new scope on the market called a Schmidt-Bender that according to the advertisement has the best light trans on the market. Has anyone had any experience with this scope? Also Zeiss has been recommended. Anyone have any thoughts, experiences or knowledge to share on any of these?

I'm going to keep this very basic, as I don't have the time right now to discuss the different scopes and mfg's in depth ...

If you need/want a nice, bright, reliable scope for dawn to dusk hunting, go with a Nikon Monarch w/ a 50mm objective lens ... They are very reasonably priced, and are very good all the way around...

If you want the best of the best, which in reality is not that much better than the Nikon for MOST people and MOST hunting situations ... then get a high-end Zeiss, Swarovski, Schmidt-Bender, or NightForce ... but be warned ... while these scopes are superior, they come at a much higher price ...

The Nikon will run you around $400 ... as would a Zeiss Conquest (American made, economy line ... not the high-end Zeiss I mentioned) ... and they are both VERY good scopes... The "Euro" scopes will run you about $1,000 or more ...

The Nikon Monarchs have very high light transmission, as do the Zeiss Conquest- and I bet the 4200 Bushnells do, too.
But.... there's more to it. What reticle the scope uses has a lot- a whole lot- to do with how late (or early) you can shoot.
Some of the european, high dollar scopes that get used at night have very thick reticles- a lot of the secret to why the work at night. The reticles are a lot thicker than the typical US duplex reticle.
If you look at a Zeiss Conquest, you'll discover that the outer legs of the reticle are much thicker than the typical Duplex reticle, making it a lot easier to see the reticle in extreme low light.
In my experience, you can use a Zeiss Conquest in much darker conditions than any scope I've seen with the standard Duplex reticle. Besides, it's a really good scope anyway.
So, I'd say take a good look at the Conquest.

Believe it or not the european scopes will give you better quality optics. Yes the nikkons are good scopes but they do not transfer as much light as the European Scopes. Even the 1" tubed European scopes don't compare to there own 30mm tubed scopes.

Schmidt and Bender is not a new scope or company. They have been around for 50 some years. Unlike most of the other European Optic companis S&B only make rifle scopes no spotting scopes, camera lens, or anything else. They are totally committed to building the best scope you can buy. I own two of them personally. One is a 2.5X10X56 and the other is a 4X12X42. These are the most clear scopes that I have ever looked through, and I have had the luck to be able to look through almost every major scope manufactures top line when I was guiding.

To really answer your question about the light gathering abilities of a Schmidt and Bender scope here it is. Take one out at the last minute of shooting light and it will look like you are going to shoot something during the middle of the day.


Good luck and have Fun.

Pick out what you think is a good light capturer and put it side by side with a Swift and you'll notice a difference. I've yet to find a non-electric scope that will allow you to see as well as the Swift with next to no light. The optical clarity in bright light is also quite spectacular too. Coyotes used to be safe in anything less than a full moon on a clear night and beyond 50 yards. The last one fell to a head shot a little over 100 yds away on a misty night with a less than half moon thanks to my new Swift.

Big Medicine over on Marlinowners did a little study of various scopes at dusk. Very interesting & informational. Here's the link. http://www.marlinowners.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=9515&highlight=medicine
Best regards,