Zeiss 3-12x56 MC riflescope

Guns Magazine, June, 2004 by Dave Anderson

The Carl Zeiss firm was established in 1846. In the field of optics, no name is more respected. Zeiss pioneered many products and technologies we take for granted, such as roof-prism binoculars and anti-reflective lens coatings. Zeiss optics are used wherever performance is paramount, from bird watching and photography to medical research and space exploration.

Zeiss products have never been inexpensive. Importation costs and currency exchange rates increase costs to American purchasers. Their riflescopes have been designed more towards the needs of European hunters. Much European hunting (certainly not all) tends towards shooting from stands in very low-light circumstances.

Made For Americans

In 2001 Zeiss introduced the Conquest series of riflescopes. Conquest scopes are assembled in the United States using Zeiss components, reducing production costs. Design features are more attuned to the demands of American hunting. For example, the 3-9x40 Conquest with its one-inch scope tube is reasonably light and compact, offers good eye relief, ruggedness and a power range suited to a broad range of American hunting opportunities. The Conquest series has been highly successful.

Game laws in most states prohibit hunting at night, typically defined as 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise. Such light conditions are not as demanding as those sometimes encountered in European hunting situations.

Nonetheless there are circumstances in which low-light performance is important. A lot of game is taken in that half-hour before sunrise and the half-hour after sunset, I've shot whitetail deer during about every daylight hour, but I'm sure more were taken shortly before sunrise than at any other time.

Which brings us to the newest member of the Conquest series, the Zeiss 3-12x56 MC. It definitely has a "European" look to it, with its huge objective lens. The 3-12 is the first scope in the Conquest series to have a 30mm main tube instead of the American standard one-inch tube.

It's also the first Conquest to have its reticle in the first focal plane. The advantage is the relationship between reticle and target remains constant throughout the power range, so the reticle can be used as a rangefinding device at any power. The disadvantage is the reticle magnifies in size as power increases. Zeiss reticles are etched on glass.

Standard reticle is the No. 8, with four heavy posts with thinner center section crosshairs for fine aiming in normal light. I consider it the best all-around choice. The No. 4 reticle extends the thick posts closer to the center and dispenses with the top thick post. For really low-light conditions it is probably the better choice. The No. 6 is a plain crosshair reticle, fine in normal light but it wouldn't be my choice for low light shooting.

Zeiss pioneered the use of anti-reflective lens coatings in 1935. Lens coating technology gets better all the time. The multi-coating (the "MC" part of the name) of the high quality lenses provides higher transmission in the blue color range. The result is low light performance that is simply superb, not to say amazing.

One Tough Customer

The Zeiss passed all the usual tests for accurate reticle tracking, integrity against water, and resistance to heat and cold with almost contemptuous ease. If the scope could talk it would be saying, "What's this, hot water? A deep freeze? Come on, give me a challenge! Fifteen below in a North Dakota winter? Snowflakes on my objective lens? Child's play!"

The scope exudes quality and strength. If you ran out of ammunition, you could probably remove the scope and beat your moose to death with it. The only criticism I can make is the relatively small adjustment range (30.6 inches, compared to 45 to 60 inches for other Conquest scopes). If a scope for thousand-yard shooting is what you want, look to other scopes in the Conquest line.

At over a pound and a half weight this is not a scope for a light mountain rifle. And though it performs beautifully in bright light, it is really in low light conditions that it excels. Over a bear bait in deep woods, waiting for a whitetail to slip to its feeding grounds just at dusk, surprising a coyote returning to its den at dawn that's when the 3-12x56 MC earns its keep. And it does so brilliantly.

Zeiss Conquest 3-12x56 MC

      Field of view:   27.6 feet to
                       9.9 feet at 100 yards
      Tube diameter:   30 mm
     Length overall:   15.3 inches
             Weight:   25.8 ounces
         Eye relief:   constant, 3.5 inches
   Finishes offered:   matte black, silver color
 Reticles available:   No. 8 standard,
                       Nos. 4 and 6 optional
        Adjustments:   click,  1/4 minute per click
Range of adjustment:   30.6 inches