Take Skeeters post and imagine its mine except the part about the signature Burris.I will add the Elites weight,eye relief,and resale value are its negatives and the Zeiss Conquest lacks the long proven track record yet,but they both are better than the Leupold in brightness and clarity.Heck Leupold claims 91% total light transmission while Elites and Conquests claim 95%.Leupold needs to stop riding on its laurels as the scope world continues to change and go to a quick focus on the vari x' s like they have on the LPS,they need to make the scopes more user friendly with power numbers you can read and see from the shooting position,switch to finger adjustable windage and elavation knobs like everybody else,and develop a rainguard coating and reticles that glow without batteries at dawn and dusk.They are a great scope but not the tip of the sword anymore.They still have weight,long eye relief,ruggedness,and warranty to claim but the other scope companies are fast taking their turf and this will continue till Leupold wakes up and becomes an innovator again.My favorites in my price range are Elite 4200,Leupold Vari X lll,and Zeiss Conquest.My pick for best overall?.....Zeiss Conquest.

woods