Hey I like zeiss all day long. Great customer service, very reliable, and great clarity. But to compare apples to apples, the 4.5-14x44 is 875 dollars from swfa, and the bushnell is 750 dollars. The bushnell is a 30mm tube vs a 25mm/1" tube, it goes all the way down to 2.5 and goes up to 16 power which is one of the most impressive power ranges in rifle scopes. The 30mm tube will allow for more adjustment and the greater power range makes it more versatile. Although I must compliment zeiss on making a great scope, at little more than 30 yards it could not clearly get smaller lines to show where the elite could. At greater distances reading license plates was nearly equal and dfinition and color contrast went slightly to the elite although the zeiss seemed to handle glare better. And I agree that leupold is over priced and really only leads the scope world in their customer service. Meopta and Valdada are other sleepers in and at this price range and also the burris euro diamond and black diamond while their signature selects are not worth the money. Weaver, Nikon, burris, and the elite line of bushnell are some of my favorites but I prefer to spend 300-400 for scopes and might stretch to 1000, but more price does not always equal better glass. I like to stick to facts not the subjective when judging equipment. I also feel the same about guns, there is only a couple guns I would even desire to own that are more than 1000 dollars. Think better money is spent shooting or reloading to improve the shooter rather than his gear. In other words I don't think a man with a 2800 dollar S&B can hit anything a man with a nikon monarch can't.
