At closer range, lower magnification retains image focus for point and shoot encounters.
Parallax is fixed at 100 metres with no further adjustability, suiting the intended hunting ethos of the scope. The left side of the saddle features illumination controls for the centre flash dot of the No.4 style reticle. Both windage turret and elevation (capped dial with indicator window) show clicks and elevation runs to 9.8 mRad (98, clicks up from the zero stop).Ī locking lever sits to the front left of this knurled dial with firm tactile clicks, silent in use and the turret certainly doesn’t exhibit any desire to be nudged or mis-adjusted. Illumination, compact size, weight and easily adjustable BDC elevation turret are all featured on Schmidt’s matt black tube, finish is an exquisite silky texture that shrugs off dirt and stains. The 54mm objective lens is smaller than a 56mm unit which equates to 8 per cent smaller cross-sectional area for light to enter in, yet given 96 per cent travels through the scope, what are we left with? Yes, a difficult balance of capability that is somewhat awkward to mathematically judge against competing optics. Chris Parkin tests to see if it stands up to his intense scrutiny Polar exploration and mechanics with physical space for the packages to move around enabling zeroing and longer-range adjustment. The Polar’s one-piece 34mm tube allows more space for the internal lenses In terms of light transmission, the Schmidt & Bender Polar T96 may just be the king of riflescopes. Are we talking a percentage of daylight in sunny conditions at noon, or the brightest glass in those critical last few minutes of dusk?
It is their blend of coatings deposited on the glass surfaces that alter the balance of these light spectra to tailor the image to what the rods and cones in a human eye can compute. Light waves travel in many colours of the spectrum, glass quality alone isn’t the key, the multi-layer coatings are a hidden mystery for the optical manufacturers to keep secretive. I’m not really one to believe a great deal in marketing and the simple fact is that percentage light transmission is a vague statement. Schmidt & Bender’s T96 riflescope claims the highest light transmission percentage figures on the market of 96 per cent. Chris Parkin tests to see if it stands up to his intense scrutiny. In terms of light transmission, the Schmidt & Bender Polar T96 may just be the king of riflescopes.