Zeiss Terra
- Thread starter brushcreek
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luckynv
Active Member
Yes, I have the 10x42. As Scott said they are great. I was carrying a cheaper pair of Nikons and these are several steps up at a very affordable price. I found mine for $279.00 early last year.
I also like them, got a set of 8x42's. I put them up against everything in the under $500 range at Academy Sports, and they were considerably brighter and better to me. I'm very impressed for the price. A buddy who has Zen Ray Prime 8x42's thinks these might be better after looking through them, hopefully tomorrow night we can get out scouting and do a side by side comparison.
I had them side by side with some older Leica Trinovid 8x32's I have and they were much brighter in low light as expected. One thing I noticed with the Zeiss is that the image seemed flatter, you didn't see the contours and shapes of the hills like you did with the Leica. I'm no optics guru, not quite sure how to properly explain that. I could sure see everything I needed to on game with them, just a difference that was immediately noticeable when comparing the two.
I had them side by side with some older Leica Trinovid 8x32's I have and they were much brighter in low light as expected. One thing I noticed with the Zeiss is that the image seemed flatter, you didn't see the contours and shapes of the hills like you did with the Leica. I'm no optics guru, not quite sure how to properly explain that. I could sure see everything I needed to on game with them, just a difference that was immediately noticeable when comparing the two.
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Kentucky hunter
Active Member
83mulligan
New Member
Have been wondering if I should sell my leupold mojave 10 x 42 and get the Zeiss Terra. Can anyone comment on eye strain after long periods of glassing with either of the above?
luckynv
Active Member
Not sure how to measure eye strain but here goes, I used them extensively last season for periods of up to two hours at a time and did not notice any eyestrain. I noticed eyestrain in the past after about 10 minutes with my cheap nikons. By cheap I mean less than $100.00. I am not sure that they are better than your Leupolds as I have only looked through those inside of a store. The Leupold Mojave is a decent low-mid range priced binoc. The only way to really know if you should sell yours and go with the Terra is a side by side comparison in decent conditions. Hard to do with artificial light inside a store with a salesman eyeing you. Hope that helps a little. Good luck and God bless
83mulligan
New Member
Thanks luckynv. I've been to wyoming once with my leupold mojave binos and they are ok. I'm going again this year and considering an upgrade. I'm not sure if I should just bite the bullet and go with conquest hd's or settle for the terras or look at zen ray or use my leupolds. I know I can do better than the leupolds for not much more money. I least I think i can.
Just another opinion. I have had the chance to compare the terra 10x42 next to viper hds and celestron granites. Out of the 3 the terra wasn't comparable as far as (crisp image I will call it) and by that i mean distinguising colors apart and pulling in light.(don't know the fancy terms for it). The ergonomics were very nice although i don't believe it comes with a tripod adapter. I looked through all 3 pairs on one occasion for about 3 hours until dark. The terras were by no means a bad set of binos, but for the comparison it fell short for me. NOTE, I am not nocking them, just a hunter giving his own opinion for someone else to add to their though and make a good desicion for him or herself.
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Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
I am with you Casey. I think the term you were looking for was "contrast." Zeiss ships some great products, and the Terras aren't bad, but with the Vipers not too far away ($399 vs. $579) in price, it is hard not to recommend the Vipers. The Vipers are a bit brighter and sharper than the Terras, IMO. The Vipers are also quite durably built, too.
Now, if you find the Terra's as cheap as luckynv, you got a great deal!
Eyestrain typically comes from binoculars that are out of collimation, and if you get eyestrain from any binocular, it needs to be serviced. I have a set of $80 Leupold Yosemites in the truck that provide zero eyestrain in extended use.
Now, if you find the Terra's as cheap as luckynv, you got a great deal!
Eyestrain typically comes from binoculars that are out of collimation, and if you get eyestrain from any binocular, it needs to be serviced. I have a set of $80 Leupold Yosemites in the truck that provide zero eyestrain in extended use.
Thanks BB contrast sounds way better then what I put in parenthises! But back on track. In that 400/500 range I think there are quite a few better options for your buck! That being said I don't know many men that turn down a screaming deal. Hope this helps
83mulligan
New Member
I stopped at cabelas today and had the clerk set up some binos we have been discussing here. Leupold Mojave (used as a benchmark by me since I own a pair), cabela euros, Vortex razor hd, Zeiss Conquest Hd and Zeiss Terra. All 10 x 42 .For the record here, I'm not an optics expert, just a guy who hunts mostly in the midwest and a little out west.
I was most interested in the mojave vs. terra comparison since zeiss is such a big name and the price point is the same. Frankly, I didn't find the terra any better. I was hoping they would be and maybe to an expert they are, but certainly not enough difference to go through the hassle of selling my mojave and buying the terras.
The other three were 1000 to 1200 binocs
The cabela euro objectives were not aligned properly and would not focus. they opened another box and those focused ok and were bright but something didn't jive with me. The clerk owned a pair and kept pushing them for their greatness but I didn't really like them. The view felt kinda curved to me. Almost like an old school magnifying glass. I don't know the terms, they just didn't feel good. Then she told me that meopta made them and also made all the zeiss and swaro binocs. I didn't bother to correct her, but all her credibility vanished with me.
Next I tried the Conquest HD's. I liked them very much. The image was clear and bright. They focused quickly and easily and felt good in my hands. I was impressed and they felt like a big improvement over my own mojave. And they should because the price is more than double.
Finally, I looked through the vortex razors. They were good, view looked sharp and bright, alot like the conquests. They were a couple hundred more than the conquests. I really didn't see much, if any difference.
Conclusion is I didn't see the terra as being better than the mojave. I liked the conquest a lot. They are a definite improvement and I may buy a pair. Still a little unsure, so I did not. I don't want to spend a grand, but I don't want to sit on a ridge for 5 days and wish I had, if that makes sense?
Also note that the viewing was done indoors under florescent lighting on animal mounts at about 100 yards or less. Not really a true test.
I apologize to whoever started this thread for all the extra stuff I brought into it. I realize three of the binos I discussed are not in the same class/price range as the original Terra thread topic. Just thougth I'd share my observations.
I was most interested in the mojave vs. terra comparison since zeiss is such a big name and the price point is the same. Frankly, I didn't find the terra any better. I was hoping they would be and maybe to an expert they are, but certainly not enough difference to go through the hassle of selling my mojave and buying the terras.
The other three were 1000 to 1200 binocs
The cabela euro objectives were not aligned properly and would not focus. they opened another box and those focused ok and were bright but something didn't jive with me. The clerk owned a pair and kept pushing them for their greatness but I didn't really like them. The view felt kinda curved to me. Almost like an old school magnifying glass. I don't know the terms, they just didn't feel good. Then she told me that meopta made them and also made all the zeiss and swaro binocs. I didn't bother to correct her, but all her credibility vanished with me.
Next I tried the Conquest HD's. I liked them very much. The image was clear and bright. They focused quickly and easily and felt good in my hands. I was impressed and they felt like a big improvement over my own mojave. And they should because the price is more than double.
Finally, I looked through the vortex razors. They were good, view looked sharp and bright, alot like the conquests. They were a couple hundred more than the conquests. I really didn't see much, if any difference.
Conclusion is I didn't see the terra as being better than the mojave. I liked the conquest a lot. They are a definite improvement and I may buy a pair. Still a little unsure, so I did not. I don't want to spend a grand, but I don't want to sit on a ridge for 5 days and wish I had, if that makes sense?
Also note that the viewing was done indoors under florescent lighting on animal mounts at about 100 yards or less. Not really a true test.
I apologize to whoever started this thread for all the extra stuff I brought into it. I realize three of the binos I discussed are not in the same class/price range as the original Terra thread topic. Just thougth I'd share my observations.
83mulligan
New Member
Update: I've since tried a couple more pairs of the zeiss conquests at some different stores. I used them outside, along with a pair of vortex vipers. Both in 10 x 42. Honestly, I liked the Vipers better. The two pairs of Zeiss Conquests, both used outside, had a kind of wavy looking view to them. The sales rep said that other people have said that about the zeiss line. Now, I know that zeiss is a very respected brand of glass, but I'm not sure if that wavy looking image presents itself to certain types of people or not. I could not focus it completely out. And I wanted to really like them. The other thing I could think of is maybe they were out of alignment, but that raises the question of durability with them since it was on two separate demo unit pairs. I don't know. Right now I'm just leaning toward the vortex vipers. They have a great warranty and I liked the image, fit/feel. I think I'll check out a couple more pairs and see if that evaluation holds. Anyone else had experience with either the Zeiss Conquest or Vortex Viper 10 x 42?
If you get up there in price to much its worth watching for used or demo model upper end binos. I've done the whole buy/trade or sell/upgrade optics thing to many times and ended up spending way more than I needed to. I ended up buying used Leica Geovid HD-B 10x42's and couldn't be happier with them. Same with the Swaro 15x I got. Lots of money but you can see why when using them, and if you take care of them they last a long time. I got to where I'd buy optics on the years I didn't draw tags and now I'm set for a good long while.
rcfireninja
Active Member
I found a deal locally on the vortex viper 10x42 hd last year. First time spending more than $100 on binoculars and i was amazed at the quality of glass. At first and last light they pick up more than i knew was imaginable. Now that being said, a friend let me look through his leicas at the same time. They were more crisp on the edges and detailed in the center during low light conditions. Rest of the day they were too close to tell much difference. Other than mine were $1200 cheaper. I will use my vipers for a long time to come.
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