John Dracon
John Dracon
Folks - I thought I would inflict my comments about the Terra ED 8x32 one more time, in hopes that I have not worn out my welcome. Many men, particularly when they grow older, enjoy telling stories and in doing so become garrulous. I'm one of those. Referencing me to Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame as bird forum's own is flattering. Lake Woebegone is a fictional town in Minnesota, and Keillor has used that as a prop on his way to becoming famous and perhaps wealthy. Buffalo High was no fictional school, even though perhaps it should have been. But it was the site of many bizarre experiences in two years of my life.
Where else would a young lad working for his room and board on a cattle ranch trying to become a cowboy find a high school so tiny and bereft of academic challenges that no music, foreign languages, advanced anything were offered? Yet, during my senior year, a young man who had finished his military training and obligation as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army taught us English. He stayed but one year and later became Dept. Head for the English Department at Florida State University. Where else would a class mate get the same girl pregnant two years in a row and still marry her? Where else would we be allowed to shoot gophers on the school grounds with our .22 rifles during recess and after school? The only admonishment from our superintendent-principal-teacher was to make sure the little kids were safe. Where else would a full blood Blackfoot Indian educated in an Indian boarding school in Salem, Oregon, teach and coach in Buffalo for several years? I loved the man for the things he taught me that were not just academic. When he died 15 years ago, I went to his funeral held on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation to eulogize him. I was the only white man present besides a Catholic priest among the large gathering of Indian relatives and friends. Where else, perhaps even in the world, would three students break up a fist fight between the superintendent and two parents, one lying on the floor bleeding from the mouth and nose, and the other (who was the chairman of the board) strangling the superintendent who was on his back on top of his desk with his eyes bulging out? We had to tear them apart. I wrote a short story about that, titled, "When the students were the adults." You get the point. Where else? But at Buffalo High.
Enough of that. When I did my initial report on the Terra 8x32, I didn't have many comparable binoculars to use. A friend in White Suffering Springs, unbeknownst to me owned a Swarovski CL 8x30, and he loaned it to me the other day. I realize the Terra has more light gathering, but I thought comparing a 3rd tier binocular to an alpha would be interesting. Of course this is just one sample of each binocular. I'm not sure if there is a bell-shaped curve application to binoculars. But among the thousands produced, some must be turkeys and some jewels. I can't speak for these.
The CL 8x30 went through the same resolution test on the U.S. Air Force charts as before. The CL has slightly less FOV than the Terra but not really noticeable. The sweet spots were the same with the CL holding it resolution at the edges a wee bit better than the Terra. I could discern no difference in the sweet spots at all.
My color sense (highly subjective) is that the CL has warmer colors except in the red areas.
From the standpoint of dimension, the Terra is a half inch taller. Aesthetically, I prefer the Terra. The CL is what I call a petite binocular. Although the weights are essentially the same, I believe than many women with smaller hands would like the CL. Also, perhaps smaller faces. The IPD distance of the CL is slightly more than even the Terra. And considerably more than the Yosemite 6x30 designed for children, which makes me deduce the Swarovski people were targeting women.
The focusing knobs are quite different in diameter: the CL 22 mm, the Terra 32 MM, and the Yosemite a whopping 36 mm (probably to create leverage to focus the porro). The rotation of the CL is past one revolution I would estimate about 15 degrees. The Terra of course has 1.5 revolutions making its slower focusing. The Terra had smoother focusing. The CL had a few spots of hesitation as the knob was turned and required more finger pressure than the Terra.
The eye cups were significantly different in diameter: the CL 35 mm and the Terra 41 mm. How comfortable they would be in the eye socket is an individual matter to determine. And it is in the area of ergonomics that I believe many people will make their binocular decisions.
I put the CL and the Terra to the pre-sunrise and post sunset tests along with looks throughout the day. Of course in normal light, no differences were discernible. But in low light situations, the Terra was simply better.
Colors and details held together longer.
Of course the durability factor is an unknown. The CL has metal in the body. The Terra is fiberglass reinforced.
In conclusions which is the better binocular? I can only say that given a choice to pack one around, it would be the Terra but only for personal ergonomic reasons and the fact of $700 more money in my pocket.
John
Where else would a young lad working for his room and board on a cattle ranch trying to become a cowboy find a high school so tiny and bereft of academic challenges that no music, foreign languages, advanced anything were offered? Yet, during my senior year, a young man who had finished his military training and obligation as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army taught us English. He stayed but one year and later became Dept. Head for the English Department at Florida State University. Where else would a class mate get the same girl pregnant two years in a row and still marry her? Where else would we be allowed to shoot gophers on the school grounds with our .22 rifles during recess and after school? The only admonishment from our superintendent-principal-teacher was to make sure the little kids were safe. Where else would a full blood Blackfoot Indian educated in an Indian boarding school in Salem, Oregon, teach and coach in Buffalo for several years? I loved the man for the things he taught me that were not just academic. When he died 15 years ago, I went to his funeral held on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation to eulogize him. I was the only white man present besides a Catholic priest among the large gathering of Indian relatives and friends. Where else, perhaps even in the world, would three students break up a fist fight between the superintendent and two parents, one lying on the floor bleeding from the mouth and nose, and the other (who was the chairman of the board) strangling the superintendent who was on his back on top of his desk with his eyes bulging out? We had to tear them apart. I wrote a short story about that, titled, "When the students were the adults." You get the point. Where else? But at Buffalo High.
Enough of that. When I did my initial report on the Terra 8x32, I didn't have many comparable binoculars to use. A friend in White Suffering Springs, unbeknownst to me owned a Swarovski CL 8x30, and he loaned it to me the other day. I realize the Terra has more light gathering, but I thought comparing a 3rd tier binocular to an alpha would be interesting. Of course this is just one sample of each binocular. I'm not sure if there is a bell-shaped curve application to binoculars. But among the thousands produced, some must be turkeys and some jewels. I can't speak for these.
The CL 8x30 went through the same resolution test on the U.S. Air Force charts as before. The CL has slightly less FOV than the Terra but not really noticeable. The sweet spots were the same with the CL holding it resolution at the edges a wee bit better than the Terra. I could discern no difference in the sweet spots at all.
My color sense (highly subjective) is that the CL has warmer colors except in the red areas.
From the standpoint of dimension, the Terra is a half inch taller. Aesthetically, I prefer the Terra. The CL is what I call a petite binocular. Although the weights are essentially the same, I believe than many women with smaller hands would like the CL. Also, perhaps smaller faces. The IPD distance of the CL is slightly more than even the Terra. And considerably more than the Yosemite 6x30 designed for children, which makes me deduce the Swarovski people were targeting women.
The focusing knobs are quite different in diameter: the CL 22 mm, the Terra 32 MM, and the Yosemite a whopping 36 mm (probably to create leverage to focus the porro). The rotation of the CL is past one revolution I would estimate about 15 degrees. The Terra of course has 1.5 revolutions making its slower focusing. The Terra had smoother focusing. The CL had a few spots of hesitation as the knob was turned and required more finger pressure than the Terra.
The eye cups were significantly different in diameter: the CL 35 mm and the Terra 41 mm. How comfortable they would be in the eye socket is an individual matter to determine. And it is in the area of ergonomics that I believe many people will make their binocular decisions.
I put the CL and the Terra to the pre-sunrise and post sunset tests along with looks throughout the day. Of course in normal light, no differences were discernible. But in low light situations, the Terra was simply better.
Colors and details held together longer.
Of course the durability factor is an unknown. The CL has metal in the body. The Terra is fiberglass reinforced.
In conclusions which is the better binocular? I can only say that given a choice to pack one around, it would be the Terra but only for personal ergonomic reasons and the fact of $700 more money in my pocket.
John
