-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
What did I miss? Terra ED??? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter St. Elmo
- Start date
My first thought was a renamed Conquest HD but it looks like it might be a lower priced model.
http://sportsoptics.zeiss.com/hunting/en_us/binoculars/terraed.html#inpagetabs-2
A couple of US sites have it up already.
http://grabagun.com/zeiss-carl-optical-co-inc-524205-terra-ed-8x42-bino.html
http://www.sportsmans-depot.com/products/ZEISS-10X42-TERRA-ED-BINO-BLK-ZS-5242060000.html
David
It's about 3oz lighter and the AFOV is 56.8* vs of 59*
http://sportsoptics.zeiss.com/hunting/en_us/binoculars/terraed.html#inpagetabs-2
A couple of US sites have it up already.
http://grabagun.com/zeiss-carl-optical-co-inc-524205-terra-ed-8x42-bino.html
http://www.sportsmans-depot.com/products/ZEISS-10X42-TERRA-ED-BINO-BLK-ZS-5242060000.html
David
It's about 3oz lighter and the AFOV is 56.8* vs of 59*
Last edited:
Where are they made?
Just a thought.
Maybe they are made in the Hungarian plant since the Conquests are now made in Germany... or
(gasp)
"Designed in Germany and manufactured in one of our international production facilities managed by factory-trained technicians."
or some such other weasel language.
Just a thought.
Maybe they are made in the Hungarian plant since the Conquests are now made in Germany... or
(gasp)
"Designed in Germany and manufactured in one of our international production facilities managed by factory-trained technicians."
or some such other weasel language.
On the recommended usage tables the Conquest HD gets 5 points for nature and bird watching and 3 for astronomy. The Terra ED gets 5 for Hunting and Astronomy and 4 for nature and birdwatching. Perhaps that implies something about field flatness, colour balance etc.. Intriguing!
David
David
NDhunter
Experienced observer
I looked up the specs. of the 2 Conquest models.
In the 8x42, the Conquest HD 8x42, has a FOV of 7.3 deg.
weight is 28 oz. and height is 6.5", width is 4.7"
The new Terra ED 8x42 has a FOV of 7.1 deg.
weight is 25.4 oz. and height is 5.5", width is 4.7"
Both have HD glass, and the new one is lighter and quite short for
an 8x42.
Interesting to see Zeiss bring out 2 similar models within a year, now
we need to see how they perform, compare, and how they are priced.
Jerry
In the 8x42, the Conquest HD 8x42, has a FOV of 7.3 deg.
weight is 28 oz. and height is 6.5", width is 4.7"
The new Terra ED 8x42 has a FOV of 7.1 deg.
weight is 25.4 oz. and height is 5.5", width is 4.7"
Both have HD glass, and the new one is lighter and quite short for
an 8x42.
Interesting to see Zeiss bring out 2 similar models within a year, now
we need to see how they perform, compare, and how they are priced.
Jerry
brocknroller
porromaniac
yes, i thought that was odd. it's also curious that the close focus is better n the Terra ED than the 8x42 HD.
Folks, it looks like Zeiss is finally going to a three-tier system. Given the Terra ED's smaller FOV and lack of German pedigree (Hungarian? US???), and ED rather than Flourite glass, it should be priced below the Conquest HD.
Is the Zeiss Volks bin back?
Funny, because a guy named Brockadamus was just talking about this on another thread:
"I have seen the future, and its names are Diversity and Insourcing."
Post # 10:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=247721
Not sure about insourcing, some people did say that Zeiss was making something in the US (rifle scopes?), so it's possible they moved their operations over here. OTOH, if they already had a plant set up to make the old Conquests in Hungary, it would make more sense to make them there.
But the good news is that Zeiss is seeing the writing on the wall, which I was writing about earlier on that same thread (post #2), which I didn't get a chance to elaborate on after the economics prof chimed in, but in my hyperbole the "boycott" was referring to the fact that with baby boomers retiring in great numbers, the largest market demographic for buying "top shelf" is getting out of the market at a time when alpha prices are climbing higher than ever.
What's a pricey optics company like Zeiss to do? Aim lower and capture some of that Gen X market from Nikon, Zen Ray and others, build band loyalty until the Gen Xers have enough dough to move up the food chain to the HDs and HTs.
Good marketing strategy, IMO. The HD and Terra ED will help Zeiss keep the higher end HT optics going so Joe 101 and others of his generation won't see the Alpha Optics Apocalypse happen in their lifetime.
I will await the price announcement before sounding the trumpet, but if priced where I think they will be, by bringing Zeiss's mesospheric alpha prices down to Terra Firma, this new ED bin will help introduce buyers to the "Zeiss family of optics" the way the CL promised to do, but didn't deliver for Swaro.
Brock Bunkum
Last edited:
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
Jerry,
That ''Grabagun'' site lists them as $318.00.
Too cheap I think, as Zeiss shouldn't be making junk. They look pretty cheap as well, like Bushnell HD's.
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
Maybe they're great, who knows, but I doubt it. It's more like Nikon, that have way too many models, prices all over the board. The cheap bins diminish the better [more expensive] ones.
A crappy Zeiss will do more harm to the brand, even if they sell a ton. I'm not even a fan of the two tiers, let alone three with a bargain model.
NDhunter
Experienced observer
James:
That must be a mistake, so I would ignore those posts from above.
The big NY internet sellers don't have them listed yet.
They get them first.
Zeiss has been busy, they also have a new Conquest HD rifle scope,
just introduced, and are clearing out the reg. Conquest at a discount.
Jerry
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
Jerry,
Maybe you can help me out. When I was browsing the Zeiss site, I looked through their riflescope line and was surprised to see that some were priced close to $5000.00!
What goes into a riflescope to justify such cost? Sure, there is reticles, but we are dealing with a single optical system, unlike binocs. What am I missing?
NDhunter
Experienced observer
James:
Zeiss does have some very high end riflescopes, and I am not familiar with those.
The very high end have built-in rangefinding, and lighted reticules.
The Conquest models are the med. range are mostly priced under $1,000.
And the Victory series, and I see they have a new Victory HT scope, they are
over $1,000 - $2,500.
And so that means they are priced much like their binoculars.
Your question is about what justifies such a pricetag. There is a U-tube video,
that I have seen that shows Zeiss, milliing a scope tube from solid aluminum.
Just like binoculars, the high end costs more to produce, and the results, are
the reward.
I can't measure that, only the customer can.
Jerry
Zeiss does have some very high end riflescopes, and I am not familiar with those.
The very high end have built-in rangefinding, and lighted reticules.
The Conquest models are the med. range are mostly priced under $1,000.
And the Victory series, and I see they have a new Victory HT scope, they are
over $1,000 - $2,500.
And so that means they are priced much like their binoculars.
Your question is about what justifies such a pricetag. There is a U-tube video,
that I have seen that shows Zeiss, milliing a scope tube from solid aluminum.
Just like binoculars, the high end costs more to produce, and the results, are
the reward.
I can't measure that, only the customer can.
Jerry
JabaliHunter
Well-known member
Not forgetting that the internal assembly 'floats' on springs to allow very fine and repeatable adjustments of the reticule (typically 1/4 or 1/8th minute of angle or 0.1 milliradians on military spec scopes) yet also being able to withstand repeated high recoil and impact stress without shifting the point of aim and losing accuracy. They look simple but there is a lot going on inside!
Steve C
Well-known member
The big thing with rifle scopes is the need of durability factor. The scope is a fair sized instrument and recoil from firing produces a lot of torque and other forces which will raise the devil and shake things apart lacking rugged construction. Also the reticle adjustments need to be precise, reliable and repeatable. Those recoil induced forces can be the equivalent of Pete Dunne throwing the binocular at the wall. The scope may take multiple thousands of such impacts during its life. Typical recoil forces at the shoulder of the shooter are in the range 12-25 lbs/ft torque.
Many of those scopes, if not the vast majority, are variable magnification instruments which adds another dimension too
Last edited:
brocknroller
porromaniac
Oh, my, my. Doesn't James' post simply drip with irony? He who has blasted others for "passing judgement" on bins they haven't tried is now doing that himself! And this before the first review has even hit the forums? At least the FLs had hundreds of reviews/comments as references, but this bin has just been announced and already it's "junk" because it's affordable. The epitome of snobbery.
Time to trot out that one-trick pony. Ass backwards this time, please.
BB
james holdsworth
Consulting Biologist
Fail.
So much for being on the ''ignore'' list, eh? You must find me too fascinating to pass up - I'm delighted.
