absolut_beethoven
Well-known member
Of course I had to check these out for myself considering its low price and positive reviews. So here's my short and quick comparison for our members who don’t have easy access to the many different brands for direct A/B comparisons.
I was very curious to see just how much optical quality Zeiss offers in their newest and cheapest binocular, the 8x42 Terra ED. For perspective, I compared it to the Nikon Monarch 7 of the same magnification at Cabelas in Allen Texas this morning.
Please don’t accept the following as the last word, but hopefully you’ll find the info useful enough to see whether these binos are worth further investigation on your part.
First off, in the 5 to 10 minutes that I spent comparing them, I couldn’t see any difference in the fit, finish and ease of use between them. The focusing was very smooth and precise on both, with the Zeiss offering slightly less resistance. Zero sloppiness or sticktion on either, and both were very easy and a real pleasure to use.
Build quality is outstandingly high considering these are budget binos. Both feel solid and well built, with excellent ergonomics making them easy to use and hold. For some reason I found the placement of the focus knob on the Zeiss slightly more to my liking - probably due to my small hands. This is obviously a very personal thing and it’s just something that I noticed, but too insignificant to influence my choice one way or the other.
At this price level the main things that I check for are sharpness, clarity, brightness and ease of use. Both binos offer a very sharp, clear and bright view that is easy on the eyes, and this makes eye placement very quick and easy. I would need a lot more time and different lighting conditions in order to see which one was sharper, brighter etc. Indoors under artificial lighting they looked virtually identical to me. Panning was smooth, easy and comfortable. Both passed my requirements easily with flying colors :t:
The only major difference that stood out immediately to me was the amount of visible CA. The Nikon had virtually zero in the sweet spot, and slightly more towards the edges. IMHO I think that people who are really sensitive to CA would be very happy with them. On the other hand the Zeiss had a small to medium amount of CA in the sweet spot, this increased quite a bit towards the edges. If CA doesn’t bother you, you’d be hard pressed to justify the extra dollars for the Nikon.
The bottom line is that the Zeiss Terra ED offers outstanding value for the money, both in terms of build quality and its easy relaxed view. It’s only major weakness is its excess CA. Not a major problem IMHO considering its very low price.
The Nikon Monarch 7 is well worth the extra funds if you’re very sensitive to CA like I am. Unfortunately for Nikon, there’s a huge amount of very stiff competition at this price point, and slightly higher. However, considering all that it offers plus their outstanding warranty, it’s a very safe bet for those who don’t want to make the effort, or have the time for zillions of A/B comparisons, and want a reliable well made bino from a reputable company that will offer years of trouble free use.
I was very curious to see just how much optical quality Zeiss offers in their newest and cheapest binocular, the 8x42 Terra ED. For perspective, I compared it to the Nikon Monarch 7 of the same magnification at Cabelas in Allen Texas this morning.
Please don’t accept the following as the last word, but hopefully you’ll find the info useful enough to see whether these binos are worth further investigation on your part.
First off, in the 5 to 10 minutes that I spent comparing them, I couldn’t see any difference in the fit, finish and ease of use between them. The focusing was very smooth and precise on both, with the Zeiss offering slightly less resistance. Zero sloppiness or sticktion on either, and both were very easy and a real pleasure to use.
Build quality is outstandingly high considering these are budget binos. Both feel solid and well built, with excellent ergonomics making them easy to use and hold. For some reason I found the placement of the focus knob on the Zeiss slightly more to my liking - probably due to my small hands. This is obviously a very personal thing and it’s just something that I noticed, but too insignificant to influence my choice one way or the other.
At this price level the main things that I check for are sharpness, clarity, brightness and ease of use. Both binos offer a very sharp, clear and bright view that is easy on the eyes, and this makes eye placement very quick and easy. I would need a lot more time and different lighting conditions in order to see which one was sharper, brighter etc. Indoors under artificial lighting they looked virtually identical to me. Panning was smooth, easy and comfortable. Both passed my requirements easily with flying colors :t:
The only major difference that stood out immediately to me was the amount of visible CA. The Nikon had virtually zero in the sweet spot, and slightly more towards the edges. IMHO I think that people who are really sensitive to CA would be very happy with them. On the other hand the Zeiss had a small to medium amount of CA in the sweet spot, this increased quite a bit towards the edges. If CA doesn’t bother you, you’d be hard pressed to justify the extra dollars for the Nikon.
The bottom line is that the Zeiss Terra ED offers outstanding value for the money, both in terms of build quality and its easy relaxed view. It’s only major weakness is its excess CA. Not a major problem IMHO considering its very low price.
The Nikon Monarch 7 is well worth the extra funds if you’re very sensitive to CA like I am. Unfortunately for Nikon, there’s a huge amount of very stiff competition at this price point, and slightly higher. However, considering all that it offers plus their outstanding warranty, it’s a very safe bet for those who don’t want to make the effort, or have the time for zillions of A/B comparisons, and want a reliable well made bino from a reputable company that will offer years of trouble free use.
) $100 or so, and bring on a new generation of better offerings (and that includes Zeiss). :eat:
