Starter bins ~$300 ? (1 Viewer)

brocknroller said:

I otherwise liked the Terra, nice WF, very ample sweet spot, nice colors, and though it's a closed bridge roof, and I prefer the open bridge type like the Endeavor ED, the body was chunky enough to hold steady, but the focuser is so "twitchy," I know I would never be able to get used to it.

Not sure why manufacturers are so obsessed with making super fast focusers. The Terra's focuser was designed to boldly go where no focuser has gone before - 0-300 yards in .5 seconds.

Brock

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"Twitchy" is a great description of the focuser on the Terra. When reading reviews I'd read that the Endeavor had a fast focuser--if that's fast, then the Terra is, as you say, warp speed. These are the only two binoculars I have ever used, so it's been quite an interesting comparison going back and forth between the two in regards to the focuser differences. I figure I'll get used to the speed of the Terra. I'm happy with it so far otherwise.

What is the total rotation in degrees for the Terra, going from max close focus to infinity?

I get about 215 degrees for the 8X42 Endeavor ED, and that is a little faster than I would like.

BruceH said:

What is the total rotation in degrees for the Terra, going from max close focus to infinity?

I get about 215 degrees for the 8X42 Endeavor HD, and that is a little faster than I would like.

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I just did a side by side comparison of the focuser. The Terra actually rotates a little bit more--maybe 20 or 30 degrees more in comparison to my Endeavor--the knob, however, is much looser. When in actual field use, especially in the middle of the range, it feels as if very small movements of the focus knob on the Terra alters focus much more dramatically than small movements on the Endeavor--hence, the twitchy feeling. I'm not actually testing to see how much the knob is moving, but it definitely feels like there is more precise control of focus on the Endeavor in comparison to the Terra.

souladdikt ... Thanks for the follow-up.

One thing I really like about the focus mechanism of the 8X42 and 10X42 Endeavor EDs that I have is the lack of free play in the focus wheel rotation.

Many binouclars have a certain amount of free play when changing the rotation direction of the focus wheel. That is, there is some amount of slack where the mechanism is not engaged when changing direction and it makes it more difficult to quickly lock in on a sharp image. The Endeavors have virtually no free play or slack when changing direction.

I have not tried a Terra in a while, so I do not remember if they have any free play. If they do, then that may be one of the issues you are experiencing.

One thing to keep in mind is the amount of free play can vary between individual units of the same model.

DLevy said:

souladdikt, thanks for the update. Did you get a chance to compare them with low lighting such as after sunset? which looks brighter or are they the same?

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After sunset they appear to be equally as bright. After a couple more days of testing, I'd say these are so close in performance that you can't go wrong with either. Since I need two then I'll just keep both.

Thanks for testing that out. Since I also couldn't see much difference comparing them at the shop I think I will order the Endevour because of the price (after rebate they are about 80-100$ less)