kkokkolis
Περίεργο&#
Proof?
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ZEISS TERRA ED 8x25 pocket (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bencw
- Start date
Umm they say Made In Japan on the box and on the binocular...
pete_gamby
Birds? What Birds?!
The Terra's certainly have a familiar look about them... Can't quite place it... Japan made... Dioptre adjustment at the far end of the bridge.... Ummm... Sure I've seen this platform before but with a 30 year warranty. Now where was it.... ?
http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/dba_compact.htm
Pete
http://www.opticron.co.uk/Pages/dba_compact.htm
Pete
perseid28
Well-known member
I'd be particularly interested in hearing how they stack up against the 8x32 Terras.
winwinbino
Well-known member
It is really interesting. As far as I knew, the sample was made in Japan but the bulk production is made in China. I asked EO while they're at pre-order status. They said China.
Could it be a small quantity pilot run in Japan ?
Here it is now the dark winter months. A compact is about as much use as a freezer in an Igloo B
Yeah it's almost the same way here Clive. It's not so much the darkness as it is the rain. It's so rainy (think typical UK winter) that there's just not much to see.
I just came to that conclusion as I have basically abandoned all compact use and am now finding the benefit of my black hole light absorbing Hawke Sapphire 8x43 which I got over the summer and also now got my super little Kowa SV 8x32 rigged again for any lite packing winter forays.
Here you go...
Attachments
So I had some time to compare both models.
Overall impressions:
Optics: 8x25 Pocket. Higher resolution. Definitely noticeable and especially when reading text or when looking at a detailed object far away. (A house, etc.)
Physical: Draw. Pocket is half the weight of the 8x32 but the 8x32 is more comfortable to hold. Compact design of the 8x25 is a huge plus.
Controls: 8x32. Focus knob is much easier to spin and diopter adjustment is easy. Focus knob on the 8x25 is stiff and doesn't freely spin. It's fine with two fingers but hard with a single finger.
Physio-optical: 8x32. Gathers light better and thus is slightly more relaxing on the eyes. Wider FOV.
Design: Draw. Both have nice fit&finish and seem pretty tough. The pocket may have a slight advantage since they're far less bulky. The knob adjustments could be better on both binoculars, IMHO.
Eyecups: 8x25 Pocket. The eyecups actually lock into place at their maximum extension. The 8x32 eyecups are quite stiff to adjust but do have definitive "clicks" to signify a stopping point -- but do not lock like the 8x25. The 8x25 are loose but also lack any kind of clicks; however, at full extension they do lock. They will not get pushed down by accident.
Manufacturer: 8x25 Pocket = Japan, 8x32 = China
Accessories: Draw. Both include lame soft case. Haven't noticed either strap as I don't use them.
Terra/Grey Tinting issue: TBD (Skies are too grey to notice any difference. I seem to notice it on the 8x32 in sunny skies so will need to wait for some sunshine.)
Summary: For a user that truly requires a compact and lightweight binocular, I highly recommend the Zeiss 8x25 Pocket binocular.
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They sound pretty good.
Strengths and weaknesses when you get a bit more time with them on clearer days would be nice.
Brightness, contrast, softness off centre, colour presentation, eye placement ease etc
I've come to hate glare now as I no longer get any real CA problems with bins I get these days and two of my compacts are glare annoyers and even my Sapphire 8x43 occasionally. Surprisingly my M7 is not to bad after all of the hubbub regarding that model. Any glare with a small model though is the most annoying as the view is already small.
Strengths and weaknesses when you get a bit more time with them on clearer days would be nice.
Brightness, contrast, softness off centre, colour presentation, eye placement ease etc
I've come to hate glare now as I no longer get any real CA problems with bins I get these days and two of my compacts are glare annoyers and even my Sapphire 8x43 occasionally. Surprisingly my M7 is not to bad after all of the hubbub regarding that model. Any glare with a small model though is the most annoying as the view is already small.
kkokkolis
Περίεργο&#
cnick6, can you post a comparative picture of the Terras besides the Ultravid?
I said I'm done with optics but after your comments I might think of it (and an opera glass, and maybe a Canon 10x42 IS, and who knows what else, HELP!).
I ruled out a used Trinovid 8x20 for 300 euros because I needed to spend the money for other binoculars. If I can buy a Terra for the same amount of money I don't mind. The Trinovid was made in Portugal, if the Terra would come from Japan, the better. But I can't count on it, can I?
I said I'm done with optics but after your comments I might think of it (and an opera glass, and maybe a Canon 10x42 IS, and who knows what else, HELP!).
I ruled out a used Trinovid 8x20 for 300 euros because I needed to spend the money for other binoculars. If I can buy a Terra for the same amount of money I don't mind. The Trinovid was made in Portugal, if the Terra would come from Japan, the better. But I can't count on it, can I?
I don't understand.... why wouldn't it? Did you not see the MiJ logo?
Sure but that may be awhile.
Brightness was on par with the Terra Ed. Definitely were not 100% edge to edge sharp but the transitions were very gradual. Just very slightly out of focus bits... I'd guess at 75% or thereabouts. Color was quite good. I would say very neutral but also vibrant -- even in rainy conditions. Colors seemed true.
I'll reverify with a sunny day.
Thanks.
I almost bought a demo RSPB 8x20 just now that I saw on offer but I'll resist for the time being. I still like my Viking Vistron 8x25 enough. It's central hinge but it does seem to have more output than the double hinge 8x25 versions of about equal quality for some reason and handles better but obviously doesn't fold away. I think I may still hold out to get a better Vistron as it's way more comfortable for viewing with just giving more of a feeling of a larger bin while still being pretty small but Zeiss seem to have a good one with the small Terra so should be very popular.
I almost bought a demo RSPB 8x20 just now that I saw on offer but I'll resist for the time being. I still like my Viking Vistron 8x25 enough. It's central hinge but it does seem to have more output than the double hinge 8x25 versions of about equal quality for some reason and handles better but obviously doesn't fold away. I think I may still hold out to get a better Vistron as it's way more comfortable for viewing with just giving more of a feeling of a larger bin while still being pretty small but Zeiss seem to have a good one with the small Terra so should be very popular.
kkokkolis
Περίεργο&#
I didn't when I wrote this, now I did (it was in the previous page, sorry). I said that because I think the speculation contained inside the following quote should be proved/unproved first.
So, we should see if other pairs carry the Japan logo also.
By the way, it says "Japan" there, not "Made in Japan". My Terra says "Designed by Zeiss" and "Made in China" is hidden inside the central part of the hinge. So, what does Japan mean? Designed in Germany, Overseen by Japan, Made in China, Manufactured for USA, Disputed in Greece?
This "Japan" is encouranging though.
perseid28
Well-known member
A surprising result, even for binoculars that are made in Japan.
But I took my 8x32 Terras outside yesterday morning to view the grouping of the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter, and I was surprised that each object showed obvious diffraction spikes; in the left eyepiece there was a single spike, and in the right eyepiece there was a single spike exactly perpendicular to the left's spike. Reading through BF's archives, it seems that this can be diagnostic of mediocre phase coatings (non phase-coated roof prisms show the strongest diffraction spikes of all). Regardless of the cause, the diffraction spikes indicate that there will be some loss of contrast when using the binoculars terrestrially. It might explain the "slightly softer" and lower contrast views in the Terra versus the Monarch 7 and Kite Lynx, for example. If phase coatings are the culprit and if the 8x25 has more effective phase coatings (maybe the Japanese factory does them better?) it might explain how it could edge out its larger brother even if the optics aren't made to higher specifications.
perseid28
Well-known member
Pages 6 and 8 of the attachment on Post #1 show the effect that we're seeing: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=150406. I was having a hard time sorting through all the misinformation online concerning phase correction in roof prisms--it's probably because the effect is so complicated that it took until the 1980s for Zeiss to figure out a way to cure the issue. But apparently it has to do with light interfering with itself at one of the roof prism edges and causing the odd diffraction effect if left untreated.
From sifting through the information yesterday, this is my understanding (may someone who knows more please correct me): in roof prisms, light can take two separate (but equally "legitimate") paths through the prisms. The problem is that the two paths are not equal lengths and so the light is out of phase when the paths recombine and reach the observer. Since they are out of phase, the light waves can have destructive interference (which causes a dimming of the image) and also constructive interference (which causes a loss of contrast). By applying a coating in a certain place on the prism, one path is made slightly longer so that the phases are once again aligned. Porro prisms are not affected by this because all light takes the same path.
It seems that light that is polarized in a certain direction takes one path, while light polarized in a different direction will take the other path. The reason this is important is that it enables a person to do a simple test to see whether the binoculars have phase coatings. On a sunny day, look through the binoculars at the sky about 90 degrees away from the sun, and hold a polarizing filter in front of the binoculars. Twist the filter, and if you see the whole sky brightening and darkening the binoculars have phase coating. If you only see half of the field of view behaving differently from the other (darkening while the other is getting lighter or staying the same, for example), then the binoculars are not phase coated.
Apparently this was a hot topic 5-10 years ago, and then folks moved on to worrying about other things
