• 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.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

some guidance please (1 Viewer)

O

ofl0926

Member
hello everyone. new to the board. i have been using your board to read and read all about binos. well i joined because i need help making a decision.
i want a new par of binos for hunting. i want to replace some old hand me down bushnell binos.
i hunt in GA and in SD. also have an elk hunt in the next two years.

i am looking at a few different models

zeiss terra ED 10x42 (lowest price)
vortex talon HD 10x42 (mid price)
maybe the vortex viper HD 10x42 (highest)

i choose these models because of the pricing i can get on them. i have seen both the talon and zeiss today. both looked great but couldnt tell much difference inside bass pro. the guy didnt really let me look for a while or move to see different spots in the store.
i want the best i can afford. the vipers are last on the list for price. what do you guys suggest for me? thoughts and opinions are welcome

Oscar
 
Binoculars are very personal, what works for one may not please another, so trying them out in person to see how they work for you is essential.
The 10x42 is a fairly bulky size and has a narrower field of view than the more usual 8x32. The extra reach can be good for spotting the details of the antlers on a buck or for glassing the hills looking for elk, but it is a big glass when working in the woods.
The differences in performance between the low priced Terra and the highest priced Zeiss is not so much in center image sharpness as in mechanical quality and edge sharpness. Binocular technology is pretty mature, which has allowed the gap between the best and the mid tier to shrink. You won't see dramatic differences in optical performance between your three candidates, apart possibly from sample variation. If you have made a choice and then can pick the one you prefer from several examples you'll be best served.
Zeiss makes Terras in China factories operated with Zeiss quality controls and using Schott glass. I expect Vortex and Viper brands are produced there as well, or in Japan, but there is such a web of suppliers for glass, prisms, housings and lenses that country of origin is more a legal notion than a practical guide.
So my $0.02 would be to spend as little as possible to get the glass that pleases you best, irrespective of the price.
 
etudiant said:
Binoculars are very personal, what works for one may not please another, so trying them out in person to see how they work for you is essential.
The 10x42 is a fairly bulky size and has a narrower field of view than the more usual 8x32. The extra reach can be good for spotting the details of the antlers on a buck or for glassing the hills looking for elk, but it is a big glass when working in the woods.
The differences in performance between the low priced Terra and the highest priced Zeiss is not so much in center image sharpness as in mechanical quality and edge sharpness. Binocular technology is pretty mature, which has allowed the gap between the best and the mid tier to shrink. You won't see dramatic differences in optical performance between your three candidates, apart possibly from sample variation. If you have made a choice and then can pick the one you prefer from several examples you'll be best served.
Zeiss makes Terras in China factories operated with Zeiss quality controls and using Schott glass. I expect Vortex and Viper brands are produced there as well, or in Japan, but there is such a web of suppliers for glass, prisms, housings and lenses that country of origin is more a legal notion than a practical guide.
So my $0.02 would be to spend as little as possible to get the glass that pleases you best, irrespective of the price.
Click to expand...

I think this is excellent advice.

Theres not a bad choice in your list.
 
The Viper, as one could reasonably expect given the retail prices, is definitely better than the other two. IMO the Viper is worth the extra money over the other two as well.

That being said - the Viper's normal retail is $599. There are several others I would get long before I would get a Viper. The Pentax 10x43 ED that Bryce mentioned on the bino bargains thread earlier today is $100 less, and is therefore worthy of consideration. Even better is a demo Zen-Ray ED3 for under $400. You can get them at Z-R's website, or at the CameralandNY site. I purchased a demo bino from Cameralandny, and you could not tell it from new. As long as you can get a demo ED3 for under $400, I do not see the need to buy anything else under $700 in a 10x42.
 
I hear what all you are saying. I am also tossing the idea of getting 8x42 instead of 10x42. I have heard about zen Ray but have seen them in person. I wish I could but no dealers around me which makes it a tough decision.
If I could these are prices I am getting on the optics
Zeiss 200
Talon hd 377
Viper hd 455
 
follow up of above points
-there is an unfairness to spend the time of a salesperson ON COMMISSION or the owner of a retail store deciding on binoculars and then going elsewhere to buy cheaper
--salesperson loses time
--you lose after purchase support which may be needed

-the most important part of the decision is to get optics that you can bond to/like/use
--good optics, if taken care of, will last years or maybe your lifetime
--the worse purchases I have made are optics well respected, but that I just did not like/bond with/use

spending time with the optics is important-would you pick a spouse from a mail order site?

edj
 
ofl0926 said:
If I could these are prices I am getting on the optics
Zeiss 200
Talon hd 377
Viper hd 455
Click to expand...

A demo Z-R ED3 will cost you $139 more than the Zeiss. It is well worth the extra money.

A demo ED3 will cost you less than the Talon. The ED3 is a better bino, and for less money. The ED3's focus wheel is smoother, and it does not have the slight yellowish cast that the Talon has.

A demo ED3 isn't any better than a Viper, but given that it costs $116 less, is a better buy.

You might also see what you can get a new Leupold Mojave HD for. I doubt that you can get one for less than the Viper, but they might be in the same general ballpark as the Viper. It would be a very good one to consider as well, although I would still go with a demo ED3 if I were on a budget.........
 
PhilR. said:
A demo Z-R ED3 will cost you $139 more than the Zeiss. It is well worth the extra money.

A demo ED3 will cost you less than the Talon. The ED3 is a better bino, and for less money. The ED3's focus wheel is smoother, and it does not have the slight yellowish cast that the Talon has.

A demo ED3 isn't any better than a Viper, but given that it costs $116 less, is a better buy.

You might also see what you can get a new Leupold Mojave HD for. I doubt that you can get one for less than the Viper, but they might be in the same general ballpark as the Viper. It would be a very good one to consider as well, although I would still go with a demo ED3 if I were on a budget.........
Click to expand...

People pay a premium for the availability of an ongoing support network.

ZR has gotten excellent product reviews here on BF, but also some brickbats regarding support.
I've had good experiences with Zeiss support here in the US, so I would be comfortable spending my money on Zeiss gear.
I don't know how comparable the support is from the other brands the OP mentioned, but BF provides quite a lot of useful feedback.
It is another factor for the OP to consider.
 
edwincjones said:
follow up of above points
-there is an unfairness to spend the time of a salesperson ON COMMISSION or the owner of a retail store deciding on binoculars and then going elsewhere to buy cheaper
--salesperson loses time
--you lose after purchase support which may be needed

-the most important part of the decision is to get optics that you can bond to/like/use
--good optics, if taken care of, will last years or maybe your lifetime
--the worse purchases I have made are optics well respected, but that I just did not like/bond with/use

spending time with the optics is important-would you pick a spouse from a mail order site?

edj
Click to expand...

In 21 years at Captains, I was cheated frequently--too frequently! And, most of the time, I could tell. My realistic prices, and the magazine tucked under the shopper's arm, were dead giveaways. Still, I did what was right and was willing to let the consequence follow. The advent of integrity-challenged shoppers is just a sign of our times. And talking to them about it is much like talking aeronautics to a 2nd grader.

Finding someone who REALLY KNOWS more than what he our she is told to believe or say is very rare. But, if one can string 3 coherent sentences, sprinkled with pseudo-optical terms, he or she may come across and a sage to the person who has not done his homework. It is much like the dozens of articles on the Internet on how to "collimate" a binocular, all but one of which is absolute bovine excrement!

The craft is full of experts . . . who aren't! :cat:

Bill
 
Warning! This thread is more than 9 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

D
Is Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 the best choise for me?
2
Replies
21
Views
4K
Paultricounty
P
J
Hello from South Korea!
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
jackjack
J
M
No black ring please
Replies
10
Views
861
BOKEH
B
F
Decent High Powered Binoculars
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
Jkloz
J
S
Hello from Singapore, Binocular help
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Chris Pringle
C

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top