-
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 Terra ED or Vortex Vipers? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mnfriend
- Start date
I own the Vipers HD 8x42. They are easy to hold and give a sharp clear bright image and have a 423 ft FOV, which is very good. Focus remains sharp within about 3/4 of the center of the FOV and the tapers off a bit towards the perphery. Color rendition is very good, although a tiny bit on the warm side, only in low light. I have occasionally experienced glare with them, but no worse than with other optics in this price range. CA is quite good. I like their weight and size. They come with a harness/pouch which is quite nice. I llike that the diopter locks in place and the smooth focusing. I had briefly tried the Zeiss in the store. My recollection was the image was a bit less bright than the Vipers.
Thanks for the reply! I am pretty much set on the Vipers. Your comments seem to match many of the positive leaning reviews I have read on Vipers. I also think Vortex's warranty is a big plus.
The Vortex Vipers HD 8x42 are a better binocular than the Zeiss Terra ED 8x42. They are way brighter than the Terra. The Terra is not a bright binocular. In fact, it surprised me how dim they were when I tried one because the more expensive Zeiss are always so bright.
Yes, there warranty is a great plus. They also have some great people in their customer service department. I spoke to one of them when I was trying to decide on the Vipers. At the time, I was trying out the Diamondback, but was interested in how much better the Vipers or the Razors might be. He said the Vipers were a big jump in performance over the Diamondback, but the difference between the Viper and the Razors not so much. This service rep owned Swarovski and said, of course, they were at a different level, but many might not notice such a great difference.
I warn you, however, that although the Vipers have served me well, and should serve you well, don't ever try the Swarovski Nl, unless you have the money. A few weeks ago, I did, unfortunately, and had to buy a pair and now, my trusty Vipers are now being neglected. However, I am hoping my wife will use them, especially since we just put up a bird feeder in our backyard.
I warn you, however, that although the Vipers have served me well, and should serve you well, don't ever try the Swarovski Nl, unless you have the money. A few weeks ago, I did, unfortunately, and had to buy a pair and now, my trusty Vipers are now being neglected. However, I am hoping my wife will use them, especially since we just put up a bird feeder in our backyard.
eitanaltman
Well-known member
The Terra ED is a perfectly decent bin but it's nothing special, and IMO is somewhat overpriced. I think the Viper HD, Nikon Monarch 7, and Meopta Meopro HD are superior options in that general price range.
I've tried several 42mm binoculars in this price range. Terra ED, Viper HD, Meopro HD, Endeavor ED II, Monarch 7, and provably a couple of others. Of course they are all "good" binoculars. Each has their good aspects and some not so good. I thought the Endeavor ED II provided the best image across the FOV but it does have the smallest FOV. I thought the Meopro HD was probably next in line. I like the Monarch 7 which has the most FOV of all these. The Terra ED is probably at the bottom of this pack optically.
What about saving another $400 and getting a Conquest HD or Monarch HG? I have no reservations recommending these two.
What about saving another $400 and getting a Conquest HD or Monarch HG? I have no reservations recommending these two.
willisoften
Well-known member
I only toyed briefly with the Hawke Frontier EDX and compared to HDX didn't see much difference?
Back to the point of the thread:
The Vipers would be my choice but I have the 10x42 and it focuses Close to the Right, Far to the Left. Make sure you can live with this. I live with it but don't necessarily enjoy it. Some people switch without any trouble I'm not one of them. Partly I think because I don't use them often. I need a convenient wall or fence to keep 10x steady for any length of time
Last edited:
I doubt you'd be dissatisfied with either. Vortex has great customer service (but Zeiss does too in my experience). I have a pair of first gen 8x42 Terras and they are quite decent for the money (I actually bought mine used from a member her). My only critique of the Terras is they have a slightly yellow or warm cast to them vs. my better Zeiss bins.
I would choose the Hawke over either. And the made in Japan Leupold Pro Guide IV would be another great one but I think the fov on the 8x is a little narrow if I remember correctly. The problem I’ve noticed with the Vipers is lots of green reflections in the barrels which is annoying and distracting. Also Vortex QC is all over the place since they moved production to China. I compared two new Vipers at the same store recently. One the focus wheel was so stiff that a pair of vise grips would be needed in cooler weather. The other had a hinge so loose it wouldn’t stay in place. The warranty is nice but included in the price. Vortex would go out of business if not. Essentially the Viper is a $300 binocular with a $200 lifetime warranty. Another I would take over the Viper and Terra would be the Kowa BDii xd.
BTW if your set on either the Viper or Terra they are very commonly found together at sporting goods stores and should be pretty easy to compare side by side. If you don’t have that in your area order both from a dealer with good return policy and keep the one you like best. As you see we’re a pretty opinionated crowd here but at the end of the day yours is the one that matters when it comes down to which one to buy!
