Leica Terra ed binoculars

[Ravensview]

What are the thoughts on Zeiss Terra binoculars, anybody have any experiences with them? Good, bad or ugly.

 

[mdwest]

I’ve got a couple of the terra scopes and had a set of the terra binos….

My .02 is…very good value for the money…

BUT…

light years behind all other zeiss products…

I’d consider them on par or maybe slightly better than similarly priced vortex optics… or in line with the lowest end line of leupold… I’m terms of clarity, light gathering, etc…

To their credit, I have found both the binos and the scopes to be very rugged… they can certainly take a beating and keep on going… I’ve put the two terra scopes and the binos through the proverbial ringer and never had any issues with any of them…

 

[Ravensview]

I just saw some on sale, I have been looking at leupold bx4 line and vortex diamondback I believe, but have no retailer around to compare.

 

[mdwest]

You’ll pay a bit more for the Leupold BX-4 pro guide HD’s… but they are substantially nicer than the Zeiss Terra ED’s in my opinion… if you have the budget for the leupolds that’s what I’d recommend.

I hunt the BX-4 HD for what it’s worth… side by side with my wife’s Zeiss Conquest 10x42s I can tell marginal difference…and I paid 1/2 as much for them…

If you happen to be a veteran,leupold has a stellar VIP program where you can buy their products roughly 40% off MSRP… I think I only paid $429 for the BX-4 through the VIP program (can’t recall off the top of my head exactly what I paid at the moment)…

 

[Ravensview]

Sounds like a good recommendation, thanks I do keep getting drawn to the bx4’s, but haven’t been able to look through them.

 

[Finprof]

I bought a pair of Terra 8x25 a couple of years ago on the recommendation of a hunting buddy who destroys Leitz and Zeiss binoculars after a couple of years and hasn’t destroyed the Terra binoculars. Mine are decent at dusk but they are Japanese. The current Chinese version might not be. I can count points at 100 yards that I can’t see with the naked eye at dusk.
My go to are 30 year old Leitz Trinovid 8x30.

 

[mdwest]

I bought a pair of Terra 8x25 a couple of years ago on the recommendation of a hunting buddy who destroys Leitz and Zeiss binoculars after a couple of years and hasn’t destroyed the Terra binoculars. Mine are decent at dusk but they are Japanese. The current Chinese version might not be. I can count points at 100 yards that I can’t see with the naked eye at dusk.
My go to are 30 year old Leitz Trinovid 8x30.

I didnt realize they had moved to using Chinese glass for the Terra line.

Both of the Terra scopes (2-7x and a 3-9x) I own have Japanese glass.. and the 8x42 binos I used to own (sold them to a friend that wanted something better than the walmart bushnell binos he had been using for 20 years) had Japanese glass in them..

Id be curious to see how the Chinese version compares to the older Japanese versions.. (Im guessing there is little comparison)..

 

[0002S]

I picked up a pair of 10x42, on sale, in blaze orange, for $300. If I did not know they were assembled in China, I wouldn’t have been able to tell. I’m not sure if the actual lens glass is from China, Japan or Schott (Zeiss advertises the Terra Ed glass as Schott on their website). They say the glass/product is to Zeiss spec, whatever that means. They are a little stiff out of the box and had to be worked a little to loosen up. They come with all the usual stuff and a nice case for storage.

I have not used these for hours on end looking for game across canyons. I have used these driving around, checking tree lines at 200-300 yards and they were fine.

I would not pay retail $600 for these. I would not use these as my primary hunting binoculars in the field. Do not expect $3000 glass for $600.

For $300, I threw them in the truck for knock-around binoculars. If you’re on a budget and you can catch them on sale, they are worth it in my opinion.

On sale, I’d also get them and give them as gifts.

 

[Louis Toadvine]

I picked up a pair of 10x42, on sale, in blaze orange, for $300. If I did not know they were assembled in China, I wouldn’t have been able to tell. I’m not sure if the actual lens glass is from China, Japan or Schott (Zeiss advertises the Terra Ed glass as Schott on their website). They say the glass/product is to Zeiss spec, whatever that means. They are a little stiff out of the box and had to be worked a little to loosen up. They come with all the usual stuff and a nice case for storage.

I have not used these for hours on end looking for game across canyons. I have used these driving around, checking tree lines at 200-300 yards and they were fine.

I would not pay retail $600 for these. I would not use these as my primary hunting binoculars in the field. Do not expect $3000 glass for $600.

For $300, I threw them in the truck for knock-around binoculars. If you’re on a budget and you can catch them on sale, they are worth it in my opinion.

On sale, I’d also get them and give them as gifts.

Just picked up the orange Zeiss Terra 10x42 from EuroOptic, as well. The $299 sale on $600 retail was just too enticing, so I took the chance with very low expectations, as I understand these are the entry-level/lowest quality binoculars Zeiss offers. They have far exceeded my expectations.

For $300 bucks, it's an outstanding package, and I feel very much like I got a deal. The orange was not as obnoxious as I had feared and is really pretty decent looking (I'm not a fan of blaze orange gear, and luckily this orange is a bit muted). The glass is (relatively) clear and has held up out across a 400-500 yard field I used to test them, the unit/casing feels solid and well put together, and the entire package is presented very well: an attractive box, nice semi-hard case, lens caps, neck strap, etc. Very surprised and pleased.

I intend to keep them in my vehicle or on my windowsill at work (for scanning the adjacent field when the deer/turkeys/coyotes/black bear linger), but to be honest I wouldn't feel unprepared or worried taking these into the woods for a hunt.

 

[Rusty Iron]

I have a couple Zeiss Terra 10x42s. They are very clear, good at low light, and have been durable. I also bought them on sale and feel they were extremely good value. I do like my Leicas better but they are also much more expensive.

I see a couple references in here to Vortex, and in particular Diamondbacks. I bought some of them for my kids. Theres no comparison between them. I’ve had them replaced or repaired numerous times. I‘d revert to two toilet paper rolls taped together before Id use Vortex binos again.

 

[FlyGuy]

All ZEISS optics use Schott glass for the main lens elements.
Schott is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZEISS and they supply glass blanks to all the premium optics brands, as well as less expensive blanks to several other companies. Non critical lens elements are purchased from whoever is cheapest on the day. All optics companies do this, not just ZEISS.
The Terra binos are manufactured outside of Germany to keep costs down as German labour is extremely expensive. Great bino for the money and as mentioned, tough as nails.