At first glance when viewing the binocular online, the Zeiss Terra ED 8x42 looks quite similar to the more expensive, German made Conquest HD. However, once I took it out of the plastic box it was quite clear this was a cheaper binocular. It feels solid enough and has a good weight to it, although at 690g it is certainly not too heavy. I couldn't help noticing that it just doesn't have the same quality about it that other Zeiss models do have. To be honest, it is completely unfair to expect that same quality given the difference in price.
Zeiss describes the Terra as "an eye-catcher. The modern and attractive up-to-the-minute ZEISS design is available in the colours deep blue and cool grey." I chose the "cool grey" as the lesser of the too evils. I didn't particularly find either colour "eye catching". The armouring on the binocular seems thick enough, but it doesn't feel all that comfortable to me. The body is fibre glass reinforced. They are waterproof and fogproof.
The focussing knob is large and well positioned and has a plastic feel to it. It is wide enough to use with two fingers. I find the grooves to be too spaced out and found it difficult to grip. As a result, my fingers slip off quite often. It focusses from left to right, from close focus to infinity in just under one full rotation. The focussing is very light and smooth. I normally like a fast and smooth focusser but I find it quite difficult to get a sharp picture. One tiny touch of the focussing wheel and the view is out of focus.
Eye relief, at 18mm is excellent for those who wear glasses. For those who don't, the eye pieces extend out rather stiffly. There are intermediate stops but I find it quite difficult to tell where the stops should be. However, when fully extended they stay in place well.
The field of view is nothing special at 125m at 1000m although I don't get the impression that the view is claustrophobic. Close focus is an impressive 1.6m although I could focus to about 1.4m which is excellent. More on this later.
The Terra has thus far received mixed reviews and there has been suggestions that there is a lot of sample variation. The sharpness on my model appear excellent from 20m to infinity. I don't do any formal type of resolution testing but I haven't seen anything that would match this sharpness at this price point. There is a good dose of pincushion and a bit of field curvature. I estimate the sweet spot is around 70%, after which the sharpness deteriorates quite rapidly. The out 10% is unusable, but can be focussed out.
However, I have to say that I find it really difficult to get a sharp image at the close focus end of the spectrum. Maybe it is the fast focusser, but I found it very difficult and two of my much cheaper 8x42 models easily outperformed the Terra in this regard. This was a big disappointment for me as I do a bit of insect watching.
I found the view very contrasty. Chromatic Abberation appears to be very well controlled. It's very good in the centre and still quite modest out to the edges. Stray light management is a real strength. I detest stray light but the Terra is one of the best I have seen in this regard. The colour balance is slightly warm, which I like, and there's a real vibrancy about the colours.
I found the low light performance of the Terra fantastic. I used them in early evening and they really sparkled. I could easily get a sharp image even past sunset. I would say this is a real strength and fantastic considering the price.
In many respects this is probably one of the best £300 models I've tried in terms of the optical performance in the centre of the view. It really is a joy to use. However, as mentioned about the close focus ability was a disappointment. The outer components are a bit of a let down too. I can't escape the feeling that this is a "cheap binocular" with a really plastic feel to it - it even has a plastic/chemical smell to it. It is also a bit of a disappointment that a case is not provided. However, in general terms the Terra is very good value for money.
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