Zeiss Terra ED 8×42 Binoculars

Zeiss Terra Ed 8×42 Binoculars Review,

I would like to yet again thank Zeiss UK for the pleasure of reviewing some more products for them.

Over the last couple of years, I have reviewed some fantastic products that suit every-one’s budget.

From High end to very low cost but good quality items that will do what you need it to do in the field.

This time around I have had the pleasure to review, what I deem to be, a cracking bit of glass, The “Terra ED 8×42” binoculars by Zeiss.

Before I get into the ins and out of these “binos”, I will go through the geeky stuff first.

Performance Details

Nitrogen Filling:

Yes

Exit Pupil Diameter:

5.3 mm

Close Focus:

1.6 m

Lens Type:

ED

Effective Lens Diameter:

42 mm

Pupil Distance:

57.5 – 76 mm

Lens Coating:

Hydrophobic ZEISS MC

Magnification:

8x

Diopter Adjustment Range:

+4 | -4 dpt

Field of View at 1000 m:

125 m

Water Resistance:

100 mbar

Functional Temperature:

-15 | +60 °C

Twilight Factors:

18.3

Apparent Field of View:

56°

Eye Relief:

18 mm

Physical Details

Weight in Use:

695 g

Height:

142 mm

Exit Pupil Diameter:

5.3 mm

Now the geeky stuff is over and done with I can get into the ins and out of these little “binos”.

I live in the Highlands of Scotland, many who follow me on social media or follow reviews will already know, the grounds I work and cover are as diverse as you can get, from open lowland fields that stretch for long distances to very enclosed woodlands and overgrown, rough clear fells, so optics are always put to the test when I use them.

Let me start by saying that the Zeiss Terra ED are not the top of the range of any of Zeiss’s products, in fact on the contrary these are Zeiss’s “entry level” binos, so I was very eager to give them a try. Just for an idea, my last review on Zeiss binoculars was the Victory HT 10×54 which cost £1750, the Terra ED 8×42’s are only £400. So, a massive difference in regards to price, but does that mean the quality is not good? Hopefully I can address that over this review.

Firstly, as I do with all binos I test, I took a short drive up to the view point not far from my house. The viewpoint is at the peak of the Monadhliath mountains and looks down into the deep valleys where there is always deer, grouse, Kites, peregrines and of course sheep as well as an abundance of other bird and animal life, not to mention the mountains stretching as far west as the eye can see on a clear day.

Matched against my normal every day binoculars, the Zeiss Terra HD done very well in these conditions giving me some very clear views of deer and various other animals at beyond 1000yrds, The Zeiss Terra really did like these conditions.

Next step was to test to see if I could see the, not so elusive, Sika deer that live in the fields not far away. These fields are mainly long marsh grass, a favourite feeding area for a couple of herds of Sika that never really seem to move from that area.

Sika at this time of year are still very dark and at times can be very hard to see, their summer coats do not start coming in properly up here until around late May when they turn to a red colour with very prominent white spots across their back making them stand out a lot more against the fresh greenage of the late spring early summer, so spotting these guys was a good test for the Zeiss Terra.

On arrival to the field I could see there were couple of hinds that stood out, they were feeding in the long grass and easy seen with the naked eye. I had a scan round with the Zeiss Terra ED’s and could see there were a lot more feeding around 400+ yards away quite happily enjoying an early evening munch. The clarity of these deer brought me close enough in to be able to pick up not just species identification but also gender, even though the light was starting to fade. I attached my phone to the binoculars and took some pictures and a video to show how clear they were.

After the initial tests I could see that, these little light weight binoculars were very capable of doing the job and in some cases due to weight and the easy focus, were performing better than my day to day go to binos.

The next test was in the fields.

As I was testing the Zeiss Conquest V4 rifle scope (Review to follow) along with the Terra ED it gave me a great opportunity to test what the whole “entry level” package would be like in the field and in practical hunting use.

It was coming to the end of my winter culls and I knew I had a few hinds that I needed to take before licensing period was over in a certain area.

I arrived at the property in question at around 1800hrs, the snow was very wet and sleety and not lying but the wind was blowing a cold -2 degrees and I noticed there was a large herd of around 15 hinds and last years calves feeding just above the protected hardwood that I look over. Stalking this area is hard as there is no ideal direction to stalk into from as the deer are always above you, so on occasion, you must warrant longer shots to be taken.

I did not want to shoot ALL the deer in the herd so using the Zeiss Terra ED binoculars I started to pick out the cull deer that I wanted to take and hopefully force the rest out of the protected block.

Clarity even as the light was getting low was very good, I spotted a very mature hind that did not seem to have a calf and a couple of younger hinds that were not too old that did not look in great condition. I ranged using my range finders that all three were at 340yrds. The Terra ED binos made it very easy to check all the condition of the deer.

I was able to easily take the three deer I wanted with no hassle and also being able to “bump” the remainder onto the neighbouring ground away from the protected hardwood.

With the very wet sleet and snow the binoculars got a real good soaking but were still able to easily see what I needed to see.

After this day I started using the Zeiss Terra ED binoculars more, I needed to start to get to know where my Roe Bucks were hanging about and where my Roe were moving to a from before guests arrived mid April.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been able to spot lots going on, from red hinds feeding and hiding in thick trees to picking out Black Grouse establishing their “lechts” it has been very easy to do with these.

Conclusion

For nearly a month now I have been using the Zeiss Terra ED 8×42 binoculars almost daily and I have to say I am very happy with them and it will be a shame to send them back.

For £400 these binoculars are a perfect and affordable accompaniment to any outdoor person. They are lightweight and with crisp focus taking you into things that you normally cannot see with the naked eye. Whether you are hunting or just spying I could not fault these at all.

I used them in varied conditions with no problem of fogging even on the wettest days which I was amazed with.

One thing I like though as they were easy to use even if you wear spectacles like I do.

The Zeiss Terra ED main competition such as the Vortex or the Hawke HD models are more expensive coming in at around the £500 to £550 mark and I have to be honest the Zeiss are far better quality.

I have to say I am very impressed, and I do recommend having a look at the Zeiss Terra ED range before buying others on this price range. Do not get me wrong they are a far cry from the amazing Zeiss Victory HT range and you really can tell the difference between them specially in lowlight, but, if your budget cannot stretch to those prices I really do suggest trying the Terra ED.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review on the Zeiss Terra ED binoculars, look out for my Zeiss Conquest V4 rifle scope review. I am hoping to prove that for under £1500 you can have all the optics you need for starting off in the hunting world.

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