Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I also read about these on an astronomy forum, where I got the "use" info below, but not the specs. Buy these now. A best buy. Here's why: 1. Zeiss is a world class optics company. So is Swarovski. Compare this Zeiss Terra ED 8x25 to the world-class Swarovski 8x25 at $819 on Amazon (list price is even higher). This will show you a) specs are same: field of view (6.8˚), brightness (14.1 vs 14.2), weight (11 vs 12 oz), eye relief (16 vs 17mm), and size in inches b) specs favor Swaro: water resistant to 4 meters (vs 1 meter for Zeiss) c) specs favor Zeiss: close focus 6.2ft (vs 14.2 for Swaro), operating temperature -20 to 144˚ (vs -13 to 131 for Swaro) d) use favors Swaro: view is said to be more comfortable to look at, ergonomically focus has lighter touch, for those who like that e) use favors Zeiss: view is more crisp, contrasty (Swaro view is said to be softer, more milky) focus has firmer touch, for those who like that f) price favors Zeiss: $293 (vs $819 for Swaro) 2. Compare them to other Zeiss binos from the SAME series - Zeiss Terra ED. - 8x25, 10x25 are made in Japan - 8x25, 10x25 are getting great reviews, for small binos - all larger Terra ED models are made in China - all larger models are getting panned for poor optics and build quality I think everybody is well aware that China optics and build quality are inferior (so far) to those from the US, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Austria, etc. So this 8x25 model is unusual. Superior optics and build are normal for Zeiss, except for their Chinese built Terra ED line. Luckily, the 8x25 model is made in Japan with Zeiss design. This results in typical world class Zeiss quality. What is hard to understand is how Zeiss makes a $293 optic that arguably outperforms an $819 Swarovski. For bino newbies looking at 10x25, remember: the 10x25 will have a smaller exit pupil, so your views may black out more. Also, a 10x is way harder to hold steady and actually see than an 8x. So, even though you think you want 10x, you probably really want 8x25. With the 8x25, you'll actually see and enjoy the view more.