Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Anyone got experience w/zeiss terra's?

I don't know about the Terra, but the 3-9, 2.5-8, 4X Conquest MC with long eye relief were hard to put on short action Rugers. I always felt like I was pushing the gun away from me. worked well on the No.1

308 Ruger,


No.1 3-9 and 4X.

Got my 2x7 today. For the money it is a decent scope. Got it at the 50 percent off deal. That said I would not pay full price for it. Glass is ok. But noticable not as bright as anything else I own. Under about 4 power the edges are a little fuzzy. Adjustments feel a little mushy. Honestly I would compare this to either a new redfield or a bottom end leupold with the glass being possible not as good. Don't have a bottom end leupold or redfield to compare side by side. Just going by memory from looking at both. Think Zeiss is relying a lot on their name to sell these scopes.

Bottom line am I unhappy with the scope, no. Did I expect more,most definitely. It is going on a 20 gauge slug gun. Will get shot maybe ten times a year.So all it really needs to do is handle recoil and hold zero.

Got a leupold 2.5x8 arriving shortly. I am sure it will make be forget my disappointment in the zeiss.

Interesting review...now I can sleep....lol. when thinking about one I didn't expect conquest quality (kinda like you said)....but I was hoping it was a great bargain at $175. Sounds like it was worth $175-200.

Hmm,got my 2 ,2X7s today.I compared them to my Conquest 2.5 to 8 and found them to be just as good as the Conquest.I had them set up on two side by side rifles looking into the dark shadows at dusk.Not enough difference to even worry about.Then I compared with my 2X7 Kahles.The Kahles is slightly better at dusk,but also has a #4 reticle.

Guessing more reports might be still coming....pretty crazy the variety of review!

Played around with the scope a bit more. The fuzzy edges appears to be more of eye relief than anything else. If you get just right you get a nice crisp edge to edge image no matter the power. So the scope is of a little better quality than first impression. But this is by far the most sensitive scope I have for image quality when it comes to eye relief. Again not knocking the scope by any means. There is not a scope out there in the 200 to 250 range that is not noticeable lacking in some area. Seems like eye relief is the low point for these. Everything else probable not noticeable better or worse than anything else in the price range. At full retail I would be buying leupold over another of these.

I think you are talking about eye box more than eye relief. Eye relief is the length and eye box is left right ,up down position. I found the Terra lacking in eye box.

Could be. With the higher powers I am able to move around a fair amount and still keep the image. I either have a image or not. Quality of image does not change like it does on the low powers.

Three comments:

I've tested some Terras, and so far on my night-time optics chart the glass has always rated exactly the same as on the several Conquests tested.

The only significant difference I've found between the Terras and Conquests is the eye relief on the Terras varies more at different magnifications. The Terra adjustments have been just as good, and they've held up equally well on hard-kicking rifles.

I am always a little puzzled by criticism of fuzzy edges in the view of scopes, since in my experience the aiming point is never at the edge of the field of view.

The issue with the fuzzy edges is I can find it a distraction. I wear glasses. The fuzzy edges are like having a spot of dirt on my glasses. Even if It is not dead in the center of my field view every now and then my eye wants to focus on it. I prefer to have nothing in the scope other than the reticle for my eye to be drawn to. My biggest problem with a scope having fuzzy edges is on moving targets. I want as much of a picture as possible when I am tracking an animal in my scope and planning a possible shot window.

I can appreciate that. Everyone has their own preferences.. Nothing wrong with your choice in scopes..

No comparison. The VX3 3.5-10x40 is a much better scope. This is coming from someone that doesn't care for Leupolds... Had too many go tits up I guess...

All over the place aren't they? As someone else pointed out (I think it was Shodd), J.B did a review on the Terra and found them to be quite good. Because of this review, I decided to give the 3-9x42 a try. I also used one on a buddies rifle when they first came out. The aren't the best scope out there, but aren't too bad either. Not much different than the conquest's from the comparisons I've done..