After years of Umming and Ahhing I finally took the plunge and could not be happier.
I settled on the Zeiss Terra ED 10x42 in the end, key reasons being the close focus (5 feet) and price. With an rrp of £450 they are not cheap ( I got them online for £373 ) but compared to Leica at £1600, a bargain.
I use a 400mm lens on my camera (Canon 100-400 IS L) and the view is both clearer and larger...I wish I had got them years ago!
I agree with Pete - for butterflies (in all stages) and other insects, there is nothing else like the Papilios, which are more like a long-range microscope at their closest-focus distance (0.5 m / ~18 inches). They can reveal what seems to be a different world of detail in this application but, while respectable as normal binoculars, they are easily outclassed in uses such as bird-watching.
The Zeiss Terra range represent a bold move by Zeiss to enter the middle price range, and they are receiving good reviews, but I feel sure that Zeiss will have been careful not to compromise sales of their top models, like the Victory series, for those who want and can afford the best possible performance.
I am old enough to remember when a pair of East German Zeiss binoculars could be bought for the proverbial song, complete with real leather case and a performance that was very good in its day. I still have a pair of Jenoptem 8x30s on my desk for garden bird spotting.
