Nikon Monarch 7 ATB vs Zeiss Terra ED

I recently purchased Nikon Monarch HG binoculars. Other Nikon products I've purchased in the past made me comfortable buying again, but the reasons I went for the HGs are because they are made in Japan and have field flatteners.

Zeiss Terra ED 8x25 is a an excellent bino and would get my vote. It's quite sharp and very good abberation control.

I've been interested in observing and identifying birds most of my life, but have recently decided to pursue the avocation more intensively and needed a better pair of binoculars. This is the first set of binos I've ever purchased that cost over about $100, and the difference is impressive. These have excellent field of view, no discernible chromatic distortion and are a joy to use.

Most important, the binoculars are not as clear as you would expect for the price. The first order I received was clearly pre owned. I did send them back and reordered the exact same item thinking that the previous owner probably sent them back for the same reason. The replacement order had the same problem