Customer Reviews

Nikon Action 7x35 Ultra-wide Binocular

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I chose 7x35 binoculars for general field use, bird watching, and wildlife study. I had originally planned to buy the more expensive Action Extremes for their shock and water resistance. But on a recent visit to the big city, I had a chance to compare them with these, side by side and was unable to convince myself to buy the more expensive pair.

After looking through both the Action and the Action Extreme, I felt that I could not obtain a sharp focus with the Extremes. Puzzled, I asked the salesman to break out a second pair, but again could not focus the Action Extremes as clearly. I was quite ready to pay extra for the shock and water resistance of the more expensive binoculars, but sharp focus and clarity of view trump the other qualities.

After three weeks of use, which have included birding, an airshow, and some casual observation of the night sky, I am quite pleased with these. They are lightweight, fast and easy to focus.

The only complaint I have is that while the eyepiece lens covers are easily, conveniently, and semi-permanently secured to the neck strap, the objective lens covers are not. The objective lens caps are equiped with molded slots that can be attached to the neck strap, but they work poorly, and are NOT secure. I found myself crawling around in the mud looking for the lens caps several times before deciding that they were best kept in my pocket. This is an irritating flaw in an otherwise well designed and nicely made product.

As an amateur astronomer, I am always on the lookout for good binoculars, and have had experience with quite a few - even a few very highly rated high-end types. I saw the Nikons in a sporting goods store about 6 months ago, and was impressed at the clarity and depth of field apparent even within the store. After asking permission to take them outside, observations confirmed my initial impressions. They are nearly as bright (and clearer, better color rendition) than a "standard" brand 7x50 - perhaps because of excellent multi-coatings. The 9+ degree FOV makes them ideal for digging out fainter constellations and asterisms. Stars remained point-like nearly to the edge of the field. True, I couldn't see too many Messier# galaxies, but you can't see many with ANY 7x bino, most requiring at least a decent 10x50. The compact size also makes these useful for daytime applications, such as birdwatching and other nature related activities, or watching athletic events.
This was my first experience with Nikon binoculars, and based on this purchase I soon bought the Nikon 10x50s as well. Although I thought I got an incredibly good buy at the time, I have since learned I could have saved 15% by buying on-line - no matter, they are still "keepers" with which I will never part. An incredible value. For the casual user, they may be all the binocular you will ever need.

I bought these binoculars for bird watching and for that purpose they work great. I have a pair of 10x50 and although I really like them I wanted something smaller and steadier. I will still use my 10x50's but more for raptors in flight or bird watching in the woods, these ones are a lot more confortable when watching birds at a medium range, casual bird watching around the house or simply trying to follow a bird to its nest (due to the large field of view).

There is some distortion around the outer edges but it isn't bad, I actually only noticed it because I was deliberately looking for it. The images are sharp and I am surprised at how bright the images are considering the price and size of the lenses. Some bird watching sites would have you believe that you have to spend an arm and a leg on a pair of binoculars in order to bird watch properly, that is not the case. This pair will show all the detail on birds (even the tiny ones).

I own another pair of 7x35 binoculars, and thought they were pretty good until I picked up these Nikons. There's no comparison. The Nikon's optics are far superior. Images are sharp from edge to edge. There is a minimal amount of purple fringing and internal reflections, even under harsh lighting conditions. The FOV is a very wide 489' (9.2 degrees). I doubt there is a better pair of binoculars at this low price point.

Pros:
Excellent multicoated optics.
Ultra Wide FOV.
Well built.
Great value.
25 year Limited Warranty. No Fault Policy.

Cons:
Mediocre accessories. (lens caps, case)
'Weather Resistant'. Not waterproof/fogproof.
A little heavy.

Since becoming bird watchers my wife needed her own binoculars.
We tried these at the local sporting goods store but bought them
at Amazon to save a few bucks. The image is very sharp and they
are easy to focus. My wife loves them.

The optics are excellent. I found viewing excellent, ranging from viewing stars and Jupiter and the Moon to birds in the woods. The only slightly irritating aspect is that, while there is a strap for the binocs, there is no strap for the case. I found myself accidentally dropping the case when taking the binoculars out, assuming the case was attached to something.
On the whole, this was an excellent purchase. RC

We bought these binoculars for a trip to Alaska. They are fairly compact and lightweight, which made them perfect for viewing wildlife and scenery while backpacking. My only complaint is that we lost one of the objective lens caps, and it has been pretty much impossible to replace it. Nikon says that part has been backordered for 7 months, and I can't find any dealers who sell it. It seems crazy, especially after reading the other reviewer's comment about how easy it is to lose the cap.... we must not be the only ones with this problem.

With a wide angle 9.3 deg of view the Nikon 7x35 Action binos give a spectacular view that is bright and have very good optics for their price. Thats why I bought them - they were cheap. I had no idea they'd be this good! They are very easy to use. The center focus is smooth and can be turned with one finger. The diopter adjustment is on the right eyepiece where you'd expect it - and is easy to turn but not so easy as to get readjusted by a slight bump. Diopter scale is kind of hard to read - maybe Nikon could have put some color on the + - marks? While I wish Nikon had included the same twist up/down eye-cups they included on the 8x42 & 8x25 Trailblazer ATB I do understand these are budget binocs. Instead Nikon put on rubber cups that just fold down for eyeglass wearers like me - or pop up for those lucky enough to have 20:20 vision - but they aren't otherwise adjustable. While the 7x35s aren't quite as good as the 8x42s or 8x25s for sharpness they do come close and more than a few friends and family that have compared them see no reason to buy the 8x42s for well over twice the price. And they are all impressed with the bright wide angle views.

But this isn't a review of the 8x42 or 8x25 Nikon - its a review of the 7x35 action model. I'm presuming the Action Extreme use the same optics since when I compared them all specs were the same - just no waterproofing on the regular Action models. Since I bought these to leave in my golf cart and I live in a dry climate waterproofing wasn't necessary. When it rains around here its an event and we put up the clubs and go home.

I do have a few things I'm critical of with these binocs besides the eye-cups. The caps don't fit well - they fall off in the case! So I just store them in the retail box and put the binocs in the carry case without the caps. Seems to keep them clean. Another rub is the rather shallow eye relief of ~1/2".

I just sold a Canon 10x30 IS binocs for more than I have into all of these - the Canon has image stabilization but the optics were no better than the 7x35 Action. I did a comparison and it was a draw - more power with the Canon - brighter view with the Nikon - sharpness was a draw - field of view with the Canon is 6 deg - like a tunnel compared to the 9.3 deg for the 7x35 Action. Canon put the money into the stabilization on the 10x30s. Both the 8x25 and 8x42 ATBs easily outdid the Canon for clarity and brightness. I was surprised the 8x25s were brighter than the Canon. Maybe that has something to do with the narrow field of view?

If you are looking for inexpensive but decent binocular and don't need waterproofed models - and don't mind a bit of weight these just might work for you. If you need waterproofed take a look at the Action Extreme. If you are looking for both light weight and waterproofing the 8x25 Trailblazers are a better choice than the 7x35 Extremes IMO - less weight and marginally better optics.

The views from these 7x35s are almost as sharp as the 8x25s and have that gorgeous 9.3 deg of view vs 8 deg for the 8x25s - and are brighter.

I own 5 binoculars - the 7x35, 8x42, 8x25 all Nikon, 7x50 Pro Optic (Adorama ~1995 $125.00 and very sharp optics!), and a 16x80 Celestron that I use under the night sky on a tripod - and is also where I use the Pro Optics - under the night sky hand-held.

I think I have enough binocs!

You will not find a better binocular in this price range.

In fact, to get optics of similar quality you have to shell out at least $300 and even then you won't get the depth of field and near edge to edge clarity provided by the Action 7x35. Aspherical lenses must really make a difference because the view provided by these binoculars is amazingly clear. Depth of field is the best I have seen. The result is when you look at something with this binocular you get a sharp, detailed, visually pleasing view that allows you to see not only the object you are focused on but also things in the immediate foreground and background without having to adjust the focus wheel. The focus wheel moves very smoothly, so when you do have to adjust you can do so with a quick gentle touch.

Before purchasing this binocular, I compared it to a number of other binoculars. The Action 7x35 is in my opinion the best of Nikon's Action series. I also tested the Nikon Action 7x35 against other brands, including the Leupold Yosemite and the Celestron Nature. Both are 8x30 models that did not impress me as much as these Nikons. The Action even beat some of the low-cost roof prism binoculars I tried, including Bushnell Excursions, the Leuopld Acadia, and the Nikon Trailblazer.

You will not find a better deal on a quality binocular.

These bins are great everyday binoculars. I leave them in my truck for "you never know" occasions. The 5 mm exit pupil makes them a decent night time use binocular and the extra wide field of view makes them perfect for sporting events, especially when you are stuck in the nose-bleed section.