Customer Reviews

Nikon Monarch X 10.5x45 Binoculars

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These binos have astonishing clarity and the ergonomic design makes them very easy to handle. I have never been more satisfied with a purchase. Saying these are well worth the money is an understatement. Looking through these binos is such a pleasant experience. At dawn, when using these binos, I was amazed at the detail I could see. During daylight hours I compared my Monarch X to my friends Burris binos. There was no comparison. Hands down the Monarch X is much better. When examining the brush and trees for elk the Monarch X was able to penetrate the shadows that the Burris was just not able to do. The one complaint I have has to do with the lens caps. They leave much to be desired. However, these binos deserve six stars.

I am an ophthalmologist, so use microscopes in exams & surgery...(familiar with optics). My wife is becoming an avid birder, but asked me to help her find her next scope. This is the best birding binocular priced under $1000 we have found. Once we had perused various websites, including a couple of university ornithology department reviews, we took our "short-list" to real stores. We found the Monarch X at a Bass Pro Shop (it was $100 more there than Amazon). We liked the magnification & field of view of the 10.5 better than the 8.5, and light transmission seemed excellent with both. It's not too heavy, but it seemed quite sturdy. In the store, we could obviously see the difference between this binocular and lesser expensive items, but we could tell very little difference between this one and the Swarovski...(but the store isn't necessarily the real world, I know). The Swarovski was out of our budget anyway, but we were encouraged than the Monarch X would be more than satisfactory for my wife's purposes. She has not been disappointed.

I am very pleased with the Monarch X binoculars I recently purchased. I also own a pair of the Monarch 10 x 42 binoculars and I immediately noticed a big difference in the clarity of the focus and image with the Monarch X. I also noticed that Nikon has done nothing to improve the lens covers, so I will purchase an after market harness and cover like I got for my first Monarch binoculars. I have not yet had the opportunity to take the Monarch X out into the field or hunting, but have used them around the house watching birds, and they are amazing considering the are not on the high end of the binoculars available. My shopping experience was easy and trouble free and by shopping Amazon I saved over $100 dollars from any other site I looked at (very cool). I have progressed from the low end binoculars to these Monarch X 10.5 x 45, and I will tell you there is no subsitute for good optics especially in low light conditions. I can't wait to put these binoculars to the real test but if they perform as well as or better than my other pair I am a very happy camper. I would definitely recommend these to any person wishing to have a great pair of binoculars for a very reasonable price.

Bought these to replace a returned pair of cheaper and disappointing Pentax binocs. These are not comparable to my discontinued 8x32 LX-Ls (also bought at deep discount from Amazon), but are less than half the price - especially with current discount and rebate.

Finish is very plain, but everything works. Lens caps a little loose, focusing and diopter adjustment stiff, surface finish quite basic. Main thing, of course, is the optics. Sharpness is adequate across the field, brightness is good. Color fringing (yellow halo) is slightly annoying but acceptable. Barrel distortion seems at the high end, though that doesn't affect most uses. Fairly lightweight, so easy on the neck but makes the relatively high power marginal for shake control w/o leaning on a tree or skipping the pre-walk coffee.

Given where optics prices are going, I'd say that this as good a value as I've seen lately for a mid-price binocular.

Very impressed with this pair of binoculars except for the eye piece cover. Looks as if they were made for a discontinued model and decided instead of throwing them away, they would just use them for this model. COME ON MAN! What's up Nikon? Would expect a little better from such a reputable firm. Never the less, I still like these and would recommend them to others. Would have rated this 5 stars except for the eye covers.

Just got these about 2 weeks ago and it is amazing the clarity they have. When looking at a dim scene, it is almost like they brighten it up! So far, they seem very sturdy, much brighter and sharper with better color than the old pair of Swift binoculars that we had used for years. Overall, very pleased. These should be great for birding. May buy another pair of the Nikon Monarchs, but will probably get the 8.5x45 as a pair for my wife. I wouldn't consider going to a higher magnification than the 10.5--these are great, but much more magnification and you won't be able to hold them still. That's what spotting scopes and tripods are for. UPDATE: after very light use, the small metal tube toward the front of the binoculars fell off and can't be reattached. It appears useless, and the binoculars are still great in every other regard, but I found it a bit disappointing that they came apart so easily.

I really think there is no better binocular on the market for this price. Even much more expencive once like Zeiss and other great brands can not even come close to this Nikon Monarch X. Yes you can say you have a Zeiss but that is where it ends. Really this Nikon is the greatest for much less money.

The Nikon Monarch X 10.5x45 binoculars I received were defective. In situations where virtually any level of backlight was present, I could see multi-color lines tracing the contour of objects between the backlight and the binoculars. For instance, when I scanned a mountain range in my area during the morning, backlight would be present. In the backlight condition, the ridgeline contour would be traced in a variety of colors. Tracing was not visible when backlighting was either not present or very low. At first, I thought the tracing was a product feature of some sort. I am fairly new to birding/binocular use, perhaps two years with binoculars. However, the binocs I was replacing did not show tracings at all. Since I bought the binocs for birding, I didn't want any interruption with the color presentation. I called the Nikon product rep who told me that I was experiencing a product defect and that I should return the product immediately. I might have been able to avoid this problem by trying out the binocs in a brick and mortar store if sufficient backlight was present, however the stores I checked in the local area rarely stock binocs in the price range of the product purchased and I was not able to find these locally.

After retiring, I decided that birding would be my new hobby. I needed a good pair of binoculars. After going to several sporting stores, and "test driving" several different binos, the Nikon Monarch X, were by far the best. The clarity of the birds I've been seeing is unbelieveable. I think my husband is getting tired of my texting him "Have I told you how awsome my binoculars are?" If you're looking for a bright, clear, light weighted binoculars, get the Nikon Manarch X 10.5x45, you'll love them.

Bonnie Graham

The Nikon Monarch X Binoculars are very nice. They have a simplistic design that makes them easy to focus and have a good field of view. I've been in the market for some new binoculars for some time now and I'm happy with the purchase. I don't know if I would compare these to a pair of Zeiss or Leica because it's not comparing apples to apples, but these work great in low light conditions if that's what you're looking for. I primarily use these for hunting and can spot/size game 40 minutes before sunrise very easily (shooting 30&> minutes before sunrise is legal where I hunt). I have used 8X32 binoculars in the past and thought these would be too large since I usually hunt feeders and open coastal areas were most game is only 100-150 yds away, but they're not. I believe the warranty on these is 25 years which is also very good. Amazon definitely has the best price compared to the retail store, about $130 less. I don't think many will be disappointed; if you are, then bust out another $1K and by the German optics.