485 of 486 people found the following review helpful:
Performance at a reasonable price
I really like these binoculars. They are light, bright, work well with eyeglasses and I give five stars because they are excellent value. I bought these binoculars for a nature trip in the Amazon and I use them in the back yard, on hikes and occasionally at the symphony or opera. My sister, an ornithologist, told me to get the most expensive binoculars I could afford...
105 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
great optics, questionable construction
I bought these to replace a pair of Pentax 8x42 WP's which I had scratched. For the money, I don't think you can do any better for optical clarity and resolution, in my amateur opinion. Not 'wow' better, but did seem a tad brighter than the Pentaxes. They are amazingly light and the overall ergonomics were good so I enjoyed using them. That 'quality feel' was lacking...
This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
I really like these binoculars. They are light, bright, work well with eyeglasses and I give five stars because they are excellent value. I bought these binoculars for a nature trip in the Amazon and I use them in the back yard, on hikes and occasionally at the symphony or opera. My sister, an ornithologist, told me to get the most expensive binoculars I could afford. To her binoculars are a professional tool but I really didn't want to afford a thousand bucks like she was suggesting. She also told me to try out binoculars in dim conditions and to get 8x42 rather than 10x42 because it is easier to find what you are looking for and easier to hold so that the view is not shaking.
In the store I compared these with the same power Leica. The Leica was nice but a lot heavier. I could tell the Leica was better, but not three times the price better. It was dusk, overcast and drizzling (ideal conditions for trying out binoculars). For example, I was looking at the brick work under the awning on a building about a block away from the store. I could see more detail in the brickwork and felt more `there' with the Leica. In brighter conditions the difference is less noticeable and I like the lighter weight of the Monarchs.
On the Amazon trip I has the opportunity to compare binoculars with other people. Most people had brought cheaper binoculars and I think as a result their wildlife watching experience was compromised. The only people who had brought comparable binoculars were avid bird watchers. They had Opticrons which are in the same price ballpark as the Leica. Again, they are excellent binoculars but not three times better.
I like the hard rubber-armor construction. It does not become slippery when wet. They feel solid but light. I am not so nervous about dropping the binoculars as I would be with the Leica or Opticrons. The firm turn-and slide eyecups (like the Lieca) are a huge improvement over the fussy soft foldable rubber eyecups found on many other binoculars.
Looking for binoculars is a lot like looking for Hifi speakers. As the price goes up, the quality improves. At a certain price point you can no longer tell the next price level is clearly better; it is mostly just different. That is a good place to buy, and is something of a personal judgement. Minolta has some binoculars that are priced between the Monarchs and the high end and I think the Monarchs are every bit as good.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
I did alot of research before deciding on this pair. As an experienced photographer, optical quality was my top priority.
I originally purchased them for hiking and long range mountain scanning in southern Oregon, and while initially perplexed between the 10X or 8X version; I found the extra sharpness of the 8X resolution negated the need for a 10X magnification, because they rendered so much detail.
With the 8X, I spotted a fire lookout station that I'd never seen before, on a mountain 15 miles out of town. Quite remarkable. Added to that, was the research at Cornell University's Ornithology Center on the web. Birdwatchers extraordinaire; who called them a steal. I concur. I never thought I'd be so happy paying this price for binoculars, but it was a no brainer. Tack sharp, lightweight and well worth owning.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
Bought these bins recently, they really are excellent, very easy to use, good feel, amazing light gathering and reproduction, and only 1 and 1/2 pounds. If you read Cornell Lab of Ornithology review, there is only 1 set of binoculars under 1000 dollars that beat these,(and they are 6x lenses not really suitable for general birding.)Everything about them feels and works like 1000 dollar lenses with two exceptions, the lens cap and raingaurd, the former in particular would be a disgrace on 50 dollar lenses, i am going to see if i can buy generic replacements. Lots of other web reviews also rave about them, and 98% of people would not tell the difference between these and top range Zeiss, Leica etc. And for 300 dollars you can take them anywhere and enjoy them.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
I bought these to replace a pair of Pentax 8x42 WP's which I had scratched. For the money, I don't think you can do any better for optical clarity and resolution, in my amateur opinion. Not 'wow' better, but did seem a tad brighter than the Pentaxes. They are amazingly light and the overall ergonomics were good so I enjoyed using them. That 'quality feel' was lacking when compared to the Pentaxes, for whatever that's worth, and I don't think it was the lack of 'heft'. The twist out eye cups worked well when full out or in. The diopter ring was stiff and not so user friendly, it doesn't lock but won't likely budge anyway.
So why only 3 stars? For it's price class it deserves 5 stars, but my example began fogging internally on an Elk hunt in otherwise benign conditions. A fluke? Others on the net have noted significant variability within the model line suggesting quality control issues with these Chinese made binoculars.
I returned them to my local Cabela's and was refunded without question so did not deal with Nikon directly (25y warranty, FYI). If I can't find a better bin for similar money (considering Eagle Optics Ranger's, Vortex Vipers, Bushnell Elite e2, etc...), I may get another pair, after looking through several at the counter and doing my own 'testing' once I get them home. Hope that helps.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
First- the negative point. My first pair fogged up on the inside after a couple of weeks. I took them back to the store where I got them, but could have sent them back to Nikon just as easily, thanks to the excellent warranty. Point is- save the box and receipt. It is worth noting that I haven't heard of anyone else who had theirs fog up, I suspect that I had the bad luck of getting the one bad pair. Nikon has a no-fault 25 year warranty anyways. Covers are pretty bad too, but they had to cut costs somewhere to make binoculars this good for this cheap and better to cut corners in the covers than in the optics.
The good... pretty much everything else about them is perfect. For the price, you probably won't find anything better. I used some similarly priced Eagle Optics for a while (2 summers as a field biologist) and I like these a bit more. I have used a few pairs of Leica and Swarovski that are way outside of my price range: they are pretty similar optically (but great eyepiece covers...) $2,000 binoculars are better than these, but not all that much better, and certainly not $1,750 better. If you are in the under $500 budget- these are probably the best you can get. My mom has the 10x42 monarchs, they are just as good. 8x42 will inherently have better low light ability, better field of view, better depth of field, and less problem with shake; 10x42 will inherently have better magnification/detail. If you aren't sure what you are looking for or are a beginner birder, get 8x as they are a bit more versatile and easier to use (wider field of view). 8x will excel in the forest, with fast birds, at dawn or dusk, and anytime you may have shaky hands (while hiking up hill, for instance). The 10x are probably better for shore birds, hawks, and small birds that are still. Which ever pair you get, you'll probably like them.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
This is a very good binocular, but not equal to those that cost 2-3X as much, as asserted by some reviewers. It is covered in a dark grayish green rubber-like material that should offer some protection against bumps and makes it easy to grip in wet weather. (When seen in sunlight, the color is not the near black shown in the photo.) This is my first binocular with 'turn and slide' eyecups rather than the fold down style of eyecups. I much prefer this 'turn and slide' style. The long 19.6mm eye relief allows me to easily view the entire field when wearing my eyeglasses. An oddity of this binocular is that the focus wheel is turned clockwise to go from near to far focus, the opposite of my other four binos. This is annoying, as I often begin turning the wheel the wrong way when focusing.
During general use in daylight, I noticed some moderate chromatic aberration (CA) when viewing dark tree branches against the bright sky. Overall it is not bad; but it can be fairly noticeable in some lighting conditions. There is a little pincushion distortion, most noticeable near the edge of view, when looking at straight lines at close distances. The field of view is about average for this style. The image is TACK SHARP in the center of the field, deteriorating only when relatively close to the edge of the field. Colors are vivid and true. Collimation and alignment of the optical components is good.
However, the most stringent non-scientific testing of optics the layperson can perform is during the night, by stargazing. Stargazing will bring out optical shortcomings that may not be visible in daylight, so I did some informal testing over several nights. The 42mm objectives place some limits on light gathering and resolving power when stargazing, but the purpose of these sessions was to test the optics, not to locate difficult objects.
I started with the first-quarter Moon and immediately noticed the CA. It appears as a bright, thin, yellow-green outline around the Moon's limb. There is also moderate light scatter that appears as haze around the Moon, and the infamous roof prism 'X' shape of faint light beams can be seen emanating from the Moon. The craters and mountains are exceptionally sharp and detailed, with good contrast between the sunlit and shadow areas.
Jupiter appears as a small pearl in the sky, with some CA, very minimal light scatter and no 'X' light. I am able to easily discern the four brightest moons of Jupiter, which appear as tiny pinpoints of light near the planet. These pinpoints of light are good indicaters of the sharpness of this instrument. Stars will not focus to pinpoints due to the diffraction of our atmosphere (not a fault of the binocular); Jupiter's moons are not affected as much by atmospherics, so they appear more point-like. The view of Jupiter and his moons is beautiful through this binocular. Saturn is not up for viewing, it would look similar to Jupiter, on a smaller scale. At this low 8X power, Saturn's rings would not be resolved. (Even my 20X80's won't show the rings.)
I did not see ANY indications of coma, astigmatism, internal reflections, or ghost images during my day or night viewing, and other than a little CA and some light scatter, I am very impressed with this binocular. The fact that I am able to see all four of Jupiter's brightest moons with this relatively small binocular in my somewhat light polluted sky is a testament to the high optical quality, and shows what the binocular is capable of.
The soft carry case has a belt-loop, but no means of attaching a shoulder strap, which I would much prefer. The binocular fits into it nicely, but there is no room for the bino's neck strap. If the case had a shoulder strap and was at least two inches taller to allow for the neck strap, I would say it was a pretty nice carry case. I have already ordered a padded cordura, sm/tall, binocular case from Buckstitch Canvas, as a replacement.
The bino's unpadded neckstrap is wide enough to be reasonably comfortable on my neck for an hour, the longest I have worn it, but I will probably replace it with an Op/Tech E-Z Comfort strap (on Amazon).
At first I was skeptical of the eyelens cover, but I have grown to like it. It is basically two standard rubber eyelens covers connected by a flexible bridge, better than some 'raincovers' that are just a single piece. It is quite practical when attached to the neck strap; just slide it up the strap to view, then slide it back down when finished; no chance of it getting lost, and it stays in place over the eyelenses fairly well, though a little loose.
I like the tethered lens caps; but I think those caps and tethers should be a bit more 'substantial' to match the build of the binocular.
In summary: The Nikon Monarch 8X42 ATB binocular is a high quality, daylight use binocular, with very good-to-excellent optics. It has some minor optical anomolies that will have little effect on most daytime viewing, and the backward focusing. I would say this binocular is worth the asking price and MUCH MORE; but not 2-3 times more. At the current very low price and Nikon's significant rebate, it is an absolute steal! (Amazon deleted the dollar amount of the rebate from this review!) Overall, I am very impressed with the views, capabilities, and feel of this instrument. It is the one I grab first for daytime viewing. I do not recommend it as a primary stargazing or low light binocular; binos with larger objectives are better suited to those purposes.
ADDED: I just received my rebate check (three days before Christmas). Perfect! Also; I have received my Buckstitch bino case, it is as if the case was custom made to fit this bino and strap, but the case's shoulder strap could be just a bit longer.
(Look out Fujinon and Steiner, quality Chinese optics have nearly caught up to you!)
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
i have been waiting for a pair of these for almost a year, and got them just 3 weeks ago. just a great piece of optics: the weight is right (not too light to shake easily, not to heavy to tire the arms), balance is great, clear with an amzing depth of field. if you are a freak of optic tests you might notice the slightest traces of both chromatic aberration (border of dark objects on light background in extreme contrast) and spherical (straight lines slightly curve at the edge of the view)- but you only notice if you look for it, and they only cost less than 300$!
during the first week with my monarchs i saw some ducks and shorebirds- every detail of feathering was nice and naturaly colored. i gave a birder friend a little ride with them- it took him 3 seconds to "wow", and when i told him the price- he was amazed.
i am so satisfied that i just carry them with me all the time. when i read the specs of the alpha binoculars by nikon and others- i cannot justify the extra money you must pay for slightly better optics (3 to 6 times!)
the only downsides are the crappy objective caps (stitch them to the strap or you lose them the first time you go out), and the wide strap which i find too wide to support less than 700 grams. i put a narrower strap that fits nice under the shirt collar.
i reccomend the nikon monarch 8x42 with all my heart to whoever is interested in viewing the nature.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
Pros:
- Price for value ratio is enough when deciding to buy this product.
I do think, however, that all those 5-star reviews are a bit misleading in a way that they are biased by the price/performance ratio. The truth about optics is that $300-optics will always remain $300 worth of optics. After reading all the reviews I admit I did expect more then I got, but just barely. Surely enough, I am far from being disappointed.
- Small size and lightweight.
Considering what they deliver, they are small and light. If you do need to carry binos around, Monarchs (42) are probably the best choice since every gram/ounce counts. If you don't need to carry the binos around, they are still the best choice to be tucked somewhere in the car or a boat. These binos prove the saying that the best binos are the binos you have on you when needed.
- Rugged and well built.
The item is not shipped outside the US so I was a bit worried about the condition I will get them since the package has changed a few hands before it reached "the rightful owner". Moreover, I would have a hard time /or not be able/ to return the item if something was originally wrong with it. I am very happy to confirm all the reviews about its' ruggedness and good construction.
Opposite to what some reviewers mentioned, I had no problems with the lens cap so far and have found that they do not to bother me. I like them attached to the binos.
- Sharp central image and good at low light.
These binos loose sharpness toward the outer part of lenses rather noticeably but the image is very good at the center - where you need it. As much as I would prefer better periphery sharpness, I'll be biased just as many, and say that the image "gets clear enough" as you think of the dollars spent. They provide pretty good "I'm there" feeling.
I am not as convinced in relative brightness factor as much as I trust exit pupil number so I decided to go with the biggest exit pupil (on the 8x model). I had problems to see anything in the pitch dark but lenses pick up any minimal light available.
Cons:
- Visible chromatic aberration in high contrast situations.
These are good binos for nature lovers / bird watchers. I watched the distant landscape and forest and the image quality was very good - "I'm almost there" very good. However, when viewing buildings and other more contrasted objects they tend to show CA. People who haven't seen it are either lucky to get even better build product or haven't noticed it. It is not a total bother, but it's there.
- Casing
I'd pay few extra dollars to get proper casing for them. The casing supplied is not even for keeping the dust away.
Final word:
If you need a pair of fairly priced decent image binos for wear and tear those are it. No doubt about it.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
I brought these about four months ago and love them. The main reason I brought them was for bird watching. I spent a bit of time researching, as I wanted a good pair of binoculars. They have a really nice fell and weigh 689grams with the strap on. I've dropped them once and there was no problem. Not long after I got them I took them with me on a Safari to Mali, Africa. The first evening I used them I was standing on a hill looking into a valley while the sun was going down. When I looked through the binoculars I could see all the villages around that were made out of mud and people where walking around their little village. Without the binoculars I could not see the small villages nor the people. The optic quality of these Binoculars is really good. They really bring the colour of the birds out. I showed my father in-law, the binoculars, who has been bird watching for 30 years and he said they were really good. For the price you pay the quality is great. Sure you could go and spend $2,000 on a pair but if you lost, broke or they got stolen then you would have a few teary nights. With these I wouldn't loose too much sleep if something happened to them. Besides the way how technology works the $2,000 optics will be < $500 within 10 years or so. I looked through a few pair of expensive ones and can't say that they deserve $2,000; yes they were better but not 5 times better. Unfortunately I couldn't buy these on Amazon as they don't send them overseas. If you live outside of the US and want to buy them go to Binoculars.com as they send them overseas at a reasonable price.
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This review is from: Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars (Electronics)
The image is bright and sharp. Only a thin edge of blur around the outer lense, but its barely noticable or in the field of view. They're extremely easy and quick to use. The focus wheel is smooth, fast, and precise. I prefer their lite weight, but I have to plant an elbow or lean against some thing to prevent shake. The bins are smaller than I imagined. They're easy to hold and feel secure in my hands. They are cheapest in online auctions. 2/3 the cost of most web sites. I'm extremely happy with these.
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