quote: wish you had shelled out the cash for the good stuff.
The truth spoken. Given the rather huge optical difference, even from Nikon Monarchs to the Zeiss/Leica Binos im surprised so few mention them. I have an old Leica Trinovid, still better than anyting short of the newest Leica or Zeiss FL line. Insanely expensive when i bought them (to me) but every look through them are worth it.
The new FLs from Zeiss are not clear or sharp - they are a revelation... And will last 30 years, at least. More economical are the Nikon HGs, they are FAR sharper than the Monarchs, and half the price of the german stuff. Maybe consider used German optics?
K
-------------------- -You see something, just whack it" Posts: 211 | From: Norway | Registered: Dec 2004
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I'll tell you I bought Minox fixed 8X30s they are awesome. Instant focus means the second you put them up you see the game. I have a pair of Swarovski EL 8.5X42s that collect dust most of the time. Binoculars.com have good prices.
Posts: 929 | From: Goshen, CT | Registered: Jun 2006
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I'll second the Alpen's...lot of bang for the $$$ Tons of good glass out there but these are hard to beat for the money.
-------------------- Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. Posts: 1823 | From: Escondido,CA. | Registered: Apr 2003
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I'd do a "google" search reviews/x-binocular. You'll pull up a lot of birdwatching sites/reviews but that is a crowd that REALLY cares about optical differences and, as in any review, price vs value. The Monarchs receive a very good rating generally. No one will say that they equal the quality of the binoculars that cost twice as much. Many will say that you would have to pay twice as much to get a binocular that isn't twice as sharp etc. Some reviews put them ahead of more expensive binoculars. You said what you wanted to pay. You can spend a great deal of money on visual aids, some of a quality that will exceed their purpose. I'd rather spend the money on a hunting trip than pay $$$ for "deer woods binoculars" but that is just me. If I become an orthonologist or an astronomer-different story.
-------------------- Compliance Officer MK,LLC NRA Life Member Posts: 1982 | From: Chelmsford, MA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Cornell (school of orthinology) does reviews. on the www.thejoyofbirdwatching.com or something like that you'll find: "Cornell was disappointed with what was out there in this category. They noted that the binoculars for bird watching tested in this group did not rate any higher than the top-ranked, less expensive models.
You're better off with the Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars 8x42 than the Nikon 8x32 HG DCF which was at the top in this class. The HGs have a slightly wider field of view and closer focus, but image quality is not any better than the Monarch's."
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I am with the others on the Nikon Moarchs 10X42. I have had a pair for four years now and love um. I hunt in some swamps in the MS delta and carry mine everytime i go hunting. I had an eyecup mess up on me once and i called nikon and they told me to send them in. When the package came back from nikon, they gave me a new pair at no cost. I am sold on nikon products from binos, rangefinders, scopes, digital cameras and my video camera.
-------------------- Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children. - Tribe Unknown
Southern Traditional Archery Posts: 662 | From: Greenwood, MS | Registered: Mar 2006
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It is a good idea to shop for binoculars at dusk.They all look good on a bright day.Compare some in dim light.I have been carrying the Zeiss 10X25's but they are a bit much in the woods and don't gather light like a pair with bigger objectives.A think the 6-7 power advice is right on.The larger the objective(up to a point)the more light gathering capability but also more weight.You may have to compomise between weight and light gathering,depending on what you want to carry.I like to shorten up the strap so they lay on my chest,then connect a piece of 3/8 wide elastic where the strap connects to the binos.This strap goes around my back,holding them against my chest so there is no swinging or flopping and I can still raise them to my eyes easily.It works great on lighter binoculars.
Posts: 2990 | From: Montana | Registered: Aug 2008
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I'd give a long hard look at Vortex; they are not a new company so to speak. They've been making high end bird watching glass for 20+ years.
Posts: 1442 | From: Mantua, NJ | Registered: Apr 2006
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I like the Vortex glass, but there is no one close by that carrys them. Deer season closes on the 15th here, so I need to try to find a pair by Wednsday. Plus the Vortex stuff is a little out of my price range.
Anybody here ever try out the Nikon Monarch 8.5X 56?
Posts: 144 | From: Plaquemine, Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2004
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Seriously, you do not need to spend a lot of money to get good quality binoculars nor would I personally recommend them for the rough and tumble woods. As a hunter you want to spot animals and antlers and the mid-price range optics are MORE than adequate for that purpose. A lot of research supports the infuence of price tag on people's evaluation of the quality of the product. In some cases they have even given people the same product but different prices. Guess which one's get rated as having the best quality? Look at the reviews on the HG's and the Monarch's: "You're better off with the Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars 8x42 than the Nikon 8x32 HG DCF which was at the top in this class. The HGs have a slightly wider field of view and closer focus, but image quality is not any better than the Monarch's."(Cornell). The Cornell folks birdwatch for a living where a detailed image is frankly even more important than you would need to hunt whitetails. If I had money to burn I wouldn't burn it for that-not for binoculars used for hunting anyway. A better view of Saturn from your backyard yeah, buy that 5k telescope. How many tines, no.
-------------------- Compliance Officer MK,LLC NRA Life Member Posts: 1982 | From: Chelmsford, MA | Registered: Feb 2004
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"Speed is vital, however it is absolutely worthless when you exchange it for stability and accuracy"...John Schulz Posts: 1172 | From: Woodstock, Georgia | Registered: Jan 2007
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I looked at the Steiner Merlin 8X32, the Leupold Green Ring Olympic 8X42, the Nikon monarch 8.5X56, and the Leupold Katmai 6X32.
The brightest were the Monarch 8.5X56 but they were so big they were almost comical. Too big for my taste.
The Katmai and the Steiner Merlins were the least bright....but they did have smaller objectives. I had every intention of buying the Steiners before I looked through them...I was a little disapointed.
The Nikon 8X42 and the Leupold Olympic's were pretty much identical. Both were very clear, and nice and bright. Comfort was the only thing the Leupold's had over the nikons and, to me, it wasn't enough to justify an extra $60.00.
Posts: 144 | From: Plaquemine, Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2004
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I am going to "date" myself here and ask if anyone out there still use or recall the Ranging 5-power binos.I have been using them so long I'll likely go into shock looking through some of these higher priced binos, and actually SEE things.
Posts: 243 | From: Eastern Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2007
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