Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars by Nikon
|
Our Price: $514.50 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Nikon 7430 Monarch 8x42mm All-Terrain Binoculars
Digital camera Review: Great binocular, excellent warranty
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Updated Feb. 2011
These monarchs are wonderful, no doubt about it. I recently bought a pair of top-of-the-line Carl Zeiss Victory - Binoculars 8 x 42 T* FL binoculars (retail is about $2,000). Here are my thoughts on how these stack up: Overall, these monarchs stack up with the most well regarded pair of binoculars on the market (costing close to 10 times as much money) very well. The zeiss's are definitely better. A bit nicer in the hand, very subtly better optics in good light, noticeably better optics in poor light. There is bit more "pop" to what you are looking at, colors a bit richer, things look a bit more 3 dimensional, subtle markings on birds are a bit easier to see. Note the extensive use of modifiers like "a bit" and "subtle." These monarchs are about 90% of what you get for $2,000. In contrast, these monarchs are 2 to 3 times what you get for about $100. I would describe these monarchs as the cheapest binoculars you should get, and frankly, they are good enough to be your only pair ever, even for really serious birders. Do I regret spending money I can't really afford for the top of the line zeiss? Nope, it is a rare luxury for me and the zeiss victory's are better. Did I need to replace these with the fancy/expensive pair? Absolutely not, for me to really see the differences, I have to look through them one after the other. Should you get these or nicer ones? Hard to say. The step up between these and the so called alpha binoculars (zeiss, leica, swarovski) is much smaller than the step between the best of the sub-$100 binoculars and these. If you are going to buy binoculars, don't waste your money getting anything cheaper that these. If you can afford the money and if you look through binoculars a lot and if you want to have the very best, there are better binoculars on the market (but they are painfully expensive, and improvements are subtle). The overall experience with the very best binoculars is a bit nicer than with these, but you can see everything with these that you can see with the expensive ones (except for very subtle markings in low light). I hope this helps. Every household in a America should have at least one pair of monarchs, even with my new Zeisses, I'll keep these for travel and for loaning out. For the price of a few months of cable bill you can have a lifetime of wonderful wildlife watching.
One more note: get the newer version of these Nikon 7294 Monarch ATB 8x42 Binocular, they cost a little bit more (about $50 more at time of writing) but have a better coating which supposedly improves lowlight performance, which is really the only area in which the monarchs are not stellar.
Digital camera Review: Great binoculars
Summary: 5 Stars
They are fairly light, comfortable to wear around your neck, and their optics are excellent. In short, I doubt if you could beat their quality for anything like the money.Digital camera Review: Great binoculars
Summary: 5 Stars
I broke them in in the rainforest of puerto rico and ID'd 12 new species i'd never seen before. they aren't too heavy and are a great value!Digital camera Review: Great binoculars for birds watching
Summary: 5 Stars
Very high quality product with exceptional accessories and high fidelity resolution. Brings everything right into clear view; easily adjustable to accommodate each individuals particular needs. Would recommend to anyone although they are a bit expensive.Digital camera Review: Great binoculars for my Alaskan trip
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this pair of Nikon 7430 Monarch 8 x 42 a few days before leaving for my trip to Alaska. Although I already owned the very small Bushnell 8 x 21, I realized that my husband and I might want to use them at the same time. After reading and researching, I made the decision to purchase the Nikon. They are bigger and heavier than the Bushnell, but show a clear, bright image, just like the reviews mentioned. I did not have any rain in the two weeks I was there, so being waterproof was not challenged. Because I saw clearly wildlife of all sorts, birds, glaciers, and mountains (including Mt. McKinley), I would certainly buy them again and feel that they are a good compliment to the smaller pair I already owned.