Nikon Action 12x50 EX Extreme ATB Binocular
by Nikon
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Our Price: $147.89
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: NikonModel: 7246
Product features:
- Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof performance
- All-metal chassis in lightweight polycarbonate shell
- Rubber-coated body for firm, non-slip grip
- Magnification: 12x
- Objective lens: 50mm
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon Action 12x50 EX Extreme ATB Binocular
Digital camera Review: 12x50 not as good as expected based on reviews
Summary: 3 Stars
Note updated March 2010: Amazon has now moved the reviews back into separate magnifications and is no longer combining the reviews as they did when I originally wrote this!
Note: Amazon is combining reviews for Action Extreme models with 50mm objectives; 7x50, 10x50, 12x50, 16x50 etc.
We already had the Nikon Action 8x40 which I think was reasonable quality for $60, but I was somewhat disappointed by the Action Extreme 12x50 I bought when I wanted something waterproof and with more reach. Both the Action and Action Extreme have a lot of internal reflection that causes glare around the edges during daytime viewing and from bright objects at night like the moon. This is very noticeable and I wonder why so few these reviews mention it. The glare from a blue sky really intrudes into the lower half of your view while watching animals on the ground, indicating that Nikon has skimped on the quality of the lens and prism coatings, as well as the interior blacking.
I use these mostly for bird watching on our farm, and they are good binoculars but better coatings would make them excellent. The Action Extreme is noticeably more solidly built and rugged in than the Action series we own, and more likely to survive being dropped. Both models have objective lens covers that are guaranteed to be lost if you rely on the slots that are supposed to be used to attach them to the straps. You can punch or drill a hole in the slotted tabs and then use a plastic clip or even string to keep them from falling off the strap. The twist-up adjustable eye cups work beautifully for a glasses wearer like me (and are far superior to the rubber cups that fold down on the Action model).
Brightness was sufficient, as these are not fully multi-coated so I didn't expect them to be tremendously bright, especially at 12x, but improved coatings would also enhance the brightness. The Nikon brand reputation was the deciding factor for me, but if you have an opportunity to get another decent waterproof set for less, I suggest comparing them if you can. I wish that I had. If you can afford it, the NIKON 7296 Monarch III 12x42 Binocular series promises to be substantially better than these (the Monarchs are fully multi-coated, plus they offer roof prism if you prefer that to porro). Overall, I was just a little let down on the image quality from these as the reviews on Amazon were mostly glowing.
These are good quality and will meet most peoples needs, and I would still recommend them to friends. But I definitely would shop around for comparable quality for less money. I suspect some of the waterproof Bushnells I've seen priced significantly less aren't much different. Of course, the way everything is sealed in plastic these days the opportunity to compare is severely limited unless you have a friendly camera shop nearby, or maybe a birding group whose members can let you see through their equipment.
Summary of Nikon Action 12x50 EX Extreme ATB Binocular
BN3) NIKON 12X50 ACTION EXTREME 7246Binoculars
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