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Anyone here recommend mid-level binoculars? Was thinking of buying a used Nikon Monarch 3 (10X42).
Thanks!
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nt
"The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced."
- Q, 2365
leupold BX-1 Mackenzie in 8x42 are acceptable, sub-100$ 'nocs.
Reasonable focus and eye relief. Good color correction / accurate.
Fairly compact in the case.
Work well at dusk, but are not the best 'nighttime' type, for which I'd still get the 7x50.
Too much is never enough
I have the Nikon 7540 MONARCH 3 8x42 Binocular. I chose 8x42 as I didn't need the higher magnification, and there's less 'shake'. There's better glass out there but these do a fine job for general purpose use. I especially like the "Multi-click Turn and Slide Eyecups with generous eye relief - great for eyeglass wearers." I wear glasses and these binoculars accommodate them well. I bought them new for $199 in 2012 on Amazon. I think they're slightly more now. The 10x42 shows up as $220.
Edits: 07/22/17
I get the the impression it's pretty much none of my business.
They are about $350 here.
I can recommend these - after 5 or 6 years they're as good as new - rain, snow, fog proof etc and well suited to the rigors of outdoor life, camping, boating etc.
Not the sharpest out there, but comparing to my brother-in-laws $3K birding binoculars, they came up pretty well - as usual paying 10% to 15% of the high end price gives you 80% to 90% of high end performance, which is often enough, depending on whether you need to identify a gold spotted warbler from 800m out, or not .......
Cheers,
John K
Amateur astronomer and occasional bird watcher here. Earlier this year I was looking for something lighter to complement my 25 year-old Nikon 7x50 binos. After comparing several up to about $300, I ended up with the Polaris (now Wingspan) Ultra HD 8x42. They are sharp with great color and transmission.Check them out.
Edits: 07/21/17 07/21/17 07/21/17
The reviews on these Wingspans are glowing. Never heard of this brand. This level of binocular is unheard of at this price for a roof prizm.
People are comparing them favorably to extremely expensive binocs. Looks like a great recommendation for this type. T456
"The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced."
- Q, 2365
Edits: 07/21/17
I like it a lot, including for local birds. The IS really helps. When I loan these to people to try, they are always kinda happy with that IS feature to stop the jiggle. Takes a couple AA batteries that last quite a long time, it seems. Really bright view too, thru the 30mm optic. I've also had some smaller 8x25s, but I like the 10x30 for the view. If I were backpacking tho, I'd bring something a little smaller. It's fine for carrying normal distances like walks in the park, etc.
We had a pair of those for many years (the 10 x 30). They were much abused, and finally gave up the ghost a couple of years ago. Optics are good, price is reasonable, and the IS feature is very useful.
all the best,
mrh
I though the Monarch 3's were more expensive. The Nikon Action series, being inexpensive and with porro prizms might actually be a better binocular, but bigger and heavier. The Monarch 5's get excellent reviews for like $50 more. If you were to go the Monarch route I think you would get much more enjoyment out of the 5's. Porro prizm binoculars are also said to be more three dimentional. The Action series is very inexpensive and get excellent reviews for a budget bino. Lot's of choices in an 8 or 10. I don't think buying used would be such a good idea unless you can test them out before hand. T456
"The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced."
- Q, 2365
Edits: 07/21/17 07/21/17
The Athlon Midas 8x gets fantastic reviews from an experienced bird watcher guy at Wirecutter. They also make a 10x. The 10 is about $350. One person said that the 8x was 99% of an $1800 binocular.
"The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced."
- Q, 2365
Part of choosing binoculars is what you want to do with them. Think of them as a telescope for two eyes. You have magnification, and you have light-gathering ability. If you're looking at fairly large (not tiny) objects, like birds or nearly naked women, in relative daylight, 45mm is probably overkill and unnecessarily heavy. If you're looking at the planet Jupiter and its moons, which are tiny and dim, you'll probably want a mount to hold bino's steady so the objects aren't dancing around - handheld is a pain in the butt, even at the 7x magnification of my binos.
HTH
:)
If you're looking at...nearly naked women, in relative daylight...>
Isn't that called a "peeping tom" and illegal?
Interesting you would bring this up because I've been doing a lot of thinking about this recently. I myself can't handle anything above 7x for bird and nature watching because of the shake. First thing first is to make sure you can handle a 10x. The lower the power the clearer the binoc will be and it will be steadier , lens quality being similar. If you really want a 10x their are image stabilizing binoculars. Another consideration is water proofing and nitrogen or argon purging. I myself will never buy an non waterproof glass again. My cheap Nikon's have dust inside and are a bit fogged up on one side. I'm looking into Opticron. A porro at a similar cost will be clearer but heavier. Plenty of reviews on the net. A chance you could do better than the Monarch. Nothing, just like audio subs for direct experience with the binocular. I've seen cheap ones blow away very expensive binoculars. Lots of bs just like in audio. T456
"The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced."
- Q, 2365
I was picking up a distortion analyser from a local place that sold surplus military equipment, in a pile of non working equipment were some binoculars used by navy seals. I bought them, found them surprisingly easy to disassemble, clean and set collimation. Have since done the same with some Nikon's. You might considering disassembling and cleaning your Nikon's.
Nikons are very nice and I have a pair but cant remember the model. Great value for the money.
Will
I have Eagle Optics. Very nice for the money. $109 various places online.
bigshow
Nikon Monarch 7, 8 x 30, are light, have a great field of view, and very sharp, around $300.
Bird watchers have unique needs, they need quickness, and When I am using binoculars it is to see something in plain view, but needs magnification, being far away.
Not an expert, but my brother , who was an optical expert, with signed work on Mars, showed me a few things. Assuming the mechanical side checks out, check the condition of the lens coating. Many optical corrections are done with coatings, so they should be in good condition. The optics should focus easily, and the quality can be judged by looking at the images around the edges of the glass. . It is hard to focus the light coming in at the edges, and optics that can use this light effectively will give better performance.
One thing with buying used, if the buying decision isn't correct, the used market value is established, and glass doesn't wear out. 10 magnification is no shake problem for me, but check it first, focusing on a long distance, not inside a store.
I would suppose Nikon is a good brand, some of their photo lenses use flint glass, a preferred and expensive optical transfer medium. Quality is everything. I was once in Yosemite Valley, saw a gaggle of tourists , so joined in. We were trying to see climbers going up the valley wall, and we were passing around glasses , trying to see the climb. Then an old german woman joined the group, with her old german binocs, took a look and said it was just a bush with yellow flowers, and passed around her quality binocs so all could see.
I have mid market binoculars , but if I were to buy again, I would get image stabilization and high magnification, most of my use is trying to bring distant things closer. For high magnification, I use a collapsible mono scope, like the old telescopes in the cartoons, for portability in the car, but it is very hard to use.
I have an old Zeiss Binoculars. I think WW2 vintage. Unbelievable, at night (with full moon). Thing is huge & heavy. I wanted something lighter. Easier to haul around, while hiking.
Prolly go for the Nikon. Seems like a good deal for the $$$. Medium sized Zeiss are mucho dinero.
8^)
I bought some 7x35 Nikon Travelite for a house warming gift. The house was on a hill with terrific views, and they'd NEVER have thought of binoculars.
Wonderful, clear, with good focus 'snap'. EAsily to hold and lightweight, too. Great color with No fringing. Good Eye Relief. Easy to adjust.
Too much is never enough
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