Monarchs , Pentax or Opticrons ?

[mrlimbo]

Hi , im looking to replace my Bushnell Trophy's 10x42 for under £200 , ive narrowed it down to these bins

Nikon Monarchs 10x42
Pentax 10x42 DCF HR II or like ?
Opticrons ?

Now i know its all down to personal taste and in an ideal World i could go along and try them all out , but that isnt going to happen , as theres nowhere here (biggish city) that would stock them !!!
So these will be bought online & there use will be birding , so your opinions/experience of any of these or others would be great to hear/know , my leaning at the moment are the Monarchs , but i like the diopter & eyecup setup ive read about on the Pentax !

Thanks everyone for your shared knowledge :clap:

[ThoLa]

Hi , im looking to replace my Bushnell Trophy's 10x42 for under £200 , ive narrowed it down to these bins

Nikon Monarchs 10x42
Pentax 10x42 DCF HR II or like ?
Opticrons ?

Now i know its all down to personal taste and in an ideal World i could go along and try them all out , but that isnt going to happen , as theres nowhere here (biggish city) that would stock them !!!
So these will be bought online & there use will be birding , so your opinions/experience of any of these or others would be great to hear/know , my leaning at the moment are the Monarchs , but i like the diopter & eyecup setup ive read about on the Pentax !

Thanks everyone for your shared knowledge :clap:

Hello!
I'd have the Pentax. Heavier but the build quality is considerably better than the Nikons (all plastic I think). The Pentax has a solid aluminium housing. It's very sturdy.
The HRII is now being replaced by the new HRc. Have you seen them?
Maybe it would make it on your shortlist. It is improved (lighter, smaller) but seems to be very affordable.

Cheers, Tom

[Tero]

I kind of like the "inferior" man made barrels. Lighter. I have not had them melt yet at 30C.

[mrlimbo]

Hello!
I'd have the Pentax. Heavier but the build quality is considerably better than the Nikons (all plastic I think). The Pentax has a solid aluminium housing. It's very sturdy.
The HRII is now being replaced by the new HRc. Have you seen them?
Maybe it would make it on your shortlist. It is improved (lighter, smaller) but seems to be very affordable.

Cheers, Tom

Hi thanks for the info , i had seen the Hrc a few times and wondered what difference was , & now i know , i'll look into them as well , cheers

Looks like none are that popular going by the lack of feedback here !!!!

[mrlimbo]

Are there any other boards/forums concerning bins for birdwatching ?
So i can try and glean info/opinions on these bins , as im having little success here :))

[Tero]

It should not be that difficult to round up a bunch of 10x42s. Try them in hand.
If you want some more info, you can ask the advisor at

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-deal-with-your-neighbours-unsightly-property
You will get at least one answer. But not much more.

[mrlimbo]

It should not be that difficult to round up a bunch of 10x42s. Try them in hand.


You would be surprised how hard that is to do , in the UK !!

[mrlimbo]

I went for "Pentax 10x42 DCF HRC" in the end !

[mrlimbo]

I went for "Pentax 10x42 DCF HRC" in the end !

Well i did but two pairs later and having the same problem with both (a blurred spot in the centre of fov) i ended up with a pair of "Bushnell 8x42 Discoverer" and wow what a great bin !!!!