[winwinbino]

It is a new Monarch from Nikon. Anyone tried and how it compares with Monarch 3 or other similar price range bins ?

According to the spec and notes from CameraLand, this Monarch 5 is much better than Monarch 3 with little increase in price.

Thanks.
Andy

[brocknroller]

Originally Posted by winwinbino

It is a new Monarch from Nikon. Anyone tried and how it compares with Monarch 3 or other similar price range bins ?

According to the spec and notes from CameraLand, this Monarch 5 is much better than Monarch 3 with little increase in price.

Thanks.
Andy

It's only a name change. The Monarch ATB morphed into the Monarch 5. As far it being much better than the Monarch 3, the Monarch 3 is the Monarch III (silver coated prism Monarch before the dielectric coatings) in a different package. Just a shell game as far as I can tell.

Depends on which ergonomics you like better and if you prefer the red bias of the silver coatings or more neutral color of the dielectrics. The "5" should be a bit brighter, but you're only going to notice that when the light is dim.

The Prostaff 7 is a different animal.

Brock

[black crow]

Originally Posted by winwinbino

It is a new Monarch from Nikon. Anyone tried and how it compares with Monarch 3 or other similar price range bins ?

According to the spec and notes from CameraLand, this Monarch 5 is much better than Monarch 3 with little increase in price.

Thanks.
Andy

I looked through one briefly at Sportsmans Warehouse and compared it to a Prostaff 7. Like I said it was brief and inside but I didn't see a huge difference between them and while they were good (I've owned the Monarch 3 and didn't see them as being better) there was nothing drawing me to them.

[winwinbino]

Thank you so much.

[brocknroller]

Originally Posted by black crow

I looked through one briefly at Sportsmans Warehouse and compared it to a Prostaff 7. Like I said it was brief and inside but I didn't see a huge difference between them and while they were good (I've owned the Monarch 3 and didn't see them as being better) there was nothing drawing me to them.

According to Jerry and Horukuru (sp?), the Prostaff displays less CA and has slightly better edges than the Monarch, but with the longer FL, I guess that's expected. But it still has the same FOV. A 7" long bin would be great for my big hands, but it's not everybody's cup 'o tea.

What I'd like to see at $300 price point is a Monarch type bin with a larger FOV with good edges (7.5*). The old 8x36 Sporter I had a good edges, but no p-coatings. It was also solidly built.

My old 8x and 7x WF Actions have good edges and they have 8.2* and 9.3* FOV respectively. Since it costs less to produce bins in China than it did in Japan, there's no reason that they couldn't give us a bin with a larger FOV and better edges for a reasonable price.

But if people are buying the Monarchs as they are...and hunters certainly are... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Or just change the body style and number, which seems to be their strategy.

Brock

[black crow]

With my Monarch 3s I didn't like the FOV and there was something about the color bias that didn't appeal to me. Things looked slightly painted or colorized to me and not quite natural. That was back when just learning and I'd like to see them again to see how I feel with more experience with other binoculars. Maybe I was crazy.

[brocknroller]

Originally Posted by black crow

With my Monarch 3s I didn't like the FOV and there was something about the color bias that didn't appeal to me. Things looked slightly painted or colorized to me and not quite natural. That was back when just learning and I'd like to see them again to see how I feel with more experience with other binoculars. Maybe I was crazy.

The Monarch 3 has only been out a few months, so if this was a while ago, you must have tried the Monarch III, with the original Monarch body.

The Monarch 3 looks more like the EDG II:

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular...8x42-binocular

From the specs and prism coatings, on paper, they appear to be optically similar the Monarch III, which morphed into the ATB when they added dielectric coatings, and then they changed the name to Monarch 5.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binocular...8x42-binocular

The body has changed slightly, they got rid of those cheap looking ribs and made them in black instead of pea green. The close focus is almost two feet better than the Monarch 3.

I know what you mean about the image looking "colorized" and "not quite natural". That's how the view through most non-ED glass Chinese binoculars appear to me vs. my Nikon porros.

Not sure why this is. We both could be mad. :-)

Brock

[black crow]

They were Monarch 3s and it was only a few months ago. I only had them a few weeks when I found this place and all hell broke loose.

[NWBirder]

How do we pronounce Monarch III and Monarch 3 correctly while unambiguously identifying them? If Nikon is copying BMW's branding strategy, we should see a Monarch 7 soon.

[NDhunter]

Originally Posted by NWBirder

How do we pronounce Monarch III and Monarch 3 correctly while unambiguously identifying them? If Nikon is copying BMW's branding strategy, we should see a Monarch 7 soon.

There is a 7, the Nikon Prostaff 7. If thinking of a Monarch, also check the view through the Prostaff 7.
It has good performance, and I feel it is a very nice value.

Jerry

[winwinbino]

Thanks for all.
If Monarch 5 is more or less a Monarch 3 adding dielectric coating, I think most Chinese ED is much better VFM except maybe the workmanship.