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Bushnell Elite ED 8x42 and a few other binos (1 Viewer)

sw686blue

Member
Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and wanted to get your input on a few binoculars. Yesterday, I visited my local sporting goods store and got to have a look at a few 8x42 binos. I’m in Canada and so prices are in Canadian dollars.

Bushnell Elite ED $555 (made in Japan)
Zeiss Conquest HD $1270 (made in Germany)
Vanguard Endeavour II ED $600 (not sure where these are made…China?)
Nikon Monarch 7 ED $600 (made in China)

The first pair that I tried were the Zeiss and the first word that I muttered was wow! The price tag was also a wow moment.

I loved the look and feel of all the binoculars. In terms of optics, I thought that the Zeiss and Bushnell were pretty close, the Monarch’s being a close second and lastly the Vanguard’s.

If money were not an object, I think that I would have gone with the Conquests. I really liked the Bushnell’s and am thinking of getting them, but I’m a bit hesitant. How come there is so little information or reviews on the Bushnell’s? Are they no longer a contender in the bino world?

I will visit a few more shops because I would really like to try a pair of Vortex Vipers HD and hopefully some other mid range binos.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Nick
 
I, too, thought that the Monarch 7 was very nice. I wasn't too crazy that they are made in China though. I understand that Nikon imposes their quality standards on their product that is made there, but I have to be honest and say that it does make me a little leery.
 
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Welcome to the forum sw686blue! :t:

My first question however is wouldn't a S&W 686 in blue actually be a 586??? o:D

Seriously though...you have some seriously good choices there and are already suffering the angst that those of us here often feel! 3:)

It's always a trade off (field of vision against eye relief, good day contrast versus low light performance, magnification against shake, etc.) Your selections are ALL good choices and none of them would be a bad "rest -of-your-days" binocular, if you believe in such choices.

The Bushnell is the oldest of the choices and therefore may not have the benefit of the "latest, greatest" coatings and glass technology, but it doesn't seem to hurt it's praises against long-term users. We have one or two here that might chime in...(?) Jremmons recently started a thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=311171

I BRIEFLY looked through one several years ago and it seemed good. The only thing noteworthy however is-by most standards of 8x birding binoculars-it has a terribly small field of view...almost 70-100 feet narrower than many others at 1000 yards. For that reason alone (TO ME) I would go with the others on your list.

I also recall however (and I've mentioned this on this forum before) that a small naturalist/birding store owner (an actual ornithologist) told me once that he preferred his B&L Elites to anything else in his shop (and at that time he carried several lines up through Swarovski). These were big words as I seen it then.

I also applaud wanting to wait until you look through a Viper HD, as they are VERY SOLID bins for the money and have quite a nice view.
 
Hi David!

Thank you so much for the welcome and the great reply. You are correct, a blued 686 would indeed be a 586. Having said that, my first firearm was a 686 and my favorite color is blue, hence, sw686blue! ;-)

Talk about angst! There are so many (and that's a great thing!) awesome binos in the mid price range. I am real new to all of this and I'm trying to learn as much as possible. I've been looking at the different reviews and opinions on this site and others as well to make an informed decision. I am not boxing myself in to any specific brand. My budget is about $750 and so I'm trying to find the best bang for my buck. Being a bit of a "where's it made" snob, I tend to prefer non-Chinese made products. Having said that, the Monarch 7s is really fine! A bit of a conundrum, I guess.
 
Nick,

Having just been through a similar exercise, albeit at a lower price-point, I hope your search is as successful for you as mine was for me.

How serious are you about this?
Being a bit of a "where's it made" snob, I tend to prefer non-Chinese made products.
I ask only because, if you're at all serious, you might be far better off squeezing the extra out of your wallet and getting those Conquests you like. That will avoid second-guessing yourself and forever asking yourself whether you should have taken that path, rather than another. The peace of mind (and the high-quality binoculars) might well be worth the extra money and save you from buying something, then paying again for what you really wanted in the first place.

That having been said, I'm very happy with my Chinese-made binoculars. Of those you're looking at (and if I'd had the money) I'd find the Monarch 7s very difficult to pass up, but the Viper HDs also pretty compelling. If my much cheaper Vortex set are anything to go by, those Vipers should be very nice. I guess one of the trade-offs there is the wider view from the Monarchs vs the closer focus of the Vipers.

In any event, I wish you well in your search and I'm sure you'll come up with something you'll get excellent use from.

...Mike
 
I tend to avoid Bushnell as much as I avoid Tasco but I never had the opportunity to try their better options. Zeiss is on the contrary drawer if my brain archives. Zeiss Conquest is really something but if it feels expensive to you, there is the option of Zeiss Terra. I have them both and while Conquest is better almost in every respect, it is a bit better (I like to think it as 15%-20% better but others might think it else). Differences stand out under certain light conditions.
Another option is to go for a 8x32 that will be almost as capable during daytime and also lighter, smaller and cheaper. You'll find the Conquest among the best buys there but also other binoculars at a lower price but highly regarded, like the Maven B3.
 
Nick,

Having just been through a similar exercise, albeit at a lower price-point, I hope your search is as successful for you as mine was for me.

How serious are you about this?

I ask only because, if you're at all serious, you might be far better off squeezing the extra out of your wallet and getting those Conquests you like. That will avoid second-guessing yourself and forever asking yourself whether you should have taken that path, rather than another. The peace of mind (and the high-quality binoculars) might well be worth the extra money and save you from buying something, then paying again for what you really wanted in the first place.

That having been said, I'm very happy with my Chinese-made binoculars. Of those you're looking at (and if I'd had the money) I'd find the Monarch 7s very difficult to pass up, but the Viper HDs also pretty compelling. If my much cheaper Vortex set are anything to go by, those Vipers should be very nice. I guess one of the trade-offs there is the wider view from the Monarchs vs the closer focus of the Vipers.

In any event, I wish you well in your search and I'm sure you'll come up with something you'll get excellent use from.

...Mike

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the great insight. Am I 100% serious about only buying non-Chinese products? The answer is no, but I'd much prefer not to. Don't get me wrong, the Monarch 7 and the Zeiss Terra, were very nice. I was very impressed with the Nikons and from all the reviews and comments that I have read on these binos in the last few days proves that Nikon has gotten the quality control right.

I still want to check out the Vipers and I found another local store that also carries Kowa, Bushnell, Vortex, Pentax and Zeiss under the same roof which will give me a good opportunity to compare all of them at the same time.

Really, I don't think that anyone, including myself, will go wrong choosing any of the above binos. I just want to get the best one possible for my budget and my needs.

Has anyone had any experience with the Minox HG 8x42 Black Edition which was manufactured after 2014? I'd love to hear if anyone has an opinion on these binoculars.

Thank you!
Nick
 
I tend to avoid Bushnell as much as I avoid Tasco but I never had the opportunity to try their better options. Zeiss is on the contrary drawer if my brain archives. Zeiss Conquest is really something but if it feels expensive to you, there is the option of Zeiss Terra. I have them both and while Conquest is better almost in every respect, it is a bit better (I like to think it as 15%-20% better but others might think it else). Differences stand out under certain light conditions.
Another option is to go for a 8x32 that will be almost as capable during daytime and also lighter, smaller and cheaper. You'll find the Conquest among the best buys there but also other binoculars at a lower price but highly regarded, like the Maven B3.

Thanks, Kostatinos. And greetings from a fellow Greek living in Canada!

The minute that I looked through the Conquest HD's, I was extremely impressed by the view. My brother-in-law who came along made the same observation too. Very impressive, but definitely not inexpensive.

By the way, my nick-name every since I've been a kid has been Cocoli!

Thanks.
Nick
 
I tend to avoid Bushnell as much as I avoid Tasco but I never had the opportunity to try their better options.

The bushnell elite ed's are fantastic glass. Lots of people don't realize that when Bausch and Lomb was "making" binoculars, they were actually Bushnells that had the B&L name on them. And the B&L Elites were and still are regarded as some of the best birding optics of all time. I still know several long-time birders who use them even though they could afford anything they wanted.

I would have a hard time choosing between the elites and the monarch 7's but I would expect the elites to be a little better. I've owned 4 pairs of elites. Three were 10x42's and I currently have a pair of the elusive 10x43 open bridge elites. All are very good.
 
I have the Vanguard Endeavor ED 8X42 and the Vortex HD 8X42. Both are really good binoculars. Both have their attributes and their short comings. I wasn't really crazy about buying a "made in China" binocular. But the Endeavor HD DID prove itself to be a really nice binocular and IMO is better than the Vortex Viper HD(Japan), but not THAT much.
 
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The bushnell elite ed's are fantastic glass. Lots of people don't realize that when Bausch and Lomb was "making" binoculars, they were actually Bushnells that had the B&L name on them. And the B&L Elites were and still are regarded as some of the best birding optics of all time. ...

I too went through a period of buying binoculars some years ago, until I bought a pair of 8x42 Bushnell Elite ED Prime binoculars. I wear spectacles, and the Bushnells just work for me. Very easy to look through, whereas other bins have been a problem. Shorter Eye Relief, perhaps? Anyway, the urge to buy yet another pair has gone away!
 
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