A first binoculars purchase (1 Viewer)

I will recommend the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32. Open hinge design, light, easy to carry. You can get them for under $200, but you will want to add a better case, strap, and rain guard, but they are the ones I go to most. Love the view.

Gijs van Ginkel said:

(the Monarch and the Lynx are produced by the same Japanese company).
Gijs

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Gijs,
I forgot to check the made 'Made in' label on the Nikons, but are they both made in Japan or actually Kamakura China? Just curious.

David

typo said:

Gijs,
I forgot to check the made 'Made in' label on the Nikons, but are they both made in Japan or actually Kamakura China? Just curious.
David

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The Monarch 10x30 I had in hand last week was "Made in China".

dalat said:

The Monarch 10x30 I had in hand last week was "Made in China".

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Thanks. The Nikon rep. said they were made by a different company from the M7 x42s, but he wouldn't answer when I asked if it was Kamakura.

David

Gijs van Ginkel said:

Hi Gretchen,
If FOV is of importance together with good handling properties en good optical performance than it may be worthwile also to consider the Kite Lynx 8x30HD with an FOV of 151m/1000 m. To my knowledge one of the largest FOV of all 30 mm roof binoculars. The price is a little higher than that of the Nikon Monarch 8x30, but that has to do with some additional qualities of the Kite Lynx like a scratch resistant coating on the outer lenses, metal eyecups and a more enforced bincular body (the Monarch and the Lynx are produced by the same Japanese company).
Gijs

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No test for this new Kite : are-they sharp and bright edge to edge :smoke: ?

Chosun Juan said:

I also prefer a smaller dimensioned x42 bin, rather than going down to the x32 class. This is for the added twilight factor, and brightness in practice, and ease of eye placement. The one thing that the x30/32 class do have going for them is the "virtual effect" of "stopping down" your own eye (exit<->pupil diameter) to use only the sharpest portion, at the sacrifice of some brightness. I suspect that much of the raving about the sharpness of x30/32 optics is down to this "effect"...... Wearing glasses to correct any vision deficiencies you should get just as sharp a view in practice through the x42's and much brighter during cloudy periods in the shadows, etc.

I am using a Zen-Ray ED3 8x43 which is pretty good bang for the buck, and though not a strict lightweight - feels quite light in the hand due to the open bridge design. It also has a fast Clockwise focuser with large knurled metal alloy focusing wheel which I like.

Be aware, that some units of just about all brands have quoibles and variability at this price point - so it's best to "hands-on" your actual purchase unit, or deal with a reputable supplier with solid returns and warranty support.

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Thanks Chosun for speaking to some of my concerns! (or confirming my prejudices ) Sunrise and dusk are brief periods of the day, but cloudy days and forest walks make me feel like I'd appreciate that extra light! I'm no expert, but your explanation on why the 8x30 looks so good to people seems reasonable. Thanks too for the warning about individual units....

Funny about the focuser - direction isn't too important to me I think - seems I can't even say the direction of my current ones! I think I just adjust to whatever I pick up.

mooreorless said:

Hi Gretchen, I see you did stop at Lost Creek Shoe Shop. It has been quite a while for me to visit this shop. Were you in State College?

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Yep, very quick in and out (no I didn't look for any rarely viewed sparrows :-O). Will be back again in a month or 2 probably...

Gijs van Ginkel said:

Hi Gretchen,
If FOV is of importance together with good handling properties en good optical performance than it may be worthwile also to consider the Kite Lynx 8x30HD with an FOV of 151m/1000 m.

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I haven't heard about this - are they sold in the States?

Jaymie Arnold said:

I'd agree with Chosun, you are going to get a lot more versatility out of a binocular with 42mm objective lenses than 32mm. Fortunately there are several very decent 8 x 42 binoculars that don't weigh much more than the popular 8 x 32 configurations either. Several folks have already mentioned the Zeiss Terra ED 8 x 42, which is barely over a pound and half and is definitely worth a look at $350. The Nikon Monarch 7 8 x 42 is a little lighter and has a larger field of view than the Zeiss and is currently only going for $380 since they have a $100 rebate going. The other one I would take a look at is the Celestron Trailseeker 8 x 42. ...

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Thanks for mentioning the Celestron - don't think I tried that one. Puzzling why I didn't think the Monarch 7 looked better. On paper, and according to "everyone" it should be better than the Zeiss, but I just liked the Zeiss better.

Annabeth2 said:

It's a pain in the neck ordering the bins online and returning them if you don't like them. I did it twice and don't really want to do that again if I can avoid it...

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Thanks for the very practical advice Annabeth!! (again confirming my prejudices, but still, nice to know that I'm not the only one who thinks that way) Also, since I'm traveling a fair bit in the next few months, so if I make the effort, I can stop places that have different bins. (And I'm working on another very consuming project, so this search is just a when-I-have-time hobby right now.)

WiscTJK said:

I will recommend the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32. Open hinge design, light, easy to carry.

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Thanks for this recommendation - it sounds appealing. As the same names reappear, I'm getting a better sense of what to give a look at.

Thanks all for your thoughts!

I agree, the Sigthron 8x32 are great binos. For a current use my ED Frontier 10x43 always stay at home since i bought the Sightron....

You may also want to compare the Eagle Optics Ranger 8x32.

FOV: 393' at 1000 yards
Close focus: 3.0'
Focus direction: counter-clockwise to infinity
Weight: 19.2 oz.
Warranty: no-fault
$289.00 USD

32 user reviews at: www.eagleoptics.com

Mike

Hi all,

I thought I should report back on my purchase. I ended up getting the 8x42 Monarch 7s at the Lost Creek Shoe Shop. I really thought I would probably get the Zeiss, but that day the Monarchs just seemed right. (There were lots of birds to watch that time - so it was fun to actually look at birds and not just focus on inanimate objects.)

Since I got them, I've enjoyed the bins a lot, and gotten some compliments from family members who thought they were quite good. The only issue I've noticed is I wonder if it has a bit of color distortion which I've just noticed in certain situations (low-light? distant birds? I've forgotten). It did have a triumph last night - I went to see woodcock's "skydance" for the first time. A half hour after sunset I could watch the bird doing his patter on the ground and see him fairly well, and managed to see him flying upwards part of the way. Definitely the low light viewing I had hoped for!

I've had them about 2 months, but only had much time to really use them the last few weeks. Hopefully now that I have a bit more time and migration is underway they'll get a better workout and I'll be better able to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. I used the same pair for such a long time, and just feel the Monarchs are "different" and "better," but I immediately loaned that old pair to a family member so really haven't compared them side by side much.

Anyway, thanks to all for your help!

The Monarch 7s are amazing, if I were to choose one word.
Given recent pricing, they wipe out the Monarch-5s.

Yeah, after I looked through the 7's, I didn't see any reason to really consider the 5's at all.