Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 compared with other HG roof bins (1 Viewer)

Hello,

Has anyone compared the Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 bins with the corresponding HG (with lead) and/or with the HG-L and their US equivalents?

Has anyone found comparative reviews elsewhere?

Interested also in comparing with the EDG single bridge models.

The-Wanderer said:

Hello,

Has anyone compared the Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 bins with the corresponding HG (with lead) and/or with the HG-L and their US equivalents?

Has anyone found comparative reviews elsewhere?

Interested also in comparing with the EDG single bridge models.

Click to expand...

I have a Monarch 8x42 HG but I don't have the means to compare the Monarch HG 8x42 with the original HG and HG L series 8x42 or the 8x42 EDG. I have read the Nikon literature concerning their particular flat fields and FOVs and I have also read Allbino's reviews of the 8x42 HGL and 8x42 EDG and of the Monarch HG 10x42.

I noted that Nikon differentiates among them in that it does not list the HG, HG L and EDG series as being "wide field" binoculars as it does with the Monarch HG binoculars although all of them do have a "Field Flattener Lens System." See the "Performance Icons Compatible Chart" from Nikon below for more information on this.

The 8x42 Monarch HGs Field Flattener works with a wide 8.3 FOV or 435'@1000 yards. The old HGs Field Flatteners work with an relatively narrow 7º FOV or 366'@1000 yards. As you can see, this is a significant difference; in fact the old 8x42 HG had a reputation of displaying "rolling ball" when some users scanned with it. Allbinos review says that it has a "very sharp image to the very edge of the view."

The Nikon 8x42 EDG has a FOV of 7.7º or 405'@1000 yards. Allbinos states in its review of the binocular that it has "Perfect sharpness across the whole field--practically to the very edge. Perhaps the last 1-2% of the field is slightly fuzzy."

Allbinos has not reviewed the 8x42 Monarch HG but it has reviewed the 10x42 HG and it notes that "Blur occurs in a distance of 84.5%" from the center.

In my own use of my 8x42 Monarch HG I estimate that the blur begins close to 90% from the center. I also see some slight pincushioning on straight edges at the edge of the view with my 8x42 Monarch HG.

It seems to me to be more difficult to extend a true flat field the wider the view becomes.

See this "Performance Icons Compatible Chart" from Nikon: (Note their definition of their "Field Flattener Lens System.")

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/sportoptics/binoculars/pdf/Performance_Icons_Compatible_Chart_En.pdf

Bob

Ceasar

You must have spent much time providing your helpful response, thank you.

As I learn more about bins, the greater importance I place on a natural view and so the Nikon chart was especally interesting. More and more I find binoculars that oversaturate the colours and make the view unnatural to my eyes. Some Alpha bins are examples but I had not looked through top of the line Nikons.

I had seen a Nikon HG 8x42 at what I thought was a good price but, having read your post checked the retailer's website - and there they were gone!

I am still interested in opinions about these bins and hope to find another affordable example.

My widest FOV bin is the dialyt 7x42 but I find it difficult to make good use of the full view. I suspect that my eyesight is largely responsible for that problem.

Navigating the Nikon site can be a bit of a challenge, so I'll link here the Monarch specifications comparison document.