Intjmastermind
Active member
A comparative review between the Zen-Ray ZRS HD 8x42 and Nikon Monarch 8x42
For full disclosure: The Monarchs were purchased with my own money, but the ZRS HD was a pair lent to me for review by Zen-Ray, which will be returned afterwards. No other interests involved.
1. Introduction
I few weeks ago, I reviewed the Zen-Ray ED2 8x42 against the Nikon Monarch. I basically came down to the conclusion that while the Zens had slightly better optical performance than the Monarchs, their increased weight and size meant I couldn’t definitely say they were the superior binocular. Well, Charles of Zen-Ray read that review, and offered me the opportunity to evaluate their ZRS HD 8x42 to see how it stacks up against the Monarchs. How could I resist?
2. Overview
Comparing the two binoculars side-by-side, I can tell this will be a fun matchup. Both are 8x42 binoculars about the same size, and use the traditional roof prism design. Both are fully-multicoated, phase coated, and have dielectric prisms. But the ZRS has the advantage of being about $80 cheaper than the Monarchs ($200 vs. $280). So from the start, it appears that the ZRS is marketed to be a Monarch-killer. But how does it do really?
3. Ergonomics
Looking at the two, you notice that the ZRS is smaller than the Monarchs. It’s slightly shorter and narrower. This is definitely a compact 8x42 binocular.
And then you pick the ZRS up, and the first thing you notice is that it’s heavy! Well, technically it’s not especially heavy for its class. But its smaller size tricks you into thinking it feels heavier. With both the Monarch and ZRS held at the same time, the extra weight is definitely noticeable. But keep in mind that the Monarchs are considered a very light binocular for its class.
Also when you pick them up, you’ll notice the different rubber material used on the binoculars. The Monarchs have a very soft and grippy rubber coating, while the ZRS feels firmer and slightly more slippery in contrast. Zen-Ray attempts to increase the grip by texturing the barrel. However, they seem to have put it in the wrong spot. The ZRS has texturing on the sides of its barrels. Placing the texturing on the top and bottom instead, where you grip the binoculars in use, would have made it more effective. Right now the texturing doesn’t really improve grip significantly.
A note on build quality. Both binoculars feel solidly built. However, I did notice that the focuser wheel on my ZRS felt “scratchy”, whereas the focusers on the Monarch and ED2 were butter-smooth. This really didn’t impair performance, but it would have been nice if it was smoother.
4. Optics
This is a section where people can talk for pages and pages about distortion this and arc-second that. But I’m going to focus on how the two performed in the field.
The bottom line is the ZRS had superior optics, mostly due to its wider field. Both binouculars had great low-light performance, allowing me to see things in the dark that were not visible with my naked eye. Center resolution was also excellent in both bins. Both also had a bit of blurriness at the edges, but the falloff was gradual, and I would say that their performance was quite good.
Both the Monarchs and ZRS HD had a bit of chromatic aberration. Nothing that distracted from functionality, but it’s there if you look for it. CA was almost imperceptible near the center, but got more noticeable towards the edges in both bins.
What I really liked was the wider FOV available from the ZRS. Their FOV is a bit narrower than the ED2, but wider than the Monarch’s. I would estimate it at about 60 degrees AFOV vs. 50 for the Monarch. Because of edge softness, you’re not really going to be viewing things at the edge of the FOV anyway. But what it means is you get a more pleasant, natural view with the ZRS. The Monarch is great if you want to look AT something, but the ZRS’s wider view is more comfortable for scanning the terrain and enjoying the sights.
5. Conclusion
Because it started out much cheaper than the Monarch, the ZRS really only needed to demonstrate non-inferiority to be crowned the winner, which it has done and more. The wider FOV makes the ZRS more fun to use in the field, and the issues I brought up with weight and texture of the rubber are more personal ergonomic things that may or may not apply to everyone else.
So in the end, would I recommend the ZRS HD over the Monarch for someone in the market for a $200-300 8x42 binocular?
Yes. From my personal experience with both binoculars, I believe the Zen-Ray ZRS HD represents a great alternative to the Nikon Monarch.
For full disclosure: The Monarchs were purchased with my own money, but the ZRS HD was a pair lent to me for review by Zen-Ray, which will be returned afterwards. No other interests involved.
1. Introduction
I few weeks ago, I reviewed the Zen-Ray ED2 8x42 against the Nikon Monarch. I basically came down to the conclusion that while the Zens had slightly better optical performance than the Monarchs, their increased weight and size meant I couldn’t definitely say they were the superior binocular. Well, Charles of Zen-Ray read that review, and offered me the opportunity to evaluate their ZRS HD 8x42 to see how it stacks up against the Monarchs. How could I resist?
2. Overview
Comparing the two binoculars side-by-side, I can tell this will be a fun matchup. Both are 8x42 binoculars about the same size, and use the traditional roof prism design. Both are fully-multicoated, phase coated, and have dielectric prisms. But the ZRS has the advantage of being about $80 cheaper than the Monarchs ($200 vs. $280). So from the start, it appears that the ZRS is marketed to be a Monarch-killer. But how does it do really?
3. Ergonomics
Looking at the two, you notice that the ZRS is smaller than the Monarchs. It’s slightly shorter and narrower. This is definitely a compact 8x42 binocular.
And then you pick the ZRS up, and the first thing you notice is that it’s heavy! Well, technically it’s not especially heavy for its class. But its smaller size tricks you into thinking it feels heavier. With both the Monarch and ZRS held at the same time, the extra weight is definitely noticeable. But keep in mind that the Monarchs are considered a very light binocular for its class.
Also when you pick them up, you’ll notice the different rubber material used on the binoculars. The Monarchs have a very soft and grippy rubber coating, while the ZRS feels firmer and slightly more slippery in contrast. Zen-Ray attempts to increase the grip by texturing the barrel. However, they seem to have put it in the wrong spot. The ZRS has texturing on the sides of its barrels. Placing the texturing on the top and bottom instead, where you grip the binoculars in use, would have made it more effective. Right now the texturing doesn’t really improve grip significantly.
A note on build quality. Both binoculars feel solidly built. However, I did notice that the focuser wheel on my ZRS felt “scratchy”, whereas the focusers on the Monarch and ED2 were butter-smooth. This really didn’t impair performance, but it would have been nice if it was smoother.
4. Optics
This is a section where people can talk for pages and pages about distortion this and arc-second that. But I’m going to focus on how the two performed in the field.
The bottom line is the ZRS had superior optics, mostly due to its wider field. Both binouculars had great low-light performance, allowing me to see things in the dark that were not visible with my naked eye. Center resolution was also excellent in both bins. Both also had a bit of blurriness at the edges, but the falloff was gradual, and I would say that their performance was quite good.
Both the Monarchs and ZRS HD had a bit of chromatic aberration. Nothing that distracted from functionality, but it’s there if you look for it. CA was almost imperceptible near the center, but got more noticeable towards the edges in both bins.
What I really liked was the wider FOV available from the ZRS. Their FOV is a bit narrower than the ED2, but wider than the Monarch’s. I would estimate it at about 60 degrees AFOV vs. 50 for the Monarch. Because of edge softness, you’re not really going to be viewing things at the edge of the FOV anyway. But what it means is you get a more pleasant, natural view with the ZRS. The Monarch is great if you want to look AT something, but the ZRS’s wider view is more comfortable for scanning the terrain and enjoying the sights.
5. Conclusion
Because it started out much cheaper than the Monarch, the ZRS really only needed to demonstrate non-inferiority to be crowned the winner, which it has done and more. The wider FOV makes the ZRS more fun to use in the field, and the issues I brought up with weight and texture of the rubber are more personal ergonomic things that may or may not apply to everyone else.
So in the end, would I recommend the ZRS HD over the Monarch for someone in the market for a $200-300 8x42 binocular?
Yes. From my personal experience with both binoculars, I believe the Zen-Ray ZRS HD represents a great alternative to the Nikon Monarch.