New binoculars (1 Viewer)

Hi all
Sorry for the newbie question you have been asked many times before but iam looking at Bins at entry level.

Budget is flexible but not top end. Just want decent all rounders. I have gleaned the following mainly from comments on here. Settled on 8x42 as seems to be the standard for nature watching. I like the idea of roofs over Porro. I think waterproof and fog free are a must. I understand that coatings are important but don't understand it.

I have considered nikon monarch but iam a little confused as there seems to be about 4 or 5 models for sale at the minute. And the price is from 159 to nearly 500. Also whats DCF.

I have seen excellent right ups on the bushnells for the price. Seeing excursions for around a 100.

I also read a thread saying hawks I think frontiers where brilliant for the price.

So good budget set that gives me the best I can get for the money. I don't mind preowned as it's twiCe the glass for the money.

Thanks so much for any replies must get very tedious for those in the know

Cheers

John

John,

Welcome to the forum.

I think we all appreciate how confusing binoculars can be with dozens of brands and hundreds of models and all the technical aspect we tend to chat about here.

I wouldn't take much notice of those letters. In that case it stands for something, often it doesn't. DCF or Dach Centre Focus. Dach is German for roof.

I'd agree the Nikon Monarch series is confusing as well. The current '3' is very basic on the coatings and I'd skip it if you can. I actually much prefer their Prostaff 7 though it's physically quite a bit bigger. The Monarch 5 has all the good coatings and ED glass to cut down colour fringing. The 7 has the wide view. You might also see some older models like the MkIII or the Monarch X at good prices. The MkIII was somewhere between the current 3 and 5 on specification. I don't think we've had many comments on the X on the forum, but I know at least one member is rather keen on the 8.5x45 which is being heavily discounted I'm told.

The Hawke Frontier ED has been a very popular model. There are almost identical models from a number of other companies. Currently the Vanguard Endeavour ED and cheaper Spirit ED are definitely worth a look. It looks like these are going to be up-dated soon. Opticron has something to suite most budgets so have a look at those as well.

Rather than confuse you further with a long list of options, I strongly urge you to get down a shop and try some. We all differ in what we like and dislike and the only way to figure out what suits you is try them.

David

Hi David
Thanks for that, it was some of your comments from years ago that i have been narrowing things down.

Cheers

John

Hi again
Right so setting my stall out between vanguard endeavours and monarch x

Same money similar spec.

One thing forgot to mention is eye relief , iam blessed with 2020 vision but my wife wears glasses and would be nice to share.

Is either better on this .

Cheers

John

Clarko said:

eye relief

Click to expand...

NMX 20.6 mm

Vanguard Endeavor ED 19.0 mm

The Vanguard Endeavor ED gives more rapid focusing, and much better objective and eyepiece covers. There is a slight benefit in a marginally wider FOV but probably no benefit in the ED glass in the Vanguard Endeavor ED .

The Vanguard Endeavor ED II will have much better glass but is bound to be more expensive.

The Nikon will have a bigger sweet spot and better edge to edge definition.

You may end up buying both ...

Clarko said:

Hi all
Sorry for the newbie question you have been asked many times before but iam looking at Bins at entry level.

Budget is flexible but not top end. Just want decent all rounders. I have gleaned the following mainly from comments on here. Settled on 8x42 as seems to be the standard for nature watching. I like the idea of roofs over Porro. I think waterproof and fog free are a must. I understand that coatings are important but don't understand it.

I have considered nikon monarch but iam a little confused as there seems to be about 4 or 5 models for sale at the minute. And the price is from 159 to nearly 500. Also whats DCF.

I have seen excellent right ups on the bushnells for the price. Seeing excursions for around a 100.

I also read a thread saying hawks I think frontiers where brilliant for the price.

So good budget set that gives me the best I can get for the money. I don't mind preowned as it's twiCe the glass for the money.

Thanks so much for any replies must get very tedious for those in the know

Cheers

John

Click to expand...

Hi John:

You are fortunate to be asking questions here. A number of binocular forums are full of “experts” . . . who aren’t. Quite often the newbie learns this AFTER spending his money.

Sometime ago, I created a monograph—De-MYTH-Tifying Binoculars—to address some of the most common misconceptions newbies have.

I have been away from this site for some time, and I don’t see a way to send an attachment. But, if you send me your email address, I will send it to you. I think it will answer some of your questions and point out some things to watch out for.

In decades of optical work, I have heard and read tons of Blarney!

My email address is < wjc1111 'AT' hotmail.com >

Cheers, |=)|

Bill

Hi
Sorry

I can't decide have decided on Nikon
Having done a bit of photography trust the
Brand.

But there is a strong argument for the monarch x
As it's a great deal

But can't get my head round that 5 s give me
Ed for less money.

Seems like more for less or is that to simplistic

Cheers

Johm

It's all too easy to make assumptions when researching or making bino purchases and it can affect us all to a lesser or greater extent.

Just recently a member here bought the NM5 8x42 and only on using it found that it had a 'comparatively' narrow FOV not too his liking, and that is in spite of the FOV being given in the specifications for the model.

It's worth pointing out again that the FOV on the Nikon Monarch 8x42 has remained unchanged for years until the recent introduction of the wider viewed NM7.

Today in correspondence with another member I made a rash assumption that a bino that interested me would have the long ER I look for simply by virtue of its manufacture by a brand that makes long ER bins ; not so and if I had read the specs first I wouldn't have made that most basic of mistakes.

The moral, if there is one, is to compare the specifications before making decisions. The basic information is generally all in the specs.

In our northern climes we experience comparatively low levels of light intensity throughout the year and for the money I would also throw in the Opticron Imagic BGA SE 7x42 as an option. Good value there if you look around.

"The moral, if there is one, is to compare the specifications before making decisions. The basic information is generally all in the specs."

There are good optics and there are cheap optics, but there are no GOOD CHEAP optics-- (the late) Leif Robinson, Sky & Telescope

Bill,

Rule No.1 : "value is what you think it is".

We all cut our cloth according to our means.

Samandag said:

Bill,

Rule No.1 : "value is what you think it is".

We all cut our cloth according to our means.

Click to expand...

Carve that in stone; it’s absolutely true.

Many people, however, will buy a sow’s ear and tout it as if it’s the silk purse, simply because they can’t (or won’t) afford the silk purse. Justifying one’s purchase is a normal human trait. But, calling a dog a cat makes the creature no less a dog.

“We all cut our cloth according to our means.”

It took me years to understand that. When I was playing bass guitar, I HAD to have what I considered the “best!” Being a Beatles fan, that included four 4001 Rickenbacker basses, three Hofner 500s, and two Fender Jazz Basses.

Today, just playing bass to accompany my wife on the piano, I play a Fender SQUIRE Jazz Bass. As a young man, I wouldn’t be caught dead playing that . . . “thing.”

Growing older, I learned how the world works. Fender realized they priced themselves out of the competition. So, the Jazz Bass needed a new name and country of origin.

The Squire LOOKS like a Jazz Bass
FEELS like a Jazz Bass
SOUNDS like a Jazz Bass

And costs $1,000 less than the “Real Thing.”

The only caveat to this would be that while prices on good instruments are coming down, there is still a lot of junk out there.

Good advertising need to be accurate or even meaningful; IT ONLY HAS TO BE BELIEVED!

Cheers, |:d|

Bill

I have considered nikon monarch but iam a little confused as there seems to be about 4 or 5 models for sale at the minute. And the price is from 159 to nearly 500. Also whats DCF.

Click to expand...

All the Monarchs are confuding, but here is a point of reference:

I was seeing what roof binoculars could equal or better the view through
Leupold Yosemite 8x30s (porros) at the store, and no roofs approached the
contrast of the Yosemites...until the Nikon Monarch 8x42s. Those just
blew away the others for contrast, and edged past the Yosemites. They
were a little sharper, too. I respect the Monarch 5 as a distinct jump in
performance, especially over other roofs. I'm not princely enough to see
the M5-M7 improvement. ;-)