[zone8848]

hi, this is my first post. having bought two Nikon 8x42 monarchs, one sporter 8x36, some compacts including sportlite 10x25, travelite 8x25, 9x25, sprite III 8x21, I got to say in the end i only kept the travelite 8x25,sold all the others, though i'm not quite satisfied with this one either, but it's cheap and disposable with good image.

the monarch binoculars have quality control issue, on the first glance, they seem quite impressive, but after you use them a little longer, you will notice problems here and there, it's funny that each pair have different flaws. the only one I'm partialy satisfied is the sporter 8x36, a refurblished pair, maybe becos it's refurblished, the optic quality got readjusted, I didn't get headache while using the sporter, but the sporter is heavy, the rubber armor is easy to get scratched even by fingernails.

the reason I kept the travelite in the end is becos it's relatively light and robust, thought the FOV is only 5.6, the image is so far so good, I use them to watch birds in the yard, or butterfly.

planning to invest the Minox 8x32 BD BR, this pair has the highest FOV 7.6 degree, eyerelief 15mm, not too long & not too short for glasses wearer like me. and it's not too expensive, haven't got enough review on this pair but I guess Minox doesn't have the quality control issue, worth a try.

I have to admit that i'm a binocularholic, though I watch birds, I just watch them, don't care their names or habbit, I just like to watch their movement and feather, I also watch other small animals like squirrels and cats.

[Tero]

This issue comes up on and off. I have not had problems with Sporter or Monarch, mine were both pretty much as I expected. I used the Sporters in rain in Iceland, no problems.

But as there is some doubt, I would then recommend getting any of these under 500 Monarchs/Nikons either in a store where you check out the pair or a reputable mail order place.

The question with the Monarchs becomes what similar priced pair does one buy instead? There are a number of 8x and 10x models from a number of suppliers for under $400 here.

If you expect binoculars to stay perfect 5-10 years, that may be a lot to ask for this class. If they actually fall apart, contact Nikon.

[elkcub]

Yikes, if you're talking about $500 USD, or equivalent, there are many excellent bins. My favorite for performance and durability is the Swift Audubon 8.5x44 HHS. Sells for about $300±25 here. Quality control is excellent. Made in Japan.

Everybody's got their own suggestion, I'm sure, but why be hooked on lower level Nikons?

Ed

[horukuru]

my monarch has the problem with the rubber twisted eyecup not tight enough ...

[Noah's dove]

My only experience with Nikon in binoculars is with a pair of 9x25 Travelite bought on fleabay.They were listed as new but when they arrived the rubber armour was peeling off and even when held back down it did not fit evenly ,leaving an unsightly gap compared with the other side,they have been returned,all I have to do now is convince the seller that this means he now sends the money I paid back to me, slow progress, but with some patience and education on basic buying and selling I hope to add another person to the world economy who can trade without starting world war 3. As for optical quality I was not bowled over with the Nikon and I expected to be as some guys on here have posted glowing reports,you just wonder what else they have looked through.
This week I went to buy a pair of Trinovid 8x20BCA and whilst in the shop picked up a pair of Opticron Taiga 8x25 which were £84.99 as against £269.99 for the Leica, and the difference ??, well I looked and looked and I studied as hard as I could but there was no way in this world that there was £185 worth of difference,I had built myself up so much to getting the Leica's but for the life of me I could not have walked out of that shop with out being very troubled if I had bought the Leica's.
I also had the oppurtunity this week to look through a pair of Nikon Action 8x40,again I was not bowled over and when I gave the owner a look through what I had with me,the new Bushnell Trophy 8x27 he was ill when he saw the quality for the price.
I am a long time fan of Nikon in photography but in the budget section of the binocular market they do not stand out.There are so called budget binoculars available which make the top end stuff difficult to justify and many is the thread on here where you can read people trying to do that,splitting hairs or splitting split hairs, Trinovid against Ultravid is the classic example, oh well time to take cover!!!

[Tero]

I have similar experiences with lower end Bushnells. Surprisingly, the cheap Bushnell reverse porro zooms, with the narrow FOV, still are a favorite. I only zoom between about 7x and 9x, the 15x is useless. All my other beginner bins are collecting dust.

[FrankD]

I believe myself to be a relatively large fan of Nikon optics. I own several of their "low end" (is a $300 bin really low end?) bins and find them to be quite good and better in some cases than bins costing several times their price. As mentioned though the quality control issue seems to be spotty. I have owned Nikons that were optically excellent and frustratingly filled with flaws. As always, walk out of the store with the pair you are happy with.

[scampo]

Originally Posted by zone8848

hi, this is my first post. having bought two Nikon 8x42 monarchs, one sporter 8x36, some compacts including sportlite 10x25, travelite 8x25, 9x25, sprite III 8x21, I got to say in the end i only kept the travelite 8x25,sold all the others, though i'm not quite satisfied with this one either, but it's cheap and disposable with good image.

the monarch binoculars have quality control issue, on the first glance, they seem quite impressive, but after you use them a little longer, you will notice problems here and there, it's funny that each pair have different flaws. the only one I'm partialy satisfied is the sporter 8x36, a refurblished pair, maybe becos it's refurblished, the optic quality got readjusted, I didn't get headache while using the sporter, but the sporter is heavy, the rubber armor is easy to get scratched even by fingernails.

the reason I kept the travelite in the end is becos it's relatively light and robust, thought the FOV is only 5.6, the image is so far so good, I use them to watch birds in the yard, or butterfly.

planning to invest the Minox 8x32 BD BR, this pair has the highest FOV 7.6 degree, eyerelief 15mm, not too long & not too short for glasses wearer like me. and it's not too expensive, haven't got enough review on this pair but I guess Minox doesn't have the quality control issue, worth a try.

I have to admit that i'm a binocularholic, though I watch birds, I just watch them, don't care their names or habbit, I just like to watch their movement and feather, I also watch other small animals like squirrels and cats.

Nikon optics are all fully guaranteed and Nikon UK are excellent at ensuring all is well with their products. My wife had a pair of 8x36 Sporters for years - they were top class for the price. My son has 10x32HG and my brother owns 8x42HG - both pairs are utterly beyond criticism.

My son also owns the ED82 scope and I have the ED50 - again, faultless optics and superb mechanics. A top local birder chose Nikon over other top makes - and for good reason.

I would doubt that Minox offer anything better - but it sounds as if you have been very unlucky.

[Henry B]

No problems here with the Sporters 8x or HGs 10x32.

[Otto McDiesel]

Where is Dennis to tell you that his Monarch is as good as anything out there.

[scampo]

Originally Posted by Luca

Where is Dennis to tell you that his Monarch is as good as anything out there.

Isn't the Monarch the US name for the HGs? If it is there is little to compare with them!

[scampo]

Originally Posted by Luca

Where is Dennis to tell you that his Monarch is as good as anything out there.

Another "Inactivity Timeout" while trying to post to this site. I'm not having much luck today!

Here was my post:

Isn't the Monarch the US name for the HGs? If it is there is little to compare with them!

[Otto McDiesel]

Originally Posted by scampo

Another "Inactivity Timeout" while trying to post to this site. I'm not having much luck today!

Here was my post:

Isn't the Monarch the US name for the HGs? If it is there is little to compare with them!

Nope. The Monarch is the $300 one, the HG is the $1200 one.

[Otto McDiesel]

Originally Posted by FrankD

I believe myself to be a relatively large fan of Nikon optics. I own several of their "low end" (is a $300 bin really low end?) bins and find them to be quite good and better in some cases than bins costing several times their price.

I think the same. If $300 is what you have, get a Nikon, but there may be quality control issues. No, $300 is not a low end binocular. You can feed a Somali village for a month for $300.
Low end binoculars are $50 and less. The 7x35 Nikon, at $55, is quite good.

[scampo]

Originally Posted by Luca

Nope. The Monarch is the $300 one, the HG is the $1200 one.

Whoops! Thanks for enlightening me, Luca. I'm sure there must be a difference!

[denco@comcast.n]

Originally Posted by zone8848

hi, this is my first post. having bought two Nikon 8x42 monarchs, one sporter 8x36, some compacts including sportlite 10x25, travelite 8x25, 9x25, sprite III 8x21, I got to say in the end i only kept the travelite 8x25,sold all the others, though i'm not quite satisfied with this one either, but it's cheap and disposable with good image.

the monarch binoculars have quality control issue, on the first glance, they seem quite impressive, but after you use them a little longer, you will notice problems here and there, it's funny that each pair have different flaws. the only one I'm partialy satisfied is the sporter 8x36, a refurblished pair, maybe becos it's refurblished, the optic quality got readjusted, I didn't get headache while using the sporter, but the sporter is heavy, the rubber armor is easy to get scratched even by fingernails.

the reason I kept the travelite in the end is becos it's relatively light and robust, thought the FOV is only 5.6, the image is so far so good, I use them to watch birds in the yard, or butterfly.

planning to invest the Minox 8x32 BD BR, this pair has the highest FOV 7.6 degree, eyerelief 15mm, not too long & not too short for glasses wearer like me. and it's not too expensive, haven't got enough review on this pair but I guess Minox doesn't have the quality control issue, worth a try.

I have to admit that i'm a binocularholic, though I watch birds, I just watch them, don't care their names or habbit, I just like to watch their movement and feather, I also watch other small animals like squirrels and cats.

I was just wondering what flaws specifically you have had with the monarchs? Any optical flaws?

Dennis

[denco@comcast.n]

Originally Posted by zone8848

hi, this is my first post. having bought two Nikon 8x42 monarchs, one sporter 8x36, some compacts including sportlite 10x25, travelite 8x25, 9x25, sprite III 8x21, I got to say in the end i only kept the travelite 8x25,sold all the others, though i'm not quite satisfied with this one either, but it's cheap and disposable with good image.

the monarch binoculars have quality control issue, on the first glance, they seem quite impressive, but after you use them a little longer, you will notice problems here and there, it's funny that each pair have different flaws. the only one I'm partialy satisfied is the sporter 8x36, a refurblished pair, maybe becos it's refurblished, the optic quality got readjusted, I didn't get headache while using the sporter, but the sporter is heavy, the rubber armor is easy to get scratched even by fingernails.

the reason I kept the travelite in the end is becos it's relatively light and robust, thought the FOV is only 5.6, the image is so far so good, I use them to watch birds in the yard, or butterfly.

planning to invest the Minox 8x32 BD BR, this pair has the highest FOV 7.6 degree, eyerelief 15mm, not too long & not too short for glasses wearer like me. and it's not too expensive, haven't got enough review on this pair but I guess Minox doesn't have the quality control issue, worth a try.

I have to admit that i'm a binocularholic, though I watch birds, I just watch them, don't care their names or habbit, I just like to watch their movement and feather, I also watch other small animals like squirrels and cats.

I have had a few pair Of Nikon Monarchs and I do not recommend buying them mailorder because they have a lot of Quality Control issues but rather going into the store because you need to go through several pair to select the ones you want to buy.
First off check the focus. Make sure it is smooth, even and not too tight or loose. Many of them focus too tight or too loose or will have an uneven feel to the focus. Try several too compare. Get one with the focus on the looser side.
Next check how the eyepiece cups rotate. Are they too loose? Make sure they come all the way out and LOCK. You will hear an audible click when they reach the end of their travel and they lock in at the end. Some of them are too loose or they will NOT lock in. This means when you put your eye up to them you could push them in further. Also, check that the IP adjustment(Distance between your eyes) is not to loose or not too tight. Some are too tight and some are too loose.
Optically I have never noticed any problems but check the alignment and optics just to be sure anyway. Look at the glass surfaces to make sure there are no scratches and the coatings have not flaked off in spots. Look inside the tubes to be sure there is nothing loose inside the binoculars. Again I feel this is not a big problem area but check it anyway.
If you find a pair that looks good in these areas buy them. They are one of the best binoculars you can get for the price.

Dennis

[zone8848]

Originally Posted by denco@comcast.n

I was just wondering what flaws specifically you have had with the monarchs? Any optical flaws?

Dennis

physicly they are good, basicly the flaws are optical, the images are a little different in the two barrels, eighter different brightness or the clear area are not the same, which causes eye strain after long time use. at first you won't notice it, even at store, only after a little longer time with them, your headache is telling you something is wrong.

Nikon produces excellent optics, only if they hire some serious quality control staff, or maybe the quality is so unstable that they can't just readjust every pair of them, the final solution then becomes: ignore and put them on the market.

[Swedpat]

zone8848,

At budget binoculars there are some examples there I have seen a noticable difference of the image quality between the left and right ocular. It's sad that you have experienced this at such a quality instrument as the Nikon Monarch. It's undoubtedly a sign of a faulty quality control.

Patric

[Curtis Croulet]

The Monarchs are made in China. Nikon probably just accepts whatever comes out of the factory.

[Swedpat]

Curtis,

Unfortunately it seems to be the same with the other japanese brands who have moved their production to China. The problem is of ocurse not the production in China, but the lack of quality control.

Patric