Nikon HG 8x30 dissection (3 Viewers)

[dorubird]

In my opinion, Nikon has made a smart move with this HG8x30 being the smallest 8x30 / 32 compared to the Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski models. The binoculars are made in Japan. Below is a detailed personal presentation made of this Nikon Monarch HG 8x30.


Mechanical and constructive aspects



The design is very successful and from my point of view, at least attractive as the Leica design in general. The bridge is metallic without being covered with armor. The simple lines, together with the rubber armor that imitates the leather, give the binoculars a strong retro air. The objective lens cover are attached on the front of binoculars with rings. In the package exists a rubber rings which are put in front of the binoculars when you don't use the lens caps. The lens cover have a same texture that mimics the leather. It is a very attractive binoculars and just looks great. PERFECT



Body size. This is an important aspect for a 8x30 / 32 roof binoculars class.. It is one of the smallest 8x30 binoculars. I am extremely happy with them. It can be seen that it is not much longer than Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x30. Of course, HG doesn't fold as small as Victory, but if these binoculars are carried open, the Nikon HG is not much bigger, but with advantage of his larger lenses. PERFECT
The body of binoculars is made of magnesium alloy, it is light and durable (450g). It is filled with nitrogen and it has a very good 10min in 5m depth water resistance. Outer glass elements are covered by special hydrophobic coatings for easier wiping and keeping clean longer time. PERFECT




Focus wheel has an exact adjustment with firm movements but with a certain softness. Focus is very fast with little more than a full rotation! Very nice to use for birding. One of the best focus systems. PERFECT




The diopter adjustment has a flaw. When you make the adjustment you have to raise up the eyepiece cups one step to pull the lock click up. POOR



Ergonomics and ease of viewing. The eyepieces are very large and comfortable. They have 22mm lenses and 38mm outer rubber cups. It has a 16.2mm eyerelief enough for me with glasses. It is a very comfortable binoculars. I have to extend one position of the eyepiece cups to not have “blackout”. Binocular it is very velvety to the touch and with an excellent grip. PERFECT



Optical performance
Dielectric multilayer coating and phase correction coating are applied to the Schmidt-Pechan prisms. The lenses have ED glass.



The resolution on the center is very good. It has a very high contrast, the image being very crisp. VERY GOOD
The clarity on the edges. Although it has "field flattener" lenses, the resolution does not shine on the edges like a truth "field flattener". It is somewhere at 80%, however not bad considering the wide field of view of 8.3 degrees. GOOD



The light transmission is very good especially for a binoculars with roof prisms and with such a complex optical formula with many eyepiece lenses. The image shows that twinkle given by a good light transmission (Nikon states that it is 92% in the middle of the spectrum) VERY GOOD
White color rendering is excellent. It is a binocular with a natural color balance, with pleasant saturation, the colors being vivid and contrasting. It is really a pair of binoculars for birding! VERY GOOD



Chromatic aberrations are absent in the center but present discreetly and non-intrusive towards the edges. GOOD
Glare resistance is good but in some scenarios, when I look at a tree with the Sun in the background, there is a small light crescent on the lower edge of the FOV, but without diminishing the excellent contrast of the rest of the image! These being said, It is not the most dangerous glare what I saw in other binoculars, where decreases your contrast and saturation and smearing the entire FOV surface. GOOD
I measured the minimum focusing distance and it is 1.7m with comfortable view!!!. It's impressive how close focus can be. PERFECT
3D efect. I measured zero difference between the centers of the eyepieces and the centers of objectives, which explains the weak 3d effect in this roof binoculars. POOR


Conclusion


It is a high-performance binoculars in an extremely compact and resistant body. For me, on the mechanical and ease of viewing side it is a perfect pair of binoculars, except for diopter adjustment issue. It is the binocular with the best quality/size ratio that I will take for bird watching. The optics are very good with a great immersive FOV. It belongs to the category of binoculars with strong colors and striking contrast!
I compared it on the field with my excellent Zeiss Victory 8x25. In the good light there is no difference in the perception of brightness but in poor light conditions HG has the advantage of brightness. Practically Nikon HG 8x30 replaces my compact Victory 8x30 with little better resolution, more contrast and better viewing comfort without increasing in volume by much!

 

[dorubird]

It is a mistake that has been inadvertently perpetuated twice in my above "dissection". I wanted to write Victory 8x"25" instead of Victory 8x "30" but in association with HG 8x30 I wrote wrong just quickly "30" out of inertia. Sorry!

 

[William Lewis]

I really like the look of these, your photos are excellent as well. I've heard mixed reviews of them optically but I think there one of the best looking binoculars around. Field of view sounds very good too. I think in some ways they seem to be reviewed with one eye on them as an edg successor and a downrated accordingly unfortunately.

 

[GrampaTom]

Dorubird,
Nice writeup. Thanks.

Not quite getting this below, could you elaborate, please?
3D efect. I measured zero difference between the centers of the eyepieces and the centers of objectives, which explains the weak 3d effect in this roof binoculars. POOR

G'Tom

 

[dorubird]

GrampaTom,​

thanks!

My interpupillary distance is 65mm. This means that the distance between eyepieces centers is 65mm. But the distance between front lenses (objective lenses) is also 65mm on Nikon HG 8x30. An example of stronger 3d effect in roof bino is Zeiss SF 10x42 whose distance between the centers of the front lenses is 71mm while my interpupillary distance (IPD) is obvious the same 65mm. This 6mm difference increases 3d stereoscopic effect. But porro binoculars have a more pronounced 3d effect as this difference between IPD and front lenses centers is even greater. For example the Nikon E2 has a difference of 130mm (between front lens) - 65mm (IPD) = 65mm

 

[dorubird]

I really like the look of these, your photos are excellent as well. I've heard mixed reviews of them optically but I think there one of the best looking binoculars around. Field of view sounds very good too. I think in some ways they seem to be reviewed with one eye on them as an edg successor and a downrated accordingly unfortunately.

Thanks!
Yes that's why HG 8x30 is very underestimated

 

[Felixtheelix]

Even the new M7 8x30 are so good. I own the HG 8x42 and wanted to like the HG 8x30 but sadly I couldn’t get a pleasant view without blackouts. Now that the new M7 8x30 we’re out I tried them and can’t be happier. Perfect view, nice and sharp and not a lot to give up compared to the HG 8x42, especially for about 350€. I‘m really looking forward to the recently announced M7+ 8x30.

 

[pbjosh]

Aside from your comments on 3D effect (irrelevant to me and inherently lacking in compact roof bins), I agree completely with your assessment. The diopter is not perfect but functions and won't bother unless you need to adjust it frequently. Beyond that, the optical performance is excellent for the price, the colors are pleasing, the FOV is very good. The ergonomics, appearance, and compact size are as good as it gets in my opinion.

They are still my most used binoculars, going with me on my bike or in my backpack several times / week. I do have better full sized bins, so I don't take the little MHGs on hardcore birding trips, but I really enjoy using them every time I do.

 

[dorubird]

pbjosh,
For a while now, since I have Zeiss SF 10x42, I've been paying attention to the look and feel of 3d in roof bino. This is because I noticed that there are roof binoculars that have this more pronounced 3d effect than others. It's true not by much. But see my example from post # 5 of the Zeiss SF 10x42, one of the ROOF binoculars with the best 3d effect, that still reminds a LITTLE BIT of the 3d effect from porro. Another interesting example is the Nikon HGL 8x32 which has a longer interpupillary distance of approx. 2mm than the objectives lens distance (a discret reverse porro shape), resulting a poorer 3d effect with more flatter image.
So, all roof binoculars have a 3d effect because we look with two eyes, but some have pronounced it more than others.

 

[Trinovid]

Nikon has made a smart move with this HG8x30 being the smallest 8x30 / 32 compared to the Leica...

I'd love to hear a comparison with the 8x32 Ultravid to see if I might replace mine with an HG 8x30.

 

[MiddleRiver]

I can speak to the HG's compared to UV8x42HD+. The UV may be a little better and of course they are much brighter in dim light. But the HG's have a wider field and form-factor/weight of course are hugely different (making the HG's much more desireable for EDC). Tho my wife has adopted them, every time I sneak a peek I continue to be VERY impressed.

But yes, comparison to 8x32UV's would be very interesting!

 

[dorubird]

Smaller than a wine glass

 

[Scott98]

nice....it's going to be a long wait until that tax-free sale at the local shop in September....my New Year's resolution is to wait until them...we'll see how it goes

 

[fazalmajid]

I'd be interested in how the upcoming Zeiss SFL 8x30 compare. The size comparison with the Zeiss 8x25 is remarkable.

 

[A2GG]

I'd love to hear a comparison with the 8x32 Ultravid to see if I might replace mine with an HG 8x30.

I compared them a couple of years ago:

Nikon MHG 8x30 vs Leica Ultravid HD+ 8x32

Recently, I acquired a 'refurbished' HG 8x30 direct from Nikon for a great price. I also ordered a 'used' Ultravid HD+ 8x32 to compare with the Nikon. I wanted to select one of these as my primary birding binocular and keep my 1st gen Swarovski CL 8x30 as my backup bino. I returned the Ultravid...

www.birdforum.net

 

[A2GG]

I compared them a couple of years ago:

Nikon MHG 8x30 vs Leica Ultravid HD+ 8x32

Recently, I acquired a 'refurbished' HG 8x30 direct from Nikon for a great price. I also ordered a 'used' Ultravid HD+ 8x32 to compare with the Nikon. I wanted to select one of these as my primary birding binocular and keep my 1st gen Swarovski CL 8x30 as my backup bino. I returned the Ultravid...

www.birdforum.net

one thing I didn't really touch on in my old review is the build quality; Leica is much better here which should be no surprise.

If you don't want to sift through that whole thread here's my opinion in a nutshell:

Ultravid optics are overall better except for narrower FOV. I really love the Ultravid HD+ image.
Ultravid build quality, design and mechanical operation are much better IMO.
Eye relief and ease of view with eyeglasses (and even without eyeglasses) is much better in the Nikon.

I would take the Ultravid HD+ 8x32 over the MHG 8x30 if the eye relief was enough. It just didn't work for me wearing my eyeglasses.

 

[lmans66]

The progression of casual reviews upon the Nikon Monarch MHG seems to have changed greatly from the early years of when the MHG was first put on retail. Now, as I read reviews, just about everyone loves the MHG, but not so early on. Earlier, people complained about much, and I am not saying that what they complained about was not valid, but I am saying that the overall appeal of the MHG has become more 'positive to purchase'. Anyone else pick up on this?

I remember during the COVID years when I was looking for the perfect 8x32/30, It was hard to find someone who suggested the MHG was really worth buying. Quite a change....

 

[A2GG]

I think Allbinos didn’t help in the beginning with a mediocre review of the MHG 8x30.

 

[pbjosh]

I remember during the COVID years when I was looking for the perfect 8x32/30, It was hard to find someone who suggested the MHG was really worth buying. Quite a change....

I am not as die-hard here in this forum so you might have a better memory than I do or have paid more attention. Not trying to be snarky or harp on anyone (truly), but I only remember a few vocal critics and a bit of repetitive quoting of the Allbinos review.

I've had an 8x30 MHG since Sept 2018 and remain a fan. I've said as so here a few times over the years but try not to beat any drums. That's my N=1 contribution. I don't think that you can really rely on any one site for binocular evaluations, or that one person's or site's opinion can tell you what you should think / will find. The best birders I know mostly have 10-20 year old bins and despite me having a nice new pair of SFs, I don't have their field skills, and the field skills make all the difference ultimately. Almost none of us are held back by our bins while birding, so might as well use what you really like and not what the internet tells you to

In my experience, the MHG is not the best bin I own but it's a great all around package and is the bin I carry for all my local birding and a good bit around Europe, but not on more serious trips. So, for instance I just spend 10 weeks in Asia with a Zeiss SF, but today went for a bitterly cold and snowy hike and took the MHG and it performed just great, as always. I don't find the build / focus quality quite as far behind alphas as Beth perhaps does, I think it's pretty good and mine is holding up really well despite a ton of use (ie, anodizing/metal parts maintaining color, armor not peeling or patina-ing, eyecups and focuser still flawless). The optics are really quite good but also noticeably not quite as good as EL/NL/SF. In my quick look at the SFLs, the optics struck me as closer to alpha level than to MHG level.

At some point here, with not a lot of birding to do in the current mid winter doldrums, I want to go to the local retailer and have a long gander at the 10x40 and 8x30 SFLs and compare them to the 8x30MHG and a couple of alphas. I might well end up selling the MHG or a bigger bin, or I might just keep what I have. I have no complaints with my current lineup, but the SFLs do look extremely tempting and the views I've had through them so far have been brilliant.

 

[lmans66]

I too feel that Albino's was pretty instrumental in the critical view on the MHG. Too bad....for I have always stated that Albino's simply looks at the technical aspect and they do so in a laboratory setting I bet. Thus, a review from them, will carry weight by some, (who love Albino's) and by others who don't know better, will stumble upon Albino's and think a negative of the MHG.

I for one, decided at that time a few years back to actually go ahead and purchase the MHG. Only after half a year of using, did I decide I didn't like it due to the small size and weight. It simply felt like a toy. (Now this general impression is what I am placing upon the Zeiss SFL as well).

Regardless, that was my personal decision but initially I 'read thru' Albino's and negated their impression/data/ as being worthless to me in the field.