Nikon Monarch M7 vs Oberwerk, have been hearing so many opinions (1 Viewer)

[Universe93B]

I'm a newbie to using quality binoculars for bird watching (been using old toy-like things!) I've already asked on CloudyNights so wanted to see if any bird watchers here had any opinions. I did a search on this forum as well but was still wondering. I do have some experience with Oberwerk - I like stargazing and astronomy so I do have the Oberwerk BT-100 binocular telescope and it is superb!

How would you compare the Nikon M7 8x42 vs the Oberwerk Sport HD II 8x42? I think the M7 has a higher FOV but what about the rest, clarity and quality? The recommendations I've received is that the Oberwerk will match the quality of the M7 for half the price. Some even kept bringing up the made in China of the M7 vs the made in Japan of the Nikon HG.

This binocular would be doing the double-duty of low light bird watching and stargazing. I'm kind of leaning towards the Nikon M7 for now, but it's always nice to have extra money for the next gadget. Thanks for suggestions/comments.

8×42, 10×42 Sport HD II - Oberwerk

In stock.

oberwerk.com

 

[Paultricounty]

I'm a newbie to using quality binoculars for bird watching (been using old toy-like things!) I've already asked on CloudyNights so wanted to see if any bird watchers here had any opinions. I did a search on this forum as well but was still wondering. I do have some experience with Oberwerk - I like stargazing and astronomy so I do have the Oberwerk BT-100 binocular telescope and it is superb!

How would you compare the Nikon M7 8x42 vs the Oberwerk Sport HD II 8x42? I think the M7 has a higher FOV but what about the rest, clarity and quality? The recommendations I've received is that the Oberwerk will match the quality of the M7 for half the price. Some even kept bringing up the made in China of the M7 vs the made in Japan of the Nikon HG.

This binocular would be doing the double-duty of low light bird watching and stargazing. I'm kind of leaning towards the Nikon M7 for now, but it's always nice to have extra money for the next gadget. Thanks for suggestions/comments.

8×42, 10×42 Sport HD II - Oberwerk

In stock.

oberwerk.com

Welcome to BF.

Fisrt thing , be prepared for more suggestions than you were expecting 🤣.

M7 good binoculars, HG exceptional binoculars. Either one is a good all around binocular. I might consider something a little different if I was using more for low light and astronomy , there are better choices. Consider a 50 or 56mm. In the HG price range, first thing that came to mind , I’d the GPO passion 8x56 or 10x56.

Good luck

Paul

 

[dries1]

If I went the Oberwerk route I would pick these below. I have the Monarch 7, 8/10X42, the older version, but I hear the new version M7 has an increased FOV of near 7 degrees up from 6.6 degrees in the 10X42.
Good luck with your choice.

8×42,10×42 Sport ED

In stock. Normally ships in 1 day.

oberwerk.com

 

[yarrellii]

I had the Monarch 7 in 8x30 and 42, and found I preferred the smaller format, the larger seemed to have a bit more chromatic aberration and overall didn't seem to give a huge improvement over the small and really light 8x30 (other than improving the poor glare/resistance of the 8x30). The Monarch 7 have been renowned for years for being a really good middle point in terms of value. I can't speak about the Oberwerk (however, since Oberwerk solds third party binoculars, I wouldn't be surprised if you found a twin/sibling of the Oberwerk being sold under another badge, especially over here in Europe).

I have two remarks. The first one is regarding the price. I don't know the rationale behind your choice for the Oberwerk and the Nikon, because they have distinctly different price tags, the Oberwerk 230 $ and the M7 around 480 $. As you see, the Nikon costs actually double the price of the Oberwerk, it is only to be expected that its performance will be superior. Hence, my recommendation would be to define a budget, with a clear limit, and stick to it, looking for alternatives among the catalogues of the different brands. It's just an idea.

My second remark is also about defining the wanted characteristics. This time, talking about your intended use, which for me is the first and foremost criterium for leaning towards any certain model. You say that «This binocular would be doing the double-duty of low light bird watching and stargazing». While 8x42 is the jack-of-all-trades of binoculars, you'd probably want to check something with larger aperture, just like @Paultricounty suggests. Going down the 50 or 56 mm route can improve the low light performance, but also add unwanted weight/bulk. If you stick to the 200-something mark, I really like the Vortex Diamondback HD 10x50. No, it's not the best binocular in the world (nor is it intended to be, with its contained price), but it offers a reasonably well put together device that gives you 50 mm in less than 30 oz (840 g, which is 10x42 territory) and is backed by a great warranty should you get a defective unit. Just a suggestion.

 

[Paultricounty]

Or even the Viper in 50mm, can be had for close to the same price as M7 42 , and a nice step up from Diamondback. I have to say the 8x42 Diamondback surprised the heck out of me for $200, new. The fall off is large , but the center image is really nice, again for 200 bucks.

And if you have an issue with them , Vortex will send you a new one before you send in the damaged one, at least they did for me twice. It is a little bit hit or miss at this price range with Vortex though.

Paul

 

[Universe93B]

Thanks! Exactly the kind of suggestions I was looking for. and yes, dries1, I should have compared the Nikon M7s with the Oberwerk Sport EDs instead of the link you gave me. Some models in this thread that I will research. Researching and reading others' opinions is a big part of the fun here.

 

[Universe93B]

Doing some more reading and research, but it’s been hard for me to do a trial of binoculars at night. But I’m already falling into the trap (hobby!) of wanting to own more than 1!

I’m thinking, Astronomy friendly binoculars and my bird watching binoculars. Yeah, 8x42 is the all around one, but like others said, 10x50 seems to be the sweet spot for Astronomy.

How about this idea which will take much more saving money:

Bird watching: Nikon M7 or HG

Astronomy: GPO passion 10x50, vortex razor 10x50 or Canon 15x50 IS

 

[Paultricounty]

Doing some more reading and research, but it’s been hard for me to do a trial of binoculars at night. But I’m already falling into the trap (hobby!) of wanting to own more than 1!

I’m thinking, Astronomy friendly binoculars and my bird watching binoculars. Yeah, 8x42 is the all around one, but like others said, 10x50 seems to be the sweet spot for Astronomy.

How about this idea which will take much more saving money:

Bird watching: Nikon M7 or HG

Astronomy: GPO passion 10x50, vortex razor 10x50 or Canon 15x50 IS

I like it! But GPO 10x56 , better with AK prisms.

Paul

 

[yarrellii]

How about this idea which will take much more saving money:

Bird watching: Nikon M7 or HG

Astronomy: GPO passion 10x50, vortex razor 10x50 or Canon 15x50 IS

Well, as you said... it will take much more saving money
As with any other tool, it is obvious that choosing any model as an "only" model is accepting a series of compromises. Take cars, for example (but you could this with knifes, bicycles, computers and almost any tool). If you have to choose a single and unique car to do it all, then it would have to be good to:

• Take all the members of your family (and some friends)
• Have a good boot for going on holidays
• Be fast and comfortable on the motorway but also be a little capable if you want to tackle some paths (ideally with all-weather tyres)
• Have a low consumption
• Be small to park it easily

Some of those are hard to reconcile, and most people do the best they can favouring some of these ideas depending on their circumstances. Obviously, in an ideal world (were there would be endless resources and space, cars would not pollute the world, etc.) it would be great to have:

• A small hatchback for easy parking
• A large station wagon for carrying a lot of stuff
• A 4x4 for going off road or on difficult circumstances (snow, mud, etc.).
• etc.

Same with binoculars. Luckily, binoculars are cheaper and probably having 3 binoculars doesn't have the same impact as having 3 cars. So your suggestion looks very nice. If forced to choose 2 models, I'd chose two distinctly different formats, say a capable 8x30/32 for birding and a nice 10x50 for astronomy (and also long range and low light birding).

 

[Paultricounty]

Well, as you said... it will take much more saving money
As with any other tool, it is obvious that choosing any model as an "only" model is accepting a series of compromises. Take cars, for example (but you could this with knifes, bicycles, computers and almost any tool). If you have to choose a single and unique car to do it all, then it would have to be good to:

• Take all the members of your family (and some friends)
• Have a good boot for going on holidays
• Be fast and comfortable on the motorway but also be a little capable if you want to tackle some paths (ideally with all-weather tyres)
• Have a low consumption
• Be small to park it easily

Some of those are hard to reconcile, and most people do the best they can favouring some of these ideas depending on their circumstances. Obviously, in an ideal world (were there would be endless resources and space, cars would not pollute the world, etc.) it would be great to have:

• A small hatchback for easy parking
• A large station wagon for carrying a lot of stuff
• A 4x4 for going off road or on difficult circumstances (snow, mud, etc.).
• etc.

Same with binoculars. Luckily, binoculars are cheaper and probably having 3 binoculars doesn't have the same impact as having 3 cars. So your suggestion looks very nice. If forced to choose 2 models, I'd chose two distinctly different formats, say a capable 8x30/32 for birding and a nice 10x50 for astronomy (and also long range and low light birding).

A station wagon ? 😂😂. I haven’t heard that term for about two decades. I think your showing your age there a bit. ✌🏼🙏🏼

I have to ad a few tweaks here, if you don’t mind.

A Porche or Lambo , and let the valet park it.
A stretch SUV limo for all the stuff and friends.
A Hummer for the off roading.

Oh and a station wagon for childhood memories and nostalgia.

And I agree with everything else Yarrellii said concerning binoculars.


Paul

 

[Binocollector]

Just a few thoughts concerning astronomy (which is my main use for binoculars).
I often prefer a bino with large exit pupil for that purpose (the only case where I wouldn't use one of those is when suffering under serious light pollution). My favourite sizes are 7x50, 9x63 (too bad that size went out of fashion) and 10x56. And a nice little thing is the "starfield bino" in 2x54 with 36° FoV.
Absolute best bang for the buck I bought so far -- vintage "Scope" 7x50 super wide (probably from the '70s) with an impressive 580ft/1,000yds FoV and razor sharp image. Almost nothing like that is made anymore -- except for the Nikon WX 7x50 for about 6,000€.

 

[Universe93B]

Just a few thoughts concerning astronomy (which is my main use for binoculars).
I often prefer a bino with large exit pupil for that purpose (the only case where I wouldn't use one of those is when suffering under serious light pollution). My favourite sizes are 7x50, 9x63 (too bad that size went out of fashion) and 10x56. And a nice little thing is the "starfield bino" in 2x54 with 36° FoV.
Absolute best bang for the buck I bought so far -- vintage "Scope" 7x50 super wide (probably from the '70s) with an impressive 580ft/1,000yds FoV and razor sharp image. Almost nothing like that is made anymore -- except for the Nikon WX 7x50 for about 6,000€.

Yep, the Nikon WX - constructed to achieve the "best" binocular view without any worry about price ranges/materials costs.

 

[Paultricounty]

Yep, the Nikon WX - constructed to achieve the "best" binocular view without any worry about price ranges/materials costs.

Or weight 🤪

 

[Binocollector]

Or weight 🤪

Or luxuries like center focus. But kidding aside -- it's a pure astro bino so it doesn't need CF.
To me the weight is still an issue though -- I use my 7x50s handheld for stargazing. 2 kg might be a bit much (the 1.4kg of the Fujinon FMTR are not as bad as I feared before getting it though) so the WX should probably be mounted. If I need a mount however -- I'd gravitate more towards my Dobson. The whole point I switched to binoculars for astronomy was the ease of use. Quickly grab the bino even if there is just a small hole in the clouds. "Point and shoot". But I know a few people on cloudynights who use even small magnifications exclusively on a tripod. Tastes differ I guess. For me using a tripod would defeat the purpose as I don't have many places in the garden where I could put one. The garden is large, there are hedges everywhere, it's sloped downwards as the house is built on (partially in) a hill. So for me -- IS or lower magnification handheld binos is the way to go.
I also read one story about a woman going on a cruise around the world in a sailboat who wanted the absolute best 7x50 and got a WX for handheld use on the sailboat. Apparantly she was quite happy with it.

 

[Paultricounty]

Or luxuries like center focus. But kidding aside -- it's a pure astro bino so it doesn't need CF.
To me the weight is still an issue though -- I use my 7x50s handheld for stargazing. 2 kg might be a bit much (the 1.4kg of the Fujinon FMTR are not as bad as I feared before getting it though) so the WX should probably be mounted. If I need a mount however -- I'd gravitate more towards my Dobson. The whole point I switched to binoculars for astronomy was the ease of use. Quickly grab the bino even if there is just a small hole in the clouds. "Point and shoot". But I know a few people on cloudynights who use even small magnifications exclusively on a tripod. Tastes differ I guess. For me using a tripod would defeat the purpose as I don't have many places in the garden where I could put one. The garden is large, there are hedges everywhere, it's sloped downwards as the house is built on (partially in) a hill. So for me -- IS or lower magnification handheld binos is the way to go.
I also read one story about a woman going on a cruise around the world in a sailboat who wanted the absolute best 7x50 and got a WX for handheld use on the sailboat. Apparantly she was quite happy with it.

I think that was the woman who beat Ronda Rousy in the UFC. 🤣

I’m liking the IS lately for handheld astronomy. I Have the 10x42L, I’m thinking of getting the 15x50.

 

[Universe93B]

Or luxuries like center focus. But kidding aside -- it's a pure astro bino so it doesn't need CF.
To me the weight is still an issue though -- I use my 7x50s handheld for stargazing. 2 kg might be a bit much (the 1.4kg of the Fujinon FMTR are not as bad as I feared before getting it though) so the WX should probably be mounted. If I need a mount however -- I'd gravitate more towards my Dobson. The whole point I switched to binoculars for astronomy was the ease of use. Quickly grab the bino even if there is just a small hole in the clouds. "Point and shoot". But I know a few people on cloudynights who use even small magnifications exclusively on a tripod. Tastes differ I guess. For me using a tripod would defeat the purpose as I don't have many places in the garden where I could put one. The garden is large, there are hedges everywhere, it's sloped downwards as the house is built on (partially in) a hill. So for me -- IS or lower magnification handheld binos is the way to go.
I also read one story about a woman going on a cruise around the world in a sailboat who wanted the absolute best 7x50 and got a WX for handheld use on the sailboat. Apparantly she was quite happy with it.

Yeah, same here. it's an ordeal in my yard to set up the tripod for my Celestron 9.25. I want some point and shoot. The tripod for binocular will be lighter I know, but I just don't want it. People on CloudyNights suggest a good glass with a parallelogram but that's expensive and still setting up stuff.

Saw video reviews on youtube on the Canon IS system and seems good to me. Maybe will watch a video on the Nikon WX for fun.

 

[arm613]

Hello. I have a few concerns regarding the proposed double duty of your future bins. First, are you 50+? If so, your max pupil size in low light would likely be around 5mm so you can get away with an exit pupil size of around 5 (42/8=5+). (See any article in exit pupil size). If you are younger, you will want to go with a larger exit pupil size (e.g., 56/8=7 or 7 x 50). Second, if you are proposing to walk around a bit with the bins, you will need to be careful about the magnified shakes. For example, I'm in the older age range, so I use a 7 x 35 for stargazing rather than a 7 x 50 (which my son uses). Further, neither my son (in his 20s, works out) nor I are able to manage the shakes that come with an 8x magnification sans tripod. So, I am looking for an 8 x 42 for the birds, but sticking with my Nikon Action Extreme 7 x 35 ATB porro prism bins for the stars. ( My son has the same model but 7 x 50).

 

[Universe93B]

Hello. I have a few concerns regarding the proposed double duty of your future bins. First, are you 50+? If so, your max pupil size in low light would likely be around 5mm so you can get away with an exit pupil size of around 5 (42/8=5+). (See any article in exit pupil size). If you are younger, you will want to go with a larger exit pupil size (e.g., 56/8=7 or 7 x 50). Second, if you are proposing to walk around a bit with the bins, you will need to be careful about the magnified shakes. For example, I'm in the older age range, so I use a 7 x 35 for stargazing rather than a 7 x 50 (which my son uses). Further, neither my son (in his 20s, works out) nor I are able to manage the shakes that come with an 8x magnification sans tripod. So, I am looking for an 8 x 42 for the birds, but sticking with my Nikon Action Extreme 7 x 35 ATB porro prism bins for the stars. ( My son has the same model but 7 x 50).

Thank you - yep, it’s hard to get a double-duty binocular as I’ve seen - just gotta spend even more on gadgets now! I ended up getting the Athlon Midas G2 10x50 on Black Friday for only $319 vs the $419 regular price. I use this with a monopod - it’s easy to take out at night. I am thinking what to do on the birding binoculars now.

 

[Paultricounty]

Thank you - yep, it’s hard to get a double-duty binocular as I’ve seen - just gotta spend even more on gadgets now! I ended up getting the Athlon Midas G2 10x50 on Black Friday for only $319 vs the $419 regular price. I use this with a monopod - it’s easy to take out at night. I am thinking what to do on the birding binoculars now.

And why can’t you use the 10x50’s for double duty for astronomy and birding ? 🤔

 

[arm613]

And why can’t you use the 10x50’s for double duty for astronomy and birding ? 🤔

Yes! If you can get these to work for astronomy, then you should be fine using them for double duty astronomy and birding.