Got the M7s and wow! But in an underwhelming way...
Microscopically better than my 10 year old Olympus EXPS 8x42s at controlling CAs - I had to really try hard to see any difference. Slightly less contrasty than the EXPS. No difference in sharpness, or edge-to-edge sharpness; even though the Nikon has a wider FOV I didn't perceive this to be advantageous because of the lack of edge sharpness. Ergonomics were nice, with handling and the eye-cups comfortable. No idea about build quality - not sure how you can tell unless you've abused them for a few years.
Verdict: no better (except that they are waterproof) and certainly, optically, not worth three times the price of the Olympus EXPS.
On paper, and from the reviews (of this and the previous iteration), I thought they would be a big improvement on non-ED glass. I love Nikon cameras and wanted to love these binoculars, but sadly, they are going back from whence they came.
I should put in a good word for London Camera Exchange. True to their word when their website promises 'next working day delivery'. It's not always the case with online retailers, so well done to them.
Sorry it's not a scientific analysis, but my eyes (non-glasses wearing, tested three weeks ago!) tell me more than a spec sheet - and as an ex-photographer/designer, I like to think I have a discerning eye ('eyes like a 5h1t house rat', a printer once told me). I acknowledge we all see things differently (or perhaps want to see things differently - ie. confirmation bias), so YMMV as they say.
I have an appointment tomorrow to try: Hawke APO and Frontier ED X, Kowa BD II XD, Zeiss Terra. Now that I've dismissed the Nikon, it'll be interesting to see if the latter two (in particular) are as ordinary as some people make them out to be. I might also order the Olympus Pro online.
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