Nikon 7 / 8 x 42 EDG experiences sought (4 Viewers)

chill6x6 said:

Personally, I like every Nikon binocular I have regardless of idiosyncrasies of each. Every Nikon binocular I have has literally a perfect focus adjustment. That's 2 EDG IIs, an EDG, a Premier, a M7, and a MHG. Some of the acclaimed binocular review sites hold the EDGs in very high regard. Optically I'm pretty sure my EDG II 8X42 is the best I have or have had. Overall in most every condition not much will whip it. The 10X42 is said to be even better.

I agree about the objective covers. I just took them off and put them back in the box. Some of their cases are 30 year old designs. But mechanically and optically they are pretty dang good.

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I'm with Chuck regarding the EDG, an excellent pair of binoculars.
There's often talk of them appearing dim by comparison but I don't think so. They have excellent colour and contrast perhaps it's other factors rather than being notably more dim? On that note they sit on or below 90% transmission which isn't particularly high or low but with our perception of brightness being logarithmic a few % here or there shouldn't make a notable difference?
Whatever the case I'm guessing that an individual's perception and the balance of colour and contrast levels are more of a contributing factor.
My EDG are 8x32's and I particularly enjoy their view (and handling) and would place them in the number one spot of my collection.
My first pair had the dreaded wandering diopter which Nikon could not replicate in tests apparently (I'm sure Nikon in Australia has a team of poorly trained monkey's in their binocular department and that's assuming they even have a binocular department) but none the less they sent me a replacement pair with a perfectly functioning diopter.
Regardless of customer service or warranty and so on, I think the EDG easily competes with or bests the competition. It would have been nice if they persisted with advancing on the EDG but it seems the MHG holds their current top spot.

"The EDG's IMO just seem dim and don't have the high transmission sparkle of other binoculars especially when compared to something like a Habicht Porro. When I would compare them side by side with other alpha's I personally really notice it. To me that is a major downfall of them. Tobias describes why the EDG's are dim and I must say I agree with him after having the 8x32 EDG, 7x42 EDG and the 10x32 EDG.

"Nikon really needs to boost transmission in the EDG, no matter how, by coatings and or better glass. They will then simply have the best 8x42 for general use with a perfect combination of great qualities. Compared to what other companies try to do to reinvent the binocular this should be an easy task. I really hope that Nikon will not withdraw from the high end market and update this wonderful design very soon.
Nikon, I´m waiting for your awesome EDG MKIII.

CORRECTION/ADDENDUM 27-2-2018
The Nikon EDG is really a fine example illustrating a simple truth regarding premium binoculars: All manufacturers put a lot of effort in their top bins, but they have different priorities, and the product of these special qualities becomes the soul of the bin.The EDG 8x42 puzzled me with its reduced brightness. And I do think I am right about that. Today I phoned with the person who services most of my bins and he told me when they did transmission measurements of the EDGs they just reached 90% but most of the spectrum was much below that. It seems strange that Nikon uses somewhat inferior, not state-of-the-art transmissive coating technology (and glass). But that fits with my findings for their porros E2 and even SE which are much darker than the Swarovski porros. A good thing about a not too bright image is that shadows get blacker and perceived contrast increases. Is that part of the Nikon philosophy? Another thing is the visible artificial vignetting I photographed through the objectives (see below), similar to the Zeiss 8x42 HT, but absent in the Ultravid HD Plus and Zeiss SF... seems the Nikon is a bit too strongly baffled maybe."

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Dennis,

The guy who runs the Allbinos review of binoculars has no problems with the EDG's "brightness" which is a factor included in his ratings.

Overall, (which includes the EDG's light transmission) he ranks the following EDG binoculars as follows:

8x32 EDG: #1 among the 8x32s. Total of 32 binoculars reviewed and rated.

8x42 EDG: #2 among the 8x42s. Total of 28 binoculars reviewed and rated.

10x42 EDG: #1 among the 10x42s. Total of 88 binoculars reviewed and rated.

See this link: https://www.allbinos.com/rankings.html

Allbinos reviews are much more thorough and detailed than those of Tobias who is offering his opinion about the Nikon EDGs.

I recall from discussions here in the past that Nikon always had their highest transmission rankings (above 90) in the red end of the spectrum, as the transmission graphs of the EDGs above show.

Swarovski has theirs in the blue end of the spectrum where the Habicht porros have their highest ranking. The Habichts also have a reputation of being very difficult to use, a reputation that Nikon does not have.

Bob

Bob, since the EDG is so good, and as I said before I agree that it is, why didn't Nikon market these as they should have?

I know about the good reviews from Allbino's on the EDG's. I think part of the dim feeling of the EDG's comes from the fact that there transmission is high in the red spectrum giving them a warmer color bias, whereas, the Swarovski peak higher in the blue spectrum which I feel gives the Swarovski a brighter impression with cooler colors. I have had three EDG's and compared them many times to my SV's and my Habicht's 10x40 W and 8x30 W and I don't always agree with Tobias on everything although he usually knows what he is talking about but I do agree with him on the EDG's. Everytime I would use the EDG's I felt they lacked the brigthness and pop and sparkle of my SV or Habicht. They are almost dull in comparison. As Tobias said they lack the high transmission sparkle of other binoculars like the Habicht. The Nikon SE and EII porro's were always that way also being less bright than the Swarovski porro's because of lower transmission and favoring a red bias but the newer updated EII's after the anniversary edition are much improved in this regard. I just purchased a new pair of EII's and they are brighter although still not as bright as a Habicht and have less red bias than the older EII's. The EDG's don't have as sharp of edges as the SV either or quite as flat of field but for some who are bothered by RB would consider that an advantage. I prefer personally the brutally sharp edges of the SV since RB doesn't bother me. I accept the Habicht's softer edges for their astounding on-axis sharpness, incredible transmission and 3D view and the 10x40 W has quite good glare control. I have adjusted to the Habicht's idiosyncrasies. I cup my hands around the eyepieces to deal with the smaller eye cups and adjust the eye relief in that way and I have decided I would rather have the tight focuser of the Habicht with no play rather than the EDG focuser with play or backlash in it. I was comparing the new $800.00 Habicht 10x40 W to my $2k Swarovski 10x32 SV today and I think the Habicht is better than the SV. Some people may feel the EDG's are bright but IMO there lack of brightness is their major weakness. That is what my eyes see. Your's could differ.

jgraider said:

Bob, since the EDG is so good, and as I said before I agree that it is, why didn't Nikon market these as they should have?

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How should they have marketed them? I had no problem getting mine. They were introduced in the USA in 2007 or 2008 through the normal retail channels.

I bought a 10x32 EDG I in 2010 from Eagle Optics and registered it with Nikon. When it began having problems with the covering bubbling in 2014 I sent it back to Nikon under their Warranty. Nikon replaced it with a 10x32 EDG II version which I still own and use. The EDG II was introduced in Europe in 2010.

Allbinos discusses the two launches of the EDG binoculars at the beginning of their reviews of the 8x32, 8x42 and 10x42.

Bob

ceasar said:

How should they have marketed them? I had no problem getting mine. They were introduced in the USA in 2007 or 2008 through the normal retail channels.

I bought a 10x32 EDG I in 2010 from Eagle Optics and registered it with Nikon. When it began having problems with the covering bubbling in 2014 I sent it back to Nikon under their Warranty. Nikon replaced it with a 10x32 EDG II version which I still own and use. The EDG II was introduced in Europe in 2010.

Allbinos discusses the two launches of the EDG binoculars at the beginning of their reviews of the 8x32, 8x42 and 10x42.

Bob

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How about being able to actually find one in a store somewhere? Actually being able to handle it for fit, ergos, etc? That would've been a logical move would it not? I knew you were a Nikon homer but I thought the EDG's absence in the marketplace was obvious. Vortex is quite the opposite.....mediocre products but you can find them everywhere, in person, to see if you like them. What an idea.

jgraider said:

How about being able to actually find one in a store somewhere? Actually being able to handle it for fit, ergos, etc? That would've been a logical move would it not? I knew you were a Nikon homer but I thought the EDG's absence in the marketplace was obvious. Vortex is quite the opposite.....mediocre products but you can find them everywhere, in person, to see if you like them. What an idea.

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I have NEVER seen an EDG in a store but you see all the mid-range and low end Nikon's. I think it is because Nikon is not associated with high end binoculars so they figure they wouldn't sell at Cabella's anyway. If somebody is going to pay $2K for a binocular they buy a Swarovski or less likely a Zeiss. Every Swarovski I have sold has not depreciated that much but EDG's depreciate a lot. Every EDG I have sold I had to list at 1/2 of their retail or about $1K or less. You can always at least get $1.5K for a Swarovski on the used market. People will pay it for a Swarovski but not a Nikon. They associate Nikon with a $300.00 Monarch. You can buy new EDG's on Ebay from Japan for $1200.00 which further reduces their value. No way will you find a Swarovski SV for that kind of money. If you pay more than $1200.00 for a new EDG your nuts. No warranty and even if it HAD a warranty Nikon has lousy warranty service, no support and the objective covers don't fit. I bought a new Nikon EDG 10x32 on Ebay for $1200.00 from Japan and the focuser had backlash so the seller payed $55.00 shipping for me to return it and then he tried to deduct $500.00 from my refund for it being USED. I only had it out of the box a couple times. I contacted Ebay and within 10 minutes I got my whole refund. You can buy a new Habicht on Ebay from the UK for $750.00 and in a year you will still get the price you paid when you sell it used.

Agree Dennis. Who in their right mind would spend big $$$ on a used EDG, when it will not even have a warranty for the new buyer? This is but one reason Swaro dominates the alpha sector.

You can buy Nikon binoculars directly from Nikon.

Bring up Nikon Sport Optics and find the binocular you would like to purchase. Click on "Buy Now" and follow the instructions (I think there is $50.00 off right now on the Monarch MGs.) There are also buyer's reviews with them and you can also find lists of dealers in the USA who sell them.

Bob

jgraider said:

How about being able to actually find one in a store somewhere? Actually being able to handle it for fit, ergos, etc? That would've been a logical move would it not? I knew you were a Nikon homer but I thought the EDG's absence in the marketplace was obvious. Vortex is quite the opposite.....mediocre products but you can find them everywhere, in person, to see if you like them. What an idea.

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I'm not a Nikon "Homer" JG. I have and use various "Alpha" binoculars.

That's the problem with having a "discussion" with you here on Bird Forum. One can't carry on a conversation with you without you sneaking in a cheap shot.

Have a nice day!

Bob

ceasar said:

You can buy Nikon binoculars directly from Nikon.

Bring up Nikon Sport Optics and find the binocular you would like to purchase. Click on "Buy Now" and follow the instructions (I think there is $50.00 off right now on the Monarch MGs.) There are also buyer's reviews with them and you can also find lists of dealers in the USA who sell them.

Bob

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I wouldn't trust the reviews on the Nikon Sport Optics website. I wrote a not so positive review on the Nikon 8x30 MHG and they wouldn't post it! They screen them! I tried three times to get it posted. They just post POSITIVE reviews! They did send me THREE nice Nikon t-shirt's though. One for each review that they didn't post! If you notice there are no BAD reviews on their website. The t-shirts are starting to get worn out so I think I am going to write some more reviews that they won't post!:-O

I think there are few on here homers who favor the green, and that's fine. I have a few EDGs and a few SVs, both have their +s and -s. I prefer my EDG 8 and 10X42s over any glass in those formats, to my eyes they provide me the best views here on the right coast.

Andy W.

dries1 said:

I think there are few on here homers who favor the green, and that's fine. I have a few EDGs and a few SVs, both have their +s and -s. I prefer my 8 and 10X42s over any glass in those formats, to my eyes they provide me the best views here on the right coast.

Andy W.

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Andy,

It doesn't much matter with the EDGs anymore. They were discontinued over a year ago. Those who have one have a great binocular but it is pointless to argue over Nikon's "marketing" of them anymore!

https://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3690780&postcount=1

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=358523

Bob

It is funny Nikon didn't do the few things needed to improve the EDG to make them great. Some better glass and coatings to improve the transmission. A little better designed diopter and some objective covers that fit and better case and accessories and nobody could have touched the EDG's. Better warranty and customer support would have helped too. They just let them die. They are just a small part of their market so they don't care. It is a shame.

Yes Dennis it is a shame, they made some premium optics, which could last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance, but they stopped any service on them not too long ago. I am not even sure they will service the EDGs with parts if needed today. Customer service could be much improved IMHO, I do not think Nikon USA knows what Nikon in Japan is doing.
Regarding the objective covers, I believe that after the EDG I was canned, they kept the objective tubes from the EDG I (the nubs from the bridge) and just used them on the EDG II, and the objective covers were an after thought, sort of like... this will work, done.
I took some advice from Bruce who had a couple of them and bought the Zeiss Terra 8X42 case, they fit perfect, and just put the objective covers in the box.

The EDGs might be the last high end glass Nikon makes (WX not included), the MHG is a nice glass but it is not an EDG.

Andy W.

Nikon are their own worst enemy. They lack tradition and continuity with their products. They'll introduce a line of products and then let them die a slow death by poor support and poor supply.

dries1 said:

the MHG is a nice glass but it is not an EDG.

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For me that's a good thing. I have an MHG 8x42 and like it better than the EDGs.
It's far lighter, has a wider field, cost 40% of an EDG, and still has very good optics. Yeah the EDG is somewhat better for the very discriminating reviewer but that small difference doesn't much matter to me. After all, I hold these things in my hands.

Kevin,

Yes the MHG is a nice glass, I also use the 8X42 often. At least Nikon MHG owners know that at least for now, they will get serviced or replaced (as I had one with a wondering diopter).

Andy W.

dries1 said:

Yes Dennis it is a shame, they made some premium optics, which could last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance, but they stopped any service on them not too long ago. I am not even sure they will service the EDGs with parts if needed today. Customer service could be much improved IMHO, I do not think Nikon USA knows what Nikon in Japan is doing.
Regarding the objective covers, I believe that after the EDG I was canned, they kept the objective tubes from the EDG I (the nubs from the bridge) and just used them on the EDG II, and the objective covers were an after thought, sort of like... this will work, done.
I took some advice from Bruce who had a couple of them and bought the Zeiss Terra 8X42 case, they fit perfect, and just put the objective covers in the box.

The EDGs might be the last high end glass Nikon makes (WX not included), the MHG is a nice glass but it is not an EDG.

Andy W.

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I think you are right. The EDG will be the last high end glass Nikon makes. But then they surprise you with stuff like the WX. WHERE did that come from? Their low end and mid-priced stuff is very nice for the money like you say. The M7's, MHG's and EII's are a good value for the money and probably higher quality than the MIC Vortex's anymore. Nikon has a LOT of optical expertise as shown by the technology in the WX. They could make some awesome binoculars if they wanted to. Those EDG objective covers were frustrating. Just when you think they are staying on they pop off.

[email protected] said:

It is funny Nikon didn't do the few things needed to improve the EDG to make them great. Some better glass and coatings to improve the transmission. A little better designed diopter and some objective covers that fit and better case and accessories and nobody could have touched the EDG's. Better warranty and customer support would have helped too. They just let them die. They are just a small part of their market so they don't care. It is a shame.

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Dennis,

I'm curious. Considering your critical analysis of the EDGs above, why do you think Allbinos ranked the EDGs as high as they did?

Here are Allbinos rankings of the EDGs compared with the rankings of the equivalent Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica binoculars.

The EDG was ranked 1st in the 8x32 class over the #2 Zeiss Victory 8x32T*FL and the #3 Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 B. The Swarovski EL 8x32 WB came in 11th, behind the 7th place Leica 8x32 UV HD and the #5 Nikon 8x32 SE (a Porro prism).

In the 8x42 class the Nikon 8x42 power EDG came in 2nd behind the Swarovski 8.5x42 power Swarovision but ahead of the #3 Zeiss 8x42 Victory FL. The Leica 8x42 Ultravid came in 7th.

And in the 10x42 class the Nikon 10x42 EDG was ranked first over the #2 ranked Swarovski-10x42 EL Swarovision and the 3rd Place Zeiss Victory SF 10x42 and the 4th place Zeiss Victory 10x42 FL and the 5th place Swarovski SLC-neu 10x42WB.

https://www.allbinos.com/rankings.html

Bob