Leupold Olympic or Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 (1 Viewer)

I live in place where I cannot compare these binoculars..I want a smaller pair that is lighter than the leupold mesa's 10x50 that I currently have.

I want to hear opinions etc....

I do shop online so availablity is important.
Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi there Island Girl. i just got the Nikons this week i was a little nervous about the build quality after reading the threads about them. But i must say im delighted with them. Clear bright images, light to carry, I ware specs and i have turned the eye cups out a few mm and thay are fine to use.after about ten hours use this week i have settled in to useing them just fine. The only bad point is the rain caps and thay are a poor fit.I havent tried Leupolds so cant compere them. But i think the Nikons are fine for the money.
Enjoy choosing.
Daf

Nikon Monarch ATB vs Leupold?

Good Summary of Cornell bino review:
http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/binoculars-for-bird-watching.html

Cornell Bino Review:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/LivingBird/winter2005/Age_Binos.html

Leupold Olympic auctions:
http://www.binoculars-and-scopes.or...pic&catid=28179,31710&submit=search&advanced=

Nikon Monarch ATB auctions:
http://www.binoculars-and-scopes.or...narch+atb&catid=28179&submit=search&advanced=

Check out Leupold Yosemite 8x30.

Or just go for the Nikon. Check out thoroughly, and return if any faults.

Island girl,

I have the Nikon Monarch 8x42s with the Realtree Hardwoods Green camo painting. and I am quite pleased with them. The stock caps you'll get with them are pretty much useless, and I don't know of aftermarket items but I plan to look into them. It would be nice if the extreme ends of the eyecups extended a little further to shade the sides of the eyes but this is a minor gripe.

Optically I am happy with what I got for $250 USD. I think they're over $300 USD for retail, so I got a pretty good deal online. Last time I went birding at an estuary I ran into a fellow birder and she let me look through her Swarovsky 10x42s. Although I'm sure hers would be better at dawn or dusk, the image quality wasn't too noticeably different in the middle of the day.

In the price range I would make the same purchase if doing it over again.

Islandgirl said:

I live in place where I cannot compare these binoculars..I want a smaller pair that is lighter than the leupold mesa's 10x50 that I currently have.

I want to hear opinions etc....

I do shop online so availablity is important.
Thanks in advance for your input.

Click to expand...

I would go with the Leupold Olympic 8x42 or Leupold cascade 8x42 The Leupold Pinnacles are even better I would not buy the Nikon Monarchs because they are now made in China ! I tried the Monarchs out at a store and the optics are not as good as the Leupolds the twist up eyecups are flimsy and cheap overall quality is poor rich companies like Nikon now selling Junk The Chinese do not know quality never will research a binocular before you buy Leupolds are made in Japan and Oregon USA.

I think we lost IslandGirl by now.

I have some fine junk from China. I really like the build of my Eagle Optics 8x32, most comfortable and adjustable eye cups of all my pairs.

You may have some personal or ethical issues with Chinese products, but there is no technical reason to label them junk. Nikon manufactures pretty good affordable binoculars that are probably designed in Japan.

I would also challenge the Leupold concept. I think they just assemble Chinese parts in Oregon.