Newbie again: Monarch ATB vs Leupold Cascades (1 Viewer)

I am looking at purchasing one of these two bins. The Leupold model is the Wind River Cascades, which I believe is manufactured offshore and assembled in the States.

From a performance perspective, are there any big diffs between the two models (either 8X42's or 10X42's). I can get them for close to the same price, so I'd like to make my decision based on quality and warranty.

I did try them briefly at a local sports store, but there were enough distractions that I had a hard time differentiating between the quality of image.

Thanks
Gary

GWood said:

I am looking at purchasing one of these two bins. The Leupold model is the Wind River Cascades, which I believe is manufactured offshore and assembled in the States.

From a performance perspective, are there any big diffs between the two models (either 8X42's or 10X42's). I can get them for close to the same price, so I'd like to make my decision based on quality and warranty.

I did try them briefly at a local sports store, but there were enough distractions that I had a hard time differentiating between the quality of image.

Thanks
Gary

Click to expand...

Gary, i own both of the binoculars (in 8x42). Yesterday i compared them outside on the farm to decide which one is better (to give to a friend).
The main difference is in the ammount of distortion in the field of view. In the Cascades, about halfway from the center of the field of view you start getting pronounced distortion toward the edge. In the Monarch, the "sweet spot" (flat area in the center, free of line bending and distortion) is much wider. Because of this, the Monarchs offer a more pleasing view. To give an example, i was standing 10 yards in front of a tree and trying to see a warbler with the Cascades. When i had it in the center of the field of view i could see it alright, but while i was scanning and trying to find it i almost got seasick from the amount of distortion in the glass. It felt almost as if the tree branches were bending and trying to slap me in the head.
In terms of resolution, colors, brightness, handling, i could not see much difference, but the Monarch is better because it has less of the distortions and has a wider area of flat and nice image.

Seems that some people have gotten poor individual pairs of the Monarchs. So make sure you can exchange them if not happy. Or buy a pair from a store where you can test them.

GWood said:

I am looking at purchasing one of these two bins. The Leupold model is the Wind River Cascades, which I believe is manufactured offshore and assembled in the States.

From a performance perspective, are there any big diffs between the two models (either 8X42's or 10X42's). I can get them for close to the same price, so I'd like to make my decision based on quality and warranty.

I did try them briefly at a local sports store, but there were enough distractions that I had a hard time differentiating between the quality of image.

Thanks
Gary

Click to expand...

Didn't you just ask this question in the Leupold forum?

Luca,

Though I do not believe it would change anything with the distortion you experienced in the Cascades, do you know if yours are the older style or the newer ones that are now phase-corrected?

GWood,

I have looked through both in previous years and always felt the Monarchs offered the more pleasing view..brighter, more contrast. I wrote the difference off as the difference between phase coated and non-phase coated bins. The Cascades are now phase coated starting this year so I would be interested in seeing if anyone has compared the newer ones to the Monarchs.

For what it is worth, I thought the 10x50 Wind River Olympics were comparable to the 10x42 Monarchs but the Olympics were the next step up from the Cascades in the Wind River line.

lucznik said:

Didn't you just ask this question in the Leupold forum?

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Yes. Sorry if that isn't considered net-iquette here. I wanted to ensure I could get feedback from owners of both models - who knows if everyone reads threads on multiple brands?

And thanks all for the responses. I think I'm leaning towards the Nikons, but it sounds like either model would be a keeper.

Cheers
Gary

Luca said:

The main difference is in the ammount of distortion in the field of view. In the Cascades, about halfway from the center of the field of view you start getting pronounced distortion toward the edge. In the Monarch, the "sweet spot" (flat area in the center, free of line bending and distortion) is much wider. Because of this, the Monarchs offer a more pleasing view. To give an example, i was standing 10 yards in front of a tree and trying to see a warbler with the Cascades. When i had it in the center of the field of view i could see it alright, but while i was scanning and trying to find it i almost got seasick from the amount of distortion in the glass. It felt almost as if the tree branches were bending and trying to slap me in the head.
In terms of resolution, colors, brightness, handling, i could not see much difference, but the Monarch is better because it has less of the distortions and has a wider area of flat and nice image.

Click to expand...

Odd...I just completed a purchase of the Leupold Phase Coated model after doing an extensive in-store comparrison between the two. It was my perception that the exact opposite of your experience was the case. The Leupold Phase Coated Cascade was brighter, had a much cleaner and more even image, and was identical in their ability or resolve the detail of a wall chart about 50 yards away. I was quite surprised at the significant difference between the two. At $299 each, I came away with the Leupold.