Questions on Nikon Monarch 7 and Tract TORIC 8x42’s (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone! New to the forum. I’ve been interested in picking up some new binoculars in the 8x42 range (my first real pair) and have some questions. I recently picked up some Nikon pro staff 3’s to see how I would like them. They were okay but nothing special but not horrible either. I ended up sending them back and ordering the vortex diamondbacks and thought they were a bit better and sharper but had a lot of pin cushioning and rather blurry edges. Build quality was very nice though. Still not happy with the performance I was after I too sent them back and ordered the Nikon Monarch 7s. They are very nice and I loved the way they feel in my hands. They feel like great quality even though they are produced in China. I did notice the ocular lens would fog up sometimes when held up to my eyes. I didn’t have this occur with the others I’ve tried. I also happened to notice when the rear lens fogged up it had some weird spots on the ocular lens. I tried cleaning the lens with some lens cleaner but it made no difference. For the price I decided to send the back thinking maybe it was a defect in the coating. It might be normal for all I know lol but don’t want to chance it if it was a problem. I should have taken a pic but unfortunately I didn’t before sending them back.


I guess my questions are should I order another pair of the Nikon’s or try something else? I have a budget of about $500 But can stretch it to about $700 if need be. I really don’t want to go beyond that price point if I can help it.


I’ve been doing a lot of reading and happen to come across the Tract Toric‘s. The few reviews I found on them seem really positive. I was wondering if they really are worth the $200 over the Nikons? The little smaller of fov on the Toric doesn’t really bother me to much but I don’t want to go below that fov as I did the enjoy the wider fov of the Monarch’s. What really matters to me is the optics. I want a pin sharp and clear view with little edge distortion and hopefully not much pin cushioning. The view from the Nikon was really good but I felt like it could be better for the money. I felt like I had a hard time getting them in perfect focus and would have to play with the focus wheel a lot to get them in the sweet spot. Other than Fiddling with the focus I really did like them. Enough so that I would probably try another pair. I thought about the vortex vipers but they really don’t interest me to much and the reviews seem up and down depending on what you read.


If you have used both I love to know your thoughts on which one you liked better. Any help or input would be great appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

Take a look at the Nikon Premier 8x42s in the classifieds, a step up from either and within your budget.

Andy W

Here is a new Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 for $761.96 if you can stretch your budget just a little from Japan with free shipping. I think you would like the much bigger FOV(435 feet) over the Tract Toric HD 8x42(377 feet) or the Nikon Premier LX 8x42(367 feet). Only 1 left!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Bino...=302086561495c366a03920234ebab30e3c0d8a511476

That’s a bit out of my price range and I would prefer to get it from a authorized retailer if I can. Not really crazy about spending that amount of money through eBay. eBay always seems like a big gamble I’m just not comfortable taking that kinda risk. I would also prefer new vs used if possible. I appreciate your though help guys!

speed88 said:

That’s a bit out of my price range and I would prefer to get it from a authorized retailer if I can. Not really crazy about spending that amount of money through eBay. eBay always seems like a big gamble I’m just not comfortable taking that kinda risk. I would also prefer new vs used if possible. I appreciate your though help guys!

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I have bought a lot of new binoculars off of Ebay from Japan and the UK and never had a problem. All my Nikon EDG's and some of my Zeiss FL's have come from Japan and I get my Swarovski's especially Habicht's from the UK for about 25 to 40% off of retail and they are all new. If you have a problem Ebay will refund you the money so no worries! Those Nikon MHG's are new. For another $60.00 they are quite a bit better than either the Tract or the Nikon M7.

Hey Mark,

I used both for a period of time. I would certainly recommend that you try both and return one you prefer less, despite the expense. You will be happier with your final decision. You might enjoy the process as well!

Both models appear to have good second hand market value. Just noting it here in case you might want to reverse your decision later.

I found both models to be very good for the money. Weight wasn't a problem with either model. You cannot expect a sharp image all the way to the edge from these two, for the price, but you might have to figure out if it is something you really need. I for one don't care for it, one bit. I found the resolution to be comparable. In terms of colors, I found both to be sufficiently neutral. If I recall correctly, reds were more pronounced with the Monarch, while the blues felt more pleasing with the Toric.

Monarch's FoV is good but I disliked my copy's central sweet spot size. My copy did fog up on the eyepieces like you mention (when breathed over it). However, I found that it quickly went away so it did not really hamper observation. Dust etc., are bound to settle on the eyepieces. I have never felt they significantly affected image quality; in any case, a blower readily helps. I guess I am just saying that these two issues weren't a deal breaker at all to me. I did find myself playing around with the focus wheel more than I like to, like you mention. This, I really did not like.

I love the Toric's faaaast focus, and ergonomics (the way they fit my hands and eye socket)! I did dislike my copy's relatively more color fringing and restrictive FoV when observing at closer distances (e.g, warblers in the woodlands). The FoV was not a problem at all when the subjects are far away (e.g., raptors flying)! Color balance is a teeny bit creamier; it hadn't bothered me at all, just mentioning.

As far as I know, Torics life time warranty is transferable, so you don't have to shell out $700 for warranty services unless you want that brand new feeling. Excellent condition used models go for about $450-$500.

In terms of ther models: I have always wanted an optics expert to contrast the Toric with the Meopta Meopro HD (despite the price difference). You might be able to find Zeiss Conquest demos around the same price.

SO yeah, I 100% recommend trying both for a good period. If you are unable to, start with any one, gather some experience and then evaluate others that strike your fancy! Monarch 7 is a great first binocular!

Cheers,
Kumar

mskb said:

Hey Mark,

I used both for a period of time. I would certainly recommend that you try both and return one you prefer less, despite the expense. You will be happier with your final decision. You might enjoy the process as well!

Both models appear to have good second hand market value. Just noting it here in case you might want to reverse your decision later.

I found both models to be very good for the money. Weight wasn't a problem with either model. You cannot expect a sharp image all the way to the edge from these two, for the price, but you might have to figure out if it is something you really need. I for one don't care for it, one bit. I found the resolution to be comparable. In terms of colors, I found both to be sufficiently neutral. If I recall correctly, reds were more pronounced with the Monarch, while the blues felt more pleasing with the Toric.

Monarch's FoV is good but I disliked my copy's central sweet spot size. My copy did fog up on the eyepieces like you mention (when breathed over it). However, I found that it quickly went away so it did not really hamper observation. Dust etc., are bound to settle on the eyepieces. I have never felt they significantly affected image quality; in any case, a blower readily helps. I guess I am just saying that these two issues weren't a deal breaker at all to me. I did find myself playing around with the focus wheel more than I like to, like you mention. This, I really did not like.

I love the Toric's faaaast focus, and ergonomics (the way they fit my hands and eye socket)! I did dislike my copy's relatively more color fringing and restrictive FoV when observing at closer distances (e.g, warblers in the woodlands). The FoV was not a problem at all when the subjects are far away (e.g., raptors flying)! Color balance is a teeny bit creamier; it hadn't bothered me at all, just mentioning.

As far as I know, Torics life time warranty is transferable, so you don't have to shell out $700 for warranty services unless you want that brand new feeling. Excellent condition used models go for about $450-$500.

In terms of ther models: I have always wanted an optics expert to contrast the Toric with the Meopta Meopro HD (despite the price difference). You might be able to find Zeiss Conquest demos around the same price.

SO yeah, I 100% recommend trying both for a good period. If you are unable to, start with any one, gather some experience and then evaluate others that strike your fancy! Monarch 7 is a great first binocular!

Cheers,
Kumar

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I really appreciate your help Kumar. I kinda leaning towards trying the monarch 7 again. Might as well save the $200 if they a pretty similar in performance. I loved the feel of them in my hands. I’m sure I’ll get used to the focusing after playing with them a bit more. Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

Good luck Mark! If and when you get a chance, do try a Toric as well. The focus snap and the contrast might sway you. If the FoV hadn’t been on the narrow side, my recommendation would have been to start off with the Toric. Cheers and all the best!

Mskb,

What glass did you end up with? just curious.

Andy W.

mskb said:

Good luck Mark! If and when you get a chance, do try a Toric as well. The focus snap and the contrast might sway you. If the FoV hadn’t been on the narrow side, my recommendation would have been to start off with the Toric. Cheers and all the best!

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Thanks again Kumar! I greatly appreciate your help. I’ve been thinking and I might just save up a bit longer and go with the Swarovski SLC 8x42’s. In the long run I’m sure I’ll be happier with that decision and not what if myself settling for something I’m not 100% satisfied with. I really appreciate everyone’s help!

Just an FYI, LL Bean routinely offers 25% off intermittently. Always applies to Nikon so that saves a good chunk of change. Subscribe to their email and youll eventually get it. A new monarch HG from an "authorized" retailer would come out to ~740. I have always been impressed with the HG each time I try it at a store. Light, great field of view, and great focuser.

Samolot said:

Just an FYI, LL Bean routinely offers 25% off intermittently. Always applies to Nikon so that saves a good chunk of change. Subscribe to their email and youll eventually get it. A new monarch HG from an "authorized" retailer would come out to ~740. I have always been impressed with the HG each time I try it at a store. Light, great field of view, and great focuser.

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Thank you for the heads up sir. I Subscribed and will be on the look out. :t:

[email protected] said:

If your moving your price point up to $1.5K and considering the Swarovski SLC 8x42's take a look at the Vortex Razor UHD 8x42's for $1.2K at Sport Optics with a discount code.

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I will definitely take a look at them before ordering anything.

[email protected] said:

they have an AK prism versus an SP prism in the SLC's for better light transmission and I really notice a difference in brightness in my AK binoculars versus my SP prism binoculars,

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Dennis, Can you please qualify that remark with a few clear cut examples? I am curious. What % in light transmission difference would you say it takes for you to see that one optic is clearly brighter than the other? And furthermore, can you attribute a perceived difference solely to an AK prism when there may be other variables (coatings, # of lens elements in the design) that could be a contributing factor?

-Bill

@Mark, as you will probably find, at such high budget, high quality competing options exist, each has its own following. Value for the $$$ considerations also will play a significant role.

Clearly, not every model works for everyone, so if you do wish to wait it out until you save up, make sure the wait is worth your time lost in not using a very good binocular that you can currently afford. In other words, if you haven’t tried the SLC already, certainly try one and make sure to look at competing options $1K and up (e.g., Meostar/euro HD, Maven B, Razor, Zeiss etc. ).

Cheers and all the best,
Kumar

[email protected] said:

I notice a difference of 2 to 5% in transmission . .

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2% minimum threshold? Why not even your unwitting mentor could achieve that detection level 14 years ago. No wonder you're never satisfied! 8-P

mskb said:

@Mark, as you will probably find, at such high budget, high quality competing options exist, each has its own following. Value for the $$$ considerations also will play a significant role.

Clearly, not every model works for everyone, so if you do wish to wait it out until you save up, make sure the wait is worth your time lost in not using a very good binocular that you can currently afford. In other words, if you haven’t tried the SLC already, certainly try one and make sure to look at competing options $1K and up (e.g., Meostar/euro HD, Maven B, Razor, Zeiss etc. ).

Cheers and all the best,
Kumar

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I really appreciate your advice Kumar. I really need to see what is available locally and do a little bit of comparison against one another. Anyone know if LL bean is a authorized dealer of Nikon products? Might just get another pair of monarch 7’s if I can get them for under $400. Awww choices lol.

Cheers Mark. LLBean is an authorized dealer for Nikon.

Birding stores near you, Cableas and Bass pro are some great places to try and get a feel for the binoculars and their landscape.

States like FL, TX, NJ etc where birding is strong, also have birding festivals at least a couple of times a year, where top optics manufacturers display their devices for a few days and let you try them outdoors. Those are easily some of the best times to try binoculars / scopes. Usually the prices come at some significant savings (about 10%-15%) as well.

Good luck!
Kumar

So appreciate all your help Kumar!

By chance has anyone tried the Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 8x42 and how do they compare to the previously mentioned ones in the group?