Owning and using the Nikon EDG 8x42 for over a year I have updated my review.
http://www.greatestbinoculars.com/allpages/reviews/nikon/nikonedg8x42/nikonedg8x42review.html
Although my first impression of this sample had been that it could be brighter than my review sample a couple of years ago I doubt that. I wonder if Nikon only built one batch, at least the serial numbers of both samples were in the same 1000, first was No.3 if I remember correctly and mine is 987.
Anyway, there is a uniqueness about the EDG: Its global contrast/flare suppression and the neutrality of colour is reference (at least for me). There is no artificially boosted contrast by skewing the transmission curve as Zeiss does in most glasses and Swarovski in the SLC. The feeling that the EDG is a bit darker than the competition may rather be caused by that lack of contrast boost - which is a purely perceptual quality. Plus, great global contrast will never brighten up an image.
It´s a glass for purists. The ergonomy is a dream.
The contrast and smoothness of focuser puts to shame the Swarovskis.
There are serious flaws though and I dread the idea of ever needing a service again (had already had one for hinge friction and diopter wheel). The accessories are basically unusable, will have to order lens covers from the Noctivid. I have some doubts the EDG will last as long as an Ultravid, but it´s too late now.
With Nikons serious financial issues (I think it was 95% less revenue the last year) they will probably never update that glass. List price has gone up to Noctivid level in Germany. The marketing for the EDGs was probably a disaster.
Tobias,
Thank you for your excellent review of the 8x42 EDG and the year follow-up. Your review helped persuade me into buying a Nikon 8x42 EDG II, which I've had since August 2020. I've compared the EDG to my porros that include a 100th Anniversary Edition Nikon 8x30 E2 (which I also bought based on your review, and I was not disappointed) and roofs (Swarovski 8x32 pre-SV EL and Cabela's 8x32 Guide, made by Kamarkura, which punches way above its price point).
I no longer have the EL, which had excellent ergonomics for my hands and excellent microcontrast (super detail on birds even at a distance), and it was sharp to 90% of the FOV (I'm not sure why Swaro felt the need to add field flatteners in the EL). However, the EL had a wonky focuser and excessive flaring, and though I was able to diminish the flaring with 2-inch long rubber sun shields, it made the already long roof too long since the second bridge prevented me from sliding the rings over the barrels like I do on the 8x32 Guide. You added long light shields to your 8x30 Habicht for the same reason. Also, the 8x32 Guide, which only cost $199, was not far behind the EL in resolution and microcontrast, and it had a smooth focuser, which made the EL seem overpriced by comparison.
At first, I found the weight of the 8x42 EDG burdensome since my other bins except the 804 Audubon and Nikon 8-16x40 XL Zoom weighed less, but I find porros easiery to hold, so the EDG felt heavier. I wanted to buy the lighter and more compact 8x32 EDG, but they are rarer than a 4-leaf clover on the used market. From handling the 8x42 EDG over the months, I think my arms got stronger (like lifting weights), because the EDG no longer feels too heavy. By comparison, it actually weighs less than the other alphas except the 8x42 Ultravid HD, which is about the same weight. But weight can be subjective, depending on how well you are able to hold the binoculars.
The open hinge design of the EDG II is harder for me to hold than the open bridge design of the EDG 1, EL, and the high bar H design of the Cabela's Guide, which is similar to the Swaro CL Companion, with a narrow bridge that's moved closer to the eyepieces. The 8x42 EDG II's bridge is very large, which doesn't leave a lot of room for my fingers to wrap around the barrels, and I can only wrap my fingers around one barrel, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to reach the focuser near the eyecups with my other hand.
If Nikon redesigns the EDG, a simple solution is to do what Zeiss did with its HT and SF and Swaro did with its new NL Pure, which is move the focuser knob from the top to the bottom. That would put the user's index finger in a lower position that would allow him/her to wrap both hands around the barrels. They should also update the coatings to the kind they used on the 100th Anniversary Edition 8x30 E2, which are very low intensity, so much so, you had a hard time imaging the color reflecting off the objectives. I also have a hard time seeing reflections off them.
The EDG's eyecups are very comfortable, which for me is a big deal, since I have a high-bridged nose, and I often have issues with eyecup comfort, particularly with the Nikon 8x32 SE's long and wide eyecups and the Audubon 820's wide, hard plastic rings. The EL's eyecups fit me perfectly since they were small in diameter, and they enabled me to see the full FOV. With the 8x30 E2 and 8x32 SE, I have to dig the eyecups into my eye sockets to see the full FOV. So, the EDG's eyecup design for me is a big plus and an improvement over the LX's chunky eyecups.
The most amazing feature of the 8x42 EDG is its 12x apparent image scale. The "roof illusion" is something you don't hear talked about much, but for me, roofs show a noticelably larger apparent image size than porros. When I compared the EDG's image size to the Nikon XL Zoom, I had to turn the Zoom dial to 12x to match it. Birds look huge. That's a really nice feature. This is caused by the close set objectives, which in the case of the EDG are a couple millimeters closer than the competitors.
The Apparent FOV also seems larger than the 7.7 Actual FOV would suggest. Part of this might be due to the 4-stop eyecups, which allow me to lower the eyecups to the minimum distance before experiencing image blackouts, whereas in the 8x32 SE, which has fixed height rubber eyecups, I can't make adjustments, so the Apparent FOV seems less than spec. According to the reviewers at Allbinos, the Actual FOV of the 8x42 EDG is 7.75 degrees and the 8x32 SE is 7.3* (listed as 7.5), so this might also contribute to the more open view I see with the EDG.
One aspect of the EDG that I find a dubious is the use of field flatteners. I've been buying Nikon binoculars for almost 30 years. Their early 8x35 Actions, 12x40 WFs, and 7x35 Es had sharp edges. Even the 8.8* FOV 8x30 E2 has a very wide sweet spot and gradual fall off at the edges. Like the pre-SV EL, I don't think Nikon needed to use FFs in the EDG and could probably made lenses with well corrected edges without them.
Roofs give a more flattened spatial perspective compared to porros, but when you add field flatteners, that spatial compression is even more noticeable, which you mentioned in your review. The EL showed more 3-D depth than the EDG and the Guide, which is another thing I liked about that roof.
The field flatteners may bring out the astigmatism in my eyes. I first noticed this with the 8x32 LX. The top of the field from about 50% to the edge was blurry and couldn't be refocused. I had two samples, so it wasn't due to a bad sample.
I also saw this on the 42mm LXs, but it was less severe. Even less severe on the 10x42 SE, though with that bin, the blurred area appeared in a ring like the SV EL. Btw, I got a kick out of you using my term "Absam Ring" in your review. It was similar to that.
I also experience this with the EDG, but not as a ring but as arcs on the top of the field and to a lesser extent on the bottom. The lateral edges don't blur but other abberations build up toward the edge. About half way to the top as I move the eyes or the target, the image blurs and can't be refocused. The image sharpens again at the edge. Henry Link suggested that this could be due to astigmatism in my eyes. I do have astigmatism, and I used to wear glasses to correct for it along with nearsightedness, but since getting presbyopia (age-related farsightedness), I no longer wear glasses, so the astigmatism, which is mild, is uncorrected. I only see this in binoculars with field flatteners including the Fuji 6x30 FMTR-SX, Nikon 8x32 SE, 30 and 42mm LXs, and the EDG.
While it might seem like I'm criticizing the EDG, it puts up one of the best views I've seen through binoculars. I particularly find it useful on cloudy days in the winter when light levels are low. I don't see the darkening at low light like I saw with the SE, early E2, and LX, which might be due to their light curves being lower in the yellow-green and higher in the red.
I agree that the global contrast (edge contrast) is outstanding. My only disappointment is that for me, the EDG doesn't show the same level of microcontrast (fine detail) that the 2010 8x32 EL and 2017 100th Anniversary Edition 8x30 E2 do. Even the Cabela's 8x32 Guide is a bit better in this regard. Whether this is due to the interaction of astigmatism with the field flatteners I don't know.
Thanks again for the review.
Brock
