Kevin Conville
yardbirder
The following is my take on the Monarch 16x56. I’ve spent the better part of two days using these under varying conditions alongside two other 16x optics, a Nikon ED50 spotting scope w/ 16x DS eyepiece, and Fujinon 16x70 FMT-SX Binoculars
I bought the Monarchs as I've been wanting a center focus high power bin as of late. The Fujinons , though brilliant, leave a lot to be desired as a birding bin because of their nonexistent close focus, individual focus, and large form. I was hoping the Monarchs would fit the bill.
I used both the Nikon scope and the Fuji bins as both a control for optical comparisons and to compare the practicality in the field.
Here’s what I found:
Acuity: ED50, Fujinon, Monarch- in that order.
The scope is only slightly sharper than the Fujis with the Monarchs a click and a half behind. This is in all light, bright and dim. On very bright objects, as in viewing the near full moon last night, the Fujis quickly find very minute detail that the Monarchs just cannot resolve. I use this as an example as it pretty much negates any advantage of aperture the Fuji has. Some small objects that were clear in the Fujis weren’t even findable with the Monarchs.
CA: ED50, Monarch, Fujinon- in that order.
The little scope has almost no false color until you get to the very edge of the field. The Monarchs do pretty good, but it's there and anywhere except right down the middle you'll be seeing it on high contrast views. The big Fujis have the most but if looking down the middle it's pretty much gone.
These are during challenging conditions
Distortion: They all exhibit little bending of lines both vertical and horizontal, with the ED50 and Fujis slightly besting the Monarchs.
Flatness of field: Fujinons, ED50, Monarchs- in that order.
All are fine to my eye. The flat field has been one of the bragging rights of the Fujis and does make them superior for astronomy use, along with their large aperture.
What I like about the Monarchs:
*I like their form, light and compact.
*The focus wheel is excellent, being smooth and properly damped.
*The diopter adjustment, while not locking, is easy to adjust and stays put.
*The hinge has enough stiffness to stay put as well. This last point is a deal breaker for me if a bin won't keep it's IPD during normal use.
*The eyecups are fine with several stops along the way. Funny thing though, it didn't seem to matter if the eyecups were fully extended or one click in for me to easily see the full field without blackouts, very forgiving. This is w/o glasses BTW.
What I don’t like about the Monarchs:
*Minor point, the rubber armor is the tacky type. Easy to grab, for sure, but tends to collect dirt, dust, etc. I don’t want to overstate this aspect though as it is a minor issue.
*The tripod adapter isn’t very good. It looks good and is easy to use but imparts vibration. I tightened the screw as much as I dare but the bin easily vibrates affecting the view. I used a massive tripod with a very robust head that is rock steady. The Fujis, which have my home made tripod mount and the scope, which directly attaches via an Arca plate, doesn’t vibrate at all. BTW, all are attached via Arca Swiss plates to a (modified with Arca type clamp) Manfotto 3130 video head which is very stout.
*And here's the big ticket issue for me, they're not sharp enough for me. They're decent but cannot compete in quality of view that both the Fujis and the ED50 deliver. They'll be returned.
The Monarchs are one of those bins that you fuss with the focus a lot. That’s because they just aren’t that sharp and one is frequently searching for a better view. The hallmark of a great optic is that “snap to” quality of focus. You know when you have it and you leave it alone. The Monarchs just don’t have it.
I’m still wanting a center focus 15/16x bin, but I'll wait until a good deal comes along on a Swaro, Zeiss, or (maybe) Meopta. In the meantime the big Fujis deliver for certain applications though they won't focus any closer than about 80’. They are awesome to look through though. Funny thing, the individual focus Fujis are often quicker to focus than the Monarchs. This is because finding focus is obvious with the Fujis and ambiguous with the Monarchs, despite having to focus each tube separately.
To me the next logical step from 8x birding bins are the 15/16x large aperture bins. Why? Because I can’t hold bins well enough to gain detail over an 8x bin without the aid of additional support. If I’m going to use a tripod or monopod then I want to take full advantage and use a binocular with some real horsepower, so to speak.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my musings.
Cheers
I bought the Monarchs as I've been wanting a center focus high power bin as of late. The Fujinons , though brilliant, leave a lot to be desired as a birding bin because of their nonexistent close focus, individual focus, and large form. I was hoping the Monarchs would fit the bill.
I used both the Nikon scope and the Fuji bins as both a control for optical comparisons and to compare the practicality in the field.
Here’s what I found:
Acuity: ED50, Fujinon, Monarch- in that order.
The scope is only slightly sharper than the Fujis with the Monarchs a click and a half behind. This is in all light, bright and dim. On very bright objects, as in viewing the near full moon last night, the Fujis quickly find very minute detail that the Monarchs just cannot resolve. I use this as an example as it pretty much negates any advantage of aperture the Fuji has. Some small objects that were clear in the Fujis weren’t even findable with the Monarchs.
CA: ED50, Monarch, Fujinon- in that order.
The little scope has almost no false color until you get to the very edge of the field. The Monarchs do pretty good, but it's there and anywhere except right down the middle you'll be seeing it on high contrast views. The big Fujis have the most but if looking down the middle it's pretty much gone.
These are during challenging conditions
Distortion: They all exhibit little bending of lines both vertical and horizontal, with the ED50 and Fujis slightly besting the Monarchs.
Flatness of field: Fujinons, ED50, Monarchs- in that order.
All are fine to my eye. The flat field has been one of the bragging rights of the Fujis and does make them superior for astronomy use, along with their large aperture.
What I like about the Monarchs:
*I like their form, light and compact.
*The focus wheel is excellent, being smooth and properly damped.
*The diopter adjustment, while not locking, is easy to adjust and stays put.
*The hinge has enough stiffness to stay put as well. This last point is a deal breaker for me if a bin won't keep it's IPD during normal use.
*The eyecups are fine with several stops along the way. Funny thing though, it didn't seem to matter if the eyecups were fully extended or one click in for me to easily see the full field without blackouts, very forgiving. This is w/o glasses BTW.
What I don’t like about the Monarchs:
*Minor point, the rubber armor is the tacky type. Easy to grab, for sure, but tends to collect dirt, dust, etc. I don’t want to overstate this aspect though as it is a minor issue.
*The tripod adapter isn’t very good. It looks good and is easy to use but imparts vibration. I tightened the screw as much as I dare but the bin easily vibrates affecting the view. I used a massive tripod with a very robust head that is rock steady. The Fujis, which have my home made tripod mount and the scope, which directly attaches via an Arca plate, doesn’t vibrate at all. BTW, all are attached via Arca Swiss plates to a (modified with Arca type clamp) Manfotto 3130 video head which is very stout.
*And here's the big ticket issue for me, they're not sharp enough for me. They're decent but cannot compete in quality of view that both the Fujis and the ED50 deliver. They'll be returned.
The Monarchs are one of those bins that you fuss with the focus a lot. That’s because they just aren’t that sharp and one is frequently searching for a better view. The hallmark of a great optic is that “snap to” quality of focus. You know when you have it and you leave it alone. The Monarchs just don’t have it.
I’m still wanting a center focus 15/16x bin, but I'll wait until a good deal comes along on a Swaro, Zeiss, or (maybe) Meopta. In the meantime the big Fujis deliver for certain applications though they won't focus any closer than about 80’. They are awesome to look through though. Funny thing, the individual focus Fujis are often quicker to focus than the Monarchs. This is because finding focus is obvious with the Fujis and ambiguous with the Monarchs, despite having to focus each tube separately.
To me the next logical step from 8x birding bins are the 15/16x large aperture bins. Why? Because I can’t hold bins well enough to gain detail over an 8x bin without the aid of additional support. If I’m going to use a tripod or monopod then I want to take full advantage and use a binocular with some real horsepower, so to speak.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my musings.
Cheers
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