Nikon ProStaff 7 (2 Viewers)

lilcrazy2 said:

Bob
The Nikon Monarchs shown on your link to LL Bean look like the standard Monarch III with the dielectric coating indtroduced in 2010.

Brock
The SHE binos were a marketing tie in with Pam Zaitz who owns SHE Safari & SHE Outdoor Apparel, and is one of Nikons hunting pros. Her line of outdoor clothing is cut for women and rather pricey.

tom

Click to expand...

Tom,

Thanks for that information. And what a SHE she is!

Except for being a female big game hunter, which I would imagine is heavily male dominated, there is nothing gender ambiguous about her (don't open this link if your wife is looking over your shoulder, because you don't want her to see the reflection of your eyes bugging out on the computer screen):

http://www.outdoorenvy.com/pam_zaitz.html

I'm not sure if this is also SHE or a woman modeling her SHE safari clothes:

http://www.bowhunting.com/publisher/bowhunting-news/2009/8/21/she-outdoor-apparel-increases-retail-availability

I didn't realized there was a market niche large enough to cater to fashionable women's hunting apparel. Thought they just wore small sized men's hunting outfits. That probably was the case before SHE came along.

Now I know the reason why hunting has fallen off in the US; guys are too busy hunting for women in SHE apparel to hunt game!

As far as why the SHE bins are purple, perhaps purple is the new pink. I will check with Elle Woods.

Brock

LLBean currently has an unusual comprehensive 30% off on all items offer.
They carry the Nikon line, as well as Swarovski.
So if you have selected the glass you want, it might be a good time to wrap up a purchase.
Do note that this may be US/Canada only.

You need a coupon code for that

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/llbean.com

FREE SHIPPING and 30% OFF USING THESE TWO CODES: LL3039329 for FREE SHIPPING and JPA4393 for 30% OFF for a limited time (until 2/22)

Bob, Your picture of the Monarch 8x42 ATB (L.L.Bean) confirms an initial impression that the 'dielectric' badge looks as if it's just a temporary sticker. If meant to be permanent, it would surely have been placed in a position opposite the Monarch badge (instead of a bit higher, as shown in the photo) and thus present a more 'balanced' appearance. This may seem rather trivial, even nit-picking, but I'd expect Nikon to be aware of such detail.
Brock, the 'gender ambiguity' you mention would be especially noticeable in the UK. Fox hunting is anathema to most people here, never mind 'big game' hunting, and the idea of women being involved in any kind of hunting is not only 'politically incorrect' but also socially unacceptable, so there'd be no market for 'fashionable women's hunting apparel'.
Incidentally, although in the USA "camo" bin's seem popular, in the UK there's hardly any demand for camouflaged binoculars, perhaps reflecting moral attitudes to hunting, quite apart from the vastly different scale of the terrain and wildlife...

Fit - before anything else

I looked online to the Prostaff line, but I just can't imagine using a 7 inch binos. I think is way too long. For me I only like 5.5 inches and below size, it feels much more steady in the hands and is more portable. I think a 6 inch binos is plenty long. My never ending shaking issues with an 8x is less pronounced in a 5.5 inch binos compared to a 6 inch binos. My motto for binos is "fit" (before anything else) so everybody is different.

I am wondering if anyone has tried the new Prostaff 7. I am thinking in the entry level
under $200. mark these may be a nice fit. It seems they are available in 8x42 and 10x42.
They may be a nice alternative to the regular Monarch.

Jerry

There is a recent review of the new 2011 binoculars in Outdoor Life Magazine, the Nikon Prostaff 7, 10x42 received great reviews by the testers, and compared to some higher end competitors, such as the Vortex Razor HD. It dominated the low light test, and for its selling price/value rated the best score.

No link here, but a search will give the results, the Leupold BX-3 Mojave 10x42 was rated # 1, and had the best resolution.
These magazine tests are somewhat subjective, but do give the nod to quality.

Jerry

NDhunter said:

T

No link here, but a search will give the results, the Leupold BX-3 Mojave 10x42 was rated # 1, and had the best resolution.
These magazine tests are somewhat subjective, but do give the nod to quality.

Jerry

Click to expand...

The 8x42 mojave has a narrow FOV as well. I dislike all that black area surrounding the circle of light. Apparently, it wasn't a consideration at OL.

I was looking at the Outdoor Life optics review this morning, and unless they amplify more picks in the print version, the "soundbyte" reviews found online aren't very helpful, IMO.

For example. the Alpen Rainier 8x42 ranked #2, but in image quality was rated higher than the Mohjave (A vs. B+).

Here's where the Alpen lost points: "Optically, the bino performed flawlessly, scoring near the top on both the low-light and resolution tests. But it’s heavier and not as well finished as the European binoculars it intends to emulate."

The fact that an 8x bin scored near the top with a 10x bin is no small feat. The Rainier model they show is the HD (ED glass) open bridge model, but they don't list it as such and make no mention of the ED glass. Not very helpful.

It costs around $850-$875, so why would they expect it to be as well finished as a full sized $2k alpha?

The Alpen weighs 29 oz, same as the pre-SV EL. I think the Mojave got the nod because it's 10x, and Outdoor Life is a hunting magazine (yeah, they also cover camping and rafting, but they rate rifle scopes in the same issue).

From my experience reading hunting optics reviews, courtesy of Steve, who loaned me a stack of Outdoor Life issues, plus what I've read at my doctor's office (he's stocks several hunting magazines) and reading hunting optics reviews online and on Optics Talk and 24hrcampfire, tens usually get favored over eights.

Particularly now that Steve's mentor, Jim Carmichael, retired, who thought the "eights were better"..

The Mojave looks like it was designed by the Aztecs, but the FOV on the 10x42 isn't narrow, it's the same as the 10x42 SE (6.2* - Edz's and Allbino's measurements).

I like the eyecups on the Alpen, which are modeled closely after Swarovski's.

What is remarkable is how many of the bins they reviewed are open bridge designs.

Where are the clones?
Send in the clones.
Never mind, they're here:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/guns/rifles/optics/2011/05/optics-test-new-binoculars-2011?photo=1#node-1001345786

Brock

Brock, OL lists the Minox BL 10x52 and they say Quote: "this is serious binocular is well-designed for twilight glass" end of Quote, but is dominated by the Nikon Pro Staff 7 10x42 in low light, so the Pro Staff 7 10x42 at $199 beat out the Minox BL 10x52 at $599 in low light. How serious is the Minox in low light?

mooreorless said:

Brock, OL lists the Minox BL 10x52 and they say Quote: "this is serious binocular is well-designed for twilight glass" end of Quote, but is dominated by the Nikon Pro Staff 7 10x42 in low light, so the Pro Staff 7 10x42 at $199 beat out the Minox BL 10x52 at $599 in low light. How serious is the Minox in low light?

Click to expand...

Apparently, about as serious as Daffy Duck!:-O

Notice the subtly in the wording - "twilight" vs. "low light".

Brock