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Brief test : Nikon 7 10x30. (1 Viewer)

wachipilotes

Well-known member
Hello,
I just received the Nikon Monarch 7 10x30 and I have been able to do some tests, although the day did not accompany too much, a lot of wind ... I have to say that I am not an expert or anything like it, but the image has seemed very bright for its small diameter, the feeling of very good grip, the truth is that this small binocular is very light ... it can almost make me remember some binocular pocket. I imagine that for long walks I think it would go very well, the glasses eyepieces seem adequate, with three positions not too fixed or stable, or do not use glasses to observe and I think they can go well in its most extended position, I think it does not have too much depth of field, getting the right focus is not difficult, but neither easy, surgeon's touch I would say, CA I have not noticed in the center of the image, not too much aberration at the edges, although there is ... I would have liked to have been able to compare them with the 8x30 model, although I am rather an observer of open field, not short distances or forests, on the other hand I would have also wanted to compare it with a 10x42, I do not know, I imagine that this will have more weight although greater pupil exit also .., I have to do more tests ..

wachi
 
I just received one of these, to compliment my Swaro SV 8x32 and Zeiss Victory RF 10x42. I was looking for something closer to pocket size, for myself on days when a full size optic isnt convenient, and also for my wife who occasionally enjoys looking for birds/wildlife, but has no interest in carrying anything big or heavy. I looked at everything in the pocket range up to smaller 8x30 bins. I was often tempted to buy the new CL Companion, but simply couldn't justify the price given the intended use. I finally settled on the Monarch 7 8x30 for the fact that it seemed to represent the greatest value of performance vs price and the size was perfect. Spending a few days with this little bin, I am blown away by it. It handles beautifully, eye placement seems effortless, and the view is bright and sharp. It holds its own against my other "alpha" bins, I certainly dont feel like im downgrading much when I put the Monarch up to my eyes vs my SV. I also have a new appreciation for the quality of optics coming out of China. All in all, couldnt be happier with this purchase.
 

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Mark, very interesting. I have the M7 8x30 and I also think it is great value, the view is bright and sharp, the ergonomics are terrific (for my hand face at least) it weights close to nothing. Only caveat is the much debated glare issue. How did you get on with it? The M7 I have does suffer from it, it can be annoying, but all in all I like the binoculars very much (probably, together with the Kowa YF 8x30 are the best value price/performance ratio binoculars I've tried).
Another minor question. I guess the green Swarovski on the left of the M7 are the SV 8x32, right? I got my eyes on those, but I would have thought they were smaller. In your picture, comparing them with the M7 the look pretty chunky or... on the contrary, the somehow dwarf the M7, which is small indeed, but not as small as it appears on the picture.
 
I cant say that I noticed any issue with glare so far, but I also wasnt looking for it. Now I will pay more attention to this considering your comment.
Yes the Swaros in the pic are the 8x32 SV, and yes they are taller than the M7, but I think the pic somehow makes the size difference seem more dramatic than it is. The SV 8x32 is easily my favorite optic after many months of trials and testing, buy, selling etc. Its is comfortable, incredibly easy on the eyes and gives me the sharpest, clearest, most pleasing and impressive image of all the bins I've tried. Having said that, the M7 comes quite close and for 1/5 the cost, and smaller, and lighter, it desrves some serious praise.
 
Mark, Thanks for the input. Sometimes pictures do play funny tricks. Maybe what happened is that the M7 is at the border and there is a small "globe" effect, making it appear smaller. The EL is on the center of my target, after having gone through the same process of trying many things. After trying the 8x30W Habicht, I've fallen in love with Swarovski as a brand, so the 8x32 are probably the next one on the line (I don't care much for all the bells and whistles of the new Field pro, so I'll probably be looking at the previous version). I tried the new 8x30 CL (which I think is one of the worst looking binoculars ever, so flashy and lacking of understatement) and the image was nice, as well as the size, but the FOV isn't that good and the close focus distance is not the best either. But size/weight/prize make it very tempting.
 
Hello,

I just tried the nikon monarch 7 8x30 and 10x30 model, and how wonderful! a fantastic luminosity, sharpness in abundance, I have not noticed any inconvenience of parasitic light, or annoying reflections, but I must say that I like the 8x30 more because I can keep the image more stable, a wider field and a larger pupil.
pluto
 
Hello,

I just tried the nikon monarch 7 8x30 and 10x30 model, and how wonderful! a fantastic luminosity, sharpness in abundance, I have not noticed any inconvenience of parasitic light, or annoying reflections, but I must say that I like the 8x30 more because I can keep the image more stable, a wider field and a larger pupil.
pluto

It is good to hear your report, the Monarch 7 binoculars are very good, and I agree with you.

Jerry
 
Had my new Monarch 7 10x30 out yesterday, on a dull day. Very pleased with them and the fit is far superior to my little 8x25 Nikon Sportstars.
 
I just received one of these, to compliment my Swaro SV 8x32 and Zeiss Victory RF 10x42. I was looking for something closer to pocket size, for myself on days when a full size optic isnt convenient, and also for my wife who occasionally enjoys looking for birds/wildlife, but has no interest in carrying anything big or heavy. I looked at everything in the pocket range up to smaller 8x30 bins. I was often tempted to buy the new CL Companion, but simply couldn't justify the price given the intended use. I finally settled on the Monarch 7 8x30 for the fact that it seemed to represent the greatest value of performance vs price and the size was perfect. Spending a few days with this little bin, I am blown away by it. It handles beautifully, eye placement seems effortless, and the view is bright and sharp. It holds its own against my other "alpha" bins, I certainly dont feel like im downgrading much when I put the Monarch up to my eyes vs my SV. I also have a new appreciation for the quality of optics coming out of China. All in all, couldn't be happier with this purchase.

I agree with your mini review 100%. I tried a pair of these about 15 months ago. I was comparing them to my 30 year old B&L Elites and my Optolyth Alpins.When I took my first look I was blown away with the view. It was wide, pin sharp and had good contrast. I remember thinking at the time, why would anybody want anything more than these? Anyhow, I was in the throes of upgrading. I returned the little Nikons and tried a few 8x42 and I settled on Vortex Razor. which I am delighted with. However I wanted something smaller for my wife and the grandchildren to use, so I bought another pair.
Only had them a couple of days, but they are superb. I can only compare them to the Razors and to be honest, I can't see much difference, if any.
15 months ago I thought why would anybody want more than these?
15 months on, I'm thinking the same.

At £259 these are a bargain.
 
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