Are Nikon Action the only show in town for £50 ? (1 Viewer)

[Noah's dove]

I am looking for my second pair of 8x40/42, currently have opticron discovery 8x42 but want a second decent pair for the house and general use, in terms of quality it seems that the action 8x40 aren't bad but is there anything else worth a look ?
Action users experience would be very welcome.

 

[ThoLa]

I am looking for my second pair of 8x40/42, currently have opticron discovery 8x42 but want a second decent pair for the house and general use, in terms of quality it seems that the action 8x40 aren't bad but is there anything else worth a look ?
Action users experience would be very welcome.

Pentax has got 8x40 porros.

XCF, for example:
http://www.pentax.co.uk/_uk/binoculars/products/index.php?gruppe=134&artikel_nr=65791

Best,
Tom

 

[Tero]

They are all very similar, 8x40s. Eye cups, ruggedness, build of the moving bridge may vary.

 

[Noah's dove]

Is there anything near the actions worth looking at, WE have the sporter 8x 36 @ £99 , worth the extra over the action's @ £43 from tecno ?

 

[Noah's dove]

Took the plunge on a pair of Nikon Action 8x40 for £47.99 inc del, they matched Tecno at £42.99, but only charged £5 postage. I live on an island of the North West coast of Scotalnd and Tecno were wanting £14 for postage even though Royal Mail Special Delivery is only £5.

 

[Noah's dove]

Well !! the nikon's came today and I would deeply appreciate some help here. I have a pair of Opticron Discovery 8x42, my first decent pair of bin's, purchased over the phone on the recommendation of a sales person in Sherwoods, who said that for £120 he did not have anything in the shop that came close to them. I took his word and have been deeply impressed with them.
When I looked through the Nikon's at first I was ok with them apart from the fold down eye-cups. My shock came when I got home and looked at a nut feeder I have in the garden, the Nikon's first, and again I thought ok, picked up the Opticron's and felt as if I was looking through 10x42 in comparison to the Nikon, the nut feeder is closer than when looking through the Nikon's, and for the life of me I cannot understand what is going on, so , can anyone enlighten me ?,
why does an 8x Opticron bring the image nearer than an 8x Nikon ?
I would also value advice on where I want to go now, and that is to get a pair of either 8x36 monarch or another pair of discovery's ? was going to be sporter but monarch are only £40 more and feedback on here seems to indicate that they are excellent.

 

[MacGee]

... why does an 8x Opticron bring the image nearer than an 8x Nikon ?...

It's a well-known effect, that the image from roof prism binoculars 'seems' bigger than the corresponding image from a porro prism. What I've read is that the image isn't actually bigger; your brain just thinks it's bigger. But the important thing is that there's probably nothing wrong with your Nikons.

Michael.

 

[Noah's dove]

As they say" you learn something new every day", still going to return the nikon and go for a good second pair although really they are my third, the Opticron's, a pair of Leica trinovid 8x20 ( currently at Leica to have the rubber armouring re-attached, only 11 months old), so, anything as good as monarch's for the money ?

 

[MacGee]

As they say" you learn something new every day", still going to return the nikon and go for a good second pair although really they are my third, the Opticron's, a pair of Leica trinovid 8x20 ( currently at Leica to have the rubber armouring re-attached, only 11 months old), so, anything as good as monarch's for the money ?

I don't know any of the Nikons you mention, but in general, a porro prism will outperform a roof prism costing a lot more. Porros have a more efficient design. However, if you like the Opticron, you'll probably like the Monarch (from what I've heard). Another thing I've heard is that the 8x42 Monarch is much better than the 8x36.

Michael.

 

[Tero]

Also the apparent field of view may be different, due to the fov being different. Two 8x are rarely exactly the same. I have an 8x roof prism and an 8x porro and there are many differeneces. But as far as finding the bird in the woods, both work. Just, one is a lot heavier!

I compare my 8x to 9x, and since one was a roof prism and one a reverse porro, I could not see the difference in magnicfication. Same as your situation. I just knew I did not want the 8x reverse porros.

 

[Noah's dove]

The Actions have been sent back, decided to avoid the cheap route, now I would love advice on what to go for from these, Opticron Discovery, Nikon Sporter or Monarch ?
Anyone able to advise,
regards donald

 

[ThoLa]

The Actions have been sent back, decided to avoid the cheap route, now I would love advice on what to go for from these, Opticron Discovery, Nikon Sporter or Monarch ?
Anyone able to advise,
regards donald

Hi!
Monarchs aren't any better than the Actions, just more expensive. The roof design is more complicated and more costly.

It is questionable whether the "middle section" makes much sense in the end.
Either I'd stay with a cheap one (good value for money anyway) or I'd get something from the top (Zeiss Conquest, for example).


Tom

 

[NoSpringChicken]

I can't comment on the Nikons as I haven't tried them but I bought my partner a pair of 8x42 Opticron Discoveries recently and she is delighted with them.

They seem very well made with a good specification and a nice bright, sharp image. They are exceptional value for money and are a bit more compact than most 8x42s.

Factor in Opticron's excellent reputation for after sales care and I, personally, would be sticking with 'the devil I know' if I were you.

Ron

 

[steve345]

Have to agree with comments about porros appearing to have less magnification than roofs. I think this is an illusion, possibly caused by the wider field of view you get with most porros. I've tried the Sporter and to be blunt, they're not much of an improvement on the Actions. We've got Minox BL 8 x 42 roofs and RSPB 8 x 40 porros - there's not a lot of difference in preformance and they cost £250 and £110 respectively. This gives you an idea of how much more expensive roofs are to make. But if you prefer roofs, I'd go for the Monarchs (or Minox), very nice pair of binoculars for the money - I've tried the Opticron, great optically but a bit clumsy in terms of handling.