Congrats on reaching an end point! A few things I’m curious to know more about when you have a chance:
1. Would love to hear more about why the Trinovid ended up being a dark horse late entry contender, since you dismissed it early in the thread and thus haven’t really discussed it and compared / contrasted to the others
2. Since the Ultravid ended up sneaking into this “not alpha” pile... do you prefer the MHG to the UV straight up, or “for the money”?
3. On the MHG 8x30, how do you find the glare / flare? That’s something that killed the Monarch 7 8x30 for me which was otherwise quite nice... B&H has refurb MHG 8x30 for only $649 right now but I’ve been put off thinking the MHG is so similar to the M7 in 30mm guise that it may have the same veiling glare problems.
I dismissed the Trinovid early on because of the poor FOV....but I had to give it a try and once I had it in my hands, I found the focus was butter smooth and very concise. I think I could more easily pinpoint tack sharpness with this bin over most others. While bulky and a bit overweight, the ergonomics and armor were very positive. I was impressed but the size / weight, turned me off a bit. While Close Focus was 3' , I rarely found myself taking advantage of that. More like 4-5' is adequate.
I found a used Ultravid at B and H for $1450, so why not? I think light transmission in the UVID is better, and obviously the size over the Trinovid. Good edge to edge = too Trinovid. Optically I could tell little difference other than light transmission over the Trinovid. But the focus wheel on that copy was clunky and I wasn't going that high $ wise to have it optically be equal to the Trinovid. Also the Close Focus was close to 7 ' compared to the 3' Trinovid.
Dollar to dollar ($800 to $1450)...well, the UVID is superior edge to edge, as Nikon HG is not strong but, I bird from the middle and not so much the edges, so figured that this is the feature I have to compromise with in the HG. I found the 'POP' came with the Nikon HG and not the Ultravid. Ergonomics would be the UVID by a hair (even over Trinovid), it feels more expensive and more solid. Size/weight were =.
I found little to no glare on the Nikon HG....same with Ultravid and Trinovid. Bottom line, if Money no problem, I would opt for the Ultravid in a second if I could find one with a smooth Focus. I have tried several stores and neither can provide me with a smooth focus wheel on the UVID.
I think the Monarch 7 and HG are real close from a brief glimpse on this comparison. But I worry about the quality (exterior ) of the Monarch 7 as that appears to be where the main differences are with exception of lens coatings etc.
Jerry....I haven't tried the Swaro 8x32 EL....