Nikon Sporter 10x36 My New Bins (1 Viewer)

[django]

Thought this may be of interest to anybody considering these binoculars, Purchased them from W.H.EXPRESS delivery was spot on next day as they said, why did I chose the 10x instead of the 8x that many members have said are brighter ? well for no other reason than I already have some Opticron 8x42 H.R. and I wanted to try the 10x the bins are intended as a second pair for when I take my Lady birding, the packaging was the usual black and gold Nikon box with made in China on the side, contents Strap, Rather nice rubber case with Nikon logo (No shoulder strap only belt loop) rainguard, Nikon 10 year warranty. on inspection I could find no faults in the finish, they were a lot heavier that I thought they would be, but had a real chunky positive feel, the focus wheel was very positive with no back lash, indeed you have to be delicate with you focus as there in a fine line between in and out,took them down the local gravel pits for a try, First having always been used to 8x Porro the 10x roof took a bit of getting used to, holding them like a porro with a sort of fist like grip brought on the shakes like I had been on the waky baccy however holding them in the open hand way with little fingers down near the objective lens gave me a good steady image, brightness ? it was difficult to judge between my Opticrons and the Sporters it may show up more at dusk or dawn,the click up eyepiece problem mentioned be some members is there,if you are one of the people who wear their bins low down it is more of a problem you sort of squash them in with your tummy area but if you wear them high on your chest it does not appear to happen, must admit I did have doubt about these bins at first but as the morning went on I started to feel at home with them, maybe it was the fact that roofs are something new to me, I am no expert but I would say these are a good buy for the money.

 

[saluki]

Thought this may be of interest to anybody considering these binoculars, Purchased them from W.H.EXPRESS delivery was spot on next day as they said, why did I chose the 10x instead of the 8x that many members have said are brighter ? well for no other reason than I already have some Opticron 8x42 H.R. and I wanted to try the 10x the bins are intended as a second pair for when I take my Lady birding, the packaging was the usual black and gold Nikon box with made in China on the side, contents Strap, Rather nice rubber case with Nikon logo (No shoulder strap only belt loop) rainguard, Nikon 10 year warranty. on inspection I could find no faults in the finish, they were a lot heavier that I thought they would be, but had a real chunky positive feel, the focus wheel was very positive with no back lash, indeed you have to be delicate with you focus as there in a fine line between in and out,took them down the local gravel pits for a try, First having always been used to 8x Porro the 10x roof took a bit of getting used to, holding them like a porro with a sort of fist like grip brought on the shakes like I had been on the waky baccy however holding them in the open hand way with little fingers down near the objective lens gave me a good steady image, brightness ? it was difficult to judge between my Opticrons and the Sporters it may show up more at dusk or dawn,the click up eyepiece problem mentioned be some members is there,if you are one of the people who wear their bins low down it is more of a problem you sort of squash them in with your tummy area but if you wear them high on your chest it does not appear to happen, must admit I did have doubt about these bins at first but as the morning went on I started to feel at home with them, maybe it was the fact that roofs are something new to me, I am no expert but I would say these are a good buy for the money.

Put a rubber band at the back of the eyepiece to stop it screwing back down.

I can't justify paying a fortune for binocs as they get knocked around and lost too much with me. I've had two pairs of Sporters and have found them excellent value for money.

saluki

 

[django]

Thanks for tip

Put a rubber band at the back of the eyepiece to stop it screwing back down.

I can't justify paying a fortune for binocs as they get knocked around and lost too much with me. I've had two pairs of Sporters and have found them excellent value for money.

saluki

Thanks for tip Re/ rubber bands you would have thought Nikon would have spotted this problem all it would take is a little bit of extra thread on the rotation of the eyepiece.

 

[django]

Nikon Sporter eyepiece slipping down neat job

If you want to do a real neat job take a old mountain bike inner tube 1.75 and cut it cross ways in the exact size of the gap when eyepiece is fully up stretch it over the eyepiece and into the gap the result is a real neat job that matches the rubber finish of the bins.

 

[Richard D]

If you want to do a real neat job take a old mountain bike inner tube 1.75 and cut it cross ways in the exact size of the gap when eyepiece is fully up stretch it over the eyepiece and into the gap the result is a real neat job that matches the rubber finish of the bins.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[django]

Neat job

Thanks for the tip!

Glad to be of help

 

[Swedpat]

Interesting to read your experience of your new Nikon Sporter 10x36!

I have personally been interested in those binoculars, but the 8x version, because as well the better brightness and the better eye relief.
One reason I have been doubtful is they are not phase coated. When I some year ago compared the Sporter 8x36 to the Monarch 8x42 (waterproof and phase coated) I had hard to notice an optical difference in advantage to the much more expensive Monarch. That makes me to think that the real experience is more important than the technical specifications. I think the Nikon Sporter 36mm models are real good value for the money.

Regards, Patric

 

[solentbirder]

Interesting to read your experience of your new Nikon Sporter 10x36!

I have personally been interested in those binoculars, but the 8x version, because as well the better brightness and the better eye relief.
One reason I have been doubtful is they are not phase coated. When I some year ago compared the Sporter 8x36 to the Monarch 8x42 (waterproof and phase coated) I had hard to notice an optical difference in advantage to the much more expensive Monarch. That makes me to think that the real experience is more important than the technical specifications. I think the Nikon Sporter 36mm models are real good value for the money.

Regards, Patric

Hi Patric,
I just bought the 8x36 (arrived yesterday) and first impressions are very good. The eyecups are too loose as many people have mentioned but this is easily fixed by various methods (rubber bands etc.). The field is very evenly illuminated and the colour balance is very natural (to my eyes). They arrived in good collimation. Huge eye relief. I'm not sure ALL the optical surfaces are multicoated. The coatings are clearly not as good as in more expensive binoculars and consequently the Sporters are more prone to flare when looking towards the light, but it's not terrible. Central sharpness is very good. Moving away from the centre 25% of the field, it's a bit uneven in terms of sharpness and flatness but nothing objectionable (certainly not for the price !) - these characteristics are a bit different from one barrel to the other but again, you'd expect this at this price level. The lack of phase coating doesn't seem to have much effect (certainly they are much better than non-phase coated bins from 10 years ago). Focussing is smooth and accurate and the dioptre adjustment works well (although it's non-locking I doubt it will move much as the action is nicely weighted). Overall, I'm impressed that a binocular this good can be had for so little money. I was looking for a compact, inexpensive 8x binocular that would give decent views and this is what the Sporter delivers. I'm sure there will be sample variation so my comments might not match your own experience.
Happy viewing !

 

[django]

Content with Nikon Sporter but whats the ultimate Bin

When I started this post it was to pass on a little info that may be of help,I am content with my new bins they sort of grow on you, owing to always having a limited budget I have never owned a real top of the range binoculars,but I would love to know what members consider the best binocular there is ? (I may win the lottery and want to be ready) in other words is there the perfect bin.

 

[solentbirder]

Another Sporter eye-cup fix

I just did this to my 8x36 Sporter. Get some rubber 'O' rings size 6 or a bit larger and slip them down over the eyecup. With size 6 this takes quite a bit of stretching. You can use the 'O' ring to set your exact eye relief, or you can add a stack of 'O' rings if you want a neater finish. I just used one per eye-cup and it's now perfect for use with glasses on (too much eye relief before) and it looks like part of the original binocular. If I hadn't had the 'O' rings lying around I'd probably have used Django's great tip with the rubber inner tube.

 

[Tero]

A little late, but congrats on a satisfactory pair. I have spotted over 100 life birds with these and they remain one of my two primary pairs. The eye cup business annoys all of us, and I have not been happy with rubber bands, as I use the cups both in and out.

For some reason I still prefer roof prisms, though I now use roof prisms and porros both. I find it easier to point them quickly.

 

[django]

Raven

What type of birds and wildlife have you been spotting with your bins,must be some real interesting stuff in your area ?

 

[Tero]

Oh me? Ask Larry Lade, he has the 200+ annual list. We get mostly ducks and gulls in December. We have a pretty good river locally.

The Raven is just my brand of scope, I have not seen Ravens for several years, we have just two species of crows.

 

[django]

Sorry Tero

Sorry about that I misread profile,do you live in a built up area or country.