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Revisiting a Classic Nikon Porro (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter henry link
- Start date
FrankD
Well-known member
Tom,
Those sound like the Naturalist II's. I believe they have "Action" on the nameplate but not on the front of the prism plate.
On related note I noticed another pair on the bay that are marked as Nikon Naturalist "stay focus" with the same specs. I am guessing this is the Naturalist I but maybe Henry can chime in.
Those sound like the Naturalist II's. I believe they have "Action" on the nameplate but not on the front of the prism plate.
On related note I noticed another pair on the bay that are marked as Nikon Naturalist "stay focus" with the same specs. I am guessing this is the Naturalist I but maybe Henry can chime in.
henry link
Well-known member
Apparently, markings are not consistent. For instance, some original Actions have "Action" on the cover plate, some don't.
I think there were only two Action 7x35's with 8.6* fields, The Action II and III.
There were two "Stayfocus Plus" series: "Stayfocus Plus", which was identical to the Action II except for the lockable focuser and "Stayfocus Plus II" which was identical to the Action III except for the focuser. These lockable focusers where a marketing response to fixed focus binoculars.
I think there were only two Action 7x35's with 8.6* fields, The Action II and III.
There were two "Stayfocus Plus" series: "Stayfocus Plus", which was identical to the Action II except for the lockable focuser and "Stayfocus Plus II" which was identical to the Action III except for the focuser. These lockable focusers where a marketing response to fixed focus binoculars.
henry link
Well-known member
That one would be from the Stayfocus Plus Series, same optics as the Action II Series.
Giorgio
Porro bins are a bit like war, they are made by yo
Impressive, the 1 Series are Habicht look a like.
If you Henry or other experienced men know things about the Nikon Action VII 7x35 or others, would be great to detail if the new Actions are poorer or richer optically.
As they cost like 60 $ new, i'll might buy the VII 7x35, just for the fun to compare it with the Habicht 8x30 i'll receive soon.
Are the VII made in Japan or China?
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FrankD
Well-known member
The newest Action models are made in China. Many of the original ones were made in Japan. Henry might be able to chime in as to when the change occurred. I haven't checked the labeling but I would be willing to bet that my Action IVs were made in China while the IIIs were still of Japanese origin. I could be wrong of course.
My opinion...based on comparing the IVs, and the current models with the original Action WFs and Golden Rings is that the more recent versions have higher light transmission numbers because of the fully-multicoated glass. That means a brighter image with more neutral color representation. In all other areas the older Actions are equivalent and actually better than the newer models in terms of build quality, apparent sharpness and the size of the sweet spot.
My opinion...based on comparing the IVs, and the current models with the original Action WFs and Golden Rings is that the more recent versions have higher light transmission numbers because of the fully-multicoated glass. That means a brighter image with more neutral color representation. In all other areas the older Actions are equivalent and actually better than the newer models in terms of build quality, apparent sharpness and the size of the sweet spot.
That's because all of them had a bit of field curvature and your eyes simply got better with age |
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brocknroller
porromaniac
Frank,
I've said the same thing many times. My Action WFs are better than the IVs (sharper edges, sharper on axis, particularly the 8x35 model, and the right amount of pincushion, the 8x40 IV has barrel distortion). Also better than most roofs three times the cost.
Update the coatings and those old porros would be better than most inexpensive porros made today even the EX. Their only real shortcomings are the low ER and long close focus.
I've also owned a 7x35 E and an 8-16x40 XL Zoom. Excellent optics and good ergonomics. The Zoom balanced so well in my hands, I could hold it fairly steady up to 15x. Best zoom ever made. Perhaps the only good zoom ever made!
I'd still like to find out if it's really possible to upgrade the coatings, because if so, there are hundreds of old good quality porros in waiting, and I'd like to get in on that aftermarket business.
Brock
FrankD
Well-known member
Brock,
I tried going down that route. Apparently it would be a fairly expensive and exhaustive process since the coatings have to be matched or calculated for each glass surface.
I would absolutely love to see what some of these classic porros would do with modern coatings. We will never see it though unless one of the optics manufacturers actually goes against the grain and doesn't worry about the roof trend and the potential for loss if the porros don't catch on. Fat chance that is going to happen any time soon.
The 7x35 WF/Golden Rings are fast becoming my favorite bino. Definitely top three at this point.
I tried going down that route. Apparently it would be a fairly expensive and exhaustive process since the coatings have to be matched or calculated for each glass surface.
I would absolutely love to see what some of these classic porros would do with modern coatings. We will never see it though unless one of the optics manufacturers actually goes against the grain and doesn't worry about the roof trend and the potential for loss if the porros don't catch on. Fat chance that is going to happen any time soon.
The 7x35 WF/Golden Rings are fast becoming my favorite bino. Definitely top three at this point.
henry link
Well-known member
Giorgio,
When you see them side by side the Action I doesn't really look much like the Habicht, except in the sense that all Zeiss style porros look similar. The Actions are much larger with a wider stance (see photo below). I'll defer to Frank and Brock as to the quality of recent Actions, which I haven't looked at closely or recently.
Frank,
I imagine you were thinking "Gold Sentinels" when you wrote "Golden Rings".
Henry
Attachments
Greetings!
I am rediscovering many of these older threads, and this one piqued my interest, as I have a perfect condition pair of Nikon Owl II's. I purchased these in 1988 from REI in Berkeley, CA as my very first ever pair of "quality optics", which ultimately led me down the joyful path of astronomy, birding, and ownership of many, many binoculars!
I'm including a picture of these, plus a few comments:
- These are nice, quality binoculars, that give a solid edge-to-edge view of anything you are looking at. They are coated, not fully-multi coated, and provide a classic "pure" Porro prism view.
- Their 6.2 FOV is narrow compared to most modern binoculars, but within that smaller circle, things are nice and crisp.
- They are not "colorful" binoculars - thing's don't pop - just a muted, natural color view. 7x is a godsend for beginners, as it is simply a supremely easy binocular to hand hold.
- My Owl IIs are oddly light in the hand for Porros, as well as small. They are covered in a lovely leatherette wrap, luxurious to the touch, just keep 'em out of the water!
- They are nice first astronomy binoculars - really quality optics inside the small FOV - and they are truly a quality instrument that has stood the test of time; 32 years later, mine feel as the day I got them. Every action is smooth, tight, and quality feeling. Good job, Nikon!
- I would never be afraid to recommend these to anyone, either first timer or "up and comer".
I am rediscovering many of these older threads, and this one piqued my interest, as I have a perfect condition pair of Nikon Owl II's. I purchased these in 1988 from REI in Berkeley, CA as my very first ever pair of "quality optics", which ultimately led me down the joyful path of astronomy, birding, and ownership of many, many binoculars!
I'm including a picture of these, plus a few comments:
- These are nice, quality binoculars, that give a solid edge-to-edge view of anything you are looking at. They are coated, not fully-multi coated, and provide a classic "pure" Porro prism view.
- Their 6.2 FOV is narrow compared to most modern binoculars, but within that smaller circle, things are nice and crisp.
- They are not "colorful" binoculars - thing's don't pop - just a muted, natural color view. 7x is a godsend for beginners, as it is simply a supremely easy binocular to hand hold.
- My Owl IIs are oddly light in the hand for Porros, as well as small. They are covered in a lovely leatherette wrap, luxurious to the touch, just keep 'em out of the water!
- They are nice first astronomy binoculars - really quality optics inside the small FOV - and they are truly a quality instrument that has stood the test of time; 32 years later, mine feel as the day I got them. Every action is smooth, tight, and quality feeling. Good job, Nikon!
- I would never be afraid to recommend these to anyone, either first timer or "up and comer".
Attachments
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New to the forum, but read this thread a while ago before joining and ended up picking a couple of pairs of these old Nikon Porro binoculars, and I've really liked them so far
- One pair of the Nikon 7x35 Wide Field 9.3
- One pair of the Nikon 7x35 Naturalist II 8.6
I ended up with a couple of other ones as well as I bought a lot that was for sale, but those are the 2 I've tried out so far. I mostly used them out to help spot birds when I'm lugging my heavy camera around and so far they work almost perfectly for my use case (across a narrow section of the Chicago River and generally in good light, don't tend to be out in rain conditions much)
Anyway, just wanted to thank the members for sharing their extensive knowledge! thank you!
- One pair of the Nikon 7x35 Wide Field 9.3
- One pair of the Nikon 7x35 Naturalist II 8.6
I ended up with a couple of other ones as well as I bought a lot that was for sale, but those are the 2 I've tried out so far. I mostly used them out to help spot birds when I'm lugging my heavy camera around and so far they work almost perfectly for my use case (across a narrow section of the Chicago River and generally in good light, don't tend to be out in rain conditions much)
Anyway, just wanted to thank the members for sharing their extensive knowledge! thank you!
they are very nice and from quick tests definitely better than the Naturalist II's, but I've only taken the Naturalist II pair out to the field so far (need to get a strap for the Wide Fields), but they've been very helpful!
I photograph a lot around the Chicago River and there are some spots where Belted Kingfishers and various Woodpeckers are in the trees across from the river where I can walk. The binoculars already helped me spot 2 Belted Kingfishers including a female that went into a power dive! And also helped me spot a Cooper's Hawk, some various Sparrows migrating through, and a Red Breasted Woodpecker. If I were in some wider spaces, I might need something with more magnification, but they works about perfectly for my uses (and are a lot lighter than the 300mm f/2.8 and 400 f/3.5 lenses I carry most of the time!)
