Revisiting a Classic Nikon Porro (1 Viewer)

[lilcrazy2]

Henry & Frank
Where do the Nikons that are marked on the left top plate

Nikon
7x35 8.6*
ACTION

fit into the history?

Tom

 

[FrankD]

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.

 

[lilcrazy2]

Frank
I have seen the Naturalist II's and they have Naturalist II marked underneath the FOV, where these just say ACTION.

I saw that stay focus model on the bay and the focusing mechanism looks quite different, so I was wondering how it operated.

 

[henry link]

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.

 

[FrankD]

Hmm, so maybe the seller has incorrectly advertised them. I am going to see if I can find the pics and post them.

 

[FrankD]

Not the best pic but.....

 

[henry link]

That one would be from the Stayfocus Plus Series, same optics as the Action II Series.

 

[Giorgio]

While we wait for Frank to collect and photograph them all, here are some brochure photos of Action Series I, II, III, and V. You can see that Series III had a unique shape. I believe Series IV was similar to V, which looks a lot like the current Series VII.

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?

 

[FrankD]

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.

 

[JanPB]

I had the 7x35 Nikon Action also back in the eighties and I remember it as having excellent optics on-axis but I don't remember the edges being that sharp compared to more modern binoculars. Does that agree with what you see through yours Frank and Brock?

That's because all of them had a bit of field curvature and your eyes simply got better with age ||

 

[brocknroller]

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.

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]

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.

 

[henry link]

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?

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

 

[FrankD]

Yes...and I keep doing that. I need to make a mental note.

 

[dozercsx]

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".

 

[42za]

Hello,

I would also like to know how these old Actions compare to the newer Action EX series.

Has anyone compared ?.

Thanks.

Cheers.