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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BruceH" data-source="post: 3459810" data-attributes="member: 106398">Timmay ..... You are right on about the Nikon Monarch 7 8X30 giving an impressive view.  I have had one for a couple of years now.  It has all the good stuff as in di-electric prism coatings and ED glass.  The Mojave/Guide has silver coated prisms and the glass is not specified.  The Mojave is part of the Leupold BX-3 line, which is high end, so it may be ED glass, but I do not know for sure.  The paper specs indicate that the Nikon should be noticeably superior to the Mojave/Guide but I do not see that much of a difference.  I think the Nikon view is a slightly better, but only after doing a lot of back an forth viewing.  The Guide has a slightly more pink tinge to the color balance, most likely a result of the silver coatings, however it is much closer to neutral than what I was expecting.  As an end result, the Nikon to me has just a little bit more apparent brightness.  Actual transmission of the Nikon according to Allbinos is about 85%, which seems low considering the ED glass and di-electric coatings  The Nikon may a little bit better at handling CA, but I am a poor judge of that.  The exceptionally wide 435 ft FOV of the Nikon gives a nice visual first impression but the Guide is not that far off at 420 ft.  Both have a good center view.  It looks like the Guide goes a little bit closer to the edge before drop off.  The Nikon counters this with the wider FOV.  Both are sharp well within my center viewing area.  The quality of the view is close enough to not be a factor for me in choosing between them.      I am not sure why you are seeing a larger difference than what I am observing.  I think it would be worth while to take another look.  Be sure and take the time to adjust the diopter setting of each.  Build quality seems about the same to me and both are good.  The focus on my Nikon is slightly smoother than the Guide, but the Guide is very good and is not an issue.  The focus on the Mojave/Guide had a lot of sticking when they first came out so hopefully Leupold has addressed the issue.   One noticeable difference between the two is there are many more false pupils in the Monarch.  Hold the binocular about a foot away from your face with the objectives pointed toward a light source.  Look at the eye piece and notice how the Nikon eye piece lights up.  The good news is it is away from the exit pupil.  The Nikon has a reputation of having glare issues and I have run into this once.  The viewing conditions were extreme and I easily resolved it by shielding the objective lenses with my hand.  I have not used the Guide enough yet to have detail knowledge on how it hands glare, but so far, the results have been excellent.  Another noticeable difference between the two is the size and weight with the Nikon being somewhat smaller and lighter.  The Nikon is great for hiking and packing, but it is right on the edge of having some of the usability issues of compact binoculars.    The biggest difference for me between the two models is ease of eye placement.  I find the little Nikon to be very touchy in this area.  First, it has a smaller exit pupil, second it has smaller eye cups and most significantly for viewing without glasses, the eye cups are way to short for the eye relief.  I do not have any problems with eye placement when using the Guide.  That is important if doing a lot of viewing, but not so much if the goal is to have a light weight binocular for hiking to be used occasionally.Overall, I view the Nikon Monarch 7 8X30 more as a specialty glass ideal for hiking when wanting a binocular for the occasional view.  I consider the Leupold/Guide the better choice for general use.  The Guide is a tremendous bargain right now with the current Cabela's $139.88 price.   As far as the 8X32 models you listed, I go along with Phil.  My first choice would be either the Nikon or Guide, depending on personal preferences.  I like the Viper but it seems expensive at the normal selling price and as I recall, the eye cups were on the short side.  I personally would pass on the Vanguard because of the 378 ft FOV which is small for a 32 mm binocular.  I have not seen the Ranger.  If you want to see an impressive 8X small porro, check out the Nikon 8X30 EII.  It is incredible under the right viewing conditions.</blockquote>

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