Traveller BGA 8x32 ED vs Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 (1 Viewer)

[Solar Cycles]

Deleted Post

 

[Solar Cycles]

Well a complete change of heart after spending a morning viewing the Travellers against the Monarchs. Optically very little between maybe just a fraction brighter for the Travellers. The thing that swung it for the Opticron’s in the end was the ergonomics and smoother/faster focusing.

The Monarchs are now awaiting to be picked up tomorrow on their journey back to the retailer.

 

[Upland]

Travellers are a nice compact glass great for traveling, no pun intended. Need to get a good copy though. Got two defective ones before I bought a pair from a member here that was a good one. I had tons of glare on both Monarchs I bought and they both went back to the dealer.

 

[Solar Cycles]

Travellers are a nice compact glass great for traveling, no pun intended. Need to get a good copy though. Got two defective ones before I bought a pair from a member here that was a good one. I had tons of glare on both Monarchs I bought and they both went back to the dealer.

I must’ve been lucky with both pairs. I didn’t notice glare in either the Monarchs or these to be honest. Eye placement required a little more thought with the Monarchs.

The focusing is definitely much more refined on the Travellers, far more crisp resulting in getting a sharper image quicker than what you can with the Monarchs.

 

[yarrellii]

I saw your post and was curious about the outcome. I assume you ended the sale of the Traveller because you decided to keep them.

Regarding what Upland says about sample variation, I totally agree with him. Over the last few years I have used intensively two different units of the Monarch 7 and one of the Traveller (the one I'm currently using). While I haven't been able to test the M7 and the Traveller side by side, I did indeed compare my two units of the M7. The one I had used over a year and a new one I got with the hope of getting a better sample (the first one had serial number around 900, so I assumed that maybe a newer unit may have profited on improvements by Nikon once they saw the main flaws of the first batches. And indeed, my second unit (the number was in the 3000, IIRC) was sharper and had better contrast. It also performed a little better against the sun, it had less milky veil, however it had more flares (like in sudden flashes of light).

In the end I got myself a Traveller and I think that, while basically an extremely similar device compared to the M7, there are a few things I like better on the Opticron (so, nothing huge, just the sum of little details). I like the fact that its 32 (maybe its psychological, but I find eye position a little better, nothing wrong with the M7), I also find veiling a little less of a problem, the armour feels a little more quality (while I must confess that I really like the grippy soft rubber on the M7. So I'm happy with the Traveller. At the moment I'm comparing it against another sibling, the Kite Lynx HD+, which I find again to be a little better (contrast, sharpness, behaviour against the light, sunset, etc.), but then the Lynx is considerably more expensive, so I'm still undecided on what to keep, whether the Traveller or the Lynx.

There is one aspect where I really prefer the M7, and it is case and strap. I prefer the accessories on the M7 to those on the Traveller or Lynx. However, I see that your Traveller has a completely different case than mine (mine has a neoprene one that is black with a very simple zip and white lines. I'm not very fond of it, it doesn't have a belt loop and I much prefer a flap for easy access and protection). So much so, that I sold the M7 but kept the case and is the one that I use on a daily basis with anything from the Lynx to my ELSV 8x32 or a Vixen Artes J 8x42. I just find that case to be everything I like.

 

[Solar Cycles]

I saw your post and was curious about the outcome. I assume you ended the sale of the Traveller because you decided to keep them.

Regarding what Upland says about sample variation, I totally agree with him. Over the last few years I have used intensively two different units of the Monarch 7 and one of the Traveller (the one I'm currently using). While I haven't been able to test the M7 and the Traveller side by side, I did indeed compare my two units of the M7. The one I had used over a year and a new one I got with the hope of getting a better sample (the first one had serial number around 900, so I assumed that maybe a newer unit may have profited on improvements by Nikon once they saw the main flaws of the first batches. And indeed, my second unit (the number was in the 3000, IIRC) was sharper and had better contrast. It also performed a little better against the sun, it had less milky veil, however it had more flares (like in sudden flashes of light).

In the end I got myself a Traveller and I think that, while basically an extremely similar device compared to the M7, there are a few things I like better on the Opticron (so, nothing huge, just the sum of little details). I like the fact that its 32 (maybe its psychological, but I find eye position a little better, nothing wrong with the M7), I also find veiling a little less of a problem, the armour feels a little more quality (while I must confess that I really like the grippy soft rubber on the M7. So I'm happy with the Traveller. At the moment I'm comparing it against another sibling, the Kite Lynx HD+, which I find again to be a little better (contrast, sharpness, behaviour against the light, sunset, etc.), but then the Lynx is considerably more expensive, so I'm still undecided on what to keep, whether the Traveller or the Lynx.

There is one aspect where I really prefer the M7, and it is case and strap. I prefer the accessories on the M7 to those on the Traveller or Lynx. However, I see that your Traveller has a completely different case than mine (mine has a neoprene one that is black with a very simple zip and white lines. I'm not very fond of it, it doesn't have a belt loop and I much prefer a flap for easy access and protection). So much so, that I sold the M7 but kept the case and is the one that I use on a daily basis with anything from the Lynx to my ELSV 8x32 or a Vixen Artes J 8x42. I just find that case to be everything I like.

The case I believe is cordura with an leather overlay on the flap.... I’m not sure if it’s genuine or faux leather to be honest.

The Kite Lynx HD caught my eye but I’m not quite sure if it’s worth extra couple of hundred pounds/dollars over the Traveller or Monarch.