NIKON MONARCH HG 8x42 binoculars

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In my extreme conditions compared to birdwatchers, the large circular arcs from the street light suggest they are reflections from the insides of the round tubes. If you would like to get a more detailed information of these and all the other important features that I haver taken into account when making these selections, please refer to my Buyers Guide to the Best Birdwatching Binoculars. Best of The Best The HG uses the same ED glass as the EGE, the same field flattener lens system, has dielectric and phase corrected coatings on the prisms and is fully multi-coated. significantly shorter, smaller (almost no) spikes due to edges of roof prisms when viewing street lamps, therefore better quality of prisms) I also agree that the Conquest HD is really good optically, but a little "flat" in terms of contrast / color saturation. Whereas the HG is a bit more vibrant. The Conquest HD for sure feels more rugged and solid, but the Monarch HG feels smoother and easier in real world use.

You see where I come from in Southern Africa, there really was no choice. It was a loaf of bread or nothing. Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating a little as I am sure there was the choice between brown and white, but that was it! Although having said that, if like most people you find yourself birding in a variety of different situations, rather than having to buy more than one instrument, you are probably best off getting a good general birding binocular that will perform well in most situations. Meanwhile I find it very interesting to test and compare binoculars of the middle class, to analyze their errors and weaknesses, to learn more than just using upper class binoculars (due to experiences of users written in forums also not perfect) without comparison to the middle class, only to make comparisons within the upper class.

I am 50+ years old and my eye sight (that is not that premium) won't allow me to spot the difference. I appreciate the kind words. Thank you for reading and confirming my assessment so future buyers/readers may benefit (credibility).

I would say 7.5/10. Not too bad but nowhere near as good as Conquest 10x42 HD, which I rated 8.5/10 Superb. The Monarch HG focus knob is also smooth and light, not that dissimilar from the Conquest HD in feel, but it's better damped and the ratio is slower so it's easier to dial in the focus and not overshoot. There is at least 3 possible reason why I can't see much optical (except glare) difference with M7 and alpha bins. You can feel the quality in the stylish design of the MONARCH HG. Not only does it look good but it’s compact and lightweight too, making it easy to carry wherever you travel. The magnesium alloy body is tough, lightweight and durable, while the scratch-resistant lens coating helps to give your binoculars a long life of clear viewing and worry-free use.Comparisons were made at very advanced twilight, therefore only in the range up to 100 m. Both binoculars show no practically relevant differences. A little bit better I recognized a trellis for climbing plants as well as details of a small, bright multicolored watering can (decoration with picture) in front of a dark hedge in 50 m distance with the Hawke APO 10x42, which could identify the decoration. I don't consider the difference in brightness of both 42 mm binoculars to be of practical relevance even in far advanced twilight. If you observe in such advanced twilight, it is better to choose binoculars with a lens diameter of 50 mm or more. The only real criticisms were (1) mediocre edge performance and (2) mediocre stray light control. These are known weak points, so this also seems reasonable to me. Way more comfortable (my glasses eye pieces don't dig into my nose from pushing binos on glasses lens to stabilize) Aside from throwing them into my nearest gravel pit to test the waterproofing, I opted for a more modest testing regime for the 8x42. This is one of those binoculars with which I was instantly comfortable. The magnesium alloy chassis lends low weight and the relative compactness adds to the ease and comfort of handling, while the subtle contouring of the rubber body armour facilitates holding. The focus wheel is ultra smooth, akin to Nikon’s Z-mount lens’ focusing rings, but provides just enough tension in the rotation to prevent accidental defocusing while in use. The wheel is also incredibly accurate, with plenty of movement in the focus allowing observers to fine-tune their focusing spot.

Edge sharpness is primarily determined by two aberrations: field curvature and astigmatism. This old post attempts to explain how they interact. Wydawcą allbinos.com jest firma CO-NET Robert Olech. Adres wydawcy oraz redakcji: ul. Ĺťwirki i Wigury 11/34 83-000 Pruszcz GdańskiTo be honest it is hard to see why these don't cost far more or indeed why the EDG does not cost a whole lot less. Extra-low dispersion (ED) glass corrects chromatic aberration that causes colour fringing and realises a contrast-rich and high-resolution image This is all thanks to Nikon’s Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass which helps to converge the whole gamut of color into a single point so that light and colors appear as they do to the naked eye. Combine this with supreme sharpness edge-to-edge and, in our experience, it’s as good as optical clarity gets in binoculars. Nikon has utilized a Field Flattener System to ensure that things don’t go soft towards the edge of the viewing circle and rely on multilayer coating on all glass and prism elements in the instrument to improve light transmission (reportedly 92% or greater transmittance).

They are both large, heavy binoculars for size 8x32 and they both have flat fields. That size and weight carries through the 10x32 versions of the binoculars. I own both the 10x32 EDG and the 10x32 LX L and I can confirm that. The differences between the 10x32 EDG and 10x32 HG L/LX L include brighter Dielectric coated prisms on the EDG as opposed to silver coated prisms on the HG L. There is no change in the FOV but the eye relief is longer on the EDG, the oculars are wider, the focusing speed is a bit slower on the EDG and the objectives on the EDG have better ED glass coatings. Their eye cups are removable. Nikon also supplies easy on and off "horned eyecups" for difficult sun conditions. high-quality, practical carrying bag (hardcase) with own carrying strap, contoured carrying strap for binoculars

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So, I am not any kind of expert on bins, but my personal experience is telling me that with M7 I can make as good ID's of birds than with much more expensive bins. Maybe 10x bins might make more difference in migration watch etc...? According to allbinos.com, very optimistic (beautified) information about the real angle of vision is often written in data sheets. Without a tripod with rotation angle scale or a self-built attachment/support of the binoculars at eye level and tape measure for a measurement of the field of view at close range and extrapolation to 1000 m I cannot measure the real angle of view. To compare binoculars from time to time, I do not buy additional equipment. (Anyway, I find the more than 3 degrees more apparent angles of view according to ISO of the Hawke APO 10x42 to the Nikon MHG 8x42 impressive when comparing).