Nikon Monarch M7 8x42 Binoculars

I had the pleasure to compare the M7 10x42 with the M5 8x42. As one may know the general rule is with increased magnification you generally loose field of view and I was a little nervous to step up to the higher range. But this consern isn't the case with the M7 10x42. The cleaver optics pretty much give you the same field of view as the M5 8x42 but with much higher brightness clarity detail and all this with better magnification. I guess that's why they're worth the extra outlay. I didn't find the image all that shaky at all and the focus easily adjusted with an amazing close range accuracy. Ie I sat in my kitchen and focused into the clock perfectly about 3-4 meters away lol. I'm so glad I spent the extra on the M7's. A beautifully crafted instrument. I can't ... MoreI had the pleasure to compare the M7 10x42 with the M5 8x42. As one may know the general rule is with increased magnification you generally loose field of view and I was a little nervous to step up to the higher range. But this consern isn't the case with the M7 10x42. The cleaver optics pretty much give you the same field of view as the M5 8x42 but with much higher brightness clarity detail and all this with better magnification. I guess that's why they're worth the extra outlay. I didn't find the image all that shaky at all and the focus easily adjusted with an amazing close range accuracy. Ie I sat in my kitchen and focused into the clock perfectly about 3-4 meters away lol. I'm so glad I spent the extra on the M7's. A beautifully crafted instrument. I can't recommend these enough over the M5 8x42 even though they are still respectable. But I promise if you can make the stretch they certainly won't fail to impress and amaze. They are simply just awesome.

I went from Aculons 10x42 to Prostaff 3s 10x42 to these (M7 8x42) within two years and each upgrade has come with incremental performance that accurately reflects their respective price points.Right away you can tell these have what I would consider "pro glass". The prostaffs have a nice and bright image and its reasonably sharp but these blow the prostaffs out of the water. The image is great, vivid, super bright, extremely clear, and razor sharp. Chromatic abberation/diffraction is well controlled with the m7 because of the ED glass and this was the main reason for my upgrade from the prostaff. The prostaff suffered heavily from this and would distract from the experience with any moderate contrast heavy sceneries.The rubber armor seams to be smooth and less ... MoreI went from Aculons 10x42 to Prostaff 3s 10x42 to these (M7 8x42) within two years and each upgrade has come with incremental performance that accurately reflects their respective price points.Right away you can tell these have what I would consider "pro glass". The prostaffs have a nice and bright image and its reasonably sharp but these blow the prostaffs out of the water. The image is great, vivid, super bright, extremely clear, and razor sharp. Chromatic abberation/diffraction is well controlled with the m7 because of the ED glass and this was the main reason for my upgrade from the prostaff. The prostaff suffered heavily from this and would distract from the experience with any moderate contrast heavy sceneries.The rubber armor seams to be smooth and less 'grippy' than the prostaff. I dont know how I feel about that. I really liked the grippy soft texture from the Prostaffs so to me this feels like a downgrade. I presume its to make these easier to clean. I wont dock this as a minus in my review because thats a subjective feel. Dont get me wrong. These are incredibly well made and feel like a quality optical instrument still.The hinge to adjust the IPD is really stiff but smooth, and I like that a lot. Once I have them dialed in to my eyes, they stay there. Same thing with the diopter adjustment since it locks. I found it way too easy to change these with the prostaffs. One thing that I didnt really like is you cant adjust the diopter with the eyecups all the way recessed (as you would have them if you were to wear glasses, like I do). So the only way to adjust the diopter is to move the eyecup to the next open setting to be able to unlock the diopter dial and adjust like that. Very minor inconvenience and its only a one time thing so no big deal.Focusing is smooth and relatively fast. You dont have to turn the dial much to move from object to object.The strap sucks, but what optical device comes with a nice strap? None of my cameras came with a nice strap neither. I use the peak design strap lite for mine.The case is nice. It fits snug and feels like quality. I was thinking of investing in a nicer case but with these I think they will do for now until im feeling fancier.I want to go over the image again. The image is fantastic! Another thing is the field of view is over 8 degrees. It comes out to over 400ft wide at a distance of 1000ft. Sorry I dont memorize the specs but this really increases the enjoyment of the bins. Seeing so much of the scenery is fantastic for finding your object (be it a bird or elk).If you are starting out, there is nothing really wrong with getting the prostaffs to start off with. The cheap price is great if you are unsure that you are going to get into using binoculars or if they are going to be for very casual viewing. But, if you know you want to get into birding (for example) or you already have experience with bins and want to upgrade, I would highly recommend these. The next step after these are bins in the $1000 range. For mid range price, these are a great value.

I love these binoculars. They always surprise me by how small, light, and compact they are. The neoprene strap pad is almost too much given that it's so light, you may choose to just replace that with a regular strap so it takes up less space in your bag.The optics are incredibly sharp, and perfect for all around use except maybe during low light moments (as to be expected). I am very glad I did not get heavier 42s.