Binocular, options

[Harry mac]

I am after some binoculars but before everyone says "get the swarovski" there is context.
Am not a massive fan of bins as I wear glasses and find then fiddly. I am also not in a position where I can justify spending £1k for something I only use a few times a year.

So I am considering getting a pair of Nikon Monarch Mk3 8x42 DCF.
They'll be used for a bit of woodland and a bit of open hill.

Does anyone have these and what are they like?
Had a Nikon scope which was clear and well made for the money.

If spending 4 figures on a set of German binos is more than you life's worth (wives don't like finding that kind of thing out!) how about spending a lot less for a secondhand pair of Swaros? I just happen to know where there's a pair at a SERIOUS discount over new price.
http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?25936-Swarovski-SLC-binos

 

[digger9523]

If spending 4 figures on a set of German binos is more than you life's worth (wives don't like finding that kind of thing out!) how about spending a lot less for a secondhand pair of Swaros? I just happen to know where there's a pair at a SERIOUS discount over new price.
http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?25936-Swarovski-SLC-binos

These look like they were Made for you Milligan! Listen to the little voices in your head, i do and they've taken me to all sorts of places!

 

[caorach]

Is anyone prepared to own up to the fact that they didn't go with the German trio of Swaro, Zeiss or Leica and share their experience with Nikon?

Well, I'm sort of owning up - I went with Minox which are very impressive indeed. I've compared them to Swaro and similar and currently have no urge to change them, I'm not saying they are better than Swaro but only that the Swaros don't offer me £1200 of an advantage over the Minox. As others have said 2nd hand top notch Euro gear will always be a good buy and you will probably sell them for more than you paid for them. However, if the disposable cash isn't sitting around then that isn't possible no matter how much of a sensible idea it appears.

I have the 8.5X43 Minox HGs and they are really, really good for the price. I paid £400 for them new and they are now a lot more than that but they do come up 2nd hand now and again and I would suggest that you give Minox some serious consideration. There are a few people on this forum who use them and I'm not aware of any complaints. Also Minox make various grades of bino and you can often pick them up from around £200 though the price of the HGs has gone through the roof. I suspect they might use the same glass in almost all of their line.

If I had the £1600 for a pair of Swaros in my hand right now and needed binos then I'd spend £400 on a pair of Minox HGs, maybe 2nd hand if there are none of the old stock ones about at that money, and have £1200 to spend on stalking. That would buy me a couple of days at red stags and maybe a few stalks at roe does over the winter and I'm confident, having compared the Minox to Swaros, that I'd see anything that it was necessary for me to see.

 

[palo]

I use leica myself but a couple of my mates use the nikon monarch 8x42s
The nikons are a very good binocular for the money and I would be quite happy going stalking with them.
You will have to spend a lot more money to get something better.

 

[JabaliHunter]

From allbinos.com (context is a review of the new Swarovision 10x42 EL, not discussed in the quote but highly praised)

Three companies, Leica, Swarovski and Zeiss, are considered absolute equipment stalwarts when it comes to binoculars. In fact it used to be taken for granted that, if you bought a Leica Ultravid, a Swarovski EL or a Zeiss Victory model, you would deal with optics and mechanics of the highest quality for sure. As time went by it turned out that these binoculars weren’t exactly flawless and the competitors didn’t let the grass grow under their feet either. Our test proved that Nikon binoculars from SE and HG series could rival the products from that three companies. Also the most expensive devices produced by such companies as Alpen Optics, Bushnell, Leupold or Kowa could offer similarly good properties. What’s more, manufacturers from Asia haven’t told the last word yet and the EDG series of the Nikon company is a good example of it – its price is as high as that of the most expensive binoculars on the market but the quality of its optics can exceed that of the Leica Ultravid HD, the Zeiss Victory and the old model of Swarovski EL.

 

[Effnjeff]

I had a good look through a couple of Nikon sets at the last Newark Shooting show and thought they were optically quite nasty. The similarly priced Minox range were much better, and I think are great value for money and not too far short of the Leicas I use.

 

[Glen Cadwallader]

Not sure what to recommend for a cheaper set, but I can tell you this...

During my time as a professional stalker, we had the pleasure of testing bino's for Swarovski.. I worked in one of the wettest parts of the UK in the Flow country in North Sutherland, not only was the weather wet, the ground was soaking year round.. No finer place to test Bino's than there.. Crawling 100 metres face down in a peat drain gave them a good going over.. We were all Zeiss Stalworts in those days, but Swarovski proved to be amazing.. only one pair failed, I assume the gas went and they then misted internally.

Before anyone asks, I do not know how it was arranged with Swarovski.. All I know is that one of our major clients at the time Ian Garland of Garlands shooting ground, arranged all the testing.

The light gathering of Zeiss and Swarovski really does turn night into day just about.. It pays dividends in the long run what with reliability and the chance of spotting deer in low light when other bino;s cannot.

I have 10x42 Swaro's.. Why not buy a second hand pair ?

 

[Dovebob]

I looked at Swaros when buying my bins. I lusted after them, but couldn't justify the cost.

I eventually went for a pair of ex demo Kahles 10x42's for £495from Mcleods. There were badged as ex demo but from what I can see they are brand new.

I've been impressed with them so far and have not yet felt the urge to chop them in and buy Swaros.

John Yorkshire - Roe and I once did a side by side test between the Kahles and his Zeiss ones (not sure which model John's are but they're a top flight pair). The Kahles ones seemed to let a similar amount of light in and we could see as much through them as the Zeiss. However, the Zeiss retained better colour contrast. When everything had gone grey through the Kahles the Zeiss ones still showed some colour and definition, which would've made it easier to spot a brown object (a deer for example) against the green background of a crop.

Having said all the above, we were testing the bins while walking back to the truck having finished stalking because it was too dark. I was happy that whilst mine are not the best, they are good enough for me.

Hope this might help.

Bob

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

Zeiss.
but then i would say that.

 

[norma 308]

have the kahles too and find them very good value for money ,paid slightly more than £ 495 but were brand new .am considering a kahles scope too !

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

have the kahles too and find them very good value for money ,paid slightly more than £ 495 but were brand new .am considering a kahles scope too !

to be fair a great choice on either scope or binos.

 

[tuck1]

I had a pair of the Monarchs (not sure if they were the MK3) for a short while. They came from Microglobe and I returned them, they didn't suit my face, and the image, although OK, wasn't quite what I was after. I did a bit more research around the web, bought some birdwatching magazines and went on a few "birdy" sites, and found an alternative brand for similiar money. They are Swifts and suit me much better. I believe that many of the far eastern brands are produced in the same factory for different companies. Mine aren't bad at all in normal use, but I really notice the difference between mine and the higher priced models (swaro and zeiss) in may and june, waiting out for fox cubs in the twilight. Then the difference is very noticeable. One day I'll have a pair of Swaros, Leica or Zeiss, or something optically equal, but for now I can't afford it, and these will do me just fine (I don't stalk as yet, just nature watching and helping the keeper) so I think if a cheaper pair can get you out stalkiing in the interim period, go for it. Just don't expect to get much back from them when trading up, which I think is inevitable. Looking through good bins which suit you is a huge pleasure, I can do it for hours. Try to by in person, not mail order so you can try them out. Enjoy!

 

[alaskagray]

At the risk of starting anther4 pages Nikon do make good camras
i have swaro's