Telescope Reviews: Nikon 18x70 Astroluxe Choice again

Hello Tony

I owned the Fuji 16x70 some years ago and now I own the Nikon 18x70 and like you I use to use my binoculars to some daytime purposes.
To my taste the Nikon are way better to use than the Fuji regarding some things like the ''eye comfort'' (the smaller eyepiece barrel and their better eyerelief really helps a lot during their use) the Nikon carry also a better coating (a nice very high transmission delivering a wonderful transparency giving you that kind of pleasant sensation ‘’no glass in front of your eyes’’) which is in my opinion a step over the Fuji (but not for a dramatic difference because the Fuji is also very good) and finally the Nikon 72º apparent field of view against the 64º in the Fujis which is a very nice feature that I believe is a big difference between both even to some terrestrial daytime purpose…18X added to a wide field of view is a very pleasant detail…I sold also my Takahashi 22x60mm just because they have a narrow 46º apparent field of view…the Nikon have also a better ‘’hand’’ feeling…they looks slim and ‘’light’’ in comparison even having both almost the same size and weight…to some causal handhold watching the Nikon is better in my opinion.
Like the Fuji 16X the Nikon show in some daytime situation some ''high level'' amount of CA (to my particular taste I say) - but normally when using they to a real long distant landscapes this is not a real apparent problem – sometimes you really almost can’t notice nothing looking at some distant green fields, farms, airplanes, etc etc …but I am a very sensitive CA guy then I use to stop their objectives down to ‘’45mm in aperture’’ under the daytime and then the CA drops and be almost invisible even on some very bright objects - using 45mm of aperture under daylight don't change (like some one could imagine) too much the ‘’apparent picture brightness’’ to the eye (but is visible if you take some picture through them) on the resultant images and you get using that small aperture a very clear and sharp terrestrial image with true and still vivid colors ...their fast F/4 70mm objectives changes (after the stoped down process) to a pair of 45mm F/6,2 - and their originally 3,8mm exit pupil changes to a ’’ smaller ‘’ 2,5mm (normally found in some 20x50mm binoculars) The Takahashi 22x60mm for example have a original 2,72mm exit pupil… so this not a real tragedy under the daylight because the eye pupil becomes very small at this time…I found this configuration very comfortable and free of black-outs, etc- under the night sky of course I use them at their full 70mm aperture because the CA is not apparent on the most objects...and here a curious thing is that for example the full moon even using the full aperture they do not show the same amount of CA visible under the daylight.
The Nikon sharpness as a terrestrial glass is very and very good to a high powered 18X binoculars…
The intruse CA is real a bad thing to me under the daytime, and I believe for most of the people who likes to watching using high powered binoculars- but if you can accept the idea to use them sometimes stoped down like me to maybe at 50mm or even better at 45mm – you will get a very sharp, wide and 90% color free pleasant picture with a very relaxed visual sensation under the daylight…and using they at night in their full 70mm aperture – you will have two very good instruments ‘’in just one’’ – well this is just my opinion and own experience - could be not the same to most of the people who don’t accept to change some original binocular conception to get from them some better results under some special situation.
These 18x70's are very very well buit...they are a kind of binoculars whit lifetime durability (if well cared of course) - they are really a very fine optical instrument because they offers at the same time some very good featuresto such a 18Xbinocular like their wide 72º apparent field of view - they are quite waterproof and fog proof nitrogen filled - they have a very precise eyepiece adjustment - the collimation is something really awesome...maybe perfect could I say to my taste and experience - the eye relief is enough even to who wear thin glasses - their external painting and finishing is ''first class AAAA++++'' - the Nikon coating is equal or even the best I found in my previous binoculars (Some Zeiss, Takahashi, Docter, Fujinon) you have IMO - to made short a long explanation that kind of sensation to have in your hands some really ''professional made'' equipment.
Well let me explain that this is just my modest opinion...should better you look for some more 18x70's owners before some decision.

regards Pedro