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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Posts: 12070
Loc: San Diego, California
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Hi:
Looking for some thoughts and comments. A while back I bought a used pair of Nikon Monarch 10x42's on Astromart. The price was quite good, in fact, that is probably why I bought them.
Looking at them side by side with my Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum 10x42's, they look like they were made at the same factory. However looking through them, well, they did not seem as sharp or something, they just did not provide the sort of nice view that the EORP's provide. I figured I needed to adjust them and things would improve.
Today, I gave them a careful look and noticed three things that concerned me... First, after comparison and adjustment to the Nikons, the EORPs seem provide noticeably better views. Second, no where on the Nikon binoculars does it say "Phase Coasted" and third, as you probably already have guessed, they were made in China. The focus wheel says "Nikon Vision, Japan" but the little sticker on the underside says "Made in China."
So, what is going on here, I thought that at one time, Monarch's were pretty good binos, in some birding magazine I think I saw they were rated above the EORPs. It certainly doesn't seem like it to me. Were the old Monarch's made in Japan and phase coated, anybody know the story?
My interest here is curiousity, clarifying the story in my mind. Thanks for any help here...
Jon
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hallelujah
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/14/06
Posts: 1419
Loc: Colorado Rocky Mt. High
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As far as I can remember the optics supposedly are Japanese but they are assembled in China.
If you would like to have it brought up to spec's., I would recommend sending them in to Nikon for adjustment and/or repair, as the central area is usually fairly sharp.
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Pentax 12x50mm PCF WP II asph FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 16x60mm PCF WP asph FMC/WP/FP
Pentax 20x60mm PCF WP II asph FMC/WP/FP
Orion 15x70mm Little Giant II FMC/Japan
Orion 16x80mm Giant FMC/Japan
Orion 30x80mm MEGAView FMC/Japan
Barska 30x80mm X-Trail LW FC
Burgess Optical Series II 20x90mm FMC/WP/FP
Handel's Messiah**Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth
Edited by hallelujah (07/14/07 10:04 PM)
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chapulin
member
Reged: 12/11/06
Posts: 22
Loc: Madrid
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I use Monarch 8x36 for hunting because they're waterproof, very light, and cammo painted (so cute!:))
Mine are sharp for a roof type, at least at the image's center. But color rendition is not on par with other better coatings. I don't think they are phase coated.
However I'd buy them again. They perform very fine while not very expensive to replace if broken.
For astronomy though, you can do better with much cheaper porros.
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20x80 triplet bins, LiDL 10x50
Nikon Monarch 8x42, SE 12x50
Zeiss 8x30, Jena 8x50, 8.5x42 Swar
70/700 LiDL scope & SW-120ST achro
Edited by chapulin (07/14/07 05:33 PM)
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 9960
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Hi Jon ,
According to the description on the following web site , the Nikon Monarchs ARE supposedly phase corrected :
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=3272
However , phase coated or not , at below $300 , considering the HGL Premier is almost $1400 ( more in the UK ) I don't think many binocular afficinados are under the impression the Monarch is anything but one of the better " budget " models , and as such , a step up from the Sporter range of roof prisms .
Both the Monarch and Sporter have their " followers " amongst the birdforum.net binocular forum regulars , and indeed ,in my humble opinion , both models represent very good value for many DAYTIME uses .
It's quite widely acknowledged that the lower priced Nikon binoculars are manufactured in China .
As you know at least as well as I do , Jon , visual astronomy presents different , and optically sterner tests of optics than do most daytime uses .
Regards , Kenny
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Posts: 12070
Loc: San Diego, California
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>>>Hi Jon ,
According to the description on the following web site , the Nikon Monarchs ARE supposedly phase corrected :
http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=3272
However , phase coated or not , at below $300 , considering the HGL Premier is almost $1400 ( more in the UK ) I don't think many binocular afficinados are under the impression the Monarch is anything but one of the better " budget " models , and as such , a step up from the Sporter range of roof prisms .
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Kenny:
Thanks for your response. A couple of added considerations... My comparison between the Eagle Optics Platinum Rangers and the Monarch's was done during the day. I am quite happy with the Rangers and expected similar performance from the Nikons but they just do not seem to deliver. Maybe as someone else suggested there is actually something wrong with them and the typical Monarch will provide a view similar to the Rangers.
Jon
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cota_scope
sage
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 355
Loc: sioux city ia
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jon i did a test the last 2 months with the monarchs , compaired them with the minox vortex leupold cascades and the canon 7x42s all roof prism phase coated,i rated them last and found that on axis sharpness was not sharp, i rated the canons the best, the minox and leupold were a close 2nd.i don't think i will buy another pair of monarchs no mater how cheap they are,i still rate my nikon 8x30EII and 10x35EII porro prism as top notch and highly rated binoculars. regards john
Edited by cota_scope (07/14/07 10:16 PM)
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Posts: 12070
Loc: San Diego, California
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>>i rated the canons the best, the minox and leupold were a close 2nd.i don't think i will buy another pair of monarch no mater how cheap they are,i still rate my nikon 8x30EII and 10x35EII porro prism as top notch and highly rated binoculars. regards john
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John: Thanks for you experiences. Maybe I should just ship the bino's back to Iowa for you to test.... (Seriously)
Jon
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Pepin The Short
member
Reged: 11/24/06
Posts: 31
Loc: Wroclaw, Poland
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Monarch's used to have poor white colour balance and not so fine contrast, that one would expect from modern optics. I've compared them to Olympus EXWP I (that are actually cheaper) and Vortex Viper binos (much more expensive). Both of the later beated them. It's time for Nikon to refresh it's technology in mid priced models.
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12110
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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In my tests of the 10x42 Monarch, I found that it has rather poor resolution. Sorry to say, it ranked among the worst of all tested for resolution. Also, beam transfer show some tilt in the optical beam. Sharpness extended out fairly well. All in all it was a fair roof binocular, but overall in comparison to many others both equal and smaller, it's performance was mediocre.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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DNTash
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/02/07
Posts: 521
Loc: New Delhi, India
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Just back from a long six-week trip, where I had the chance to use the Monarch 10x42's on several occasions and in a variety of situations north and south of the equator. I was pleased all around -- they may not be perfect in all tests, but they are very good and versatile in the field.
Under very dark to black skies (Bortle 1-2, Pacific Ocean around Fiji), stars and clusters were sharp nearly to the edge of the fov. I can't comment whether the resolution could have been better, as it seemed fine to me.
Where these babies really excelled was in low-light nature observing, and to my and others surprise, in close-up views in very dim light. In one particular instance, we were able to view the fine details of a Kiwi bird in an indoor santuary, under nearly no light, from about 8 feet away. The guide was blown away, and binocs may now be a part of his kit.
What you might call normal views of nature and scenery were excellent as well -- including crisp views at the ballgame. I also used them for spotting ocean running fish (from above and from a boat in this case), as well as trout holding upstream, and was pleased in terms of their ability to cut through water reflections.
I also liked thier sturdy construction, lightweight and smooth ease of use. I acually like the connected caps on the objective (some people don't), which generally stayed on for me. I would use something bigger for astronomy (I had my re-collimated 15x70s with me as well), but for all around travel and some astronomical use, put me in the column of "very pleased" with the Monarchs. I was glad to be able to get them from you Ed, following your test, and was thankful to have them on this trip. 
Dale
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WO 66 Doublet
Meade ETX-90PE
WO "Crayford-ed" Orion 120ST
SkyMaster 15x70's, Meade Safari Pro 8x42's, Nikon Monarch 10x42's
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12110
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Illumination of the exit pupil was one of the srong points in my tests of the 10x42 Monarch. Also, it utilizes nearly 100% of the stated aperture.
Quote:
Second, no where on the Nikon binoculars does it say "Phase Coasted"
Most roofs that I tested do not have aany print on them to indicate phase coated. My records show I found (somewhere) that it was phase coated.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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Luigi
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 1561
Loc: Massachusetts
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Interesting. A few years ago, the Monarchs were highly rated in the birding community. Perhaps the QC standards aren't as high as they used to be.
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17.5" f/5 Discovery Truss
IM715 7" f/15 MCT (due July!)
Eon-120ED refractor
CG5A coffee grinder, Orion Skyview Alt-AZ
35,19,15 Pans.9 Nag. Meade 24.5 4kSWA, 4.7 5kUWA.
BO-TMB 7mm planetary.
Zeiss Diascope 85
Zeiss, Leica, Canon IS, Fujinon, Nikon binos
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 9960
Loc: Lancashire UK
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I'm not certain , but seem to recall reading somewhere that the earlier Monarchs were manufactured in Japan , and the later ones in China .
Not that THAT ought to make much difference , per se , if we are to remain politically correct ! :-)
But true , or not , or a significant factor or not , and it has been said many times before -- some binoculars which are good for birdwatching or not necessarily very good for astro use -- and vice - versa .
Kenny
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Two eyes and a preference to use both
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Luigi
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 1561
Loc: Massachusetts
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I agree that different bins may be better for specific uses, but in my experience, I find daytime use a more stringent test of a bino. The targets can have more complexity and bright colors. For me, a passable daytime bin can be just fine for astro use.
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17.5" f/5 Discovery Truss
IM715 7" f/15 MCT (due July!)
Eon-120ED refractor
CG5A coffee grinder, Orion Skyview Alt-AZ
35,19,15 Pans.9 Nag. Meade 24.5 4kSWA, 4.7 5kUWA.
BO-TMB 7mm planetary.
Zeiss Diascope 85
Zeiss, Leica, Canon IS, Fujinon, Nikon binos
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F.Meiresonne
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 2737
Loc: Eeklo,Belgium
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I tend to disagree. I own some el cheapo 10 X50 with give a more or less descent image in daylight. But at night they are really not good. Stars get not sharp enough and the moon in it gives horroble ghosting..
My new obtained Helios 8 x 40 is quite different. Stunning views in daylight and good ones at night. High contrast...this is a great bino...
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Freddy Meiresonne
Obsession 18 inch #1638
Orion Optics 8 inch F/4.5 -1/8 wave optics -Vixen GP-E
20x80 Helios Stellar Binos
10x50 Helios Nature sport plus
8x40 Helios Nature sport plus
Eyepieces in use :Pan 35,24,19, N13T6, Pentax 10 XW, N9T6, Ultrascopic 7.5, TV2, baader ortho 12.5 and 9 mm
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