Nikon Monarch 7 8x30

Nikon Monarch 7 8x30

I scored an 8x30 Monarch 7 for dirt cheap. The seller didn't know the value this Nikon have and I pounced on it like a hungry Tiger. Expanding my optical arsenal with my first China made pair and it is brillant. I have read somewhere that this specific model of the Monarch line was designed by Kamakura Koki Co. Ltd and was produced in their China Factory. It is possible that Nikon's higher ranked binoculars are made by the same company but produced in their factory in Japan.

Made in China

It was delivered without any box, papers, and rain guards. Just the objective caps, and what I presume to be the original Neoprene strap with a gold Nikon name on it. The binocular exterior are covered in dust and it smells of mold, signifying long storage and, given the unavailability of new Nikon sport optics locally, is an imported surplus item destined for those dusty, informal goodwill/charity shops. One quick spot through these lenses and off it went to intense cleaning. Once done, it was time to enjoy the views.

The image produced by this Nikon is impressive. It felt that people who gave online reviews were understating in a bid to be modest from having no experience with top glass from Zeiss or Swarovski. Given the condition where it may not have been handled properly, evident with the deep depressions at the rubber covers, it says a lot about the Monarch 7's durability.

The only thing that was mildly bothersome, personally, was that the rubber covers at the bridge doesn't align well which is visible also from product photos from searching in Google. The objective lens' rubber covers easily pops off with just a slight brush. I haven't taken it out of my bag without these caps dislodged. Could this be from normal wear and tear? I certainly hope it's no indicator of the fate of my brand new Z-Series Pentax.

Comfortably light at 432 grams

It would be interesting to put it side by side with a similar binocular I have, in terms of size and magnification: the Fujinon KF8x32H.

Left: Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Right: Fujinon KF8x32H

The Nikon looks malnourished beside the beefy Fuji. I prefer the focus knob on the Fuji as my fingers, no matter how placed, always sits on top.

Left: Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Right: Fujinon KF8x32H

The eyecups on the Fuji looks bigger with longer eye relief but the mechanism on the Nikon is crisp and hefty, and stops on three levels.

Left: Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Right: Fujinon KF8x32H

Despite the smaller eye cups of the Nikon, the last element of the ocular lens is bigger than the Fuji's.

The Nikon has the advantage of having an ED element and Dielectric Coating over the Silver prism coating of the Fuji. I tried looking for Chromatic Aberrations on the Nikon to the point where you realise that this not the point of enjoying binoculars, but couldn't in today's overcast sky. The Nikon is just prancing around this Fuji.

Left: Nikon Monarch 7 8x30
Right: Fujinon KF8x32H

First impression of the Nikon went quite well. Just spending an afternoon can spoil you enough to hold a higher standard of discernment in optical preferences. Let's see how it holds up down the road.


August 14, 2019

Last night Manila was finally graced by a marvelous full moon, after almost a month of soaked evenings. Rising just above the urban lined horizon in its sizable presence, it seems to have occupied all the twilight sky. It is beautiful, in an uplifting sort of way, that this may be the reason why humans have the compulsion to measure it. For me, I can appreciate through binoculars, and tonight is a good time to test the Nikon.

The view was sharp and amazing. The moon's craters were well defined. No evident CA at the edge of the moon. Visually no different than my full sized Pentax ZD 8x42 WP. The small size and lightness of the Nikon accentuates the shakiness of my hands more than the heavier Pentax. The only frustration I have at this point is that it can't zoom in for a bigger view. But as they say: "different horse for a different course." I'll leave that job to a future more powerful pair.

August 18, 2019

A first taste of real outdoor adventure for the Nikon came last weekend when our group crossed Batangas Bay to Tingloy Island. Unfortunately there isn't much wildlife to spot but our adventure tested this binocular's ruggedness. I would say that this little Nikon took all the harsh elements, including sweat, head on and I am impressed. It was written somewhere by a local enthusiast that it would be preferable to get a waterproof binocular in the hot Philippine climate, to which I strongly agree.