Nikon Monarch HG 8 x 30 Review (1 Viewer)

[Dipperdapper]

Hello Everyone,

Please find a link to my review of the Nikon Monarch HG 8 x 30.

Product Review: Nikon Monarch HG 8 x 30. | Neil English.net

Kind Regards,

Neil.

 

[A2GG]

Very nice review Neil.

I've been using the 8x30 MHG exclusively for almost 1 year now and I really like it. I use it for bird watching/nature observation. I wear glasses and it seems the eye relief is just barely enough; 17-18mm I think would be more comfortable, but I get by OK with it. I haven't experienced any blackouts - wearing glasses I guess I shouldn't experience them - or rolling ball up to this point, thankfully. I do find glare control not too good at times, but I'm coming from Leica Ultravid 7x42 as my previous binocular which has excellent glare control. For 8x30 the Nikon handles the glare OK overall, but it does seem to intrude a bit at times; I just work around it.

The rubber over the focuser came completely loose on my HG which is troubling. I put it back over the focus wheel (goes over it like a cap) and it's still usable, but it does make me wonder about the overall build quality. The focuser is plastic and really looks cheap when you see it exposed, but I suppose it's strong plastic and should be fine as long as the binocular is cared for. I agree about the smoothness of the focuser; it's excellent and one of the very best I've used. I also find the quick focus speed useful for birding.

I like the hard case quite a bit as well and the rain guard is nice too.

I only hope in future versions they replace the focus wheel itself with a metal (aluminum) or all plastic wheel (like in the older versions of Swaro EL and CL). The current wheel and its outer rubber covering feels a bit cheap overall and I agree the eyecups feel cheaper than the asking price of this model.

The view is wonderful and I have no complaints; nice colors and an easy, relaxed view for 8x30.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Hello Beth,

Thanks very much for the feedback.

I love the 8 x 30 format and the little HG has wonderful haptics. Very interesting your mentioning how the focuser has fared after a year of use. I thought it was great but I didn't have it long enough to notice any wear and tear. I completely agree that such a high end product as the HG ought to have better longevity with regard to armouring of the focuser. You obviously have used it extensively in that time you've had it.

That said, others have experienced the thicker rubber padding on the Monarch 7 line coming away after extensive use. I think Nikon were probably thinking their customers wouldn't be using them so frequently that you begin to see these issues in a relatively short period of time

Optically, I found it to be amazing; I was completely taken aback at the huge flat field and tack sharp, brilliant optics. As a newbie to birding I can see a great niche for it. In the end that's what really matters but hopefully Nikon will listen to their customers and make the overall ergonomics more hard wearing. It absolutely deserves to last and last.

With best wishes,

Neil.

 

[A2GG]

Yes, I agree the optics are very pleasing. I've used a lot of different binoculars over the years and rank the MHG very high; it's a great compact binocular and it performs so well for birding. Despite the issue with the rubber, I continue to use it as much as possible and don't want to give it up; I like it that much.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Yep, I totally understand that!

I hope it brings you many more years of observing bliss!

Best,


Neil.

 

[A2GG]

Me too. I'll just have to take very good care of it. Thank you Neil.

 

[MCLV]

I do find glare control not too good at times, but I'm coming from Leica Ultravid 7x42 as my previous binocular which has excellent glare control. For 8x30 the Nikon handles the glare OK overall, but it does seem to intrude a bit at times; I just work around it.

Do you have an experience with Monarch 7 8x30 by any chance and how it compares with it in this regard? I own M7 8x30 currently and I'm curious if there would be an improvement in glare control if I would upgrade to MHG 8x30 in the future.

 

[A2GG]

Do you have an experience with Monarch 7 8x30 by any chance and how it compares with it in this regard? I own M7 8x30 currently and I'm curious if there would be an improvement in glare control if I would upgrade to MHG 8x30 in the future.

No experience at all with the M7 8x30. I’m sure someone on this forum must have experience with both. I think the glare in the HG was more bothersome at first, but as time went by I adjusted. Overall, it’s not a big issue and never became a deal breaker for me.

 

[pbjosh]

I've had my MHG 8x30 for just over 3 years now. It is my most used binocular, but not the binocular I take on international trips nor on boats. However for almost all local birding and incidental birding while traveling (of which there tends to be a lot), it's the bin I take. I would guess, averaged out over the year, it get's used for several hours about twice a week. It's also my partner's favorite bin, by a big margin (combo of quality vs small size).

I still love mine and have had no problems with durability yet (touch wood). The focuser is still a bit stiffer than my other bins, as it was when I bought it, but still very smooth action.

I've had PRK (refractive eye surgery) this year so I'm no longer wearing glasses except non prescription sunglasses, which is lovely. The MHG is a bit fiddlier for eye placement without glasses as opposed to with, for me. Before with both my regular glasses and prescription sunglasses I had to press them up snugly to get the full FOV but it worked out very well for the small size. Now if I am sunglasses free the small eye cups sink too deep in my eye sockets, and I would have blackouts. So I have pretty easily learned to rest them just against my upper eyebrows and have adapted quickly and without too much problems. Not quite as easy as before, but not a deal breaker for me.

The glare performance is comparable to my Swaro (EL previously, NL now), and perhaps a hair worse than my SFs - again not a deal breaker, though not class leading.

I still definitely take the 10x42s (NLs now) or 8x42s (SFs) when I'm going on a "serious" birding trip as I want to use the best I have. But I spend a lot of time at my local patches and pedaling around on my bike with the 8x30 Monarch HG and am never disappointed and never wish that I'd brought a bigger/heavier/better binocular. At some point a mega raptor might fly over or there might be a rare duck or shorebird that I can't get closer to and I might just wish for the better bin... but 3 years in and it's not happened yet. The only thing I do notice from time to time is CA, but it isn't bad enough and doesn't bother me enough to justify carrying a heavier bin for local outings.

If the Swaro CL 8x30 or the Retrovid 7x35 were actually significantly better I would have swapped. If a better bin that is more or less as compact comes along I'll be happy to swap. But for now the combo of ergonomics, FOV, and optical quality can't be beaten for my use.

 

[A2GG]

I’m fortunate to very rarely see any CA in the HG. I just don’t ever see it in general when birding. I can only remember one time seeing CA in the central view around distant branches of tall trees against strong backlit white sky. That was quite a while ago and I haven’t noticed anything like that again being out in all conditions. I did notice it off center near the edges when testing for it when I first received the binocular. Since I almost never look at the edges of the view, I don’t experience any CA in the subjects I’m looking at.

 

[A2GG]

It's also my partner's favorite bin, by a big margin (combo of quality vs small size).

If the Swaro CL 8x30 or the Retrovid 7x35 were actually significantly better I would have swapped. If a better bin that is more or less as compact comes along I'll be happy to swap. But for now the combo of ergonomics, FOV, and optical quality can't be beaten for my use.

I'm having trouble deciding on a secondary binocular purchase for these reasons. Since the rubber issue on the HG I decided I should have a backup or secondary binocular. I don't want to spend 2k on a premium binocular, but I'd like to buy something close in quality to the HG. There's not many compact and light weight binos to choose from in and around this price level.

I tried the Swaro CL-b 8x30 and thought the view appeared tunnel-like in comparison. Also, the focus is very slow.

I stupidly sold my 1st gen CL thinking I didn't need it anymore. That was a huge mistake and really the biggest regret. They are very hard to find now and I don't want to buy a 10 year old used one from ebay.

I prefer the original CL over the new CL-b. I did not get the tunnel-like view in the older CL and I directly compared it to the Nikon HG. Also, the focus speed on the older CL didn't seem as slow as the newer model. It also worked better with my eyeglasses (more useable ER). A great binocular that I should have kept. I don't know what I was thinking.

I tried the Leupold BX-4 8x32 based on excellent reviews, but that had a very narrow FOV and small area of sharpness. I noticed the small sweet spot and bad edges right away. After all, I had been using the HG for almost a year and anything narrower with a smaller area of sharpness is readily noticed.

I may eventually buy the CL-b ... but, sometimes I wonder if I should just buy another Monarch HG; at least it will come with full warranty this time. I purchased my HG 8x30 as a refurb unit from Nikon Direct and it only had a 30 day warranty. Right now a bunch of bills popped up, so I have to hold off an any optics purchase. Maybe a new model from a good brand will pop up in the meantime that looks good on paper enough to give it a try.

 

[Brink]

I don’t have the MHG 8x30, but I have the 8x42. It is very resistant to glare. I have compared it side-by-side extensively with the m7, Kowa BDII, and victory FL. The MHG is definitely the best of this bunch, generally speaking. The only downsides are CA and I find the focus speed a bit on the slow side (but like the smoothness and tension of the focuser ).

 

[pbjosh]

Do you have an experience with Monarch 7 8x30 by any chance and how it compares with it in this regard? I own M7 8x30 currently and I'm curious if there would be an improvement in glare control if I would upgrade to MHG 8x30 in the future.

We own both and I see less glare in the Monarch HG 8x30 than in the Monarch 7 8x30. The M7 is already a pretty good little bin, so upgrading to the Monarch HG is not a night-and-day difference, but I find it generally better in almost all aspects - glare control, color, contrast, eye relief, ergonomics, CA control. Hard to say if the resolution is genuinely better? I don't have a complaint with either of them in that regard.