Bushnell Discoverer 7x42 or Monarch 8x36 (1 Viewer)

[dfiess]

I have never used either of these binoculars. I am having trouble finding a local sample of the Discoverer 7x42.

I have found online deals of roughly $200 for each and am not sure which one would be the best option for optical quality. I like the field of view of the discoverer 7x42 and I like the compactness, light weight and extensive positive reviews of the monarch 8x36. Without the ability to try them out in person, I would like any opinions on which would be the best optical performing binocular of the two. I like a binocular that can ID birds, although weatherproofing has become an importance after many a-frustrating experience. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Roadbike]

I have never used either of these binoculars. I am having trouble finding a local sample of the Discoverer 7x42.

I have found online deals of roughly $200 for each and am not sure which one would be the best option for optical quality. I like the field of view of the discoverer 7x42 and I like the compactness, light weight and extensive positive reviews of the monarch 8x36. Without the ability to try them out in person, I would like any opinions on which would be the best optical performing binocular of the two. I like a binocular that can ID birds, although weatherproofing has become an importance after many a-frustrating experience. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You should pose this question on the Bushnell binocular forum.

 

[mooreorless]

Pay a little more and get the newer model Bushnell Legends.Well actually you can get the Legend Roofs for about the same as the older Discoverer
Steve

 

[Sailcat]

Pay a little more and get the newer model Bushnell Legends.Well actually you can get the Legend Roofs for about the same as the older Discoverer
Steve

Good advice.

 

[lucznik]

Pay a little more and get the newer model Bushnell Legends.Well actually you can get the Legend Roofs for about the same as the older Discoverer
Steve

The Discoverer was a higher end model than the Legend and was only recently discontinued so; (assuming you're getting one of the latter editions) it incorporates all of Bushnell's latest (XTR, RainGaurd, etc.) enhancements. What would possibly cause you to think the Legend would be a better choice?

 

[bkrownd]

I recently bought the 7x42 Discoverer to get the largest 1) field of view, 2) eye relief and 3) exit pupil diameter I could afford. It gets the job done. There is quite a bit of colored fringing on out-of-focus objects against bright clouds. In-focus objects are better and sharpness seems fine. I have never owned or wanted "great" binoculars, so I'm satisfied with them. With the $500 I saved I bought a nice lens for my camera.

 

[mooreorless]

The Discoverer was a higher end model than the Legend and was only recently discontinued so; (assuming you're getting one of the latter editions) it incorporates all of Bushnell's latest (XTR, RainGaurd, etc.) enhancements. What would possibly cause you to think the Legend would be a better choice?

Hello, Sorry I forgot your name, I know we traded home emails before about spotters and I copied an Outdoor Life article for you. I reread this and this fellow is from China and can not find anything local. So the Discoverer would be a very good buy, even if it is a discontinued binocular. The newer model Bushnell Legend roof prism binoculars are lighter and from what I have read are better than the older heavier Legend roofs. I could provide a link that shows what someone of another forum thinks about the 8x42 Legend, but will only do it if PM'd . The B&L Discoverer 8x42 & 10x42 porro binoculars were supposed to be pretty decent , I'm not sure on when the non phase coated 7x42 B&L Discoverer Roof turned into the Bushnell 7x42 Discoverer. I see that the Bushnell Elites have silver prisms,but they don't say what the Legend Roofs have except fully multicoatings. Well anyway none of the Bushnell Roofs have dielectric mirror coatings anyway, of course I could be wrong.
Regards,Steve

 

[lucznik]

I believe B&L started incorporating phase correction coatings on the Discoverer around '96 or '97. It was basically right after Pentax came out with their original DCF WP. (Nikon soon followed suit with similar upgrades to their Monarch line.) They later also later received RainGaurd coatings.

I can't remember exactly but it seems that B&L binoculars started being labeled as Bushnell just 2 or so years ago when B&L chose to stop licensing their name for sports optics. Not long after that change Bushnell started using their "XTR" coatings.

 

[Alexis Powell]

Well anyway none of the Bushnell Roofs have dielectric mirror coatings anyway, of course I could be wrong.

Lucznik's recollections seem accurate to me. And just to clarify, XTR is a dielectric prism coating (the 8x43 Elite does not use silver).

--AP

 

[lucznik]

I was pretty sure my Discoverer has the XTR coatings as well so; I just pulled out my Discoverer's box to check. I remember that the original Discoverer did in fact use silver coated prisms as stated by moreorless. However, according to the binocular's packaging, my Discoverer does indeed incorporate Bushnell's XTR coatings - which means the practice of using silver was discontinued somewhere along the line.

 

[mooreorless]

I was pretty sure my Discoverer has the XTR coatings as well so; I just pulled out my Discoverer's box to check. I remember that the original Discoverer did in fact use silver coated prisms as stated by moreorless. However, according to the binocular's packaging, my Discoverer does indeed incorporate Bushnell's XTR coatings - which means the practice of using silver was discontinued somewhere along the line.

This is where I got my information on the silver coatings.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/364541-REG/Bushnell_624208_8x43_Elite_Binocular.html
Click on features then at the bottom.

So I guess they have the info wrong on this site. I wonder why the Bushnell Discoverer didn't sell that good. With dielectric coatings these would be brighter. Thanks for the information as well as setting me straight.:t:
Regards,Steve

 

[Alexis Powell]

I wonder why the Bushnell Discoverer didn't sell that good.

I loved the Discoverers and frequently recommended them because they had a wider FOV than other inexpensive roof-prism binoculars. I don't know how popular they were or weren't. If they were unpopular it was probably due to their substantial weight, and because they only came in 7x42 (not enough mag for some buyers) and 10x42 (too much mag; also it had poor eye relief) until the last few years when the 8x42 was released (too late).

--AP

 

[dfiess]

From other discussions on this site I have come to be in favor of the browning 8x32 (importation is not a problem at this time). This binocular fits the bill nicely if all of the comments on this site prove true. Thanks for the feedback, and sorry to change the tone of the conversation. If anyone has an opinion as to why the browning 8x32 is seriously challenged in the cost/performance ratio, I would love to hear it. Otherwise, thanks a bunch for taking the time to respond.

I am finding the Browning 8X32 for $149 plus free shipping to/via friend.

 

[keithdrengen]

I recently bought the 7x42 Discoverer to get the largest 1) field of view, 2) eye relief and 3) exit pupil diameter I could afford. It gets the job done. There is quite a bit of colored fringing on out-of-focus objects against bright clouds. In-focus objects are better and sharpness seems fine. I have never owned or wanted "great" binoculars, so I'm satisfied with them. With the $500 I saved I bought a nice lens for my camera.

What does it mean, "out of focus objects"?
Colour-fringing: Compared to other binoculars, Nikon Monarch or so, how bad is it then?

Thanks - Carsten

 

[lucznik]

What does it mean, "out of focus objects"?

It means those objects within the overall image that are not in focus. o (Sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Colour-fringing: Compared to other binoculars, Nikon Monarch or so, how bad is it then?

I have almost always found the Discoverer to be generally better than other binoculars in its price-class. This is especially true of the 7x and 8x models.

I never did care for the 10x version though, I have actually never found any under-$500 full size 10x roof prism binocular that I did like. Even in porros, I have only found one - which coincidentally was the 10x42 Bausch and Lomb Discoverer.

 

[keithdrengen]

Lol, I meant:
"There is quite a bit of colored fringing on out-of-focus objects against bright clouds"

I just dont get it, because why would some objects be out of focus..? ; )

 

[lucznik]

Lol, I meant:
"There is quite a bit of colored fringing on out-of-focus objects against bright clouds"

I just dont get it, because why would some objects be out of focus..? ; )

O.K., I'll try to be more serious this time.

I'm guessing that the individual is looking at say, flocks of birds flying. It would be possible that he would have focussed his binocular on the nearest of these birds and that others that were more distant from him could be within the FoV yet not in focus and subsequently he noticed that those out-of-focus birds exhibited more "color-fringing" than did the ones that were in focus.

 

[keithdrengen]

Ok, it is THAT simple ok, I complicated things ; )
Thanks
CJ

 

[keithdrengen]

When browsing around it seems not all are equally impressed with the Bushnell Discoverer 7x42, some prefer Nikon monarch 8x42, Some say its even mediocre, other praise it, but not substanially better than the Monarch. Maybe i have read reviews of early versions, without the XTR-coating?
At the same time The Bushnell Custom compact 7x26 gets praised over the Nikon Monarch 8x42 for being more bright(!!) sharper, better long distance resolution AND with lesser eyestrain view.
With that Monarch generally being praised as good in the pricerange, the custom compact must be insane then! .. or the Nikon Monarch is overrated, I didn´t like it myself though, long-distance unsharp.
Seems that Bushnell custom compact is even better than the discoverer then??
Bit odd comparison, but that is what i am "reading".

Correct me if I´m babling..

CJ

 

[lucznik]

When browsing around it seems not all are equally impressed with the Bushnell Discoverer 7x42, some prefer Nikon monarch 8x42, Some say its even mediocre, other praise it, but not substanially better than the Monarch. Maybe i have read reviews of early versions, without the XTR-coating?
At the same time The Bushnell Custom compact 7x26 (pre-elite version, now its got XTR-coating), gets praised over the Nikon Monarch 8x42 for being more bright(!!) sharper, better long distance resolution AND with lesser eyestrain view.
With that Monarch generally being praised as good in the pricerange, the custom compact must be insane then!
Seems that Bushnell custom compact is even better than the discoverer then??
Bit odd comparison, but that is what i am "reading".

Correct me if I´m babling..

CJ

I don't think it would be possible for the 7x26 Custom Compact (with its 3.7mm EP) to actually be brighter than the 8x42 Monarch (with its 5.25mm EP) though it might appear as such simply based on the difference in FoV (363 ft for the Compact and ~330 ft. for the Monarch.) The wider FoV might give the illusion of increased brightness. Not even their XTR coatings, regardless of how good they are, can overcome a full 1.55mm difference in exit pupil size. I would venture that it might be possible for the Custom Compact to be brighter than say an 8x30 or 8x32 binocular as the exit pupil difference is only between 0.05 and 0.30mm and I would think this difference MIGHT be able to be overcome IF the XTR coatings are significantly better than those used on the other binocular.

Basic physics suggest that (unless the bigger binocular is made in an inferior way) the smaller binocular does not have the potential for being sharper, offering better long-range resolution, or providing a more relaxed view than a larger binocular. Its physical size also requires most people (including very small people like me) to scruntch their hands together to use it, which can become quite uncomfortable after awhile.

In reality, even with the "blessed" 7x magnification coupled with a very comparable exit pupil, a similar FoV, and a smaller size/weight than even many 8x3* class binoculars, the 7x26 Custom Compact has never exactly taken the binocular world by storm. So, although it is a very good and perhaps even one of the very best compact binoculars ever made, it still IS a compact and it trades off some performance for its smaller size.

I am a huge fan of compact binoculars (including the Custom Compact) and I keep a compact binocular in my pocket almost all the time no matter where I am. I am not, however, trading in my full-size binoculars any time soon in favor of a compact as a primary/only binocular. My wife on the other hand, could be perfectly well served for the rest of her life by a compact binocular as her performance demands simply don't compare to mine.

Whether the performance level the Custom Compact does offer is good enough for your specific needs, is up to you to decide.