Nikon Monarch 7 8×30 Binoculars Review
While I have tested lots of compact binoculars over a long time at my outdoor stint and nature watching, these binoculars have somewhat changed my opinion about an optics with a small aperture.
If you don’t want the bulk of your 8X42 or 10X42 binoculars while your next birding, hiking, nature camping trip, An 8x30 or an 8x32 is usually you would like to choose.
Nikon Monarch 7 30mm binoculars are Nikon's first entry into the lower-priced roof prism 32mm market.
The Nikon announced the 8x30 binocular in the year 2013 and claims the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 as a high performance binocular in a compact body.
Let us see in this detailed review whether it comes at par to our expectations or not.
Here is our take on the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 Binoculars.
- Sophisticated rubber armored exterior design provides shock resistance and a firm comfortable grip
- Locking diopter control maintains your personal setting
- Oil/Water repellent coating - applied to both eyepiece and objective lens surfaces
Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 Binoculars Specifications
Product Specifications | |
|---|---|
Image |   |
Prism Type | Roof |
Magnification | 8.0X |
Objective Lens Diameter/Type | 30 mm/BAK-4 |
Angle Of View/ AFOV | 8.5 degrees/60.3 degrees |
Exit Pupil Diameter | 3.8 mm |
Field of View ft@1000yds | 145 metre |
Eye Relief | 15.1 mm |
Minimum Focus Distance | 2 m |
Weight | 435 gm |
InterPupillary Distance | 56-72 mm |
Rating and Price |
Build Quality/ What’s in the Case
So, following the legacy of Nikon Optics products, The fit and finish of Monarch 7 8x30 is quite nice and excellent
The binoculars body is made of fiberglass reinforced polycarbonate resin. The barrels are rubber-armored which provides a solid, sturdy feel and, a comfortable grip.
The focus wheel is also covered by rubber ribs. It's feels smooth and nice to fiddle with these centre wheels. Individual focusing function is available through a snug ring on the right eyepieces.
Multilayered Dielectric coating which has high reflectivity has been applied to the lenses along with Phase correction coating on Prisms. This produces high contrast and well-defined image with high accuracy in color reproduction.
The prism is of roof type and Nikon ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) glass is used for the lenses.
Rainguard, Caps for both Eyepiece and Objective Lens, Case and, straps are included in the case.
Magnification:
The binoculars have a magnification of 8 times the original size with an objective lens diameter of 30mm.
A 8x30 binocular will work better in low light conditions like dusk or dawn than an 10x30. 8x30 monarchs are a lot brighter than their 10x30 counterparts. Moreover, a lots of birders and outdoor enthusiasts find it difficult to hold a 10x binocular steady enough which is why the 8x ones are more popular.
Field of View
The binoculars provide an astonishingly wide and bright field of view for its weight, which is 435 feet@1000yards.
Also, The angular field of view (real) is a whopping 8.3 degrees which is slightly bigger than the larger aperture Monarch 7 8x42’s and is impressive to me.
The exit pupil at 3.8mm is not the biggest, so you have to be a little more steady.
Moreover, apparent angular field of view is 60.3 degrees which are good enough to find your subject.
Eye Relief
The M7 8x30 has 15mm ER, which fairly ok for an 8x30 binoculars. This might work fine depending on the form of the glasses and the prescription of the person.
Also, there are mixed opinions on binoculars fitment while seeing with eye glasses. I have found it comfortable while viewing even with my eye glasses on.
Image Quality & Performance
30mm objective lenses provide an adequate amount of light transmission.
Although in 8x42 binoculars light transmission will be greater than the 8x30, 8x42 can be much larger and heavier than 8x30 binoculars while you at your next birding trip.
The binoculars provide high optical quality and good performance when compared to its counterparts.
However, There is still significant softening at the edge of the view with some CA present on the edges, but all in all its an enjoyable viewing experience through these binoculars.
Size and Weight Consideration
The binoculars are 4.7 inches long by 4.8 inches wide which makes it compact and easy to carry around.
Weighing only 15.3 ounces the binoculars are one of the lightest 8X30 binoculars in the market.
Options & Alternative
Monarch 7 8x30 compared extremely well with a Swarovski CL Companion 8x30 which are almost 4 times pricier.
However, If you don’t want to compromise on sharpnesss and contrast at all, you can go for Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD Binoculars. Leica’s are german made but are certainly, at a very high price point.
Overall, The Monarch 7 8x30 stands up very well indeed against both those super-expensive binoculars and other competitors in this range.
Pros of Nikon Monarch 7 8×30 Binoculars
- The binoculars are lightweight and compact.
- Good optical quality
- Constructed from a high-quality shockproof material
- fast focus and depth of field is good
- Is waterproof and fog proof
- All its optics are fully multi-coated
- 10-year warranty
- Nice Wide Angle Viewing
Cons
- Loose rubber end caps
- Made in China could be a concern for some users
- Image quality suffers in low light
Features of Nikon Monarch 7 8×30 Binoculars
- ED glass for less chromatic aberration and clear image
- 30 mm objective lens
- Roof prism design
- Dielectric high reflective multilayer Coated Lenses for bright & sharp images.
- Phase correction coated roof prisms
- Fogproof/Weatherproof with O-ring sealed and nitrogen gas purging
- Comfortable neck strap
- Eco glass optics which is lead and arsenic-free.
- Twist-up eyecups and tethered objective lens covers
Pricing
Certainly, these are not cheap, but for the price point it represent an incredible value with its amazing field of view.
When you look around the market at what you can get for that price in an 8x30/32 binocular then there is no comparison.
The binoculars provide a nice balance of quality and value.
Another User’s Review Worth Mentioning
"I have the 8x30. Apart from the small exit pupil, which means you have to place them in a certain way (depending on the structure of your face), which becomes second nature after a while, they are superb optically, small, light, amazingly bright and sharp and no sign of false color, lovely wide field.....I sometimes wonder should I have gone for the 42mm but these 30mm bins go everywhere walking with me attached to my belt, whereas a larger 42mm glass would probably be left at home. I believe you could pay twice as much and you'd only get a very slight improvement over these, in fact, most people would be pushed to really see any improvement".
Conclusion
The binoculars provide one of the best options for bird watchers and nature lovers in its price range and size.
Anything larger than this device can be too heavy and bulky for backpacking for your next adventure.
They are significantly lighter than most binoculars with similar optical quality and have significantly better optics than most binoculars of similar weight.
In Short: The Monarch 7 8x30 is neither the best nor the worst you can get in this size, but for its price, it is well built, light and compact and offers quite a reasonable performance.
Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 Binoculars Review
Oudoor Wildlife Observation
Bird Watching
Camping
Boating
Build Quality
If you love being outdoors, and want to carry easy, light, portable set of binoculars to scan a large area Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 is you would like to choose.
Interesting Read- best pocket binoculars
You might be interested in:
Nikon Monarch 7 10×30 Binoculars
Nikon Monarch 7 8×42 Binoculars Review
Check Comparison: Nikon Monarch 7 8×30 Vs 10×30
You might be interested in the comparison: Nikon Prostaff vs Monarch
Last update on 2024-04-21
You’re statement about light transmission being better on 10 x 30 than 8x 30 is incorrect.
“A 10×30 binocular will work better in low light conditions like dusk or dawn than an 8×30 bu…”
Its things like this that don’t lend itself to a credible review. Also 15mm eye relief is actually above average
That’s not what he said.