Lauds to Nikon sport optics no-fault replacement policy

[GeezerSteve]

Three weeks ago yesterday, while high on the Louis Creek High Route, I bashed my Nikon Premier LX-L (aka HG-L) 8x20 compact binoculars against a rock. I bashed them hard and it knocked them out of collimation, rendering a double image. I loosened up one of the hinges to allow me to torque the barrels to produce a sorta acceptable image, but I could hold that for only a few seconds at a time. I had totally fucked up my compact binos.

I was bummed. I really loved my LX-Ls, having used them hundreds of days in the mountains, skiing, scrambling, high routing and hiking, and another 100+ days on urban birdwatching jogging trips. That the price had increased from $400 to $525 since I bought them added to my dismay.

Upon my return to civilization I looked through my warranty info and saw that my binos were covered under the Nikon No-Fault Repair/Replacement Policy, which provides:

If your Nikon Binocular, Spotting Scope, or Fieldscope requires service or repair not covered by our 25-Year Limited Warranty, Nikon will repair or replace it (even if it was your fault) for just $10, plus return shipping and handling.

I contacted Nikon via an internet portal, got the RA and shipped them off to Nikon's repair facility in SoCal. A few days later Nikon acknowledged receipt and that the glasses would be repaired or replaced. A few days after that, Nikon advised that it elected to replace them.

Got the replacements yesterday. I expected, and would have been happy with, a refurbished pair, and was delighted when I saw the new-in-box binos when I got home yesterday. And Nikon has not yet billed me for the $10 plus shipping. (I plan to contact them today to settle up.)

A decade or so, Nikon decided to attempt to compete head-to-head with the Big Three (Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica) alpha bino manufacturers. Nikon succeeded, and is now making some of the world's very best binos. See, e.g., allbinos review of 8x32 binos and allbinos review of 8x42 binos. The birdwatching community is now talking about the "Big Four." You can expect superb optics from all of the top end binos from Leica, Zeiss, Swaro and Nikon, and what bino handles best for you is largely a matter of personal preference, but if you are looking to shell out big bucks for top shelf binos you ought to put Nikon's lifetime no-fault policy on your list of factors.

My experience with Nikon's no-fault policy is consistent with similar accounts I've heard in the birding community. The word in the birder world is that Nikon will fix binos more than 25 years old under its no fault policy.

Note that my Zeiss Victory FL 8x32s are covered by a 5-year no-fault policy. Leica binos are covered by a 3-year no-fault policy. AFAIK, Swarovski has no such policy and its warranty expressly excludes user-caused damage.

Lauds to Nikon.

[hutash]

Three weeks ago yesterday, while high on the Lewis Creek High Route,

You probably shouldn't use binos when you are stoned. "Wow, look at all those colors, and they are sooo close, man!"

[GeezerSteve]

Har har. Don't need to be stoned when I'm traveling in the mountains cuz I've now got only one vestibular labyrinth after brain surgery in Jan. Now, every run is a buzz run.

Camp -- well, that's another story.

[jamal]

Nice, good to know. Got my dad some monarchs for Christmas last year, they are really great.

[Harry]

Thanks for posting this Steve.

I am in the market for some new binos, planning on pulling the trigger by Labor Day, and had it narrowed down to Nikon vs Minox.

My buddy has been pushing me toward Nikon cuz he loves his.

Your post just pushed me into the Nikon camp.

[GeezerSteve]

Harry, what size bins are you considering? Gotta budget? Minox glasses are hit and miss. Have you looked at the new Asian bins, e.g., Vortex?

Which Monarchs, jamal? The Monarch 5 replaces the classic Monarch ATB. The Monarch 7 is the former Monarch X. The Monarch 3 is, well, I'm not sure.

[josef]

This is good to hear that a company is standing behind their products. No experience with Nikon sport optics (just their camera gear) but Leupold has a similar lifetime warranty. Them being local to me also makes it extremely easy if anything ever goes wrong.

[jamal]

Pretty sure I got him the 5s, but they might be 3s. Either way they are pretty impressive and he's never had anything close to that nice until now.

[Harry]

Harry, what size bins are you considering? Gotta budget? Minox glasses are hit and miss. Have you looked at the new Asian bins, e.g., Vortex?

8x56 or maybe 7x50.

I do alot of dawn/dusk hiking. Wildlife watching mostly, and some birding.

I have developed a bit of an essential tremor (age 55), so 7 or 8 power max. 10 and above is too shaky. Big and heavy is a plus for me.

Budget = under $500

Sounds like you have done your research. Feed me your recommendations please.

(Note: I have a little pair of 10x22 Steiners for 20+ years that I love, but too shaky now)

[GeezerSteve]

Harry, I hearya about <8X. I have lots of birding days on 6.5X glasses. Sibley says that 7X is the ideal general birding bin.

Check out the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 @ Eagle Optics for $589. ED glass. Great build quality. Lifetime warranty. Great reviews at that price point and the birding community has embraced it. It's common to see Vortex bins next to the Swaros, Zeiss, Leica and Nikon on bird nerds.

If you are going lower power, think about a midsize. Check out the Vortex 6x32 Viper HD @ $549. Sweet bins for the price. High dispersion glass. Best image I've ever seen through <$800 bins. Big 19.5mm eye relief if you wear glasses. 6x32 = 5.3mm exit pupil = good for dawn/dusk. I noticed a wee bit of pincushioning, but not bad.

If you want to stay under $400, Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 (replaces the classic Monarch ATB) are great full size glasses. The Monarch 5 8x56 is over your budget.

[Harry]

Did not know Vortex were decent. I assumed they were cheap and poorly made. Bad assumption on my part.

There some Nikon Monarch 8.5 x 56 on Optics Planet for under $350. Are they any good ?

[GeezerSteve]

Vortex bins are constructed very well, one reason they have become popular with birders and hunters. Our two Vortex bins are bomber.

Nikon Monarch 8.5 x 56 on Optics Planet for under $350.

Those are either old stock Monarch or newer Monarch/Monarch 3. (Nikon has different names for the same bin, depending on who is distributing them. Stupid and confusing.) If you could try those side-by-side with the Monarch 5 8x42, you'll likely immediately notice the latter's better image, especially at the edges. The M5 has better prisms, better coatings and will have better resolutions at the edges. I personally really don't like bins with fuzzy edges or with CA at the edges. The Vortex Viper HD will have more pop then the M5.

Check to see if those 8x56 have dielectric coatings. I doubt they do at that price. Later ATBs in some sizes (e.g., 8x42) had dielectric coatings, but I think a Monarch-badged 8x56 for the price as silver coatings. There's a big difference when you step up to Nikon's dielectric coatings.

Why 8x56? That's a 7mm exit pupil. An 8x42 will have 5.25mm exit pupils, which is plenty for dawn/dusk viewing because at age 55 your pupils likely won't dilate bigger than 4mm. To some extent decent bin optics are by the pound. If your budget is $400-$600 you're going to get significantly better glass with 8x42 or 8x32 bins. Also note that bin manufacturers put more resources in 8x42 and 8x32 models because those are their biggest sellers and the 8x42 (or, in Swaro's case, its 8.5x42) is the flagship for most manufacturers. It'd be nice if you could try the Monarch 5 and Viper 8x42s. I'd lay odds you'd prefer the Viper image, but between those two 8x42, subjective preference re handling and the Monarch 5's $300 price might break the tie.

[Harry]

Why 8x56?

Same reason I bought 195 Motherships. I assume they will impress chicks.

True(ish) answer: my mom has a pair of Zeiss 8x58 that have been in our family a few generations, since the late 50's/early 60's. I love those things and dream of owning something similar.

That's a 7mm exit pupil. An 8x42 will have 5.25mm exit pupils, which is plenty for dawn/dusk viewing because at age 55 your pupils likely won't dilate bigger than 4mm.

I am a total binocular JONG apparently.

Is that computed mathematically ? Ex: 56 divided by 8 = 7 ?

So if my eye is only 4mm, the ideal 8 power would be 8x32 ? Or ideal 7 power will be 7x28 ? Is that how this works ?

If so, that will save me a bunch of money and I can upgrade to higher quality.

[Harry]

Opinion on Steiner Merlin Pro 8x42 ? Seems to fit my budget. I like my little Steiners.

[hutash]

I bought a pair of Vortex last year. Very nice bino at a reasonable price. Been very happy.

I just picked up a pair of Leica ultravid 8x20 to replace my stolen compacts. Haven't used them except in the backyard, but appear to be great glass.

Got them at http://www.cameralandny.com/demos-leica.html as a demo pair. Good deal and allowed me to upgrade from trinovid. Good service, helpful on the phone, etc.

[GeezerSteve]

I just picked up a pair of Leica ultravid 8x20 to replace my stolen compacts.

Great glass. Only compacts that are optically in the same league as the Nikon LXL/Premier/HG 8x20s. IMV, choosing between the two is a matter of handling preference and warranty/no-fault coverage. Zeiss and Swaro 8x20s just don't stack up to my eye.

Opinion on Steiner Merlin Pro 8x42 ? Seems to fit my budget. I like my little Steiners.

I've never looked through Steiner bins that I liked. YMMV

Is that computed mathematically ? Ex: 56 divided by 8 = 7 ?

Yup, exit pupil is calculated as objective/power.

So if my eye is only 4mm, the ideal 8 power would be 8x32 ? Or ideal 7 power will be 7x28 ? Is that how this works ?

The better way to think about it is that at 55 y.o. your pupils will dilate only so big, say 4mm, so assuming you're birding at dusk and your pupil is dilated to, say, 3.8mm, in theory a bin with 6mm ER is not going to give you more light than a bin with 4mm ER. OTOH, a pair of 8x42 bins with fuzzy edges might have an ER of 5.25 mm but a sweet spot of only 4mm.

Re resolution at low light, as you do your research you may see reference to "twilight power," which was once an important factor, but not so much now if you are shopping with bins with high quality coatings. See Birdwatching.com: Optics Myth 9: "Twilight factor" is key to performance in dim light. High quality coatings is a must. That's why the Monarch 5 8x42 (dielectric coatings) will kick ass on that Monarch 8x56 (which, at $350 must be old stock or the Monarch 3 glass, i.e., silver coated prisms). See Optics Myth 6: A really good pair of binoculars is outside my price range.

If you are going lower power, it'd be nice to check out the 6x32 Vortex Viper HD. I run into a local birder who prefers his 6x32 Viper HDs over his $2500 top-top-rated Swaro EL 8.5x42. When I see him out birding in the neighborhood he and I swap his Viper HDs for my FLs and we both say "wow." His Viper HDs pop like alpha glasses. Note that the former non-HD Viper is the bin on the allbinos 8x32 test result list.

Lots of places (e.g., Cabela's, REI, most big hunting/fishing stores) carry the Monarch 5 8x42. If you are going with 8X, be sure to try 'em out. Damn fine glasses for $300.

[Harry]

See, this is what I love about TGR.

I am remodeling my kitchen and buying some binoculars. I was going to spend $1,000 on some Formica and another $300-$500 on binoculars.

Between that Countertop thread and this one I am now up to a $10,000 remodel and ???? for binos.

Those Monarch 5 (or maybe 7 !) in 8x42 are the current front runners.

[GeezerSteve]

Between the M5 and M7, get the M5 and keep some money in your pocket. I spent some time with Anita's yesterday evening and was reminded what great glasses they are for $300. Hell, they are great glasses at any price.

I've looked through two Monarch 7 8x42s and the image doesn't seem much better than the M5 8x42s. The M7 might have a bit more 3D look, but Anita's M5s seem to resolve better at the edges. If your budget is in the Monarch 7 range, seriously consider paying another $100 for the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 or, if you are going low power, the Vortex Viper HD 6x32. allbinos has tested the Monarch 7 8x42 and gave it a "very good" rating. Unfortunately, allbinos has not tested the Viper HD 8x42, but it raves about the Viper HD 10x42. (The allbinos 8x32 Viper test is the old non-HD glass.) To my eye the 8x32 has the best image of the Viper HDs, but looking through any of the Viper HDs will blow you away.

allbinos Monarch 7 8x42 test, "very good" rating

allbinos 10x42 test, "outstanding" rating

[Harry]

My buddy with the Nikons is loaning them to me for the Labor Day weekend. Turns out they are Monarch 3's, 8x42. He said he paid around $200. They have a real nice harness system that keeps the weight off your neck. I will see how that works with my day pack.

If I like them, I will spring the extra for the Monarch 5's.

I plan to watch the goats ontop of the Headwaters ridgeline.

[GeezerSteve]

Luv watching goats on exposed 4th class terrain.

Cool. The Monarch 3s will give you a good idea of how the Monarch line handles. You can expect the M5 to have better resolution, a bigger sweetspot, better CA correction. Resolution will be the biggest difference due to the better coatings.

I make DIY bino harness from $4 of materials. Made a pair for my bud a couple days ago. Very simple and effective design. They look like these:

[Harry]

Luv watching goats on exposed 4th class terrain.

That photo was cheating. That is a stuffed goat above the fireplace inside the Moonlight Lodge. I just posted it so that some North Dakotan reading this thread can understand that these are Mountain Goats, not some billy goat from your uncles farm.

I don't think the Headwaters counts as 4th class. Definately 3rd class though.



That knob just past where those skiers are standing had about 10-15 goats on it last time I was up there.

[Harry]

Thanks to an REI code from Inspector Gadget, I scored some Monarch 7 8x42's. normally $550, they ended up $284.

[GeezerSteve]

Good score. Those M7s should last you a lifetime.

[Harry]

Good score. Those M7s should last you a lifetime.

I was all ready to pull the trigger on the Monarch 5's (based on your recommendation Big Steve). Then REI put all Nikon products on sale last week plus Inspector Gadget PM'd me an REI code that worked on top of the sale price. Saved me a shitload of money. I got the 7's for less than I was planning to spend on the 5's.

[GeezerSteve]

Very good bins for that price. See allbinos 8x42 rankings and albinos 8x42 Monarch 7 test