We consider this binocular a best buy in its price range. Its resolution and brightness compare well even when competing against binoculars costing up to twice as much. We've done a lot of research before choosing our binoculars and decided upon the Nikon Monarch 5 ATB 8x42 Binoculars for several reasons. The Monarch 5 and 7 series are all very light weight binoculars in the full-sized category. Thus, the 2.1 ounce difference between Monarch 5 and Monarch 7 8x42 is negligible. Even the heavier Monarch 7 10x42 is only 23.6 ounces. Some very expensive and desirable binoculars weight over 30 ounces. MONARCH M5, users can expect to visualise rich images in high-resolution, resulting in the magnificence of nature’s colours being brought to life. Both models feature a Dielectric high-reflective multilayer prism coating, to guarantee superior transmittance uniformity across the visible range.

The more you magnify without changing the size of the objective lens (the big end) the less light is transmitted to your eyes. 8x42 binoculars are brighter than 10x42 binoculars. I shopped and shopped and ended up getting my binocs at a super deal, terrific price ---- on LLBean.

What binocular features are important for bird watchers?

Our used products are subject to wear and tear in comparison to brand new products. This also applies to accessories that are supplied with the camera including batteries which may have a lower optimum performance level/life expectancy.

As it turned out, there were hardly any birds to be seen. (February, but little snow.) I never spotted anything unusual. Optical performance was inherited from the conventional MONARCH 5 binoculars, such as extra-low dispersion (ED) glass employed to correct chromatic aberration that causes colour fringing. As a result, a contrast-rich and high-resolution image is realised.

Second thing: These binoculars are heavy. I think so. Sometimes I miss out on seeing birds because I just don't feel like lugging the binocs around. Because there is always a chance your binoculars could be damaged, lost or stolen, cost is an important feature in case they need to be replaced on short notice.