I know we have a few optics guys on the forum. I am looking for a decent pair of compact binoculars that are relatively small and lightweight. For what it's worth I am upgrading from a vortex 10x monocular which crapped out on me. I have a set of Nikon 10x50 but are too big and heavy to carry around. Primary use will be for when I am bow hunting and well as fishing looking for lost jugs on the water. Had bad glare with the vortex. Also riding on fourwheeler looking around. Anyhow, I know I wont be in the top tier stuff in the 500 to 1500 range, but I also dont want it to be the junk often found in the 150 range. So far every vortex product I have owned for any length of time has let me down. I've looked at some of the birding forums but seems like hit or miss on brands recommended.

Does anyone have any recommendations of something that fits what I'm looking for?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Oh, I've been waiting for this. Caladan finally test drove a set of the Optika binos from Meopta. He put it at the top of the class for price point. Hopefully, he'll chime in with the good/bad/otherwise but he was impressed for the price point and they run about $300. Plus, I have them in stock..

you might also look at the kowa bdii xd 8x42
They are a bit outside your price range but I bet if you gave the guys at cameraland a call they could take care of that for you
I hope you sent your monocular back to vortex for replacement. No question they will take care of you.

Best 8x32 in your price range is an 8x30. The Nikon Monarch 7 is bright and sharp, has a very good focus wheel, and has the added advantage of having a very small footprint. IMO it is brighter and sharper than a Zeiss Terra. It does have one downside however and that is a somewhat short eye relief. If you wear glasses while glassing, then it might not work for you. You should be able to find these right around $350.

I believe that GPO has an 8x32 that might be worth checking out, but I've not used one. Leupold also has the 8x32 Pro Guide HD that is supposed to be very good (certainly their 42mm's are), but are normally over your price range. However, I have seen them on sale from time to time, so it would be worth your time to shop around. These should compete extremely well against the Monarch 7.

C

Thanks a million Caladan. I have actually preferred Nikon Scopes to many Leopold and other brand Scopes that I have. Nikon just seems to work good with my eyes. However I did want to look at all the other name brands out there to see if there was a better option. If the Nikon holds its own in the price class, then that is the one I would prefer as well. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Caladan said:

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Best 8x32 in your price range is an 8x30. The Nikon Monarch 7 is bright and sharp, has a very good focus wheel, and has the added advantage of having a very small footprint. IMO it is brighter and sharper than a Zeiss Terra. It does have one downside however and that is a somewhat short eye relief. If you wear glasses while glassing, then it might not work for you. You should be able to find these right around $350.

I believe that GPO has an 8x32 that might be worth checking out, but I've not used one. Leupold also has the 8x32 Pro Guide HD that is supposed to be very good (certainly their 42mm's are), but are normally over your price range. However, I have seen them on sale from time to time, so it would be worth your time to shop around. These should compete extremely well against the Monarch 7.

C

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Dammit, he was looking for the 32s, not 42s. Brain fart on my end. Sorry for throwing your name on that one lol

TheEyeGuy said:

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Caladan said:

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Best 8x32 in your price range is an 8x30. The Nikon Monarch 7 is bright and sharp, has a very good focus wheel, and has the added advantage of having a very small footprint. IMO it is brighter and sharper than a Zeiss Terra. It does have one downside however and that is a somewhat short eye relief. If you wear glasses while glassing, then it might not work for you. You should be able to find these right around $350.

I believe that GPO has an 8x32 that might be worth checking out, but I've not used one. Leupold also has the 8x32 Pro Guide HD that is supposed to be very good (certainly their 42mm's are), but are normally over your price range. However, I have seen them on sale from time to time, so it would be worth your time to shop around. These should compete extremely well against the Monarch 7.

C

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Dammit, he was looking for the 32s, not 42s. Brain fart on my end. Sorry for throwing your name on that one lol

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No problem! Actually, it gives me the chance to publicly thank you for letting me audition the Optikas.

C

jeremy360 said:

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Thanks a million Caladan. I have actually preferred Nikon Scopes to many Leopold and other brand Scopes that I have. Nikon just seems to work good with my eyes. However I did want to look at all the other name brands out there to see if there was a better option. If the Nikon holds its own in the price class, then that is the one I would prefer as well. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

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You bet! Let us know what you end up with.

How are you carrying your binocs? There are some really handy 8 and 10 x 42 out there, maybe a harness would make those an option? Harness really changes everything. Since you didn't mention backpacking i don't see weight being a huge concern. If you are trying to put them in a pocket maybe look at something like the leica 8x20 ultravid?

Eyeguy, thanks for the info anyhow. It gave me a other data point to consider.

I can swing a little over my budget but the leica is 2x my budget and honestly, I cant see paying that much for my intended use. Law of diminishing returns. Might be worth it though for some folks who really need that last little bit of performance. I'm gonna do a little more research. So far the only real negative I've seen to the monarch 7 is they glare some....but it's still the one I'm leaning towards...at the moment.

Meopta has the Optika binos, 8x42 that for the $ will beat anything else you are looking at. I have loaned mine out to friends and they think just because they are Meoipta's they are $1000. Nope, sub $350, and even closer to $300 if you make some calls. Definitely the best bang for your buck.

What did Vortex customer service say when you contacted them?

Or if you decided not to go that route; I'll take the monocular and try my luck.

I'm sure they will replace it. I have not contacted them yet. Customer service has been good on the issues I've had. Just sucks to be mid trip and have stuff fail in the field leaving you high and dry. It'll end up being something I leave in the glove box as a spare.

I got the nikon 7 8x30 on order....so will report back once it arrives.

The Nikon's are awesome. Phenomenal field of view, great colors, clarity and sharpness is great, the seem like more than 8x, lots of 3d feel to the images. Really better than expected in low light.

Tiny nitpick....they are sensitive where you place your eyes. But not too bad once u use them some.

Would highly recommend.

jeremy360 said:

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Really better than expected in low light.

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That is the one thing that really surprised me. They turned out to be much brighter than I would have expected, given its small objective lenses.

Glad you like them. They are my favorite low-priced 8x30/32 binocular.

C