Nikon Monarch M7 8×42 Binoculars: Our Review

At A Glance

PROS:

• A bright image that’s crisp from edge to edge
• Comfortable in the hand
• One of the widest fields of view among the binoculars we tested 

CONS:

• Slightly stiff focus wheel
• Toward the top end of the price range we tested

STATS:

• Price: $489 MSRP at press time. Prices often fluctuate, so check with retailers
• Close focus: 8.2 feet (250 cm). In tests, we could focus these binoculars down to about 6.3 feet (193 cm)
• Field of view: 8.3° (436 feet at 1,000 yards). More about field of view 
• Weight: 25.9 oz (735 g)—that’s about 0.2 oz (6 g) heavier than the average for 8×42 binoculars in our review
• Eye relief: 17.1 mm

Viewing Experience: These binoculars are compact and pleasant to use, with a bright edge-to-edge image and very wide field of view. Colors are beautiful: During fall migration we watched a migrant flock of robins in a sunlit oak—the green leaves and the russet bellies of the robins were rich and vivid, without being muddied by glare coming through leaf gaps. With one of the widest fields of view of any binocular we tested, we were able to track a very shy Blackburnian Warbler as it dodged and dropped through fall foliage, and then pick out the faint dusky triangular cheek patch when it crept into view. Focus was good and detail crisp even with flying birds—it was easy to pick out the yellow and black of fall Scarlet Tanagers and the crisp barring of a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  

Feel and Build: These binoculars have narrow, short barrels that fit neatly into our male reviewer’s medium/large hands. They are well balanced, unobtrusive, and easy to hold. The binoculars have a firm surface with a slight texture to improve grip; overall the feel is neither too squishy nor too smooth. The focus wheel rolls steadily, although it can take a slight push to get it moving. When tracking birds we found the focus adjusted quickly so that even short looks were immediately sharp. The eyecups swivel easily, and it is possible to go past the stop that you want.  

Comments From Testers: 

• Wide field of view and bright
• Beautiful picture! Nice build  
• Great color  
• A bit heavy  
• Good field of view and focus wheel  
• Bright, great color, crisp, nice feel  
• Very clear image, easy to focus  
• Easy to focus close up   
• Crisp image, nice field of view, crisp action to eyecups and focus wheel  

This article is one in a series of mini-reviews. To see how these binoculars compare to others we’ve tested, see our full review of affordable 8×42 binoculars.