Discover the best Nikon binoculars for bird watching, stargazing & hiking with reviews of Nikon Monarch, Action, Travelite, Trailblazer & Eagleview binoculars.
Nikon is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of optics- and imaging-related products. Founded in 1917 as Nippon Kogaku K.K., Nikon has been working for close to a hundred years to perfect their lines of cameras, lenses, film scanners, flash devices, and top of the line binoculars.
With such a wide variety available, there’s a pair of Nikon binoculars for every consumer’s need. Whether you’re bird watching, sightseeing, looking at the stars, or zooming in on a distant sporting event, Nikon has created a pair of binoculars suited perfectly to you.
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Best Nikon Binoculars: Reviews of Popular Models
As one of the most celebrated names in the optics business, Nikon has created and maintained its superior reputation by manufacturing some of the best binoculars in the industry. The selection of designs, specialties, and sizes is vast enough to cover every use, need, and desire.
Among the many different model series available, there are:
Nikon Monarch binoculars are Nikon’s most popular and bestselling series. It’s also the largest selection, with a range suited to the needs of beginner, amateur, and professional users alike.
This line varies widely with standard, wide view, and zoom binoculars. But while the models themselves are designed every which way, they all have one purpose in common: to give you the best views of nature’s wildlife.
From birds to big game, Nikon Action binoculars will get you close to the… well… action!
Nikon Action Extreme Binoculars
With advanced prism and lens coatings, the Action Extreme line is the ultimate series for game hunting and wilderness sightseeing. Designed to spot a buck from a great distance and affordably priced, these are must-have Nikon binoculars for the outdoorsman or outdoorswoman.
Travelite binoculars are geared for the sightseeing traveler who doesn’t want to add pounds to his or her bag with a heavy instrument. These binoculars are compact, lightweight, and ergonomically comfortable to use.
These binocular models combine the benefits of genuinely supreme magnification power with the compact size and weight of the most portable optics products out there. Incredibly durable and fantastically detailed, the Trailblazer is a great performer for the serious backpacker.
With a variety of magnification levels available in this series, these Eagleview Nikon zoom binoculars allow you to see distant objects with extremely sharp clarity and a vivid color spectrum. And with a super easy central knob focus adjuster, you don’t need to be an experienced professional to get the most out of these exceptional binoculars.
And there are many more models, including:
- ProStaff Waterproof, Premier LX, StabilEyes, Sportstar, Advantage, Ocean Pro, Medallion, ProStar, and Astroluxe
Nikon Binoculars Review: The Monarch Series
The Monarch ATB series is the most popular of all the Nikon binoculars for several reasons, including:
- Ease of use
- Maximum durability
- Versatile function
- Precision engineering
If you’re looking for a new set of binoculars, but aren’t expecting to use them for any one specific activity (i.e. bird watching, hunting, sightseeing, sporting), then this is your go-to series.
When looking for a pair of binoculars, it’s important to understand what the specifications mean. For instance, you can say you’re going to pick up a pair of Nikon Monarch binoculars, but you still have to decide what kind of magnification you’re looking for: 8×36? 10×56? 12×42?
The first number you’re dealing with is the fixed magnification (this is how close an object will look to you through the lens: 8 times as close, 10 times as close, 12 times as close, etc.). The Monarch features a fairly wide range of fixed magnifications.
The second number (after the X) corresponds to the diameter of the objective lens. The larger the lens, the more light enters the binoculars, and the crisper the images you see. On the flip side, the smaller the objective lens, the more compact the binoculars are and the easier they are to carry.
The Monarch series really excels in this department (ranging from 36 to 56), not skimping on the lens diameter and offering you a great deal of light.
The price range for the Monarch line isn’t for the faint of heart, however–at least not the beginner optics enthusiast. But those of us who have been around the block with Nikon or other brands a few times before will see that paying $300 to $500 for a pair of really good binoculars is worth it.
The bottom line is that the Nikon Monarch binoculars are fantastically designed products that will suit several needs at once.
If you want a single set of binoculars for sporting events, wildlife watching, small game hunting, and more, then these are the gadgets for you.
Nikon Binoculars: Range of Abilities
To get a better idea of how Nikon binoculars really fill the spectrum of use and need, let’s further explore the wide range of specifications they bring to the table.
Magnification
Nikon offers one of the widest arrays of magnification in the industry. Their models feature fixed magnifications of anywhere between 7x-18x.
It’s impossible to claim an average magnification for Nikon binoculars because there is such a variety of styles, designs, and intended uses.
Objective Lens
The objective lens diameters for Nikon binoculars are as small as 25mm (in the Nikon 8-24×25 Eagleview zoom) and 70mm (as featured with the Nikon 18×70 Astroluxe astronomy binocular
).
Field of View
When you’re looking at something far away, the image you see is what is known as the field of view (or F.O.V.) in optics lingo. The F.O.V. number associated with a given pair of binoculars refers to the area (in feet) you can view from 1,000 yards away.
True to form, Nikon binoculars offer you a great assortment of F.O.V. options (from 161 feet to 489 feet) with their products. Here are just a few:
- 161 feet – Nikon 18×70 Astroluxe XL
- 288 feet – Nikon 10×42 Monarch ATB
- 367 feet – Nikon 8×42 Trailblazer All Terrain
- 489 feet – Nikon 7×35 Action Extreme
Nikon Binoculars Review: Consumer Info
As you can see for yourself, Nikon binoculars excel in design and performance, allowing you the opportunity to choose from a great many different styles and functions to best suit your needs. But what about the other important questions:
- How much do they cost?
- What kind of warranties do they offer?
- Are people happy using them?
Price Range
Would it surprise you to know that Nikon–a company that offers such a wide range of goods–also sells their binoculars along an incredibly wide price tag scale? I didn’t think so.
You can pick up a pair of Nikon 8×40 Action Ultra Wide binoculars for around $90 or you can spend the big bucks for a Nikon Premier 10×42 Binocular
, priced at just over $1,400. Depending on your device requirements, you have several options at very different prices.
Warranty Information
Nikon offers one of the best warranties of any company in the industry. Any pair of Nikon binoculars comes backed by a limited warranty of 25 years. A lot of limited warranties carry a number of stipulations which basically are put in place so the manufacturer isn’t responsible for much of anything. Not so with Nikon.
They will replace a broken pair of binoculars, or repair them, for only $10. And if you feel like it may be necessary to get even more protection (like if you plan on taking the Nikon Premier LX-L on a long journey), then you can opt for the No Fault lifetime warranty at any time, with any pair.
Best Nikon Binoculars: Consumer Reviews
There’s certainly a reason why Nikon is at the top of the optics and imaging game. They make fantastic products, they fulfill a wide selection of needs, and they sell their goods at very reasonable prices. What’s not to like?
Here’s a summary of consumer reviews on Nikon binoculars:
Consumers like:
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Consumers don’t like:
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Additional Nikon Binocular Reviews & Ratings
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Best Nikon Monarch Binoculars: Reviews of Nikon’s Versatile Binoculars
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Best Nikon Action Extreme Binoculars: Reviews of Nikon 8×40 & 16×50
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Best Nikon Zoom Binoculars | Nikon Eagleview, Travelite & Action Zoom
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