Review on 🔍 Nikon 7549 MONARCH 7 10x42 Binoculars - Enhanced Viewing Experience in Sleek Black Design by Aaron Shaw

After reading many reviews of 10x42 binoculars these Nikon Monarch 7 and Vortex Viper HD are the best choices in the $400-500 range. The Nikon was popular for its lower price point, but the Vortex was consistently popular for its optics, although many reviewers also praised the Nikon glass. My concerns are random close focus, eye relief, center of field and edge-to-edge resolution, solid construction, and of course cost. Maybe one day Swarovski will show up in my life, but not now. I'm a weekend bird watcher and a full-time professional photographer shooting art where exposure to quality optics is part of the daily routine. I use Rodenstock, Fuji and Nikkor (Nikon) optics at work, so I made this purchase knowing that Nikon makes optics ranging from generally excellent to excellent, but also a few clunkers that depend heavily on cost , but not always. I decided to pay a bit more As for the Vortex, I bought and was initially impressed with its construction, looks and accessories (great case, nice strap) but after taking it outside at the end of the day for the first test had, I noticed a problem with light leaking past my eyes. on the shiny surface in the retractable eyecups where it created glare on that eyepiece and my eye when the sun was low and at right angles to the optical center or slightly off. The problem isn't so much with the eyepiece, the coating, or the rubber eyecup, but rather the shiny inner surface of the tube that holds the rubber eyecup; this surface must be matt black or non-reflective. So I ordered Nikon Monarch glasses to compare the two glasses and found that not only does Nikon solve this reflection problem, I honestly couldn't find any areas of optical performance where Nikon glasses are inferior to Swirl lenses, except for the close focus Vortex lens required about an extra foot. Nikon is slightly better in field width. So I returned the Vortex and happily kept the cheaper Nikons and after a year or so I still love them. As a studio photographer, I sometimes have to go to great lengths to protect my glass from direct and reflected light from studio flashes. . I have a feeling that binocular manufacturers are being too casual about the shading of their lenses, as the race for smaller binoculars, shorter lengths in this case, can come at the expense of the outer glass being too close to the end of the body, on the direct sunlight can hit the lens. Glass surfaces and reduced optical performance, thin coatings or not. I would happily give up an extra half inch and an inch if that half inch would extend beyond the lens of the lens and cast a shadow on that glass. This issue is on the other end of the binoculars than what I discussed above, but I think it deserves a mention. Meanwhile, Nikon has taken the prudent step of pairing precision optics with appropriate non-reflective surfaces where they count in the beam path.