Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 Review, By Matt Cashell

[Xlr8n]

Well, I can answer my own question as curiosity got the best of me and that LL Bean sale was too tempting. The HG 10x42's just arrived and I compared them at dusk with my Monarch 7 8x42. The 10x HG's have what appears to be the same amount of light getting through as the 8x Monarchs, which is impressive. It took a few minutes but I can also notice better resolution as I was trying to read license plates with poor light and that was being held single-handed. I am sure I'll be very happy with them on a tripod. Money well spent and I am still very impressed with the Monarch 7's that were less than $400.

Good deal. I almost picked up a second pair with that super LL Bean deal as well.
The only downside I've found to these bino's is my diopter ring doesn't really lock down firmly into place, but it seems that is being reported by some users. I found it was getting moved going into and out of my harness so I used the age-old thin strip of electrical tape to keep it seated. I feel you really shouldn't need a "fix" on a thousand dollar set of glass and I may end up sending in to Nikon after the season, but other than that quirk, they are my favorite glass by far. And I've owned a few.

 

[2blade]

hey guys, for those of you that have the 10's. if you put the barrels all the way together, I have a pretty narrow ipd, can you still get a tripod mount in between the barrels?

thanks

 

[Cant hit em]

hey guys, for those of you that have the 10's. if you put the barrels all the way together, I have a pretty narrow ipd, can you still get a tripod mount in between the barrels?

thanks

Yes

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Great review Matt, but now I have questions! I was set on 12x Meopta's but now I'm debating whether to go with Monarch HG 10x42 or the Meostar HD's in 12x50. This would probably be 50% tripod use (think big country, bighorn sheep/coues/mule deer hunts) and 50% chest harness (elk hunting). Is the better glass of the Nikon worth the loss of 2x if I plan to pair with a spotter eventually?

 

[Matt Cashell]

Great review Matt, but now I have questions! I was set on 12x Meopta's but now I'm debating whether to go with Monarch HG 10x42 or the Meostar HD's in 12x50. This would probably be 50% tripod use (think big country, bighorn sheep/coues/mule deer hunts) and 50% chest harness (elk hunting). Is the better glass of the Nikon worth the loss of 2x if I plan to pair with a spotter eventually?

I only compared the 10x42 Meostar to the HG. My thoughts cannot be extended to the 12x50. My recommendation would be to decide if you want a 10 or a 12 and you have your answer.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Matt I just reread your article again (not uncommon for your articles), do the HG have q similar rolling ball effect as ELs? That rolling ball on ELs made me motion sick almost immediately.

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[Matt Cashell]

Matt I just reread your article again (not uncommon for your articles), do the HG have q similar rolling ball effect as ELs? That rolling ball on ELs made me motion sick almost immediately.

Live2hunt custom shelters

William,

I did not see any rolling ball. There is a minute amount of pincushion distortion in the HGs, which Nikon likely left intentionally to mitigate rolling ball.

Keep in mind that rolling ball is an effect from the viewers brain, not inherent in the optic. So while I didn’t see any, others may. Also, the viewer can become accustomed to a distortion-free optic and no longer see the effect. I had this experience with the EL, originally seeing distracting rolling ball, but now I don’t see it at all in the EL.

 

[Matt G.]

wow this is making it very difficult to choose between the meopta hd and nikon. I actually bought the trinovid based on the reviews and sold it in a week. I can hold the 10x42 meoptas non hd steady but couldn't with the trinovid. the image was very sharp but would still need another tripod mount. also the field of view was greater on the meopta but the warmer hue was very noticeable.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[BigCountry49]

My 2 cents...I had the Monarch HG 10x42 for a few days and got to test it in a few different settings. It seems like everyone has their own preferences, personally I thought the MHG's CA was way too high. It seems there is a bit of a trade-off between distortion and CA. If you favor low CA definitely go with SLC/Meopta HD, if you prefer a flatter view then the HG's are nice. The HG's are fairly bright as well and lightweight.

 

[Matt Cashell]

My 2 cents...I had the Monarch HG 10x42 for a few days and got to test it in a few different settings. It seems like everyone has their own preferences, personally I thought the MHG's CA was way too high. It seems there is a bit of a trade-off between distortion and CA. If you favor low CA definitely go with SLC/Meopta HD, if you prefer a flatter view then the HG's are nice. The HG's are fairly bright as well and lightweight.

Thanks for the great post, BC. “Way too high” is subjective for sure, but I get what you are saying. I noted the difference in CA control between the Meostar HD and Monarch HG in my review and agree with you: If CA control is your biggest quality to look for, the Meostar HD is the better choice. The Meostar HD is as well corrected as any 10x42 in CA control. I just felt like the Monarch HG’s other qualities made up enough to give it the slight edge in my comparison, overall.

As to low distortion and CA, it is possible to do both well, as in the case of the Swarovski EL SV.

 

[lak2004]

Just ordered a set of these last night. I'm stoked, going from a set of Vortex Diamondbacks to Monarch HG should blow my mind! Thanks for the great review!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Dkd]

If anyone is considering a pair of these and has a REI membership, your 20% off o e full price item works! Add your dividend and any gift cards... got mine for $300. Finally have better glass than my boys!

 

[DHUNTER]

Hey Matt, how would you compare the HG's to the Conquest HD's? I just picked up a pair of the conquests and are quite impressed with them although i can only comparing them to my old vortex diamondbacks. The only complaint i have with them is i I do find that i have to hold them just right to get a full FOV. Where i live nobody carries many binoculars at this price point in stock so i am not able to compare before i buy. Thanks

 

[Matt Cashell]

Hey Matt, how would you compare the HG's to the Conquest HD's? I just picked up a pair of the conquests and are quite impressed with them although i can only comparing them to my old vortex diamondbacks. The only complaint i have with them is i I do find that i have to hold them just right to get a full FOV. Where i live nobody carries many binoculars at this price point in stock so i am not able to compare before i buy. Thanks

The Conquests are a good competitor at this price point, but I prefer the Monarch HG with its immense FOV.

 

[ScottTL]

Late to the show as usual for me but... Very nice review Matt.
I’ve enjoyed your other optics reviews also. I know these take time and effort to put together but it would be great if you could include the optics chart comparisons showing the CA like you did with the Maven B1 vs. Meopta in all reviews. I found that to be very helpful. Keep up the good work!

 

[Matt Cashell]

Late to the show as usual for me but... Very nice review Matt.
I’ve enjoyed your other optics reviews also. I know these take time and effort to put together but it would be great if you could include the optics chart comparisons showing the CA like you did with the Maven B1 vs. Meopta in all reviews. I found that to be very helpful. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Scott!

I am always wary of using digiscoped pictures in reviews, because they are usually not indicative of optical quality overall. Even in that review the digiscoped photos made the difference in fringing appear greater than it was in actual observation. I try to weigh the costs and benefits for each review.

 

[DHUNTER]

Just a follow up for anyone trying to decide between the conquests and the Nikon HGs. I had purchased a pair of conquests and was happy with them until I got my hands on a pair of HGs. Let’s just say I own a pair of Nikon’s now. I will say that the conquests might have slightly better clarity around the edges, but I found I had to hold them just right to get a full fov which was quite annoying. Doesn’t matter how I hold the Nikon’s I always get a full fov. As far as low light performance I couldn’t tell the difference between the two. I also like that the Nikon’s are quite a bit lighter.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I had purchased a pair of conquests and was happy with them until I got my hands on a pair of HGs. Let’s just say I own a pair of Nikon’s now.

The HGs also have a much wider FOV, also.

 

[Franklin]

Just picked up a set of these n.i.b for $600 and all I can say is wow are these impressive. I noticed a little bit of the ca talked about around the edges in this review, but it did not hinder there performance in the way I glass. It's hard to imagine something being much better until you get into the top end swaros. For me I couldn't justify the price difference in the little bit you gain.

 

[Trogon]

I knew I should of grabbed a pair of these when Nikon had Refurb's for 499!