Nikon Monarch series 8x30

[Bronson]

Anyone have any field experience with any of the Nikon Monarch series in 8x30? I am looking for a new binoculars for this season to replace my current set.  My current binoculars are 8.5x50 and I find them just too big and bulky for the way I hunt.  I want something more compact but am not sure if these are getting too compact.  The 8x42 seems too close to what I already have.  Would appreciate input from anyone with experience with this size binoculars.  Thanks!

[Bean Counter]

Nikon is awesome. I had 8x42 monarchs until the eyecup broke. Nikon wouldn't fix them.......... They just mailed me a new pair.  this time the newer generation with dielectric coated prisms. I sold them and was able to get a screaming deal on Nikon EDG in 10x32. Not exactly the magnification you're asking about but I will say that they are more shaky and it takes some getting used to. Even when I sit on my butt and stabilize elbows against knees. The size compactness has it's trade offs even in high end range.

[Bronson]

Thanks for the information Bean Counter!  Have you noticed any loss of performance in low light conditions with your 10x32s? 

I was also looking at the 10x but noticed the same thing with how shaky they were when I was trying them at the store.

[Bean Counter]

The shakiness settles down after a while. Its most apparent after I've hiked to the top of a hill and my heart rate is still up. Since I glass for hours on end I am usually able to control it to manageable level and appreciate 10x over 8x. I don't wish I had 8x32. Particularly since I hunt open country. I would make magnification based on the country you hunt the deciding factor and the objective mm a secondary. 

Yes, the 32mm loses out on some light gathering. Ceteris paribus an expensive pair of 8x30s or 10x32s or whatever is going to be brighter and sharper than a cheaper pair of the same size and magnification, but its tough for a 10x32 to beat a 10x50.  its simply a function of physics.. Paying high end gets you good quality glass, coatings, mechanics, armor, asthetics, and warranty. It doesn't make you immune to physics. Just like blowing on glass on a cold rainy day. its going to fog on the outside no matter how much you spent. I've held up some $300 crappy 10x50s and they were brighter than my 10x32s at dusk which is to be expected.

[Bronson]

Thanks again Bean.  I would have assumed the same thing on the light gathering but my 8.5x50 which are supposed to be decent and are a fairly well known and popular brand don't gather as much light as my partners 8x36.  At least they don't perform as well, which is disappointing (and more accurate than saying they don't gather light as well).

We had two elk in a cut one morning right at first light.  I couldn't make out what the animals were, my buddy was able to identify them as elk and one of them a bull.  I grabbed his binos and was able to make them out without much issue.  This leads me to believe that my current binos are really not worth much at all other than in full light situations, disappointing.

[Bean Counter]

Well it depends on what brand and how much in price (therefore quality) difference you're comparing. I could go over to Big 5 and find a pair of 10x50mm for say $40 and i bet my 10x32s might be brighter. One would hope for a pair of binos with an msrp of $1,500+.

Other factors will affect brightness and sharpness as well, such as lens coatings and prism coatings. Dielectric coated prisms can boast as much as 10% brighter light transmission than say silver or (even cheaper) aluminum coatings.