Whilst 8x42's have become popular, a 7x42 like this is a more classic birding configuration and here's why: You can feel the quality in the stylish design of the MONARCH HG. Not only does it look good but it’s compact and lightweight too, making it easy to carry wherever you travel. The magnesium alloy body is tough, lightweight and durable, while the scratch-resistant lens coating helps to give your binoculars a long life of clear viewing and worry-free use. A comparison of astigmatism and its distinction from edge blur due to field curvature caused by refocusing in the blurred edge region is dubious because it is not clear: Both binoculars have a very small blurred range (10 and 20 percent of the field of view radius, respectively), minor differences in the beginning (difference 10 percent) and experiments with objects observed in such a small ring at the edge of the field of view do not show any results that can be seriously evaluated, especially since an extremely oblique, strenuous view is required. The low edge blur makes comparisons between binoculars in this respect uncertain and practically irrelevant.

I live in northern Delaware near Kennett Square but I spend most of my time for work in Pa, what a great state for outdoor nature viewing. Overall, the Monarch HG 10x42s aren’t a pair of binoculars you’re going to buy as your first pair unless you have a substantial budget. However, their optical prowess, durable build quality, and overall premium finish make them one of the best binoculars you can buy.More stable less shake (I can rest eye cups on nose bridge and i can hold binos towards front, 2mm movement near eye cups is like 1 cm movement at front) If I'd been impressed with the HG so far then I was even more satisfied with the image it delivers. Aside from the pin-sharpness, the colours were natural and vivid and the contrast excellent. These features combined to beautifully produce wonderful and memorable views of Waxwings during the winter invasion. The minimum 92 per cent light transmission is commendable and ensures a pleasingly bright image – even in low light conditions. When birding in woodland and scrub, to my eyes, a '3D' effect becomes evident and is testament to the model's high resolution. The armour itself is further textured to lend a non-slip 'leather' look and feel to the body – a finish carried through to the tops of the Nikon-branded, articulated, plastic rainguard and the stay-on rubber objective covers. I thought this lent a nice touch of uniformity, as with scores of models from numerous other brands both these protective measures appear well and truly disenfranchised from the binoculars they are seemingly thrown onto. Boasting as the premium MONARCH binoculars, MONARCH HG 8×42 is the ultimate all-terrain binoculars. It comes with Nikon’s Field Flattener Lens System, which when paired with its wide field of view, offers an outstandingly sharp, clear view of the lens periphery. Also, it has the best of Nikon’s optical system. The ED glass and multilayer coating deliver reliable brightness and quality resolution.

According to allbinos.com, very optimistic (beautified) information about the real angle of vision is often written in data sheets. Without a tripod with rotation angle scale or a self-built attachment/support of the binoculars at eye level and tape measure for a measurement of the field of view at close range and extrapolation to 1000 m I cannot measure the real angle of view. To compare binoculars from time to time, I do not buy additional equipment. (Anyway, I find the more than 3 degrees more apparent angles of view according to ISO of the Hawke APO 10x42 to the Nikon MHG 8x42 impressive when comparing). Given the low price point relative to the EDG, it could be argued that the Monarch HG's 'performance per pound' is higher than its costlier cousin and I think Nikon is on to a winner here. I like it – from every aspect.

Binoculars

SLC=hg>>>HD (because of focus wheel, weight and FOV HG>SLC. HD makes you work for the view. HD not as forgiving esp. b/c of thing focus depth. you really have to get jiggy with the focus wheel, have your eyes perfectly centered, the narrow FOV you have to move, weight also makes it more cumbersome) Observation objects are horizontal and vertical edges of buildings as well as tightly stretched high-voltage power lines. The binoculars are swivelled slightly so that the sharp edges appear at the edge of the field of view. Both binoculars have moderate pincushion distortion, which starts at about 50 percent of the field of view radius. A reversal of the cushion-shaped distortion at the edge of the field of view to a barrel-shaped distortion (in total the unpopular mustache distortion) is not visible with any binoculars. It is not possible to distinguish which binoculars record more without photographic aids. A globe effect or rolling ball effect when panning the binoculars I can not detect. Some pincushion distortion is a reasonable choice of the designer to avoid the effect when panning the binoculars, some observers even get headaches or nausea from this effect. Pincushion distortion is not an optical defect or aberration, in the past a quite large pincushion distortion was even modern and apparently popular among designers and users. I think that this caution Nikon is using in keeping its better binoculars from competing with each other is one of the reasons why the Monarch HG 42mm binoculars were built on lightweight Magnesium frames and why they have a wide fields with a field flattener but do not have an expensive to make flat field like the EDGs have. It makes them a reasonably priced attractive lightweight binocular alternative, with larger exit pupils, to the smaller but more expensive 32mm binoculars. Although having said that, if like most people you find yourself birding in a variety of different situations, rather than having to buy more than one instrument, you are probably best off getting a good general birding binocular that will perform well in most situations.