Nikon - Monarch M5 10X42 Binocular - Black

Got these to add a 10x to my bird watching gear. I also purchased the M7 in 8x42 so my review is for those deciding if they should spend the extra coin. The short answer, yes, spend the extra money. The difference is worth it. First, the M5 does have a bit of purple fringing and blur until you get it set to your eyes. It takes a while to tweak, but once you do they are fine. Everyone talks about the narrow field of view, and it is night and day to the M7s, but to be honest I didn’t mind it given it’s purpose. I wanted this pair so I can focus in from distance to pick up the details of a bird, so the field of view is not a problem. The M7s do have a much wider FOV that really puts you into the scene, and you can track birds in flight. The M5s, with their narrow FOV, will have a hard time tracking. However, the picture is very clear once the adjustments are made, and easy to get on target. The focus wheel is very smooth and fast, and the ergonomics are almost identical to the M7 asides from the locking diopter. I will note eye relief is longer on the M5s, and it is very noticeable. My daughter wears glasses, and she enjoys the M5 more due to this. This may be something to consider if you wear glasses. Overall, if I didn’t have the M7s to compare them to, I would not notice it’s flaws. Is the M7 better? Absolutely. But the M5 is a huge upgrade over the Nature DX I was using. To be honest, if you are on the fence, buy the M7 if possible because you will end up doing it anyway. If you are on a tight budget and want a good pair of binos, this is your pair and you will be happy.

Bought this for my trip to Africa and absolutely the BEST purchase. Easy to use, gave range for better view of the animals, and lightweight enough to use everyday of the trip.

Top notch optics for a price. These binoculars are high quality and a good trade off between size and power. They won’t allow you to zoom in per se but they get your object of interest close enough for viewing. Too much more zoom and you will just have a jittery mess anyhow without a tripod. Overall a good purchase with solid optics and crisp clear picture.

Finally, high enough quality for Mom. Ordered 2 other brands and this is the one Mom is finally happy with. She says the birds are beautiful! LOL!

Excellent binoculars, easy to focus, clear view and surprising range.