Nikon Monarch Binoculars Review of ATB and Monarch X Models

Nikon Monarch Binoculars are a very popular series by Nikon, a best selling bird watching binocular, because of their high quality and mid-level price range. You get a lot for your dollar for the Monarchs and are an excellent mid-range priced bird watching binocular as well as being popular for other sporting activities such as hunting.

The Monarchs have several different models including different magnification and objective lens sizes within the model type as well as lower and higher priced models depending on glass quality, lens coating and whether they are waterproof, fogproof and shockproof.

Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars

We recommend getting the ATB version of the Monarchs which stands for All-Terrain-Binoculars. They are 100% waterproof, fogproof and have shockproof rugged rubber-armored coating to withstand all the bumps and bruises of riding around in your vehicle and carrying them through all kinds of outdoor terrain.

The most useful magnifications for birding and most wildlife viewing are the 8x42 and 10x42 Nikon Monarch Binoculars because of the field of view (FOV explained in the next paragraph) and the weight which is heavier with larger objective lens size. But, for your information, the Monarch ATBs also come in 10x36, 12x42, 8.5x56, 10x56 and 12x56 as well, however none of those models have the new dielectric lens coating.

The chart below compares the 8x, 10x and 12x42s. The 10x36 are not useful for birding because of the extremely narrow FOV and the 10x and 12x56 can be used for birding, but typically are not because they are fairly large and heavy.

Comparing the 8x42, 10x42 and 12x42 Nikon Monarch Binoculars

What is the major difference between getting 8x vs 10x besides the obvious step-up in magnification? The field of view (FOV) is going to be wider with the 8x's which will make finding birds in your binoculars easier. The Monarch 8x42 FOV at 1,000 yards (or 1,000m) is 330 ft (110m) vs 314 ft (96m) in the 10x42.

We believe the 8x42s are the best for a wide variety of birding activities. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology rated them as the best bird watching binoculars in the mid-price range. The 10x42s are a little more expensive because of the higher magnification, but will have a narrower FOV and less relative brightness.

If most of your birding is looking at waterfowl, raptors and brighter light conditions and not so much trying to spot smaller birds flitting around in trees, like warblers, or low-light conditions, then you may prefer to get the higher magnification. The other major difference between the two is the eye relief which is 19.6mm in the 8x42 vs 15.5mm in the 10x42. Also remember that the 10x will greater magnify any shaking of your hands, so best to use in steady situations where you are not moving around a lot when viewing birds. But we know, some birders will always swear by 10xs no matter what.

There are also Nikon 8x36 ATB binoculars but they are not available with the new dielectric coating. They are cheaper and slightly lighter, but you will give up brightness and clarity compared to the upgrade of the new 8x42s with the added coating. If you can afford it, we highly recommend getting the Nikon 8x42 binoculars instead.

As you can see in the table below, what you gain in magnification with the 12x42 Nikon Monarch binoculars, you lose in field of view, exit pupil size and a big loss in relative brightness. Again, for multi-purpose birding, we do not recommend this higher magnification. A better choice if you did want a 12x binocular would be the 12x56, but because of the larger objective lens size, the weight nearly doubles to 1,180g vs 610g in the 10x42 or 12x42. A 12x56 binocular is not going to be a comfortable binocular to carry around, so again, unless you are doing mostly stationary birding, go for either the 8x42s or 10x42s.

New Dielectric Coating

The latest models of Nikon Monarch Binoculars have the new dielectric high-reflective multilayer prism coating (DCF), for maximized brightness and higher resolution viewing, resulting in outstanding low-light performance. This feature is especially good for those cloudy birding days and early pre-dawn or sunset hours when the light is low and a life bird has just made its appearance. :-)

Additional Monarch Binocular Features

In addition to the dielectric prism coating and waterproof/fog-proof/shock-proof features, Nikon Monarch Binoculars also have

• Fully multi-coated lenses for bright, clear images
• Extended eye relief and central focus for superior viewing convenience
• Improved ergonomic, lightweight, slim roof-prism design for comfortable handling
• Precision aligned optics for extended viewing

We have the 8xs and have written a review here Nikon Monarch 8x42 ATB Binoculars Review. Several of our birding friends have them as well and we all concur that this model has been one of the best birding binoculars we have purchased.

Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars Comparison Table

(All binoculars compared have the new dielectric coating)

Model:	Monarch ATB 8x42	Monarch ATB 10x42	Monarch ATB 12x42
Magnification (x)	8	10	12
Objective diameter (mm)	42	42	42
Angular field of view (Real/degree)	6.3	5.5	5
Angular field of view (Apparent/degree)	47.5	51.3	55.3
Field of view at 1,000m (m)	110	96	87
Exit pupil (mm)	5.3	4.2	3.5
Relative brightness	28.1	17.6	12.3
Eye relief (mm)	19.6	18.5	15.4
Close focusing distance (m)	2.5	2.5	2.5
Interpupillary distance adjustment (mm)	56-72	56-72	56-72
Weight (g)	610	620	620
Length (mm)	146	146	146
Width (mm)	129	129	129
Prism Design	Roof	Roof	Roof
Lowest Price Online + FREE Shipping:	Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 Binoculars	Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 Binoculars	Nikon Monarch ATB 12x42 Binoculars

Below are the 3 newest models of Nikon Monarch Binoculars listed at Amazon which we have found to have the lowest price and free shipping. It's easy to place orders, track orders and return items so that is why we use them - plus they typically have the lowest price. We checked and found that Optics Planet, Binoculars.com and Eagle Optics all had higher listed prices than Amazon for the 8x, 10x and 12x42 Nikon Monarch ATB Binoculars.

If you feel that you do not need the extra ATB features, such as using your binoculars the majority of the time from your backyard porch where being waterproof and fogproof will not be an issue and hopefully not having the added shockproof armoring either, then you can save a little and get one of the cheaper models or try the well reviewed Budget Nikon Action Binoculars.

Note that when shopping for Nikon Monarch binoculars, sometimes it gets confusing because Nikon as well as other binocular merchants will use a mix of model names for the same model. Sometimes DCF is used instead of ATB or this current model will be called the Monarch III. Amazon also uses model numbers, such as "7294" which denotes the latest model of the Monarch 8x42s.

Nikon Monarch X Binoculars

The Nikon Monarch X series is a step up in quality and price from the regular Monarch ATBs. They currently come in two sizes, 8.5x45 and 10.5x45. The Monarch X binoculars have the dielectric, high-reflective, multilayer prism coating that is used in the Nikon EDG binoculars, their high-end bins. Its main benefit is to bring in the most light through the lenses for a crisp, clear, bright image, especially at low-light conditions such as dawn and dusk. Nikon had hunters in mind as a marketing focus for this model, but hey us birders are up at dawn and sometimes bird until dusk too!

Nikon Monarch X Binoculars Review by Birders

Nikon Monarch X Binoculars Comparison Table

Model Size:	Monarch X 8.5x45	Monarch X 10.5x45
Magnification (x)	8.5	10.5
Objective diameter (mm)	45	45
Angular field of view (Real/degree)	6.3	6.3
Angular field of view (Apparent/degree)	50.1	60
Field of view at 1,000m (m)	110	110
Exit pupil (mm)	5.3	4.3
Relative brightness	28.1	18.5
Eye relief (mm)	20.6	16
Close focusing distance (m)	3	3
Interpupillary distance adjustment (mm)	56-72	56-72
Weight (g)	720	730
Length (mm)	156	156
Width (mm)	139	139
Prism Design	Roof	Roof
Lowest Price Online + FREE Shipping:	Nikon Monarch X 8.5x45 Binoculars	Nikon Monarch X 10.5x45 Binoculars

The Nikon Monarch X binoculars, like the other Monarchs, are 100% waterproof, fogproof and have the rubber armor coating for durability and non-slip grip. It also has a new lightweight, ergonomic design for ultimate comfort in the hands and a unique thumb-position memory contours that form to your personal grip and provide optimum traction with soft-grip tactile surface.

The bottom line on the Monarch X is for the better optics, you will pay approximately $200 more for these than the Nikon Monarch Binoculars (ATBs) listed above. If you do a lot of low-level light birding or think the brighter images will suit your eyes better, then you may want to consider the Monarch X for your bird watching binoculars. Or regardless, if you want a pair of Monarchs with better optics and can afford it, then by all means get the Monarch X.

View All Nikon Monarch Binoculars

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