Nikon Monarch Fieldscope 82ED-A Review

[Justin Crossley]

Throughout this season I will be doing an ongoing review of the Nikon Monarch Fieldscope 82ED-A with MEP-20-60 Eyepiece. I will mostly be comparing it to my Swarovski ATS 20-60x80mm HD. It will be an interesting comparison considering the price difference is over $1,500.00 US.

So far I have only had the Nikon out in the field a little bit and my Swaro is getting cleaned but should be back shortly. Subscribe to this thread using "thread tools" toward the top of the screen if you would like to follow along.

 

[realunlucky]

Subscribed

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Matt Cashell]

Just looking at the appearance and specs, the Monarch 82ED looks like it shares design history with the original Nikon 82ED Fieldscope. This includes the oversized Porro (straight) or monoblock roof (angled) prism design, which some people still feel is superior to the centerline SP prisms in the top-of-the-line EDG fieldscopes.

The Original 82ED was awesome, but the zoom eyepieces were kind of limiting. With updated eyepieces for the Monarch, I am excited to see what you think of this iteration, Justin.

 

[realunlucky]

Any updates on this review Justin? After Matt's stunning reviews of the Nikon HG binoculars I'm anxious to hear how this spotter has been stacking up.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Wapiti1]

Subscribed. Curious if Nikon fixed the eye relief issues. The older eyepiece was horrible if you wore glasses.

Jeremy

 

[rickjames80]

Subscribed. Curious if Nikon fixed the eye relief issues. The older eyepiece was horrible if you wore glasses.

Eye relief, field of view, and depth of field were the weak points of the fieldscope. However, it still produced a hell of a picture. I thought the one I looked through was sharper than my ATM 80hd.

 

[realunlucky]

Any updates on this review Justin? After Matt's stunning reviews of the Nikon HG binoculars I'm anxious to hear how this spotter has been stacking up.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Hey just wanted to bump this thread back up. Justin was kind enough to loan me this scope for a couple days while I'm out looking at sheep in Nevada. Thank you again. I'm no optics expert but will be posting my thoughts up on this thread. My personal scope is a vanguard hd but we'll have a couple Swarovski in camp too for comparison. I'm always looking for next great upgrade that doesn't break the bank. Just got the Nikon unpacked and taking it out to the range today for first impressions.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

Using this scope right now trying to find a sheep. I really enjoy the clarity when viewing. I'm planning some side by side comparisons tomorrow

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

Got to use this Nikon side by side with my buddies Swarovski looking at desert sheep.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

A couple comparison shots from lowest and highest power

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

Here's a cool picture taken with Nikon and a iPhone free hand

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

Compared to my vanguard the Nikon eye piece seemed pretty large but it's almost the exact same diameter as the Swarovski and I didn't find uncomfortable at all. The Nikon really has a great image all the way though it's power range. At high power I did find the eye relief to be a bit touchy but never had a issue not being able to get a full in focus view after moving my head a touch.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[realunlucky]

I didn't think I wouldn't like not having a micro adjust focus knob but it's a non issue after a couple times getting use to the focus wheel. My partner has same type of focus on his Swarovski and didn't notice anything worth mentioning.
Over all I was impressed with this Nikon it was much better than my vanguard which I expected but I also preferred the view of the Nikon over the Swarovski which surprised me. It truly more than held it's own. It's a noticeable difference in wieght being heavier than the Swarovski but I didn't put either on the scale.
If I find one of these Nikon for a good deal I'm going to be buying it. Thanks Justin for letting me look though this scope and compare it to my buddies spotters.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Antarctica]

Can anyone give a rundown on how this scope i.e., the "black" 82ED is different from the older "pea green" 82ED?

I know that the older pea-green unit was often paired with a 20-75x eyepiece, whereas the newer black one is usually 20-60x. Are they for all intents and purposes the same scope (I don't think they are)? The main body looks almost identical other than the color...

To the OP, not trying to derail your thread, but would just like to understand the development path between the two, if any...

 

[Justin Crossley]

Hey guys, I wanted to get this rolling again. I used the Nikon for a few hunts last year and will be finishing up the review in the next couple weeks.

Antarctica, I never used the older scope that you mentioned above so I can't offer a comparison.

 

[robby denning]

Good review Justin (and Sam)

 

[EastMT]

Nice job guys. I have fallen on the Nikon wagon myself. I had a swaro ats, really wanted a smaller scope for some situations. I bought the little ed50, liked it so much I bought the ediii 60mm. After putting them side by side with the swaro, I ended up selling it. I now have the ed50, ed60 III, ed82. Several eyepieces, all interchangeable. The high end zoom eyepiece is 13-40, 20-60, 25-75 depending on the scope, my camera body mounts right to the WF38 eyepiece and is great for pictures. I have about the same amount I did in the one ats as all 3, I couldn’t be happier. If I didn’t have a huge amount to invest, I would keep only the Fieldscope ED60 III, you can pick them up in the $4-600 range, be hunting and on par with high end scopes of just a few years ago without breaking the bank.

Now I’m sure the new high end scopes would win, but we are talking 2 different price ranges. The one scope I really want to check out in person is the Nikon EDG with image stabilizer, the birding forums say it’s off the charts for clarity with basically zero wiggle. If anyone in AK has one I’d love to look through it.


I have yet to be begin to procrastinate.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Thanks Coop!

Here is a link to the review for anyone interested. Nikon Monarch Fieldscope ED82-A Review

 

[Matt Cashell]

Nice review Justin.

It sounds like the Monarch ED spotter and Monarch HG Binos could get hunters into a premium setup at a pretty big savings over the Euro offerings.

 

[Beendare]

Does it really shock anyone about the Nikon ED stuff? They have been making camera lens for years- and those lens are the preferred choice of professional photographers.

I've got the older Nikon ED scope....my buddy used to be the Nikon rep and I bought it off him years ago. Mine is a 60mm, a good tweener size for backpacking....but you do lose light gathering vs a 80mm + scope in a side by side comparison.

I bought the 8x Nikon EDG binos for a song when they were closing them out as I like the view better than my 10x SLC's. IMO, The Nikon ED glass is top stuff.

..