Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 Review

We feel that the Monarch M7 10x42 is an exceptional choice that offers great ease of adjustment and great clarity for its price point.

Performance Comparison

Clarity

When it comes down to clarity, one of the most important features of a pair of binoculars, there are a lot of factors that can contribute to or detract from the clearness of glass lenses. While many companies make strong claims about the quality of glass and lens coatings, we found that Nikon's claims are much more genuine than most.

We found that Nikon's phase correcting, high-reflective multilayer prism coating, and extra-low dispersion, or "ED" glass, successfully reduced distortion, chromatic aberrations, and color fringing present in many lower-quality lenses and coatings.

Technical jargon aside, the result is a clear, high-resolution view in a wide range of lighting conditions. We were pleased with the clarity of the Nikon Monarch M7 10x42's and felt they offer everything you could expect and more from a pair of binoculars without spending multiple thousands of dollars.

Brightness

The quality of glass, coatings, light transmission, and brightness can make using your binos an enjoyable experience or a frustrating and futile one. Fortunately, if you have a pair of Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 binoculars, you'll enjoy bright, color-accurate viewing experiences.

The Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 has fully multi-coated lenses with dielectric phase correction coatings. Beyond excellent low-dispersion glass, all of these coatings allow for good light pickup and transmission, and a very bright view. However, our objective measurements in a controlled test recorded 1024 Lux, which wasn't quite as bright as a few models around this tier of optics.

We also observed darker darks in shadows, or in other words more extreme contrast than we saw with a few comparable models that seemed to be less affected by dark shadows. All-in-all, these binos make both bright and low-light situations an enjoyable viewing experience that won't leave you disappointed.

Comfort

Full-sized binoculars with larger lenses are bulkier and heavier than compact models, making them a little less comfortable to hold for longer durations. Those with smaller hands might also have a more difficult time achieving a relaxed and ergonomic grip on a larger model.

We found that the rubberized coating on the entire Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 makes it easy to grip and hold. The size, but especially the weight at 25.5 ounces, doesn't detract from how easy it is to manage these binos, largely due to this pair being well-balanced. This pair also provides longer eye relief at 17mm, so those who wear glasses shouldn't have issues using the M7. Additionally, a large neck strap allows you to distribute the weight of the binos on your neck comfortably when not in use. Although those with larger hands may find this pair more comfortable, the comfort level will likely be average for those with smaller hands.

Field of View

For our recently adjusted field of view test metric, we used a vertical board fence positioned at a specific distance from our viewing location. We then counted how many vertical fence boards were distinctly visible with each pair of binoculars we tested.

Our team was able to clearly observe 54 boards with the Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 at the same distance all other models were tested. Considering that the best models in our field of view tests managed to view around 60 boards, it didn't do half bad compared to the rest of the lineup. You certainly won't get the sense of tunnel vision, but you may find it harder to find and follow birds than you would with a model that has a wider field of view.

Ease of Adjustment

Our ease of adjustment metric, which accounts for 15% of each model's overall score, evaluates diopters, focus knobs, eye relief, eyecups, and anything else that might inhibit the ease of making adjustments. The Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 performed well under our team's scrutiny.

The locking diopter, easy to twist and slide eye-cups, and a smooth focusing knob that requires little effort to move, all help set the Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 apart from other binoculars. Smaller hands might not get full leverage on the focus knob, as short fingers touch the side of the knob more than the top. Small hands and shorter fingers aside, focusing is very smooth and fast, and we found it very easy to go from close to far objects quickly, and vice versa, without losing fine focus control. We measured the M7's eye relief at 17.0 millimeters, so we had no issues with eye relief or the use of glasses.

Close Focus Range

The Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 continued to impress our team in our close focus range with its surprisingly close, close focus range.

The Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 is able to focus down to 5.8 feet, nearly two feet closer than the manufacturer's stated specification. The close focus range makes the M7 a top performer amongst 10x binoculars. The ability to get such a close focus means it is an excellent tool for viewing insects in a butterfly house, birds in an aviary, or even small animals at the zoo.

Should You Buy the Nikon Monarch M7 10x42?

The Nikon Monarch M7 line is definitely one of the best offerings in Nikon's Monarch group. With an exceptionally effective lens coating, the phase-correcting coating on the prism, and a smaller and lighter footprint than the Nikon Monarch 5, we think this pair of binos is a commendable choice if you aren't quite ready to shell out thousands of dollars for a premium pair of binoculars.

What Other Binoculars Should You Consider?

The Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 is a great general-purpose pair of binoculars that will excel at most uses and a great choice for many, although its brightness and field of view were outshined by one of our top recommendations, the Vortex Viper HD 8x42. The Viper led the M7 in all but two test metrics — ease of adjustment and close focus range. So unless you value the combination of a close focus range and ease of adjustment over actual optical performance, the Viper is the obvious pick. However, if budget is not a concern and you're aiming for the utmost quality and performance, we recommend considering the Zeiss Victory SF 10x42. These binoculars outshine all other models in our evaluation, showcasing exceptional performance and possessing the potential to become a cherished family heirloom.