Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF

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Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
I recently bought these to supplement a pair of 10x50 Nikon Action Lookout IV binocs that I own. I was looking for a larger than 6+ degree FOV and I got that in the egret's 8.2 degree FOV! They're nicely multicoated and rubber armored as well as having Bak4 prisms. The focusing could be a little smoother, the diopter setting could use detents and the edge sharpness suffers a bit but in a 8.2 field that can be forgiven. Anyway, for around $129 I still think they're a good purchase. If you're really interested you can get them at Adorama for around $90. Wish I'd known that before. Give them a try.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41935

Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
Very bad optics , good only dimentions and ergonomics

Overall Rating: 3
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41936

Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
Of the two comments posted so far, the point of discrepency is the optical performance of these binoculars. I spent some time looking through these in comparison to other budget binoculars, and I found them to be very good to excellent optically. In the range of $90-120 binoculars, these are quite good.

1. They are very comfortable to look through. The wide field of view and large aperture made for relaxing and engaging views.

2. Although distortion will increase towards the edge (as it almost always does), I did not find this distracting: there's plenty of usable view.

3. Sharpness and contrast were pleasing--noticeably better than any of the compact binoculars in this price range and closer to that of other very good porro prism binoculars.

4. Do not flare out (veiling flare) easily. I panned them around at all angles to the sun (and nearly looking into it) and I couldn't get them to produce anything near the veiling flare that I've seen in other binoculars. It was slight in some cases, but not enough to really disrupt viewing (or bird identification or the beauty of Orion's nebula).

5. The design, shape, and aesthetics are all very good. The binoculars are comfortable to hold and look good.

I think that for $90 you could do much worse, and that these would be a good starter's pair for birding or casual first-time sky gazing.

Faults: edge distortion could be improved (but again, it's not horribly distracting given the wide apparent field of view); not fogproof (but you don't get any nitrogen-filled binoculars in this price range); perhaps eye relief is limiting if you wear glasses (I don't wear glasses when using binoculars, and I'm tired of seeing good binoculars denigrated because of eye relief. With moderate myopia I find that I can get binoculars to cover the full focus range without wearing glasses, and I often view with my contacts in anyway).

I wouldn't buy these since I know I can get better porro-prism binoculars for about $250 (the Swift Audubons), but if I weren't going to spend more than $100 I would seriously consider these.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 15 (Trustworthy Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41937

Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
These are quite probably the best general purpose, all use binos under $100 that one is likely to find. Yes, they do have some noticeable edge distortion when used on stars, yes they are a little flat in color rendition, yes they do show a bit of false color on bright celestial objects like the limb of the Moon, but they are a FANTASTIC bargain for an all-around general purpose binocular. These are commonly available at or under $100US and are easily handholdable by small adults and children. One has to keep in mind that at this pricepoint, many binoculars are little more than disposable toys. These Nikon Action Series Egrets are NOT that at all. They are serious instruments that can provide years of use. In fact, they fairly easily surpass some of the better birding optics that were commonly available just 10-20 years ago. That's how much technology has changed.

This binocular is my number ONE recomendation for folks on a budget just starting out in birding, nature observing or even sports watching. If your interest is mainly astronomy, there are better choices, but for an all around bino at a good price, this is VERY tough to beat. Neither it, nor any of the Action series are waterproof, or truly flat-field hyper corrected lenses, but for the money, this is one heck of a binocular. Either these or the similar 7x35 Naturalist IVs, are vastly superior to the bulk of the competition in the the under $150 price mark. Over that, things change fairly substantially, but the Nikon Egret II 8x40's are a very solid bargain, and I give them an extra mark or two because little else comes close in the same price margin.

Mike Swaim

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41938

Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
Very good lightweight binocular that are as good optically as my old (14 years)10x50 Zeiss Jenoptems.Lovely wide field of views, easy to focus, suitable for glasses users.A great binocular for a child,my eight year old thinks they are fantastic after struggling with the weight of 10x50's.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=52540

Nikon Action Egret II 8x40CF
A very useable rugged binocular with decent centre sharpness, decent contrast and a very wide field and a budget price tag. Recommended.

These are traditional porro prism binoculars with a metal frame, rubber armour, centre focussing and rubber eye tubes. They are ugly but very functional. They are also very rugged: I have abused mine horribly since I bought them 8 years ago and they are still collimated. The shape is pretty comfortable though a bit big for anyone with small hands. The focus wheel is accessible and not too stiff. The optics are remarkably good considering the price. Centre sharpness is excellent - about the same as a Leica 8x32 - and contrast is also pretty good. The field is very wide with excellent depth of field. Distortion near the field edges is significant. (Well what did you expect for the price?) Brightness is good but not up to a top grade 8x40 binocular. The close focus is poor so these are not really suitable for watching insects. Eye relief is poor - about 12mm - which means that you will see a restricted field of view with eyeglasses. However, this is not as bad as it seems as the full field of view is so wide. They are not waterproof. The weight is about 800g which makes them fairly light.

I have compared these with my Zeiss 8x30 BGAT. Centre field sharpness and the field of view are comparable. Although the Nikon are brighter in low light the Zeiss show significantly more detail as they have better contrast. (That partly explains the reason the Zeiss cost more than 5 times as much!)

Overall these are very good budget binoculars and more than suitable for serious birding. Of course a top grade binocular is nicer but these will provide a lot of pleasure. If you want a cheap glass then put these on your short list.

Leif.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=250411

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