Great images, Great to hold
Pros:
Great optics. Nice feel. Easy to focus. Great twist-out eyecups.
Cons:
Cheap eyepiece and lens caps. Minimalist manual.
The Bottom Line:
Highly Recommended - great optics, lightweight, small, easy to use.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
In the store I tested these, plus everything up through the $1300 Leica's and Swarovskis. I liked these better, and they were 1/4 the price.
I tested lateral color distortion by pointing at a distant horizontal light and moving up and down, putting the edge of the light at the top and bottom of the field of view. The 7430's were as good as any other binoculars I tested.
I tested sharpness and contrast by looking at fine text about 50 ft. away. Again, the Nikons were better than Pentax and Olympus, and as good as the much more expensive binoculars. I could not tell any difference between the Nikon ATB Monarchs and the more expensive (and larger and heavier) Nikon 8x42s (didn't remember the model number).
I pointed all binoculars at a bright spotlight to test for flare and internal reflections. Again, these were the best I tested.
The focus control is easy to move, but stiff enough to not move accidently. The diopter adjustment on the right eye is nice and tight so you won't accidently turn it. Zero correction is clearly marked on the bottom.
The twist-out eyecups are awesome. These make it easy to share between glasses wearers and non-glasses wearers. The long eye relief also will keep you from having your eyelashes (or anyone elses) smudging your eyepieces.
The manual is pretty much useless - a tiny document in a gazillion different languages. The lens caps fall out, and the eyepiece covers are cumbersom to use. Definitely not indiciative of the quality of the rest of the product. I guess Nikon spent their money on what really mattered, and didn't put in anything extra for the eyepiece and lens caps.
Overall, I'd highly recommend these.
