Review: Nikon's 82MM Monarch Spotter

[bhoges]

Nikons 82MM Monarch Spotting Scope
Long Term Test

I’ve had this spotter for several months now. It’s safe to say it’s been used in pretty much all conditions and enviroments. I’ve had about 11 trips to the range, camping and general use as well. The best part is that I have a Swarovski STR80MM spotter to use for comparison. I put the two side by side several times just to see how the Nikon stacks up. The results were very surprising.

A little background on myself. I shoot mostly rifle and I’m an optics snob. All my guns have the usual suspects when it comes to glass. (NF, Zeiss, Swarovski, Vortex Razors) I shoot everything from Anschutz target rifles to full custom bench rest and PRS rifles. My one club has a 700 yard range. For years I’ve been searching for the “perfect” spotter. In 2016 at Shot Show I found it. The Swarovski STR80mm spotter. This scope has an LED MRAD display that can be turned on and off. A few months later I found one at a good price. Keep in mind this is a $4k unit. Now I couldn't wait to get the holy grail of glass to the range and be able to see tiny holes at a great distance.

One day at the range I was talking to my buddy about huge investment and said I’ve love to compare this to Nikon’s glass. I wanted to see if I made the right choice. Does a $4k spotter have a huge advantage over a $1500 Nikon? Within a few weeks the Nikon was at my doorstep! My first impression was “Wow! This is a very solid well put together optic.” Probably one of the best features it has is a tight neoprene cover. When you spend big money on optics you don't want anything to happen to it. Swarovski doesn't come with a cover or even make one. The Nikon comes with lens covers and a sunshade as well. The focus is smooth as butter as there is no backlash. Now I had to get this thing outside ASAP. My neighbors must have thought I was a nut standing in my yard in the winter staring though a scope.

Over the next few months I bought both of these to every match and club function I could. I wanted to compare them side by side in all types of light and conditions. It was also great to have others give me input. Everyone knows Nikon makes great glass but it can't compare to German glass, can it? I think at a certain level you reach the point of diminishing returns. I can honestly say there is almost no advantage to this Swarovski spotter besides the lit reticle. The Nikon is clear from edge to edge and the colors in both scopes appear the same. The Nikon has no chromatic aberration. I even used a 1951 Navy resolution target which has lines that diminish down to extremely small squares. The Swarovski had a slight edge here. Keep in mind it was so close it took several looks to truly see the difference. I’m sure some might think I’m crazy and this just can't be true. Maybe a Swarovski purest will disagree. Now if it could cut though the mirage at my range I’d give a kidney up for it. Shooting over sand on a hot day just plain sucks. I told a few guys my Swarovski was a waste of $4K!!! There has never been an instance where I could pick up an image in the Swarovski that the Nikon couldn't. The ED glass in the Nikon is outstanding. Focusing the scope was very concise. I’ve seen some optics where I am always searching for that perfect focus and lose it just as fast. If I had one complaint it’s that the lens covers don't come attached to the spotter. Both covers have holes for attaching a lanyard but just don't have a tether.

Now this 82mm spotter isn’t something you’re going to hike around with, but for range work it is excellent. Great light gathering abilities for low light or just poor lighting conditions. This unit is even waterproof so in bad weather a little rain isn't going to hurt it. I’ve gotten mine wet several times. To top it all off Nikon has a great warranty with all their optics. Having a no fault warranty is huge. I’ve knocked over a few spotters in my day and its nice to know you’re covered. At the same time no Nikon of mine has ever failed me. I’d rather not have a need to use it. Many people rave about certain optics and how when it broke 2x and they sent it in no questions asked. Well, I don't want an optic that keeps breaking. If you want to buy once cry once this is your choice. Nikon has reached the point where their glass rivals the German’s for half the price. Doug over at CamerlandNY has been my optics guy for 17 years now. It doesn't help that the new location is about 2 miles from my house!

Here are some of the features:

• A Crystal-clear Field of View Attributable to Nikon’s Sophisticated Optical Technology
• Field Flattener Lens System Delivers Sharp Images all the way to the Periphery
• Advanced Apochromat Optical System with ED (Extra-low Dispersion) Glass Minimizes Color Fringing to the Furthest Limit of the Visible Light Range
• Multilayer Coating for Natural Color Fidelity
• Total Reflection Prism for an Incredibly Bright, Clear View
• Optimized Focusing System for Fast Focusing
• Newly Designed MONARCH Fieldscope MEP Eyepieces Deliver High Optical Performance
• Body Design for Comfortable Observation
• Waterproof performance for inclement weather*
• *Waterproof (up to 1 m/3.3 ft for 10 minutes) (NOT designed for underwater use)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ElIen0kv5yPZ5BOs2

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Thank for the great report. It's very detailed and I like the fact you reported on comparisons done in the same conditions, at the same time.

I believe the STR80 has fluorite glass, though Swarovski description of their "HD glass" is somewhat vague but they do say the scope has "fluoride-containing lenses..." Fluorite lenses are at the top of the food-chain for dealing with chromatic aberration, but they are spendy, fragile and subject to condition variations. Nikon developed ED glass to mimic fluorite glass without its drawbacks.

I have a couple of Nikon Monarch riflescopes and they have excellent glass, though not ED glass.

I will have to look at that Monarch spotter.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Great review. I'm not surprised to see Nikon contending with European glass at a lesser price point. Although Nikon has had their EDG spotter out for many years and that optic is over $3K. I have read many articles where the EDG was compared to top European glass and found lacking. I wonder if it would have any advantage over the new Monarch spotter or if this new Monarch is taking the place of the EDG?

Nikon was starting to fall behind the pack for a while, but their new optic lineup for 2017 shows they are finally making an honest effort to catch up and compete with the other companies. And with the addition of the No Fault lifetime warranties, they should start bringing a lot more competition to the table.

Meopta is doing the same thing. Although Meopta is made in Czech Republic which borders Germany and Austria so it is actually European glass as well. But Meopta Meostar HD glass will match or beat any of the top European brands for much less money.

 

[JRS]

Great review. I'm not surprised to see Nikon contending with European glass at a lesser price point. Although Nikon has had their EDG spotter out for many years and that optic is over $3K. I have read many articles where the EDG was compared to top European glass and found lacking. I wonder if it would have any advantage over the new Monarch spotter or if this new Monarch is taking the place of the EDG?

Nikon was starting to fall behind the pack for a while, but their new optic lineup for 2017 shows they are finally making an honest effort to catch up and compete with the other companies. And with the addition of the No Fault lifetime warranties, they should start bringing a lot more competition to the table.

Meopta is doing the same thing. Although Meopta is made in Czech Republic which borders Germany and Austria so it is actually European glass as well. But Meopta Meostar HD glass will match or beat any of the top European brands for much less money.

Make no mistake…. very few scope companies are going to tell us whom they source their glass from. ED glass is produced by many different companies. If the elements from X number of glass producers were laid out in front of you, you couldn't distinguish one from another. Just because March scopes are made in Japan does not automatically mean the elements they use are made in Asia. In fact, the elements could be a mixture from different makers. There is, of course, one exception…. S&B.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yeah most high end europen optics use top of the line German Shott HT glass. Though the high end Japanese glass is no slouch. The key to getting the most out of any glass is the recipe and application process of the coatings, the alignment, matching, and indexing of the lenses, and how light reflections are controlled within the optic. Many manufacturers will tell you what type of glass they use, but the coatings and processes they use to apply them will always remain TOP SECRET. If everyone knew the best coatings to use, you would see the same color hue on the lenses of all the optics. But since these are heavily guarded secrets, you will see a purple hue on top level Swarovski and Meopta glass, green hue on Nikon, and some blue, tan or reddish hues on others. Although many companies will provide tours through their facilities, visitors will never be alowed to see exactly how the coatings are applied or know the composition of the coatings. These heavily guarded secrets are what keep the alpha glass manufacturers separated from the rest of the field.

So even if everyone used the same quality of glass, that certainly does not mean that everyone can produce the same level of optical quality with that glass. But utilizing top shelf glass is a key starting point to compete in the market.

Now we are seeing the lower end optics manufacturers starting to get pretty close to matching the top European brands using their own coating recipes and application processes learned over years of trial and error.

There used to be such a massive gap between the quality of Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss HT, and Kowa Prominar vs. lower priced optic's at half the cost. That gap is now becoming narrower every year which is greatly appreciated by any consumer looking to get into high quality optics at a lesser price point.

 

[bhoges]

Yes I agree the bar has been raised to a higher standard. Im surprised at how clear even entry level optics are. Ive seen so many brands at Shot over the past few years. It comes down to coatings and design.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yes I agree the bar has been raised to a higher standard. Im surprised at how clear even entry level optics are. Ive seen so many brands at Shot over the past few years. It comes down to coatings and design.

If you think about it, the competitiveness of the optics are returning full circle to what they were a few decades ago. Back in the 60's to the mid 80's, all optics manufacturers tried to produce the best optics they possibly could and offer them at an affordabe price because there was a lot of competition in the booming sporting optics world. Manufacturers such as Leupold, Burris, Weaver, B&L, Browning, Nikon, Weatherby, Tasco, etc. They all provided nice crisp clear views with solid construction to last a lifetime and they were all competitively priced.

Then those brands became greedy and started outsourcing glass and manufacturing to 3rd world countries for various levels of quality to make an extra buck. Some of them would still produce nice glass, but you now had to pay a premium for it. Leupold is a perfect example of this. Their lower end glass is pure crap, and their high end golden ring glass really isn't a whole lot better than what they were producing in the 80's. Companies like Leupold, Nikon and Burris survived the optics competition thrived for a while...

Now there are so many new upstart optics companies taking the market by storm like Vortex, Sig Sauer, and most recently Athlon. Even Meopta finally joined the sporting optics world under their own name even though they have been making high end optics for longer than Swarovski and produced the Zeiss Conquest riflescopes while laying low behind the curtains for many years and not receiving the credit. So now the market is becoming very competitive again. And what does competition demand to offer the consumer? High quality at a price point cheaper than the next guy. Quality keeps going up, and prices stay affordable.

Now the best part of it all is the mess Vortex created with their No Fault unconditional VIP warranty. So now not only do companies have to maintain high quality at affordable prices, they also have to consider covering their products unconditionally for the life of the optic. That's why you see Nikon finally offering a no fault and Sig Sauer and Athlon jumping into the market immediately offering the same coverage. They know they need to do that to compete with Vortex. Competition is great!

Now that the lower end optics companies are getting closer to the big dog European companies in quality, I bet you will see the European companies either start to bring their prices down and offer better coverages, or they will stay how they are and create some of the most amazing optics the world has ever witnessed...which is what they have always done. They set the bar, and the rest of the world has to try an catch up

 

[bman940]

Very nice review of Nikon's MONARCH FIELDSCOPE 82ED. I have been using one for about 9 months now and it is my new favorite. I was using the EDG Spotter which I sent back to Nikon to use the MONARCH. The MONARCH is more in my price range and the guys I hunt/shoot with so it was a great swap in my mind. I find the MONARCH much easier to get around with while bhoges makes a similar statement about it not being an optic for a hiking hunter it works fantastic for my needs. Range use and spotting before and during deer season. I used mine last year spotting deer in KS from over a mile away and just this weekend from my deer blind using a window mount on my blind. Easy to change the magnification and dial in the focus for a great pic. Some excellent comment's about Nikon and other manufacturer's in this thread. On a similar vein of competition making everyone step up their game and what b. eluded to with diminishing returns on clarity to dollar's spent. When Nikon came out with it's MONARCH 7 bino's a very well known writer and self proclaimed Euro-glass snob wrote that if he didn't get his bino's for free he would choose the MONARCH 7's because he just didn't see that the difference of $500 to $2500 was there. I think the same thing about the MONARCH 82ED FIELDSCOPE. I have looked through a lot of competitor's spotter's all more $ then Nikon's and I just don't see the $ to quality value. Nikon has even added a line of ED scope's that are outstanding, the MONARCH 5 line. I have discussed optic's with bhoges and he is a true optic's snob but only because he like the rest of us expect's to get what he paid for, the rest of the performance is up to us. I might add that he is a heck of a shooter as well and will not tell you something is quality if it isn't. He has nothing to gain, he isn't a sponsored shooter just an avid shooter who expect's the most out of his equipment. I on the other hand do freelance work for Nikon, no sales of any kind. I just try to get the information out to you guy's so that you can make an informed decision and buy the product that will serve your needs the best. As always, drop me a note if you have any Nikon related question's.

 

[JRS]

Well done I have, on more than one occasion, extolled the virtue of Japanese made glass. Not only is it the equal to european made glass, but is also, depending upon the grade of glass, superior to the best european glass, which includes Schott glass. Canon is a prime example

 

[nmkid]

I purchased Nikon's ED82 spotter about 5 years ago. Cabela's had them for (if I remember correctly) around $1500. Then they closed them out at $1100.00. At that time it was the most I had ever paid for some 'glass'. After all these years it was a pretty smart buy. Not many of those types of buys for me!! LOL.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

bman940,

You and bhoges both mentioned that the NE Monarch spotter is "not something you would want to hike with", but I find the weight of the new Nikon somewhat appealing for its size.

I hike with my Meopta S2 HD 20-70X 82mm spotting scope in the high country sometimes and it weighs in at 67 oz. with the eyepiece. It is a very heavy scope for hiking, but the optics are nothing short of amazing so I just deal with it.

The Nikon Monarch comes in at only 57.8 oz which is actually quite light for a spotter of that size. That's over 1/2 lb lighter than my Meopta.

I chose the Meopta over the Swarovski ATS HD 20-60x80mm spotter when I was looking to buy because I honestly felt the Meopta had better glass. I would be curious to see how the new Monarch stacks up against the Meopta Meostar S2 HD.

Below is a picture I took through my Meopta on 70X this year of a mule deer buck at about 1.5-2 miles away on a hot sunny day. Pretty good depiction of the optics, but is limited to my cameras capabilities. The actual image is a while viewing through the spotter is better than what the camera can convey. On a cold morning with no mirage, the optics through the Meopta are breathtaking. I know it's only a photograph through a scope, but how do you feel the Monarch would stack up against optics like this? Thanks for your input. I am very intrigued by Nikon's new spotter.

The mountainside


The buck located in the cliffs towards the top of the mountain. The magnification while actually looking through the scope appears to be more and the image is much sharper than what the picture can show.

 

[bman940]

Ledd, When I do spot and stalk which these days is rare, I used Nikon's ED50 spotter. I also take it on vacation's with my when I know there will be nice scenery along with my PREMIER 10x25's. The ED50 is a great compact spotting scope when space is limited. Ledd, great pic's by the way!

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Well done I have, on more than one occasion, extolled the virtue of Japanese made glass. Not only is it the equal to european made glass, but is also, depending upon the grade of glass, superior to the best european glass, which includes Schott glass. Canon is a prime example

Canon? Pshaw!

Then again, I've been a Nikon camera bigot for decades.

Nikon camera and Kodachrome. Sounds like a song, doesn't it?

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Ledd, When I do spot and stalk which these days is rare, I used Nikon's ED50 spotter. I also take it on vacation's with my when I know there will be nice scenery along with my PREMIER 10x25's. The ED50 is a great compact spotting scope when space is limited. Ledd, great pic's by the way!

Nice. That looks like a great little travel spotter for sure. I have one of the old Burris straight 20X compact spotters that is similar size, but the glass is miserable. Basically just collects dust now.

I also picked up a Cabelas Krotos HD 15-45x65 spotter a few months back and for a sub $700 optic, it's the nicest I've ever looked through. Would probably have to spend up to $1K more in many cases to beat the image it delivers. Dont know who makes it for Cabela's... However, it is quite heavy for a small spotter at 48 oz., but that's because it's built like a tank. I wish it was a little lighter for sure.

I need to get a nice light weight compact ED spotter like that Nikon in your pic. I've also been thinking about the Sig Sauer Oscar3 10-20x30mm compact spotter with image stabilization, but I can't find one in stock locally to take a look before buying. Supposedly the stabilization works well enough where no tripod is required.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Speaking of Digiscoping. I find Nikon's offerings for that aspect of optics to be both overpriced and limited, especially compared to what Kowa is offering. It's one aspect that has grown in importance to me. I find it useful to create videos like the one showing the bullet traces in the other thread here and I also like to take pictures of the Moon and so on with my Kowa.

I've sent some comments to Nikon about this but have received no answer so far.

It's great when such a valuable piece of equipment can be used for many purposes.

 

[JRS]

Speaking of Digiscoping. I find Nikon's offerings for that aspect of optics to be both overpriced and limited, especially compared to what Kowa is offering. It's one aspect that has grown in importance to me. I find it useful to create videos like the one showing the bullet traces in the other thread here and I also like to take pictures of the Moon and so on with my Kowa.

I've sent some comments to Nikon about this but have received no answer so far.

It's great when such a valuable piece of equipment can be used for many purposes.

I have what you need, Denys My Canon 85MM f/1.2 L II

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Speaking of Digiscoping. I find Nikon's offerings for that aspect of optics to be both overpriced and limited, especially compared to what Kowa is offering. It's one aspect that has grown in importance to me. I find it useful to create videos like the one showing the bullet traces in the other thread here and I also like to take pictures of the Moon and so on with my Kowa.

I've sent some comments to Nikon about this but have received no answer so far.

It's great when such a valuable piece of equipment can be used for many purposes.

I just use my Samsung S5 smartphone for all my pictures (14 MP camera) It takes as good a picture as any of the digital cameras I've owned and it's very convenient since I have it with me all the time anyhow. Not to say I've ever owned a high end digital camera...

If you want to use your smartphone to take your pics through your spotter but the manufacturer doesn't make and adapter for your phone, and you don't want to use a clunky universal rig, check out "Phone Skope". Not the cheapest spotter smartphone digiscoping adapters, but they work well. They can make an adapter for just about any smartphone on any spotter. You can also buy Bluetooth camera controllers from them so you never touch your phone and avoid any vibrations.
If you own multiple spotting scopes like I do, then once you have the correct phone skope case, you can just buy different eyepiece adapters for all of the different spotting scopes you own. The eyepiece adapters are cheaper than the initial whole setup and twist lock in and out on the case. Not the highest quality adapter phone case material I've ever seen, but they are really solid and do a good job of centering your phone's camera on the eyepiece of your spotter.

They even make adapters for binoculars, rangefinders, telescopes, microscopes, etc...Or you can even have them make a fully custom adapter for a riflescope or older obsolete optic.

Anyhow, here's the Phone Skope link if anyone is interested in digiscoping with a smart phone.
https://www.phoneskope.com/store/?g...BeLClj-vSEVl8O3nnfnaEr428FU4oqhYaAlEuEALw_wcB

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I have what you need, Denys My Canon 85MM f/1.2 L II

Funny guy. That's afocal digiscoping. The device I got from Kowa is an photo connector the replaces the lens on my Nikon as it connect directly to a T adapter in the F-mount of the camera. The other side of that connector attaches directly to the Kowa scope using that thread you see around the eyepiece junction to the spotter body. I use the 20-60X eyepiece in the Kowa and it focuses the picture directly to the sensor after going through one lens in the connector.

So instead of a camera taking a picture of the image in the eyepiece, like how a riflescope works for all intents and purposes, the camera sensor replaces the eye behind the eyepiece. It does not work with the LER eyepiece for obvious reasons, but it works very well with the 20-60X zoom eyepiece.

In essence, I just mounted the equivalent of a 1000-3000mm f/14 zoom lens on my camera.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I just use my Samsung S5 smartphone for all my pictures (14 MP camera) It takes as good a picture as any of the digital cameras I've owned and it's very convenient since I have it with me all the time anyhow. Not to say I've ever owned a high end digital camera...
(snip)

Good link. I'm happy with my setup for now. But as smartphones get better and better, that's a good gadget to have. Thanks.

 

[bman940]

TT, Send me your suggestion's. I recently commented on how nice it would be to have a direct connection between your camera and spotter too. I will be happy to pass on your suggestion's to the guy's who ocme up with new products for the Sport Optic's side of Nikon.