Nikon Monarch ATB, Pentax DCF WPII, Bushnell E2, and Alpens?

Guest

Hello, im glad to have found this forum, lots of great info here!

Im looking for some new 8x42-10x42 binochs for the upcoming white tail hunt. Low light will be important for the early morning. I have narrowed down my choices to the following glasses...

Pentax DCF WPII

Bushnell E2

Nikon Monarch ATB

Alpen 10x42 (cheapest of the bunch, getting good reviews)

What do you guys think of these? Which one do you feel is the best glass of the group?

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5673

Hi

I'd vote for the E2, which in my tests agianst the Monarch and the Pentax, scored the highest in terms of optics and offered the best build construction. It reaffirms, yet again, that price is a pretty reliable indicator of quality and performance. It's a pretty rare exception when a $300 bino outperforms a $500 bino or even a $400 bino.

I have not tested the new version of the Alpen, but I would have to be convinced, via an actual hands-on test, that it belongs with the others. I'm not putting it down, but I've been around, testing optics of all kinds, for far too long to put much stock in reviews or advertising hype. When I have the opportunity to test the Alpen, I will galdy post my thoughts on it.
_________________
Thanks for posting with us
Joanie K - Your personal optics expert

Forum: http://www.opticsplanet.com/msgboard
Blog: http://blog.opticsplanet.com/
Store: http://www.opticsplanet.net/

Phone: 847-513-6201
Fax: 847-919-3003

ET · Guest

If the E2 does not work, go for the Pentax. Pretty solid piece of manufacture. I have the Monarch too, it is the cheaper choice, very good value.

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5673

Hi

As promised, I would post some comments when I had the latest Alpen 390 Pro in my hands. For comparison, I matched the nearly identical, in terms of features, Bushnell Excursion aginst the Alpen, since the Excursion has been a best seller at this price point for a couple of years.

Shootout Excursion 10x42, Alpen 390 Pro 10x42

Focusing, Smoothness, Effort, Evenness: Excursion
The Excursion was unusually good for a binocular this price - no high spots or play with reasonable effort. The Alpen required only a little more effort, but had a couple of high spots and some barely detectable play

Resolution: Excursion
The Excursion was slightly above average for a 10x at this price, while the Alpen rated only slightly less. I rate them as very good for binoculars at this price, but not quite at the level of a good $300 binocular, such as the Carson XM HD, which I used as a control.

Brightness: Alpen Pro
The Alpen gave a detectably brighter image, rating it above average for a binocular at this price.

Contrast: Tie
I was very pleased by both - clean images with little washing out or stray reflections

Edge Sharpness: Excursion
The Excursion rated above average at about 80% sharp across the field . The Alpen tested a more average 70%

Barrel Distortion (Least): Excursion
Both about what I expected at this price, but neither was objectionable. The Excursion had slightly less.

Color Correction: Excursion
The Excursion rated a very good, with only a little purple fringing on bright objects. The Alpen had a more noticeable green tint around bright objects. Both are quite satisfactory, however. Should not be an issue.

Handling: Tie
Both binoculars were very similar in size, weight and feel. Typical nice roof prism handling.

Overall, I was quite pleased with what I saw, considering the prices. Binoculars at this price have shown a lot of improvement in optics in the last five years. No, neither binocular matched the Carson XM HD I used as a control for resolution, contrast, color correction and so on, but the differences were not as great as the prices suggest. I would have no hesitation recommending either model for someone on a budget of less than $200. Both great values, but, no, neither is a good $300 binocular, despite glowing reviews.
_________________
Thanks for posting with us
Joanie K - Your personal optics expert

Forum: http://www.opticsplanet.com/msgboard
Blog: http://blog.opticsplanet.com/
Store: http://www.opticsplanet.net/

Phone: 847-513-6201
Fax: 847-919-3003