Nikon Action 7X50 CF Binoculars

I received these binoculars last week. I purchased them primarily as an astronomy tool, and as such have only used them one time with clear skies. I tried using them the first night I received them even though it was cloudy. I was suprised at the number of stars visible through the clouds when using the binos. The naked eye couldn't see anything. The next night the skies were clear and the views were beautiful. I was very pleased with the views that I received. I own an 8 inch reflector telescope that I have used for the past 6 years. The aggravation of carrying it outside and getting everything setup prevents me from using it often. The ease of grabbing a pair a binos and walking outside for a look around the sky is going to be great. If I stay out for 10 minutes that's okay becuase all 10 minutes will be viewing the sky. With the telescope I can't even get it outside, get the lens caps off, eyepiece installed, and a chair setup it 10 minutes. So anything less than 30 or 45 minutes of viewing time is too little to be worth the effort. Not so with binoculars. The only thing I have to wait for is my eyes to get dark adjusted. And that isn't much of an issue because the 50mm lens give such a bright image I can start looking immediately upon going outside. For anyone new to astronomy the temptation is always to go for high magnification. Please do not fall for this misconception. The wider angle view and brighter image from lower power is almost always more appealling. It is much easier to find a target and keep it in view as well. This is especially true with hand held binoculars. The 7x magnification of the binos are on the lower end of what is available, so a new comer might be tempted to try a higher power to get a close up view. I almost purchased 10x, but I am now very glad that I did not. It is hard to hold an image still, and the higher the magnification the harder it becomes. I think the 7x is just right. I took a fishing trip down to the coast this weekend and carried the new binos along. The fishing was good and the views through the binoculars were excellent. They give a very bright, crisp image. The only drawback to me is that the binoculars are a bit heavy. If you use them for extended periods of viewing expect your arms to become a bit fatigued. However, that can't be used to count against them as it is expected with the large 50mm main lens. Furthermore, they are equipped with a hole for mounting to a tripod, so that is always an option if you need help supporting them. So far I am very pleased. The Nikon brand was a bit assuring to me that for the price I would get quality optics and they have lived up to the reputation. You can feel confident in purchasing these binoculars.

when I ordered these bino's I ordered two pair at the same time. These and a cheap pair of tasco pocket size ones for like $12. When these came in the mail I took them out and tried them ocross the lake by my house. I really cant see why these cost 6x what the pocket pair costs and the picture you see is almost the same. Sure you have a little wider field of view and a little more magnification, but they are also like 3x the size. Also other reviews touched on this but the focusing part on the back is made out of plastic. You can move the lenses in and out without moving the adjustment ring. The pastic just bends back and forth, you can even get them to move when you put them up to your face if you push to hard. They seem to work fine but for the size and the cheap plastic adjustment piece in the back. If you want a set of nice bino's then I think I would spend a little more money and not get the ones with the plastic pieces. these would probably work fine if you were really careful with them and didnt bang them around any.

I have several different types of binoculars that I use for wild life viewing and star gazing. This is the least expensive pair and probably the best pair of binoculars I have purchased. They are durable, have great light gathering abilities and I let my kids use them without fear, unlike my more expensive Vortex and Leica binoculars. The only downside is the weight when I am out for several hours. I may purchase the 7 X 35 to shave a bit of weight off for day time viewing. I have no technical knowledge of optics, but for a basic viewer these are great.

Years ago I read an article about binoculars that said you should try to get a set where the aperture is at least seven times the zoom. It turns out that such binoculars are very hard to find, especially from a good manufacturer at a reasonable price. This set meets all of those criteria, however, because the 50mm of light gathering is more than seven times the 7x zoom, and Nikon is a great optics company. Now that I have these binoculars, the reasoning of that article is very clear. Although you sacrifice a little bit of zoom compared to 8x or higher binocs, the light and clarity of what you see is really superior and makes up for the difference. My brother-in-law borrowed this set for a professional football game. Even though two other guys in his party also brought binoculars to the game, all of the guys stopped using the other sets and used this set exclusively (especially when the cheerleaders were on their side of the field, I bet). A serious birdwatcher told me the extra diameter is wasted if you are using them in bright sunlight because the exit light is 7mm wide and your pupil is only 5 mm wide in bright light. I don't know if that's true, because the image is really great through these binoculars, but they really do excel in dim light. You won't be disappointed. Edited 9/2013 to add this: I took this set to a party on the side of a golf course. A celebrity golf tournament was going on. Every single person who picked up my binoculars to watch the players exclaimed "Holy cow, these are so much better than my binoculars..." or "Wow, these really put you on the tee box" etc.

I was debating getting a similar product at 3 times the price. While searching I came across this product with raving reviews. You simply cannot go wrong with the Nikon. The 7x gives enough magnification to view the moon and planets. The exit pupil ratio is right for the eye - enough light from the object to see it clearly. Best part, it is light enough to be handheld for short durations. If you wish longer visuals, a tripod would be necessary. In a nutshell, great stargazing binoculars.