Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics The Big Three in Binoculars?

I bought 8.5x42 swaro El’s in 2005. Still use them on every hunt. I bought a pair of nikon monarch 7s 8x30s as I thought I might try a lighter set just to have in my truck. I wasted that money. I went right back to my full size bino. If I upgrade before I die I will be objective but I will likely stick with Swaros. Totally happy with my old ELs.

I bought pair of 7x50 Steiner NATO spec Commanders in 1988. Seen no reason to change! Factory warranty still applies as the armouring has been replaced due to improved materials and the internals regassed free of charge

May I ask what it is that you don't like about the Nikon Monarch 7's?

I love my Steiner Predators.

I don't care because I will use One of the big Three .
I rate them in this order Swarovski, Leica, and then Zeiss.

To me the clear Alpha of Alphas is Swarovski, because they've maintained elite quality across their entire product line. You can argue about value for money but there's no bad Swaro gear. Leica is second for the same reason. Some of the lower end Zeiss, on the other hand, are clearly inferior to their higher-end offerings.

After the big three there's a drop to the second tier of Kowa, Steiner, Meopta's MeoStar line, Nikon's HG line, and a select handful of Minox's binos. Then there's the value "workhorse" tier of the Meopta Optika and Nikon Monarch 5/7. Here's what I'd do at each budget range if I had to buy new binos today:

$3,000 - Swaro NL
$2,000 - Swaro EL
$1,000 - Nikon Monarch HG
$500 - Kowa BD II XD

Zeiss is in a weird spot in terms of their product positioning. If you have the budget for the Victory then you should be considering Swaro. If you're looking at the Conquest then you're paying for the brand and will get better value with a pair of Meopta MeoStar or Nikon HG binos. Value for money, give me the Nikon HG. For a grand you get binos made in Japan, near-alpha-quality glass and coatings, and unlike the Conquests, Nikon got the locking diopter and eyecup design right. Zeiss needs to up their game, particularly with the Conquest.

Its not that there is anything wrong with them but I am just used to the size and optical quality of my ELs. If I ever bought newer ELs or NLs I would probably feel the same about my old ELs as I do my Monarchs 7s. Once I step up its hard for me to step back down with optics. I have a small lake behind my place and my monarchs sit on a stand next to my chair. I occasionally use them to look at wildlife around that lake.