Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Sneak Peek: Nikon's New Elite Binocular Line -- EDG

Thank you Doug. When are you taking pre-orders?

I have a pen in hand whenever you're ready

Here's some more info:

Wider FOV than 10x42 Zeiss, Swaro & Leica @ 374�

Longer ER than 10x42 Zeiss, Swaro & Leica @ 18mm

Higher waterproof spec than EL

Weight 29.45 ounces

Just wondering... will there be another eye cup option for those that wear eyeglasses? Seems that the winged design might not be optimum with eyeglass wearers.

I believe the binoculars come with standard eyecups however the winged versions are also included in the packaging. Thought I read it somewhere.

I'd be very intrested in what you think, Frank. I stacked a Pentax 8X43 in both the SP and their new ED glassed version this last summer. I could, after a bit, see a very small difference in favor of the ED model as far as image clarity. That would be in 8X and with the Pentax SP lense design.
Since then, I've seen comments that indicate the difference in image quality between ED glass and the usual top quality glass only becomes apparent at 30X and above. So, I'm wondering if this will be the case with the new Nikons. I'd be surprised if there wasn't much of a difference. Nikon has a track record of doing what some thought no one could do. JB, for instance, never thought he'd see anyone beat the image quality of the Leica 8X32. Then Nikon did it. E

E,

I do plan on purchasing a pair of the 7x42s but I am holding off until I see what all of the specs look like. Despite our difference in opinion on field of view I do find it to be one of my primary considerations when choosing a bin. I have not seen that bit of info for the 7x EDG but I am hoping, based on the 8x numbers, that it is above the typical 420 feet found in some other high end glasses (SLC and Ultravid). I have some hope for this since it seems Nikon went with an entire redesign of the optical system instead of just switching from standard glass to ED glass as in the Ultravid/Ultravid HD scenario.

Because of this it may then be difficult to make a direct comparison between the EDG and the Premier LXLs. I am thinking along the lines here of the wide sweet spot/small field of view versus the smaller sweet spot/wider field of view comparison.

My initial comparisons are going to be between the EDG and the FL of the same configuration. However, I believe I can get my hands on one of the LXLs and possibly a standard Ultravid as well.

Whatever they did, I'd be interested in your impressions and tests. Always looking for something better.
It, to me, already has two strikes against it. It's higher price and the weaker hinge design. However, if it has a significant performance improvement, that alone would make it worthy of consideration assuming no other design features that would make it less rugged. E

The hinge issue you mentioned may or may not be something I can comment on. If there is some type of issue then I would be willing to be that it would take a good amount of time before it would become obvious. I would have a hard time believing anybody would charge $1800 and then produce a product that goes out of alignment fairly easily.

As for the price, well, I guess part of competing with the best is perception. How much attention would a company get initially if they introduced a product set to compete against a $1700 binocular but were only charging $1000 for it? There would be a perception of a lack of quality because of the lower price...at least that is my take on it.

As for the actual comparison with my current model...I will be quite honest in my impressions. I have owned alot of the high end glass and finally settled on the 7x42 FLs because of their unique combination of handling/style and optics. It is going to take alot to knock them off.

The month of May cannot come soon enough.

All I can say is WOW. I checked it out at SHOT. The edges were as sharp and as bright as the sweet spot. The color and resolution was poppin'. The hinge is stronger than a piano style hinge. I went over it with there tech guy while I was there. Saving myself from a long typing section as I just got home and I have loads of e-mails to attend to, after he explained it to me, I have all the confidence in the world that he was shooting straight and it is a stronger hinge. Look for the EDG in April. It's a SHOT Show top release.

Doug, while that may be true, i.e. the design is as strong/stronger, but that's not the test. The test is weather their design keeps the prisms in alignment as well as the piano hinge design.
Long experience with both designs has shown that that just isn't the case. Perhaps Nikon has come up something new in the way of materials used to make to make the difference ? If so, can you supply some details ? E

E, I do not wish to get into any type of on going debate about this, however, if you ever have taken apart binoculars with a piano style hinge (The majority, not all) the middle of that hinge is empty plastic that serves no purpose beyond giving the owner a false warm and fuzzy feeling that it is a stroger design. The new Nikon EDG has an excellent hinge system that is solid and is also thicker that that of the Swarovski EL. Have no worries, it is solid and strong

We all should owe FrankD a Thank You for his time and $$.

Dave

That's not my information Frank. The Swarovski EL's have a rep for not holding up nearly as well as the Zeiss and Leicas in the same price catagory. Some of this is the way their prisms are secured, some it is their choice of hinge design and some it comes from their using flimsy plastic parts inside the binocular. E

No, I haven't taken apart any thing. And I believe you about some of the piano hinge roofs being as you say.
I also understand Nikon has an excellent rep for building binoculars that hold up. The Nikon LX 8X32 I bought from you, I understand, has held up to Barsness's "alaskan guide testing," for instance. It would be a radical departure for Nikon to build something in that price catagory that would be anything but tough. Hence my questions. E

You weren't referring to me, right?

Dave,

No thanks needed. I will do what I can when the time comes. In addition, despite the fact that Doug is a dealer for various optics I do trust his opinion of the products he sells. When speaking with him on the phone he was honest on various points for any given binocular. I never got the impression he was pulling any punches.

Man you just seem to pull stuff straight out of your BUTT.