Nikon Action EX Extreme 7×35 CF Binoculars – Fogproof/Waterproof

What do you want to know? I think the performance and features of this currently $130.00 pair of binoculars rivals that of binoculars costing $300.00 or more.The field of view is luxurious at 9.3° (or 488 feet at a distance of 1,000 yards (3,000 feet)). My pair are the 7x35mm model. For my personal use, a magnification of 7 is perfect. 6 is too little to see sufficient detail, and 8 is too much as it is hard for me to hold the image steady without a tripod. The exit pupil is nice and bright at 5mm (35mm objective lens diameter divided by magnification 7). For comparison, I have a pair of waterproof/fog proof Bushnell Trophy binoculars (8×25), and their field of view is 400 feet at 1,000 yards, fairly typical for a lot of binoculars. 88 feet is a substantial difference in terms of what you can see in the field of view horizontally and vertically without moving the binoculars. A larger field of view is supposed to be especially useful for viewing wildlife or athletes in motion.Owing to refractive surgery, my distance vision is at or very close to 20/20 in both eyes, so the adjustable eye cups have to be fully extended for me to be able to see the full field of view. I have yet to try these binoculars out on someone who wears glasses to see how well the binoculars can be adjusted to compensate for the distance between the eyeglass lenses and the eyes, but I will do so in due course and edit this review accordingly.These binoculars are supposed to be waterproof and fog proof, purged with dry nitrogen and sealed with o-rings. I probably will not be testing this aspect of them too much. They seem quite tough and durable, but I think one would have to be careful when adjusting the adjustable eye cups. Do not over torque or over twist them or they might break off. Be careful when removing the eyepiece cover from the eye cups. Twist the eye cups down (carefully) flush with the eyepieces of the binoculars before storage or while not in use, in any case before applying the eyepiece cover. This way, the eye cups are not likely to get knocked or pulled off.Aside from this apparent inconvenience, I do not think you will find many binoculars in this price range with this level of performance and this many useful features. I wonder if the adjustable eye cups on more expensive center focus binoculars are sturdier. The only other basis I have for optical comparison is a pair of Steiner Navigator II binoculars (7x50mm), but on those, the focus of each eye must be adjusted separately, and they do not have adjustable eye cups. They are also nitrogen purged and waterproof and fog proof, but their sturdiness also comes at a cost because they cannot be focused as quickly as a pair of center focus binoculars. Since they are intended for marine use, quickness of focus is not as important, but it does limit their usefulness in other activities such as bird watching. The Steiner Navigator II’s are also relatively heavy to me.In terms of weight, for me, these Nikon binoculars seem to be somewhere in the middle: not too heavy and not terribly light. You might want to hold a pair up to your face for a while to see how fatiguing it is for you as this can be an issue with wildlife and sports viewing.But in most respects, I cannot recommend these enough for those who, like me, are interested in birding and sports viewing but who do not have $300.00 to $500.00 or more to spend on a pair of binoculars.For what it is worth, I read that the US Secret Service have used and perhaps continue to use Nikon Action EX binoculars. I guess they get optimum performance at a price that will not break the American taxpayer.I hope that is honest and straightforward enough and fair to all parties concerned.

These binoculars are all about quality in the largest field of view. If you want to see a wide expanse of nature or the heavens downrange from your position, these are the way to go. I got them specifically to frame smaller constellations and asterisms, the detail of which can be further examined with a scope. They help tremendously to put the object in the scope into context. Ordinarily, observing half a degree of field tends to abstract objects almost entirely from their surrounding. Since it’s not practical to really “zoom” in using a single optical instrument, using these in combination with something of higher power is ideal. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a zoom on the scope… it zooms from 25x to 50x — amazing but you have to understand that this is a field of view of 2.4 to 1.5 degrees — essentially like looking through a pipe to a drinkstraw. These Nikons however, show over 9 degrees field of view — something which is unsurpassed in the highest-end binocular out there.There are compromises necessitated by the optical principles used to make these function. They do not have a very flat field of view, meaning objects in the center of the field (circle) can be focused, but objects nearer the edge of the field are out of focus. This is because the focused field is curved not flat. This problem is also evident in most 10×50’s for example. It’s less of a problem in good quality 8×42’s like Nikon’s Monarch for example, and obviously the high end Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss etc. This problem matters more when you have a narrow field and highly magnified image where the subject tends to fill the field of view. It matters less when the subject is focused in the center of the field and the background surrounding it is slightly out of focus.Still, even if you pay the biggest bucks for bright, flat, and sharp images from the top of the line binoculars, you’ll still only see about 8 degrees true field of view, whereas these give you over 9 degrees. Furthermore, they give an apparent field of view of over 59 degrees, rivaling the top-of-the-line binoculars.If you’re looking for a handy, all-purpose binocular, the roof-prism 8×42’s are proven to be far more popular for a number of good reasons (more compact, more magnification while not yet needing a tripod or IS like 10x does, more competition and choices etc.) But if you’re looking for the best field of view with high quality optics, this is it, and fortunately it comes at a very reasonable cost. I don’t know what other 7×35’s are out there, but I can tell you this is far better than Celestron or Bushnell.

These were bought to replace an older pair of binoculars, and are to be used for out and about during the day and on longer hikes. A very compact size, easy to carry, and the quality through the lenses are very, very good.These were sold as ‘Used’ but other than some slight marks (which are hardly noticeable) they appear like new. Really impressed.

I ordered these on behalf of my Father in-law as he loves watching the birds in the trees and around the feeders in the garden. He has found these very light and easy to hold and is more than pleased with them.

On the face of it they look and feel good. The field of view is good and images bright. However, the optics are not sharp enough for a discerning birder. Good as a leave in the car pair of binos. 100 quid about right.

Good forcus my husband loves them

as promised