Nikon Monarch 5 vs Vortex Raptor Binoculars

It's a personal thing for me about the 8.2 ft close focus distance. Caps are a minor, physical problem with the binocular accessories! Bino's themselves are worth every penny!

The FOV could be better compared to the Nikon Aculon 10x42 in the same price range. Picked those based on the waterproofing and smaller overall size 10x32.

I'm an avid outdoorsman and have been wanting to get into bird watching, hunting, and just general exploring/tracking of animals. I have never had a good set of binos but have had a couple of \~$30 ones. My dad knew I was looking to get a good pair and he did a bunch of research which landed him on the Monarch 5.

For an inexpensive binocular, it gives me a sharp, clear, image, and I carry it in my car so that I have a binocular handy when I need one.

It's especially important for short sighted people like myself because our eyeglasses add an additional optical element to the system, considerably extending its length (an alternative is to remove the glasses, but it is less convenient and one loses correction for astigmatism). I found this pair's eye relief more than sufficient for my prescription (which is close to -4.5). Lengthy viewing does not cause any eye strain

The focuser is stiff but serviceable. The eye relief takes getting used to for non eyeglass wearers as you have to hold them a mm or so away(navy fashion) to get a proper view even with the eye cups extended fully. I got used to this fairly quickly as I use binoculars in this fashion on a moving boat. These are not for you if you like pressing binoculars up against your face