The Best Binoculars
Verified by
Hadleigh V. Lead Product Analyst
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Five of the nine guides we analyzed rank the Nikon Monarch M7, more than any other binocular. Switchback Travel makes it their top pick after weeks of birding, hiking and backpacking, saying it offers "the best value in the lineup while delivering consistently excellent performance." OutdoorGearLab gave it an Editors' Choice award at 73 out of 100. At Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 75 birders ran 280 head-to-head comparisons across 30 full-size 8x42 models without knowing brands or prices, and the M7 tied for second.
Dave Hurteau at Field & Stream scored binoculars on a resolution chart, then left each one in a creek for half an hour and in a deep freezer for another half hour. "Only one binocular did better in our brutal test, and only by half a point," he writes of the M7. The one that beat it was the Zeiss SFL 10x50, which costs $1,799. Nikon lists the M7 8x42 at $539.95.
The comfort scores decide it. Switchback calls it "the most comfortable pair of binoculars we tested," and OutdoorGearLab scored its ease of adjustment 8.5 out of 10. The 8x42 shows 435 feet at 1,000 yards, the widest view of any binocular here, and Live Science says that makes it great for following birds. ED glass and dielectric, phase-corrected prisms keep colors true. A locking diopter holds your right-eye setting when the binocular bounces around in a pack.
What It Won't Do
Dawn and dusk expose it. Switchback found the M7 lags some models in brightness as the light fades, and the only con on Field & Stream's list is low-light performance. OutdoorGearLab tested the 10x42 and called its 362-foot field of view middling. The 8x42 is much wider, but hunters who want 10x give up that width. Live Science found the focus wheel stiff. If you glass at first light, the Zeiss SFL gathers more of it, for more than three times the money.
Outdoor Life's Andrew McKean and his team read a 1951 Air Force resolution chart through every new binocular, then tested each one at 200 yards from twilight into darkness on at least three nights. "Nikon topped 14 other new binoculars to take our top award," they wrote, naming the Monarch M5 Editor's Choice in both their main and budget guides. GearJunkie named the 8x42 its best binocular for birdwatching at 8.0 out of 10 and calls it "legendary in the binocular world." Nikon lists it at $339.95, $200 less than the M7.
The M5 uses ED glass too. GearJunkie found "crisp, clear imagery in all lighting conditions," and Cornell Lab's testers put it among their eight Top Picks from 30 full-size models. Eye relief runs 19.5 mm, the longest of any binocular here, so glasses wearers see the whole image. It weighs 22.2 ounces, 1.4 less than the M7, and Nikon covers it with the same limited lifetime warranty.
What It Won't Do
The view is narrow. At 335 feet at 1,000 yards it shows about a quarter less than the M7, so a bird that flits off is easier to lose. Outdoor Life found its 10x50 sibling "fared poorly in our low-light test, despite its big 50mm objective lenses," and says the square eyecups don't fit all faces. GearJunkie rated its close focus average. OutdoorGearLab placed the 8x42 seventh of 16 at 65 out of 100, eight points behind the M7. The diopter doesn't lock, either.
Who Should Buy Which
Nikon Monarch M7 8x42
A wide-view 8x42 with ED glass and a locking diopter, ranked first by Switchback Travel
- Birders who need a wide view to follow birds through branches
- Hikers and hunters whose binoculars get rained on
- First-time buyers who want one pair to last for decades
- Travelers heading on a safari or a national park road trip
- Anyone who finds heavier binoculars tiring to hold
Nikon Monarch M5 8x42
An ED-glass 8x42 with 19.5 mm of eye relief, from the line that won Outdoor Life's 2026 Editor's Choice
- New birders who want ED glass without paying $500
- Glasses wearers who need long eye relief
- Backyard and feeder watchers
- Hikers who want a light full-size pair
- Gift buyers who want a name birders trust