Home > Consumer Reviews > Nikon Action 7x35 EX Extreme ATB Binocular

This binocular was rated No 1 in the Cornell winter 2005 review of birding binocular in the economy class and it certainly desreves its No 1 spot. In this price range it is simple the best binocular for the begining birder, the budding sports fan. Being fully rubber armored and fully water proof they make very good hunting binoculars as well. The field of view is simply the widest i have ever seen. They are slightly on the heavier side at 28 oz, but the weight distribution is such that they feel much lighter than many 23-25 oz roof prisim binoculars. Eye glass wearers will also not have nay problem with these and the feature 17 mm + of eye relief and twist up eye cup with detents and feature not normally found in binoculars of this price range.

The only negative about these binoculars is that the eye piece cover is a bit to tight fitting and take a bit of effort to take off, but thats not much of negative considering all the other positives.

Highly recommended.

I needed some all purpose 7 x 35 binoculars for my Hawaii vacation. I took them everywhere from hikes to boat tours to watching whales, sea turtles, wild goats, ducks and sea birds in flight, etc. Previously, I only had a mediocre set of Bushnell binoculars that I thought were pretty good. I was going to buy the lightweight compact Olympus 8 x 21 binoculars recommended by Consumer Reports for about $60. Fortunately, they were out of stock everywhere. After a little research I found no positive experience from expert birder sites on the web to back it up, unlike this Nikon.

These seemed too good to be true in terms of quality and features. For $110 they had high quality construction and lenses and were designed to be truly waterproof and fogproof, so they won't go bad on you. Everything I read said the clarity was very good to excellent as well. That's an understatement. I can't imagine what more clarity or improved low light viewing you can get out of the more expensive $300 Nikons or the $500, $1000, $1500 Japanese or German expensive optics binoculars. I didn't even notice that I was using these Action EX binoculars when it was nearly dark. This is a mark of quality and these have it. The clarity is just outstanding. Why should I pay more ?

They feel good in the hands and are a pleasure to use. They look great, too. It's not a super lightweight compact, but these are real binoculars. They have the usual quick central focus and left/right eye difference focus adjustment. They are fully rubber coated to handle real world use with bangs, scrapes, and drops. The binoculars have the strap and the case doesn't, so you'll have to store the case or attach it to something else. If you can use and appreciate a pair of excellent quality binoculars, this is money very well spent.

I've owned several pairs of binoculars over the years, and these are by far the best at anywhere near the price. The image is sharp, colors are accurate and the relief for eyeglass wearers is the best I've seen. I recommend them without reservation.

I've had my pair for about 3 years now and use them a lot for birding, the opera, and hiking. We keep them on the kitchen table to look at birds at our feeders, so they get almost daily use. The optics amaze me, and the binoculars have been perfectly dependable and easy to use. The very large eye relief makes them perfect for us, as we both wear glasses. I also like the adjustable eye cups. Rubber eye cups that curl back for use with glasses only last a year or two before cracking. These threaded eye cups should last indefinitely.

They're a bit heavy, so we bought a well padded camera strap to replace the thinner strap that came with the binocular. The case that comes with the binoculars works well, and has cutouts for straps.

We like this binocular so much that we are soon going to order another one so we both have one when hiking. I'm not tempted to get the 8x40 because the optics are so clear and bright that we can see birds much better with these than our previous, cheaper 8x binoculars. Also, a wide field of view is critical at the opera. The 8x40 is a little heavier, with a little narrower field of view than the 7x35.

Regarding the objective lens cover, I cut three slits into the sides of each cup so they slip on easily. Also, I've attached all the lens covers to the binocular with woven fishing line so they're never lost. They hang down about 8 inches when the binoculars are in use.

I've had many pairs of binoculars over many years, some pretty good, some pretty bad, but these Nikons were a surprise the first time I put them up for a view. They are, I think, the best you are going to do in the price range, and maybe better than you will do in the next range up.