REASONS TO BUY
Good clarity and brightness
Smooth focus knob
REASONS TO AVOID
Mediocre close focus range
Mediocre field of view
Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 Review
These perform well for the price, offering a smooth focus knob and decent brightness and clarity
A good pair of binos that fall somewhere in the middle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Benjamin Hickok ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ December 23, 2023
Contributions From: Jessica Riconscente
RELATED: The Best Binoculars
Our Verdict
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 performs very admirably for its price range. These binoculars manage to provide high-end optical quality and impressive brightness while shielding themselves from the astronomical prices typical of a high-end set of optics. Nikon also paid attention to the small touches with these binos, designing a smooth focus knob and using a grippy rubber coating that makes them feel secure in your hands no matter what type of grip you like to use. However, the lackluster field of view is nothing to write home about.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for the Buck | Best on a Tight Budget |  Best Compact Binoculars | Best Travel Binoculars on a Budget | |
| Price | $340 List Check Price at REI | $320 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $180 List Check Price at Amazon | $210 List Check Price at Amazon | $120 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | These perform well for the price, offering a smooth focus knob and decent brightness and clarity | An excellent balance of price and all-around performance with particularly impressive brightness | One of the most budget-friendly options we've found that offers a good entry into the birdwatching pastime | An inexpensive, small, and packable model that offers surprisingly good optics | Compact with decent clarity for budget-tier optics, and a good option for backpackers |
| Rating Categories | Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 | Vortex Diamondback H... | Celestron Nature DX... | Vortex Diamondback H... | Nikon Trailblazer AT... |
| Clarity (35%) | |||||
| Brightness (20%) | |||||
| Comfort (15%) | |||||
| Field of View (10%) | |||||
| Ease of Adjustment (15%) | |||||
| Close Focus Range (5%) | |||||
| Specifications | Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 | Vortex Diamondback H... | Celestron Nature DX... | Vortex Diamondback H... | Nikon Trailblazer AT... |
| Measured Weight | 23.7 oz | 23.1 oz | 22.8 oz | 14.7 oz | 10.5 oz |
| Measured Interpupillary Distance Range | 56mm - 75mm | 56mm - 75mm | 57mm -74mm | 55mm - 74mm | 38mm -75mm |
| Measured Size | 5.8" x 4.5" | 5.7" x 5.1" | 5.4" x 4.5" | 4.7" x 4.1" | 2.7" x 4.1" |
| Measured Close Focus | 6.2 ft | 5.5 ft | 8.0 ft | 7.4 ft | 6.6 ft |
| Measured Eye Relief | 19.0 mm | 18.0 mm | 18.0 mm | 18.0 mm | 10.5 mm |
| Glass Type | ED | HD | BAK-4 | HD | Eco-Glass |
| Magnification | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Objective Lens Size | 42 | 42 | 42 | 28 | 25 |
| Claimed Field of View | 335 ft | 393 ft | 388 ft | 332 ft | 342 ft |
| Claimed Close Focus | 8.2 ft | 5.0 ft | 6.5 ft | 6.0 ft | 11.5 ft |
| Claimed Eye Relief | 19.5 mm | 17 mm | 17.5 mm | 18 mm | 10 mm |
| Waterproof/Fog Resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tripod Adapter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Measured Lux Reading from Brightness Testing | 907 lux | 1163 lux | 823 lux | 390 lux | 237 lux |
Our Analysis and Test Results
A good pair of mid tier binos from Nikon's Monarch line. Credit: Abriah Wofford
Clarity
Although we were able to make out small images, they were slightly blurry. The Monarch M5 presents slight aberration where you see the magenta and cyan hues toward the extreme edges of the lens, which makes it slightly less immersive than the images produced by top-tier models. All told, the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 offers decent clarity compared to other binoculars in this price range.
Monarch M5 clarity tests. Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Brightness
While the Monarch M5 is one of the more affordable pairs of binos, you'll find that they can still produce truly good images at dawn on an overcast day. However, they don't transmit as much light as some other models. In our observations, shadows were a little darker with this model. This was validated by our controlled test that measures light transmission. We recorded 907 Lux. All in all, the M5 offers impressive brightness but fails to beat out the very stiff competition.
Quality lenses transmit a good amount of light. Credit: Abriah Wofford
Comfort
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 binoculars feel very comfortable in hand, which mostly boils down to a rubber coating that improves texture and ergonomics. This rubber is tacky enough that the grip feels very secure but not so tacky that your hands are left feeling sticky when using the binos on a hot day.
At 23.7 ounces, these binos can be a bit heavy for smaller hands, though testers with larger hands didn't experience this problem. We also found that the weight could be better balanced. Soft rubber eyecups comfortably rest at the inside edges of your eye socket. They seat a lot nicer than most binos, do a better job distributing pressure around the eye sockets, and do not create an annoying pressure point on the bridge of your nose.
The Nikon Monarch M5 on weigh in day. Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 also comes with a padded neoprene neck strap that is thicker around the back of the neck and incorporates a non-slip coating on the inside. While the coating and thickness keep the binos from sliding, we found the texture and thickness to be a bit scratchy, which could get fairly annoying after walking around all day in these.
We found the padded neck strap to be scratchy. Credit: Abriah Wofford
Field of View
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 had a narrower field of view than the average for the test group. We were only able to observe 51 fence boards with the M5, while the average was 54 fence boards, and the best models made it possible to see over 60 fence boards.
Measuring the field of view of the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42. Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Ease of Adjustment
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 focus knob is solid yet smooth, allowing for easy adjustment and the ability to quickly lock in on the perfect focus once you get it.
The diopter knob is small and stiff, so it's very unlikely that you could move it inadvertently. However, when you do need to make a diopter adjustment, it moves smoothly after applying a little force. The eyecups twist in and out and have distinct stopping points, so you'll easily be able to get the eyecups even and at an acceptable distance from the lenses.
The M5 is easy to adjust and comfortable to use. Credit: Abriah Wofford
We measured 19 mm of eye relief in our tests, which helps to make these easy on those who wear glasses. Overall, the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 checks many of the boxes in the ease of adjustment metric, as do most models in this price range. Our biggest feedback would be to include a locking diopter and possibly more range in the eyecup adjustments.
The comfortable eye cups on the M5 are easy to adjust. Credit: Abriah Wofford
Close Focus Range
Our tests measured the close focus range of the Monarch M5 8x42 at 6.2 feet, which is an impressive 2 feet closer than the manufacturer-stated 8.2 feet.
The average measured length for the entire test group was 8.2 feet. In other words, this is one of the better models available when it comes to close focus range and is more similar to the premium models we tested.
Artificial birds used in our testing. Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Should You Buy the Nikon Monarch M5 8x42?
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 is among the best pair of binos we've found in its price range and offers good all-around performance, whether the sun is shining or not. However, at a similar price point, one other model prevailed as the better option.
What Other Binoculars Should You Consider?
The Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 binoculars were outperformed in a clean sweep, albeit a narrow one in some cases, across every test metric by the very comparable Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42. They are basically an enhancement of the experience and performance you can have with the M5's while also boasting a cheaper price tag. One of our favorite models, the Vortex Viper HD 8x42, is a noticeable step up in price from the M5 but also offers better performance than the M7 and Diamondback.
—Benjamin Hickok and Jessica Riconscente
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