Binoculars, like knives are one of those things that a bowhunter can never have enough of. Most of us have several knives, at least, for different applications and many have more than one pair of binoculars for the same reason. 

Lately my binocular collection has been catching up with my knife collection in number and for the past several years the name on almost every single one of them has been NIKON. 

I love the 10x36 Sporters that were reviewed on Bowhunting.net over a year ago and I have now added another Nikon (my 5th) to the lineup – the Nikon Action EX 7x35 binocular.

Lets will take a look at the basics of the Action EX and then dive into the testing to see if these binoculars will meet the criteria necessary to enter your lineup.
 

Basics
There are two basic binocular configurations on the market, the Porro Prism and the roof-Prism. Porro Prism binoculars, such as the Action EX models, have lenses that are offset while roof-prism binoculars have lenses that are in straight alignment. While quality optics can be found in either configuration the Porro Prism style is generally easier on the wallet.

Magnification and objective lens size are items of interest to those shopping for their next pair of binoculars. Numbers such as 10x50, 7x35, 8x40 and 8x25 are used to express these two attributes. The first number indicates the magnification power and the second number denotes the objective lens size in millimeters. The larger the objective lens size the more light gathering capabilities the binocular has. The downside to a large objective size is weight. The Nikon Action EX 7x35 has a low magnification power of 7 and a mid sized 35mm objective lens. 

Another beneficial item to be aware of in optical speak is the “exit pupil”. Exit pupil is defined as the amount of light that reaches the viewers eyes and is calculated by dividing the objective lens diameter by the magnification number. The higher the exit pupil numbers the better the low light visibility. Again, the trade off is weight. The exit pupil for 7x35 models is 5.0, an above average number.

Lens coatings are applied to optical lenses and are called out by designations such as P-coated, FMC, PMC and SLC. P-coating refers to a phase correction coating that was introduced in the late 80s by the Zeiss Company. 

This coating improves the resolution by correcting the phase shifts that naturally occur in roof-prism units. FMC, PMC and SLC all refer to the number of anti-reflective coatings per lens and the extent to which all lens surfaces are treated. 

For example; PMC (partially multi coated) indicates lenses that have multiple coatings per service however not all surfaces have been treated. FMC, on the other hand, denotes multiple coatings on every lens surface. SLC refers to a single layer coating. Nikon does not release the specifics of their coatings, only that they are multi coated. 

They do not say their optics are fully multi-coated, however, the brightness would lead me to believe they are. Anti-reflective coatings improve light transmission and clarity through the reduction of light reflectors inside the unit. The inside of the Action EX series is also blackened to further aid in this area.

These units also feature high index Bak4 prisms which are the light directing prisms that invert the image so that your brain interprets them as “normal” rather than upside down and backwards. Bak4 is a fine, high density barium crown glass that reduces internal light scattering and produces sharp images.

Field Of View (FOV) is communicated in three several ways; “real”, “apparent” and FOV at a given distance. To keep things uncomplicated I like to stick with FOV at 1,000 yards measured in feet for comparison purposes. Generally, the higher the magnification power the smaller the FOV. The FOV for the EX 7x35s is 489 ft.

The EX in the name stands for extreme and refers to the All-Terrain construction. The unit is nitrogen-purged and “o”-ring sealed for fogproof and waterproof performance. It is also covered with tactile rubber armor to resist damage from shock and vibration.

Testing
A thorough quality inspection was performed to determine the level of craftsmanship and out-of-the-box quality. The finish was in perfect order and the center focus knob, diopter control knob and right eye relief cup functioned flawlessly. The left eye relief cup, however, did not slide as effortlessly as the right side. 

To test the lowlight performance I climbed one of the treestands on my 3D course near dusk and took with me three pair of binoculars including the Nikon Action EX 7x35s. As light was fading each pair was used to make out individual tines on the McKenzie 3D buck targets that were set up at varying distances. True to the exit pupil formula the 7x35 models did better than the 8x25s but not as well as the 7x50s. The 7x35 however is a great balance between lowlight visibility and weight.

One of the first lessons I learned about binoculars occurred in North Dakota about five years ago while walking back to the truck with a friend. Every once in a while we would stop and glass the fields and nearby timber. “There is a buck”, he said. He pointed to some high grass and gave me some markers to pick out the bedded buck. No matter how long or hard I tried the buck was invisible to me. Finally, he handed me his $1,000.00 plus binoculars and sure enough I could see the buck! It was amazing the difference in resolution. To replicate the same situation I placed several racks in some high tan colored grass near my home. I made the distance such that a cheap pair of department store binoculars could not distinguish the tines from the grass. I then used the Nikon test binoculars and could make the tines out easily. I repeated the test with several makes of binoculars that ranged from $100 to $1200. The Action EX model was in the middle of the pack in this category.

One test that I was especially interested in performing was a fogproof evaluation. It took a while but a very damp and foggy morning descended on my section of the world about six weeks ago and I was headed for the woods. If ever a morning was going to cause fogged optics – this was it. The nitrogen-purged Action EX binoculars passes the test and remained clear the whole time I remained in stand.

Conclusion
I am pleased with the overall performance of these binoculars. They cover a wide range of applications and while they may not suit for some of the more critical viewing applications they are certainly sufficient for most. The armor covering and nitrogen purged construction make the Nikon Action EX 7x35 binoculars a great choice for the rigors of bowhunting. They will be put in my lineup and used for my first hunt of 2005 where I will be pursuing black bear in dense and dark cover.

Clarity: 4.5 of 5
The Action EX unit provides great clarity for the price tag. They are also the brightest I have seen in their price range!

Resolution: 4 of 5
Resolution was certainly above average as the Action EX unit was able to decipher antler tines in tall, like-colored grass at distances that several other 7x35 binoculars could not.

Low Light Performance: 4.5 of 5
Only two other binoculars in my collection were better in this category. This performance characteristic is the whole reason that they will be tagging along on my next bear hunt.

Value: 4.5 of 5
You will be hard pressed to find a better value at $129.00!

For information on this or any other Nikon product contact:

Nikon Inc.
1300 Walt Whitman Rd
Melville, NY 11747-3064
http://www.nikonusa.com