I recently bought the Nikon Monarch 8x42 Mk 3. I bought and tried the Hawke Frontier ED Mk 1 8x43 and they beat the Nikon's hands-down in terms of FOV (very impressive), sharpness and contrast.
However they malfunctioned after 1hr of use with left barrel no longer focussing so returned them for full refund.
I have until mid Jan to return the Nikon's but am now considering the Opticron Imagic BGA SE 8x42. I especially want to know how they compare to the Hawke's.
If they are not as optically good then I will prob return the Nikon then buy Hawke.
All thoughts much appreciated.
Hi I can not offer a comparison but I own a pair of DBA oasis s coat I find the image quality to be good sharp right to the edge with good contrast with no distortion the build quality is very good. They might be also worth considering.
I've compared the Frontier ED and the Imagic/Verano HD a couple of times.
The 8x Hawke has a wider view, bit bigger sweet spot, slightly less colour fringing and a fairly neutral colour balance. I prefer the ergonomics of the Opticrons. They appear have better contrast and are just a little smaller and lighter than the Hawkes as the Imagic and noticeably lighter as the Verano HD. The colour is a little on the warm side.
I've encountered a few faulty Frontier EDs and at least one Imagic which was not as optically sharp as it should be, but it seems to me that the build quality of Japanese made Imagic is somewhat better than the Chinese Hawkes.
I'd suggest both are a worthwhile improvement optically over the Monarchs. I'd personally choose the Imagic in preference Frontier ED, but plenty would prefer the wider neutral view of the Hawkes.
David