Review: Nikon Action Extreme 7×35 binoculars

Nikon Action

I think this is probably one of the best sub £100 binoculars you can get for birdwatching and wildlife watching in general. They are good and study in the hand – though may be a little heavy compared to some modern competitor models. For me the best thing about the binoculars is the close focus distance of just over 16 feet. This makes them just as useful for getting close up views of birds in the woodlands as it is with spotting birds out on the lakes and wetlands.

The build quality is exceptionally good for the price and can handle a certain amount of rough treatment. They are waterproof, fog proof and shockproof – rubber armouring gives that added protection. While I felt comfortable with the binoculars in my hands I did find that the focus adjuster was a little stiff and I could not get a smooth transition. No doubt this is because they are new and I assume that they will loosen up a little as I use them more. Being a porro prism binocular I found they had a good depth of field about them and I was pleasantly surprised by the wide angle view – it makes it a lot easier to focus in on your quarry.

I took the binoculars out into local woodlands to see how it dealt with an overcast day with drizzle and it dealt with the conditions really well. Sadly the birds seemed to have disappeared to seek extra cover but the images of squirrels racing around stacking up their larders were very clear. From the epxerience in the woods I would say that the binocluars can cope with producing resonable images quite late into the early evening.

As you would expect from Nikon the quality of image is exceptional for the entry level marketplace. The lens are multi coated and deliver very good quality colour and sharpness of image across the field of view. Setting up the diopter control for my own particular eyesight was easy to do and the binoculars are suitable for people who wear glasses.

Although I found the binoculars a little heavy they do come complete with a good quality wide neck-strap so there should be little chance of the skin around my neck being rubbed off after a day out in the woods.

For people who are ready to make that move to the next level from budget binoculars into more quality kit then this is the ideal model to opt for. It may only have a 7 times magnification – so it will not get you close up views of birds in an estuary but for 85% of your birding needs then these will deliver exceptional quality results.

I bought the Nikon binoculars through Amazon where it cost £99.17 with free postage.

Nikon Action EX Binoculars ( 7 x 35 )

Reviewed by Kevin Heath on November 13th.
For a sub £100 binocular you get a great value brand name piece of kit.
Rating: 4.5