Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular USA

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

I use these for nature watching, landscapes, what's over there... Easy to use, easy to focus, great visibility, compact. I really like them. Wish I had something to compare to, but I think these are great.

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

I was comparing these to my older Leica Trinovid 8x20.Optically the Nikon's were a little better(brighter,better contrast),but the Leica's felt like a MUCH higher quality unit in my hands.The difference in ergonomics and quality build were much larger than the gap in optics.The Nikons were bulkier and had a clunky plastic feel to them,where the Leicas were all metal,no plastic,solid and more compact.At the end of the day optics in a binocular are the most important thing,hard to argue that,but overall for me I stuck with the Leica's.All in all still good value for the $$.

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

We used the Premier LX L at a recent golf tournament and were able to clearly watch the players from 400-600 yards. Compact & lightweight and very clear. Excellent.

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

I'm using binoculars mostly while travelling, not for birdwatching or astronomy.

Pros:
1. Build quality is impressive, body is made of metal.
2. Perceived detail clarity is generally comparable to my Nikon 8x42 ATB (a much larger binocular). My visual acuity is less than perfect though.
3. Surprisingly, angle of view is also comparable to that of Nikon 8x42 ATB.
4. Chromatic aberrations are very low but not completely absent, so this Nikon is on par with my cheap Minolta 8x25 in that respect. Nikon 8x42 ATB is much worse.
5. Eye relief allows for using at least prescription eyeglasses.

Cons:
1. Some grease is sticking out in the folding mechanism, looks untidy.
2. Right telescope exhibits blur in the very top of image while left telescope exhibits blur at the very bottom. What I have thus is a nearly perfect panoramic image and the whole circle is not perfect. Most people should not worry.
3. Metal body makes it heavy - it is heavier than my Minolta 8x25 by 30 g according to my measurements despite smaller objective diameter.

Naturally, a contemporary good 8x40 is much brighter than this 8x20.

My binocular includes: a case, a strap, objective caps but no eyepiece caps, some literature, a nice box.

The included case looks good - black leather and "gold". It fits the binocular even with extended eyecups. However, the protection against elements is weak.

I could not notice any problems with collimation.

NOTE: This 8x20 LX model is obviously the same as 8x20 HG in Europe. The only difference must be the warranty.

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

I purchased these compact binoculars for hiking, rafting, and birding and they have been brilliant for those purposes. Although they are lightweight and fold into a small pouch, the quality of the optics from Nikon clearly makes this a superior product. Illumination and clarity is no different than that of a full sized binocular and they have the advantage of adding very little weight to your hiking pack. I now take them on all my travels. At first, it took a little practice opening them and adjusting them to my eye width, but you quickly get adept at this and the advantages of the compact binoculars far outweigh this initial challenge.

Comments about Nikon 8x20 Premier LX "L" Binocular:

These are just fabulous. I have Swarovski 7x40, Zeiss 8x20and Nikon superior E binocs so I know quality. I wearglasses so eye relief is important. I tried these side byside against the new Leica Ultravids, and the Swarovskicompacts and I used my Zeiss classics for 3 years (my wifetook them). No contest. The only thing I could say isthat our Zeissclassic compacts (and Leicas) are smaller andlighter... but significantly less eye relief on the Zeiss. These Nikons are still plenty compact and so comfortable touse. The 10x were also fabulous.These are extremely sharp and not just in the center. Theyare very sharp even at the edges and they have very littlechromatic fringing. It is very subtle. I am extremely happy with these binocs and would buy thesame ones again in an instant.

Problems Encountered: No problems.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Zeiss classic 8x20