Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Markedly superior (brighter, warmer, sharper) views relative to my trusty 10-year-old Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42. However, check your binocular as soon as you receive it to confirm the close focus limit, because the first Midas 8x42 that arrived had a >3m close focus point, so we returned it. The replacement focuses as closely as 2m (which meets the specs), which is great, but the eyepieces had water stains on them (how did those get there, if this is a new product?!), 99% of which were easily removed with my old LensPen. Update: each of the four pairs we've tried has had different build issues: two had focus knobs with noticeable play, two had close focus points that were longer than the specs, one folds down on itself when held up with one hand, one is too stiff and doesn't bend easily, one had water spots on the eyepieces upon arrival, and one had a scratch on an objective lens and dust on the inside of the lens upon arrival. We eventually gave up and kept two of them. We're going to give Athlon the benefit of the doubt, because we love the two pairs we have. If they have significant issues in the short-term, we'll adjust this review... Update 10/31/2019: Although I still enjoy using the Athlon Midas 8x42, I find myself preferring my >10-year-old Nikon Monarch 8x42. As an advanced birder, I don't need great image quality so much as I need to obtain a sharp image as quickly as possible. Songbirds are really fast, and the super-smooth Nikon focuses on them almost instantaneously. In contrast, the Athlon takes much longer to acquire focus, partly because of a shallower depth of field, partly because the focus knob is stiffer, and partly because the knob needs to be turned more than that of the Nikon. Update 12/2019: The binocular strap broke the other day, from the plastic attachment to one side of the instrument. I was lucky to catch the binocular before it fell onto concrete! Update 12/2021: My Athlon Midas developed "diopter creep" and possibly also went out of alignment, so I had to use Athlon's warranty, which is EXCELLENT: for the low cost of shipping, they sent me a new copy within 2 weeks that's superior to the first! Their customer service is also professional and responsive. For these reasons, I'm bumping the score back up to a 5. You can't beat an excellent warranty.