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Minox BF 10x42 BR binos |
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Dolphin
Optics Master Joined: October/05/2006 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 1795 |
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Posted: June/04/2008 at 12:52 |
Just received my new Minox binos. The BF is actually a BV, but the F means they came in black. I learned this by calling Minox USA. The quality of build is excellent. A brief look through them reveals crisp optics with good resolution and no obvious distortion. Obviously this was a brief look through, so I cannot comment on an in depth level. I will say that the image presented does not stand out like the Olympus Magellans, nor does it have the color rendition that they have. But, I will have to get them home and make a side by side comparison. The image just did not jump out at you as the Olympus image does, it almost makes you feel as though you are part of the image. Hard to describe. More details latter.
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Dolphin
Optics Master Joined: October/05/2006 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 1795 |
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Well, I got my Minox BF 10x42 binos home and compared them extensively with my Olympus Magellan EXP I binos of the same stats. It took a while for the Olympus pair to become acclimated to the 95 degree heat outside, as they have been inside for a while and fogged a great deal when I took them outside. The Minox pair had been in transit and were at ambient temperature. At any rate, after cleaning the lenses of both pairs with a lens pen and waiting as long as could wait for the fogging to go away the comparison was not what I expected. Basically, it was a wash. Resolution was tough to distinguish which was best. At first I gave it to the Minox, but after the fogging resolved, it was a wash, both were excellent at reading signs at at distance of greater than 100 yards. Color rendition I thought was going to go to the Olympus, but no, it was not the case. It was maybe slightly in favor of the Olympus, but it was too close to call. There was no major optical problems with either binocular. Ergonomically, I would have to chose the Olympus, as the diopter ring was more user friendly and their was an indention for the thumbs, which made it more comfortable to hold. However, I have not had the opportunity to use the Minox hunting, so whether this makes a difference or not is unknown. Build quality is excellent for both. No difference that I could comment on. The eye cups that twist out are about the same. The focusing knob is smoother and more extended in the rotation on the Olympus, but it did not make a difference. The included case with the Olympus is nicer and the Minox came with eye cups for the eye pieces, but not the objectives. The Olympus came with eye cups for both, but were worthless, as they did not stay on, unless you kept them in the case. A good pair of Weaver Polar flip up lens caps would go a long way for both pairs. Overall, I would consider both pairs equal. The only thing I would have to do, is take the Minox out hunting, to see if I get that feeling that I am part of the wilderness. Other than that, I would recommend both of these binos without any reservation, as I think they compete with binos costing 4 times as much money. You should choose between the two based on your personal preference.
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dave2208
Optics GrassHopper Joined: October/23/2010 Status: Offline Points: 2 |
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im also interested in purchasing a pair of these minox binos, but i cant find specs for the bf series. would you have specs that you could send to me? and can you tell me if the lenses are german made?
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