Minox 7x42 Binoculars

[CrusteeRusty]

Anyone on the forum hear anything about Minox bino's??  I know Leica is the parent company and was curious is they can compare to the Leica 7x42's??

[Naphtali]

There are two rules of thumb.

1. Above a threshold price, there is no such thing as a poor quality binocular. The difference among the group involves difficult to evaluate things such as: durability, ease of use; abrasion resistance of optical glass, etc.

Unless you are wealthy enough or careless enough to use them to death, don't worry about it.

2. Since a binocular is two telescopes that are mounted and aligned to work together, you get what you pay for. Since Minox is "budget-priced" Leica, I refer you to Rule #1.

[Rusty]

I Emailed the "experts" at Birdwatching.com, about Minox binoculars.  She said that the Minox binoculars wern't all that great.  She said that the Pentax DCF WP's were acturally much better.  I personnaly have never tried the Minox binoculars.  If you can get hold of Outdoor Life, June/July issues for this and the past three years, there are some side by side reviews of binoculars (Minox binoculars are reviewed too).  

I think the best deal for under $300 are: Nikon Monarchs and Bushnell Legends.  For under $700, Kahles, Pentax DCF SP, and Nikon LX.
 

Stay Crustee, Rusty! :-D

[Firehawk]

Crustee Rusty,

FWIW, I bought a pair of the Minox 10x42 binos a couple of years ago.  I have absolutely loved them.  As I did the shopping I compared them to Pentax WP series, Nikon Monarchs, Zeiss Diafun, and several others.  I honestly could not tell any difference between the Pentax WP and Minox.  IMO they were far nicer than the others I looked through.  

I am sure that they are not quite as nice as the Leicas, although the one time I used the Leica 10x42 BN (?) and the Minox 10x42 side by side, my eyes could not detect any differences.  I am sure that there are, but my eyes didn't notice them.  So for what it is worth, I highly recommend the Minox.  That said, the Pentax WPs were just as nice.  I just got a little bit better deal on the Minox binos.

Fire Hawk

[Losthwy]

I have a pair of 8x32 Minox for a few years now. Good binoculars. No regrets.

[CrusteeRusty]

Thanks for all the replies.   Wish I had just a few more bucks to spend:-)

[Naphtali]

Rusty: Hi guy.

Birdwatching.com almost certainly furnished accurate information. What may not have been mentioned is that birders' requirements differ from hunters' needs. For example:

1.  Birders prefer the focusing near-to-far to be quick. Not so important for hunters.

2. Birders prefer binocular to focus VERY CLOSELY. Hunter don't need to focus at five feet.

3. Birders are seldom burdened with ancillary equipment beyond camera and tripod. What's the weight of the stuff you carry when hunting?

4. Except for the hard core, birders tend to avoid hunting season weather.

5. Because birders try to use binocular at close range, separation of telescopes -- aka stereoptic vision -- is important. Not so important for hunting use.

Take care, and have a pleasant holiday season.

[Eagle Eye]

Several years ago, I too was in the market for a pair of good quality binoculars.  

My requirements were:  waterproof (many binos are not), rubber armored, roof prism, 7 or 8 power, 40mm objective lenses, B type eyecups for eyeglass wearing, crisp and bright sight picture with excellent low light capability.  

I looked at just about every product on the market from low end to high end Lieca.  I read review after review and spoke to many people in the industry.  Once I had narrowed the field to the price range I was prepared to spend, one binocular model in partiular kept catching my attention.  It was the Bausch & Lomb Discoverer series in 7x42mm.  I bought them and have never regretted it.  They were clearly better optically than the competition although the comparable Pentax was also very good.  I have continues to watch the marketplace and I have not found a model yet that is better for the money.