Minox 8x24 BD - best sub £75 compact?

[bakaman]

Hi all, just getting into birding and wanting some compact bins. Just bought some 8x36 Nikon Sporters as my main pair (good entry level item by all accounts).

Wanted a similar pair of compacts, and have come across Minox 8x24 BD BRs at Jessops for the low price of £69. I have an old pair on Nikon Sprint 8x21, but they are not too good, particularly with my glasses on.

The question is, for say £75, are the Minoxes worth a shot or should I be looking somewhere else. Main criteria are good eye relief, optical performance (of course, not expecting Leica or Swarovski) and good ease of use i.e. a good sweet spot.

thanks in advance, Bakaman.

[ranburr]

I have always found Minox products to be an excellent balance of price versus quality.

ranburr

[bakaman]

I have always found Minox products to be an excellent balance of price versus quality.

ranburr

Thanks Ranburr, have you tried any of their compacts by any chance?

[solentbirder]

I used to have the Minox 8x24 BD. I sold it in the end because I just don't get on with small binoculars. Optically it was nice and sharp with a pretty flat field. If you want a binocular this size you'll have to pay a lot more to get anything better. The eye relief was very good and you can see the entire field with glasses on. Hope that helps.

[mcdowella]

LCE reading were doing the Opticron Taiga on special offer recently, which puts them on your price range, if they still have them. These are a 8x25 reverse porro compact which I find bright and clear, but with a narrower field of view than some (I bought a pair full-price at WWT Slimbridge recently). They aren't quite as compact as the compact roofs you get where the barrels fold into the centre to collapse together, but I find it harder to maintain the right distance between the barrels with those.

[bakaman]

Thanks for the response. I couldn't resist plumping for the Minox 10x25 at the same price. Same Field of View, I think I can experiment with them and sell them if they don't work out for virtually no risk.