A couple of months ago I handled a Minox 8x33 HG at the Audobon store. I loved how light it was and the feel and the smooth focus wheel. In addition I thought it was a very attractive binocular. I looked through it a bit and it seemed very nice. The guy told me it was the previous version. I checked online another day and discovered that the one I handled was the Japanese version. I read some reviews of the German updated HG; that the optics were updated and much better. So, I ordered the MIG new model. Well, once it arrived it felt like a different binocular although it looked the very same. It no longer felt as light and felt chunky and awkward to me. The focus wheel was SUPER stiff too. I know that brand new bins can have a very stiff focus in the beginning and that time loosens it up, but this was way worse than I had ever experienced. I felt dissapointed. So, I looked online and sure enough the Japanese version was a couple of ounces or so lighter and the dimensions revealed it to be smaller. I liked the view in both the Japanese and German, but I returned the MIG bin back to the dealer. I eventually went with the Nikon SE 8x32 over the Minox. Just thought I'd bring this up in case anyone could use this info. I think the Japanese versions are still out there to buy, but probably dwindling quite a bit. They are about half the price of the MIG version I believe.