Minox BL 8x44 or 8x52? (1 Viewer)

If anyone has tried or owns these, please tell me your favorite one, and why. Or if you have compared these to other brands in their price range, please tell me how they compare. Specifically, how severe and where is the chromatic aberration within the FOV, and how well do they resolve detail toward the edges?

I realize the 44mm is more for daytime (and has a much wider claimed FOV...perhaps the widest of all brands in the 42-44mm size)...and the 52 is for low light and dark. However, do any of you feel the 52 might resolve more detail than the 44, simply because of the larger objective size...even in daylight? (This should make the larger exit pupil almost irrelevent, since our pupils get smallest during brighter daylight viewing).

I'm personally considering either of these, because most of the wildlife is on the move at the beginning and end of the day, and occasionally I do astronomy...but not more than 10% of the time.

I also like to watch some sports and do some birding in mid-day on occasion, so I'm also torn between trying the 42mm size and the 32mm size.

The specs and reviews of the Vanguard Endeavor series look like they might be better optically for less money (than the Minox BL), but the Vanguards have a much narrower field of view. The Alpen Wings ED look interesting also, as do the Vortex Talon HD...but the Talons cost as much or more as the Minox BL.

So I guess the main question is, do either of these Minox BL's make adequate use of their wider FOV to justify paying more?

Personally, I rank hand-holding comfort and ergonomics as secondary, to optical performance.

Oh, and do any of you have a favorite binocular measurement website? The only one I have found which outlines a lot of parameters, is allbinos.com, located in Poland. I especially like their measurement of light transmission, and also the photos of the internal reflections of the barrels.

Carl

Um, ok, 73 views in 3 days, yet no replies? What is this, a shunning? I have a hard time believing nobody has tried either of these.

There is a thread on the 8 x 44 here if you want to review it.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=156185

There does not appear to be anything on the 8 x 52. Minox, in general, does not seem to have a great following, or the people who use them don't seem to write about them much. That probably explains the lack of response.

Ceasar, I had seen that thread, but thank you very much for linking it again anyway. It would seem nobody ever got them in stock, then it degenerated into a discussion of other more pricey models, and other brands.

I notice the price has come down a lot on the 8x52 model at certain retailers, so I was tempted to try it. I may still. The 8x44 is currently out of stock at the "good price". I'm not going to mention specific places right now, haha.

You know, before the internet, there just weren't this many different binocular models and brands available, it seems to me. Less costly labor in Asia has a lot to do with the diversity also, obviously...other than with the highest cost models.