I bought a pair of the of the discussed Minox BD 15 x 58 ED BR binoculars in as-new condition from a fellow BF member about 20 months ago at a great price. He bought them from Doug at CameralandNY on sale a year or two previously and just did not use them as often as he thought he would. I primarily use them on a Gitzo monopod with a Manfrotto 3232 swivel head mounted on it. Instead of the supplied "tripod" adaptor, I use either a Meopta or a Vortex adaptor with quick release feature so the bin can be instantly available hand-held instead of taking a minute or two to unscrew the Minox adaptor from the bin or the head and having it dangling.
My primary uses are seabird watching from land, raptor watching from a fixed site, and quite often spending a day watching for California Condor either from "The Sign", the top of Mt. Pinos or several other "listed and unlisted" spots. The additional high quality magnification aids in reading wing ID tags to identify individual birds quickly. They really are a near-Alpha quality glass! Almost always in these various situations they supplement a spotting scope and a 10x binocular but sometimes they stand alone. I also enjoy using them to watch Sea Otter behavior! I find they work very well with both my regular prescription glasses and my prescription sunglasses; but my rx isnt extreme. Your mileage may vary...
Once I found that a 15x binocular fit into my optics arsenal I had anticipated lusting after the Swarovski 15x SLC neu's but I find that the Minox's completely fill my high-power needs. Maybe if I did Condor Survey work or won the lottery? Still then I don't think I would sell off the Minox. They are better than the older pair of 15x Swaro's I borrowed for a day from a hunter friend...since he offered to trade straight across after having my Minox for that same day.
My advice... If you see a pair at a reasonable price (YOU decide what is "reasonable"); grab it. You won't see another. I sure didn't spend anywhere near $900 US but considering what the Vortex Kaibab and the Swaro go for I would now!
Roger (DocSarvis)
Hey Doc,
Thanks for those observations, they do sound useful for your job. Do you work as an ornithologist? I know you can't be a dentist, because you wouldn't be fretting over the price of a Swaro 15x SLC. A root canal and crown costs nearly as much in this price inflated town!
I've had the 15x60 Nobilem on my Bino Wish List for so long that only the 15x60 B/GA has more had longevity.
Which brings me to some questions for you about the Minox ED.
1. Can you see any 3-D effect at a distance with the Minox or dose the image look two dimensional?
One seeming contradiction of high power porros is that despite the shallow parallax, they still seem to show better 3-D effect than roofs.
I have used a 20x80 for terrestrial use and was surprised that even at a long distance, they retain that 3-D effect in looking at the separation between a closer tree line and a more distance one. I don't even see as much 3-D at the same distance with a 10x roof.
Kimmo also said he liked his 15x60 (Zeiss? Docter?) because it showed a 3-D effect at long distances.
2. How effective is the ED glass in the Minox? 15x puts ED glass to the test.
3. The eyecups on the Minox look wide and deep. Not a design that usually fits my eyes/face. How do they fit you? Do you know the eyecups dimensions?
4. Jerry had a pair of Minox EDs, and he said that the edge sharpness was very good. Do you agree?
Have you seen this comparison btwn the 15x Minox and 15x Swaro?
BIG EYES: Seeing Is Believing
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/big_eyes.html
Brock, BA (some people say it's actually BS
