Pentax, Minox or Vortex? (1 Viewer)

OK, I'm looking for a bino that will be with me while hunting. I mostly bowhunt and wish to have a bino that will perform in low light conditions and wooded areas. It seems I am very sensitive to CA while scanning in the wooded areas. All those branches seem to create that color fringing or whatever and it really bugs me. An overly large glass wont do either, but my main concern is a crisp clear image.

I have narrowed the search down to:

Pentax 8x43 DCF SP

Minox HG 8x33 BR ASPH

Minox HG 8.5x43 BR ASPH

Vortex Viper 6 or 8x32

Vortex Viper 8x42

If you have used or looked at any of these and have some input that would help in my decision, or if you have another model for me to consider it would be much appreciated.

Red:stuck:

It looks like they are all Roof Prisms. They will all probably have some CA.

Have you considered Leupold's small, light Yosemite Porro Prisms?

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/leupold/leupold-yosemite-6x30-porro-prism-binocular-black

They shouldn't be as susceptible to CA, and they come in 3 colors plus Camo. and in 6 x 30 or 8 x 30 configurations. And you can't beat their prices either. They are waterproof, tough and the 6 x 30's are bright and sharp with a 420' FOV and great DOF, which will be very useful in brushy conditions. I own the 6 x 30 and am very pleased with it!

Bob

The Swift Eaglet 7x36 is just aout the best color corrected binocular I have, it is better than the Vipers I have had in that rergard, but I can't say about the x32 Vipers. Since Eagle Optics carries all of them, go there.

I tried the Minox HG 8.5x43 BR ASPH at a big fair over here in the UK last August and was very impressed.3

Cannot recall trying the others but if there were at the fair I would have given them a go. Think that I tried the Pentax, not sure about Vipers. The Minox were if not the best then the second best at the show. Think the Leica's were possibly a little better (if they were there was not a lot in it) but were over twice the price. When I save up the money I will be getting a pair.

I have owned/tried most of the bins in your selection. One of the ones I have not tried but would love to get my hands on is the 8x33 HG. Reports on it compare it very favorably to something like the Leica Trinovid (reasonably well corrected for CA with excellent contrast and color representation). I would prefer the 8x33 version to the 8.5x43 based on the field of view factor alone. I do not believe the difference in configurations is large enough for you to see a noticeable difference in performane in low light conditions....especially when it comes to bowhunting situations.

Redeye 171. . .

I own the Minox HG 8x33 BR. This model has many characteristics of a good hunting binocular: good resolution, free of CA, quick focus mechanism, narrow depth of field, waterproof, and light weight.

Many hunters prefer quick focus (one revolution of the focus wheel from near to far focus) as opposed to fine focus (2-3 revolutions of the focus wheel from near to far focus).

Many hunters also prefer a narrow depth of field (area in focus) as more of the foreground and background are out of focus and do not distract from the narrow depth that is in focus. An area is scanned, then the focus wheel is moved a bit, and the same area scanned again, this time picking up a different area in focus--and the focus wheel moved a bit more and the same area scanned again.

Of course, there are hunters who prefer fine focus and much more depth of field in focus. It depends on the individual hunter.

. . .

Something to consider with the Minox HG 8x33 BR as a hunting binocular is the limited aperture size may produce dark views if used during twilight, or heavy shade. In this respect, the larger Minox HG may prove more satisfactory.

Another consideration is the bright finish on the focus wheel may be spotted by game if sunlight reflects off of the bright finish.

. . .

You might also want to consider some of the Steiner models, which are also marketed as hunting binoculars. Their Predator model has lens coatings that actually brighten the fur of game and make the animal easier to detect--or so the advertising copy reads. Steiner also has a Night Hunter model for low light situations, such as early morning dawn when many hunters prefer to get settled in their favorite hunting spot.

. . .

Here in Kentucky we have an estimated deer population of 1 million, with an annual harvest of 100,000. Last night at twilight, seven deer came into my front yard foraging for tender green grass and plants. I stood at the window and studied them with my Minox, only 15 yards away, as measured by the Minox focus wheel.

. . .

Good luck with your decision.

. . . Bob
Kentucky, USA

Ah, your last comment Bob struck a particular chord in reference to the above application...the rangefinding feature of the focusing knob. Bowhunters need to know exact distances to their target because of the trajectory of their arrow. Either of the Minox HG models would be particularly well suited for this.

Just thought I would mention it.

I thought they were not that accurate for distances.

I really can't imagine where anyone wants low depth of field. It could not harm in any use, other than some camera work where back ground soft focus is an effective tool.

The rangefinder mechanism of the Minox HG BR is not as accurate as dedicated rangefinders. I think it is more a "look what we've got" type of feature, than for accuracy sake. The models, however, come with meter or yard indicators--depending upon the market.

. . .

The narrow depth of field strategy is used by some observers/hunters to scan a given area several times. Large game are quite adept at hiding in their natural habitat. Scanning by narrow depth of focus eliminates the clutter or "noise" in the foreground and background, enabling the observer/hunter to study a narrow band more closely. It is similiar to sweeping a mine field. Large game do not flit about like winged birds, but remain stationary unless they are feeding or stalking their own prey. They know they cannot just fly away, so they move about more discretely in the wild.

Again, this is a strategy used successfully by some observers/hunters. Others have either not tried it, or tried it and had no success and abandoned the strategy. There are many strategies shared by hunters, nature photographers, and nature observers.

... Bob
Kentucky, USA

Improve your life with optics.

Thanks for all the input. I,m still looking.

Yesterday I had a chance to look at a pair of 8 x 42 vipers. I don't know what to say other than I was not impressed. The view through my Yosemite was better to me? Yep. I could not believe it. The CA was terrible on the viper although it was bright and sharp. I would sure like to get a look at a minox but maybe I'm just a porro guy.

The range finding feature on the minox would not help in my bowhunting. I shoot instinctive(no sights) using a longbow and recurve.

Looks like the Minox and Pentax is still in the mix. I am in no rush and the Yosemite will be going turkey hunting with me this spring.

Red

Looks like you need an ED glass binocular if the CA bothers you.

Some roofs do show rather more CA: not sure if this is because of dispersion in the edge of the beam in the roof prism or just the way they happen to make EPs for them.

Of course it's not just ED glass that affects this: binocular design (larger focal numbers, larger bins helps), EP design and including lanthanum parts in the EP, eye placement in the EP (to minimize lateral CA).

Though it could be you are a porro guy.

The only problem I have with the Yosemite is they do tend to have stray light problems. But perhaps you might want to investigate other porros. They're cheaper too for a given image quality (though bigger).

The rangefinding feature of the minox is fairly accurate, at least for today's bows. I own the Yosemite 6 x 30 and the Minox 8 x 33 hg and the differences are noticeable. The biggest difference is the light transmission and clarity (with the nod going to the Minox). The yosemite's tend to go with me to sporting events, lakes, etc., while I tend to take the Minox bino's with me when bowhunting in the timber. I looked around for quite a few months, as well as looking and considering the alpha bino's before settling on the Minox binoculars (and the yosemite's). I have no regrets with the Minox, as they came in substantially lower than similar alpha offerings. To my untrained eyes, the Minox gave up nothing to the Swaro 8 x 30's, and zeiss conquest 8 x 30's. I liked the Leica bins, but the difference in price was $1000+. Much of my motivation was to go with a smaller, lighter hunting setup, as I rarely took my 8 x 42 monarchs with me due to weight, size, etc... The Minox bins are very small, and easy to carry while hunting. That, as well as strong recommendations from two of the people at Cameraland (and a few posters here), made my decision a little easier. I was quite anxious to receive the new bins, and have been very pleased since doing so. I can reccomend these bino's without reservation, especially for the demo price available through Cameraland. Good luck, Lorin.

I just can not imagine the viper I looked thru yesterday is the norm. There must have been something wrong with the unit. I have a feeling the unit has been abused somehow. The ZEN ZRS I bought for my mother displayed better color characteristics.

I also know why I am so critical and notice CA. I have over 30 years experience in the consumer electronics industry. A part of my job back in the day was to converge the CRT beams that create images on color tv's. The three color beams in a CRT(picture tube) must be aligned properly in order to display an acceptable picture. When out of alignment the picture exhibits traits not unlike CA in binoculars. When ever I notice it ---- I want to fix it!

Still looking.....................RED

If you are that color sensetive (converging CRTs will do that to a guy!) I suspect you need to look at the Chinese EDs as your best option to the top four bins.

Hawke Frontier ED
Promaster Infinity Elite ELX (what a name)
Zen Ray ED

Plenty written about them in this forum ...

Ditto on Kevin's comments. The least expensive way you are going to rid yourself of CA would be with either one of the Chinese EDs he mentioned or possibly some of the inexpensive porros out there. You already have the Yosemite so you would need to step up a bit in price to consider one of the better porro prism models. Many of them do display noticeable CA but they seem to be more well controlled overall in comparison to similarly priced roofs.