[matt green]

i see minox are launching a new pair of porro prism binoculars.they are of the internal focusing kind.they would also appear to be waterproof and gas filled.two models are offered,8+44,10+44,both models are priced at £299, they also look very similar to opticrons new HR WP porros,possibly made in the same factory in japan?

matt

[Otto McDiesel]

Originally Posted by matt green

i see minox are launching a new pair of porro prism binoculars.they are of the internal focusing kind.they would also appear to be waterproof and gas filled.two models are offered,8+44,10+44,both models are priced at £299, they also look very similar to opticrons new HR WP porros,possibly made in the same factory in japan?

matt

I did look at their web site. I love the idea.
However, their field of view is poor.

[Suffolk Steve]

Originally Posted by matt green

i see minox are launching a new pair of porro prism binoculars.they are of the internal focusing kind.they would also appear to be waterproof and gas filled.two models are offered,8+44,10+44,both models are priced at £299, they also look very similar to opticrons new HR WP porros,possibly made in the same factory in japan?

matt

Birdwatching magazine reviewed them last month. reviewer said when testing he had no idea of price and was taken aback when he found out how modest the cost was.
In overall verdict he said when you can get this quality for less than £250 why spend more. They scored it design and ease of use 8.5, optical 8, mechanical 7.5 and value for money 9. The score lost on mecanical was mainly due to focus wheel running unevenly, that could be something that gets better or worse with time.

Steve

[matt green]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Steve

Birdwatching magazine reviewed them last month. reviewer said when testing he had no idea of price and was taken aback when he found out how modest the cost was.
In overall verdict he said when you can get this quality for less than £250 why spend more. They scored it design and ease of use 8.5, optical 8, mechanical 7.5 and value for money 9. The score lost on mecanical was mainly due to focus wheel running unevenly, that could be something that gets better or worse with time.

Steve

did you mean ''birdwatch'' magazine,there was a brief mention in ''bird watching'' magazine but no test results as you describe?
i always leave birdwatch mag on the shelf and pick up country walking instead.
matt

[Suffolk Steve]

Originally Posted by matt green

did you mean ''birdwatch'' magazine,there was a brief mention in ''bird watching'' magazine but no test results as you describe?
i always leave birdwatch mag on the shelf and pick up country walking instead.
matt

Sorry, it was the roof prisms not porros prisms reviewed in September's Birdwatching (page 76/7)

Steve

[SimonK]

Originally Posted by matt green

i see minox are launching a new pair of porro prism binoculars.they are of the internal focusing kind.they would also appear to be waterproof and gas filled.two models are offered,8+44,10+44,both models are priced at £299, they also look very similar to opticrons new HR WP porros,possibly made in the same factory in japan?

matt

Hiya all,
I just purchased the 8x44BP's and managed to have 5 mins with them before my wife whipped them off me (they're for my birthday). I nearly brought the Opticron HR WP, but went for the Minox mainly because I'm a design tart, and the design is wonderful to look at!

Anyway, I can tell you all that the handling is great; better than the HR WP's for those with smaller hands like myself, because the shoulders are not as pronounced, allowing you to reach the focus wheel easier. The image was just as good as the Opticron IMO, maybe slightly brighter and the colour rendition is excellent.. very true to life, and extremely sharp. The DOF seemed very good to me, with the FOV average for a 8x44 (111.7m). It seems to weight a little more the the HR, but that said, it looks and feels soooo much nicer. For a 8x44 it is very compact, and seems to focus down to at least 3m (it seemed pretty damn close to me anyway). It came with a wide strap and a nice soft leatherette case. They cost £252 from Sherwoods.. a good saving.

I've got to wait for 4 weeks now until I can try them out in anger (bah), but I'll let you know how they go then.

a very happy bunny
-Si

[matt green]

knowing you have a new pair of bins but not being able to use them till your birthday must be torture,the pain of waiting for christmas all over again.

matt

[SimonK]

Originally Posted by matt green

knowing you have a new pair of bins but not being able to use them till your birthday must be torture,the pain of waiting for christmas all over again.

matt

hehe! yeah.. it is kind of like that.
At least I know I've got the present I want though. :)

-Si

[Swissboy]

Originally Posted by SimonK

hehe! yeah.. it is kind of like that.
At least I know I've got the present I want though. :)-Si

Yeah, that's a VERY good feeling. I just last week finally was able to pick up the Leica 10x25 Ultravids that I had ordered in February to my son's address in the US. So the wait was much longer. But it was sweetened considerably by the fact that they were at least $100 cheaper than if I had ordered them after July first. Not to mention the price in Switzerland.