Steve - In my experience, aluminum prism mirror coatings are usually noticeably dimmer than their silver and dialectric cousins, sometimes by as much as 2 f-stops. With that as background, my v2 Brunton 10.5 x 43 binocular is as bright as any 10x glass I have used. Perhaps this is due to the excellence of the Kamakura optical lens coatings or the much touted but benefits never explained "SF Prism glass". As to aluminum prism coatings being more durable, I've never heard of prism coatings wearing out and therefore needing to be durable. Fortunately, my variable rate focuser on the Brunton is problem free and a delight to use.
Suspect the issue with aluminum coatings is that they eventually deteriorate from oxidation, even though they are protected by a sealant.
While the large telescopes have to get their reflector surfaces recoated every few months, that is because the aluminum coating is not protected from air.
Steve C......oddly enough, when I first looked at the pics of the new Maven spotter, I had a Nikon EDG flashback. I may be able to send you my S2 for a comparo if and when you get the new Maven.
That would probably be a good idea. The idea that Maven optics are simply a reboot of Brunton optics needs to DIE.
Henry being most knowledgeable, through decades of optical experience, his opinion highly respected, unbiased w/o prejudice to the outcome one way or another/let the chips fall where they may, and having the Bunton ICON at hand for comparison is just the right kind of hitman to wack your rebadge dilemma.
I would however be extremely interested in your comparison, so I will see what I can swing.
Steve,
Are you going to share your field of view measurements with the new 7x45 and 6x30?
John, I was referring to the Maven B3 6x30 binoculars that are new on their website this year.
I'm writing the review now. However I'll put a teaser in here. The 6x30 has a 460' fov. The B2 7x45 has a nearly 420' fov. The other Mavens are also similarly wider than advertised. I gave the data I had to Maven. I have not heard back yet, but this is all pretty recent. I'll get more detailed in the review.Steve, Have you had a chance to check out the field of view on the 6x30 yet? I am planning to buy one at a birding event in Ohio next week and would like your opinion on whether the stats on Mavens website are correct. Thank You