The CA suppression of the 12X50 SE puzzles me. I've read reports of every thing from huge green halos that spoil the image, to very minimal and not bothersome. I wonder if I'm missing the boat like I did on the 8 and 10X by not getting a new pair at $799 while they're still available ? The Binomania review in particular makes them sound like a must have. As you know, the BD 10X44 BP is my favorite binocular, but it does have a good bit of CA.
I've owned two 12x50 SEs and had another on loan for a few weeks. All exhibited noticeabe CA in certain situations. For example, while looking at a hawk flying overhead, I would have to keep the hawk dead center or he would develop a thin green and red "halo." Comparing the 10x42 and the 8x32 against the 12x50s (had all three out one day), the 10x required less centering and the 8x, the least, but even the 8x would show some CA if the sky was gray. When I've looked at birds in trees, CA was not a problem with the 12x SE, though the 5* TFOV starts to become an issue. I found myself looking over the bins to "sight" the bird after I couldn't find it through the bin and then go back and try again. But you already have a narrowish FOV with the 10x44 MINOX. If that doesn't bother you, the 12x SE's FOV probably wouldn't, and there you get 12x.
Compared to other non-ED bins, the 8x and 10x SEs are quite good when it comes to CA suppression, but 12x is pushing it for a non-ED bin.
But it really depends on how sensitive you are to CA and also what your experience is with other bins. If you are used to the "clean" view of an ED bin, you are more likely to notice the CA in the 12x50 SE.
I also found the 12x hard to steady for daytime use. Unlike the 8x and 10x, the balance point isn't on the prisms, but on the seam between the prisms and barrels, so I had to move my hand further toward the objectives to counterbalance the weighty objective side.
For stargazing, where the weight is back on your face, the 12x SE was easier to handle, though stars are more vulnerable to "the shakes" than birds so I had to be in a reclining chair with my arms supported.
All the SEs are excellent, though some people have problems with image blackouts. I have that a little with the 8x, because I have to adjust the IPD the most due to observing close in, but for the 10x and 12x, where I'm almost always looking medium to long distances, image blackout is less of a problem since I keep the IPD set so that the image forms a perfect circle.
You'll still see used 12x50 SEs come up for sale on Astromart and Cloudy Nights now and then. Amateur astronomers are always getting "aperture fever," and they sell their 12x SEs to move up to 15x, 16x or 20x. Sometimes they have seller's remorse. I did.
Brock