Greetings...
A couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune to get to do a day of birding in St Kitts. WONDERFUL place to bird. I was VERY happy and excited watching banaquits, brown boobys, and Antillean Bullfinches et al for a day! We did a LOT of walking...Ashlee with the 35mm DSLR/telephoto lens and me with the backpack and two pairs of binoculars....SV 8X32 and Leica Trinovid 8X32....along with water....field guides, rain jackets....you get the picture. The pack started getting HEAVY. So I figured a good excuse to try some new binoculars would be to try to get the binoculars with the most performance and the least weight....enter the Maven B.3 8X30.
I looked around quite a bit and the B.3s seemed to best fit the mould I was looking for....LIGHT with little to no optical compromise. I think they fit that bill. I emailed Cade with Maven a few times with very quick responses from him. I ordered the B.3s and they were on the way the same afternoon. Quick.
When they arrived I have to admit I was a little bit excited. I mean you know what to expect when UPS shows up with some EL Swarovision binoculars but this was truly going to be something new. I couldn't have opened the box fast enough and immediately went to the back door, turned in the eyecups, and focused on some house finches up the hill. I first thought was....WOW! What a great image! Focus was a little firm but easy to find the perfect setting. From the second I lifted them from the box my thought was "quality." I was very pleased with my purchase and I couldn't wait until my next off day..
My off day was yesterday and of course I went birding. I took the new B.3s and my SV 10X42s. My goal today was to use the Maven's with the SV for longer distance if necessary. I won't say the view thru the B.3 is incredible but it's DANG good for a $500 binocular. The adjustable eyecups are at LEAST as good as my Zeiss HTs, probably better. The first bird I saw was a red tail hawk perched in the top of a pine tree. I didn't have to reach for the SVs and the image was crystal clear. I'd say the image was flat except to about the last 30% or so....maybe more so. I REALLY like these binoculars except...as much as I hate it...I'm going to have to return them.
Eye relief.... Wow...it's ALMOST there. But it's not. With me, my Ray-Ban eyeglasses, and the B.3 8X30s I'm unable to see the complete FOV. And I was TRYING. Even pushing the Maven's into my glasses a little I just couldn't get there. I KNEW it was going to be close. So as much as I HATE to I'm going to have to return them.
Customer service.... I have a retail business so I know about customer service. Much easier to smile as the product goes out the door than when it is brought back. The key is to treat folks like you want to be treated. That's the way Cade treated me. Return? No problem and no worries. Sooo...
9X45.... I was so impressed with Cade, Maven, and the B.3 that I ordered a B.2 9X45 that I don't really even need. But I kinda feel like I'd be missing out without giving them a try. 2.2mm more of eye relief should be just the ticket. I wonder how these will compare to the SV 8.5X42?
I only used the Maven 8X30 for one day, true. I do believe they are well worth their $500 asking price especially compared to some of it's competition. Even with this short time I'd recommend the B.3 8X30s PROVIDED you don't wear eyeglasses. They may work for some that do but IMO I won't recommended them for eyeglass wearers.
A couple of weeks ago I had the good fortune to get to do a day of birding in St Kitts. WONDERFUL place to bird. I was VERY happy and excited watching banaquits, brown boobys, and Antillean Bullfinches et al for a day! We did a LOT of walking...Ashlee with the 35mm DSLR/telephoto lens and me with the backpack and two pairs of binoculars....SV 8X32 and Leica Trinovid 8X32....along with water....field guides, rain jackets....you get the picture. The pack started getting HEAVY. So I figured a good excuse to try some new binoculars would be to try to get the binoculars with the most performance and the least weight....enter the Maven B.3 8X30.
I looked around quite a bit and the B.3s seemed to best fit the mould I was looking for....LIGHT with little to no optical compromise. I think they fit that bill. I emailed Cade with Maven a few times with very quick responses from him. I ordered the B.3s and they were on the way the same afternoon. Quick.
When they arrived I have to admit I was a little bit excited. I mean you know what to expect when UPS shows up with some EL Swarovision binoculars but this was truly going to be something new. I couldn't have opened the box fast enough and immediately went to the back door, turned in the eyecups, and focused on some house finches up the hill. I first thought was....WOW! What a great image! Focus was a little firm but easy to find the perfect setting. From the second I lifted them from the box my thought was "quality." I was very pleased with my purchase and I couldn't wait until my next off day..
My off day was yesterday and of course I went birding. I took the new B.3s and my SV 10X42s. My goal today was to use the Maven's with the SV for longer distance if necessary. I won't say the view thru the B.3 is incredible but it's DANG good for a $500 binocular. The adjustable eyecups are at LEAST as good as my Zeiss HTs, probably better. The first bird I saw was a red tail hawk perched in the top of a pine tree. I didn't have to reach for the SVs and the image was crystal clear. I'd say the image was flat except to about the last 30% or so....maybe more so. I REALLY like these binoculars except...as much as I hate it...I'm going to have to return them.
Eye relief.... Wow...it's ALMOST there. But it's not. With me, my Ray-Ban eyeglasses, and the B.3 8X30s I'm unable to see the complete FOV. And I was TRYING. Even pushing the Maven's into my glasses a little I just couldn't get there. I KNEW it was going to be close. So as much as I HATE to I'm going to have to return them.
Customer service.... I have a retail business so I know about customer service. Much easier to smile as the product goes out the door than when it is brought back. The key is to treat folks like you want to be treated. That's the way Cade treated me. Return? No problem and no worries. Sooo...
9X45.... I was so impressed with Cade, Maven, and the B.3 that I ordered a B.2 9X45 that I don't really even need. But I kinda feel like I'd be missing out without giving them a try. 2.2mm more of eye relief should be just the ticket. I wonder how these will compare to the SV 8.5X42?
I only used the Maven 8X30 for one day, true. I do believe they are well worth their $500 asking price especially compared to some of it's competition. Even with this short time I'd recommend the B.3 8X30s PROVIDED you don't wear eyeglasses. They may work for some that do but IMO I won't recommended them for eyeglass wearers.
listed ER is of course company supplied)
