Minolta or Konica Minolta? (8x42 D WP XL) (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

I will be volunteering with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory in San Francisco in about a month and want a good new pair of binoculars for the all-day biweekly shifts.

I have narrowed it down to the Minolta 8x42 D WP XL. They are roof-prism binoculars and the D adds phase-shift coatings to the lenses and prisms.

Now that I am trying to find the best place to get them I am finding them also as Konica Minolta 8x42 D WP XL. Adding the word Konica to the front seems to knock quite a bit off the price (about $75 USD). I see that Konica and Minolta merged in '03, but are these the same binoculars as the highly rated version or a knock-off Chinese version? In other words, has the quality of this model dropped of since they were introduced in 2003?
Has anyone but them recently and been disappointed? Anyone have them and love them?

I'd like to spend around $200USD or less, and these seem to list at over $300 and sell for as low as $159USD. Any help would be appreciated greatly.
-Chuck

cab1024 said:

Hi all,

I will be volunteering with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory in San Francisco in about a month and want a good new pair of binoculars for the all-day biweekly shifts.

I have narrowed it down to the Minolta 8x42 D WP XL. They are roof-prism binoculars and the D adds phase-shift coatings to the lenses and prisms.

Now that I am trying to find the best place to get them I am finding them also as Konica Minolta 8x42 D WP XL. Adding the word Konica to the front seems to knock quite a bit off the price (about $75 USD). I see that Konica and Minolta merged in '03, but are these the same binoculars as the highly rated version or a knock-off Chinese version? In other words, has the quality of this model dropped of since they were introduced in 2003?
Has anyone but them recently and been disappointed? Anyone have them and love them?

I'd like to spend around $200USD or less, and these seem to list at over $300 and sell for as low as $159USD. Any help would be appreciated greatly.
-Chuck

Click to expand...

Hi Chuck!

I am actually self interested in the Konica Minolta Activa 8x42D WP Sport binocular, which I guess is going to succeed the 8x42 D WP XL. It's quite cheaper, but has according to technical specs at least the same qualities as fully multi coating and phase coating. I don't know if the D WP XL is Japan made and the D WP Sport is Chinese. Anyway the (better) chinese made binoculars are today of a very high quality.

For the moment it seems that I will soon order the 8x42D WP Sport at a "sales or return basis" (or what you called it). In that case I can compare to my friends 10x42 D WP XL.
I will then give the report of my experience.

Here is one review of the 8x42D WP Sport:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...pd_sxp_f/102-4316577-0188108?v=glance&s=photo


Patric

XL vs. Sport

I think you are right. I just noticed that all of the less expensive models say Sport and the more expensive ones say XL. But they do have pretty much the same specs -- optics anyway. The older XL seems to be about an ounce lighter (or 25 grams). They both are made of some sort of super durable non-metal polycarbonate material--maybe that composition is part of what has changed.
I have a Chinese-made Ibanez guitar that is practically flawless, so I probably should not be that concerned about the country of origin.
It just makes me wonder, since both the Sport and XL models are listed on Minolta's website, what they consider the difference to be. They don't list suggested prices, so you really have no idea what they consider to be there higher end models. And the last ones listed are the first ones I was interested in, the Activa 8x40 WP.FP, yet they are some of the cheaper ones in their class, which are porro prism.
What to do, what to do. I have $50USD coming to me from Amazon.com so I may just get the Sport model (with a "D" for phase-shift coating) and hope for the best. I doubt any local stores will have both models to look through, then I'd feel a little guilty leaving and buying it on line.

But post back when you compare yours to your friend's!

-Chuck

Swedpat said:

Here is one review of the 8x42D WP Sport:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...pd_sxp_f/102-4316577-0188108?v=glance&s=photo

Patric

Click to expand...

Just to let you know, that link is to the non-D model

Here is the D Sport:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=341936&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
http://www.adorama.com/MN842ADS.html?sid=11216377871252933

Here is the D XL
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DC0T2/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/102-4317301-8252138
but they seem to be out of stock.

And for some reason, I can't find the "D" version on Amazon right now. I think I've been doing this too long. Probably should read some Harry Potter instead

Chuck,

What makes me believe that the Sport is going to succeed the WP XL is the small difference in price. If it would be any significant difference of the optical performance it certainly would be a bigger difference in price than it is.
I guess that the reason the WP XL is still listed is that there are many examples yet unsold. The same thing is about Pentax PCF WP binoculars who are recently been updated to PCF WPII. Both of them are still listed at many sites.

I will post as fast I can give a report!

Patric

I think they are the same binocular, however.

Patric

My wife has a Minolta 8x42D WP that I bought for her as a present several years ago, and she loves it. I can't see a whit of difference optically between this Minolta model and several other Japanese bins in the same price area (e.g. EORPC 8x42) -- maybe they were made in the same factory. When I investigated buying an identical pair for our daughter several months ago, I found that several on-line retailers were advertising this exact bin at a closeout price, but it turned out that they didn't actually have any to sell. I also saw the XL and Sport models on several websites and puzzled over the pricing. I'd be very surprised if the current Konica Minolta bins are not made in China.

Porro Minolta

( And the last ones listed are the first ones I was interested in, the Activa 8x40 WP.FP, yet they are some of the cheaper ones in their class, which are porro prism.)





Chuck

There is a very interesting review of the latest Minolta Activa 8 x 40 WP FP Porro posted on the Cloudy nights forum

If my link to the review doesnt work then perhaps someone with more computer knowledge can post one please

Here goes

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthre...umber/480724/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all


Its often stated on this and other forums that a porro design at a lower price point can sometimes give as good or better optical performance than a roof
However, this particular Minolta porro model intrigued me somewhat as it also seems to possess some of the desired "roof type " attributes ie waterproofing/nitrogen purging as well as click stop eyecups and dioptre setting
I havent personally viewed through this porro yet but the specs appear decent and the field of view is greater than the Minolta roof models
Probably worth a look i would think ?
I intend to look at this model as well as Swift Audubon Porro's and Nikon E11 later this year when in the states


There are several seemingly knowledgeable chaps with far more experience than myself who regularly post on the CN forum
Of this group a chap by the name of Bill Cook who i believe works in the optics industry gave a "good bino" comment to this model on the original CN thread
There were other favourable comments but bear in mind this is mainly an "Astro" site so the perception may be coming from a different slant to the BF forum


As ever its down to your own trial but a comparison of these with the roof model may prove enlightening (so to speak)

Eagle Optics retail them at $149 but are currently out of stock at todays date

Regards
Rich T

Yes, I think all of Minoltas binoculars today are made in China, the same with Pentaxs and Nikons, except from their high-end models (costing much more than Minolta 8x42 roof). The chinese binoculars are today of a very high quality for the price and a good value.

I have looked at the complete serie of Minolta Activa WP FP (porro). They are excellent binoculars for the price. I have not compared them side by side to binos as Minolta 8/10x42 D WP XL / Sport and Nikon Monarch 8/10x42mm, but I think the porro Minoltas is even better when it comes to sharpness than these more expensive roofs.

Patric

Well, I couldn't resist. You guys got me. I just went to Amazon and ordered one of the Konica Minolta 10x42's. I'm trusting you that it'll be good.

from Minolta's website

I got this form the Mind of Minolta itself:

Dear Customer,
In response to the question that you have submitted...
Question is : Which is better/what`s the difference? the Activa 8x42 D WP XL or Activa 8x42 D WP Sport ? I want to buy one or the other, but cannot see a significant difference. Are they mad in different countries with different quality standards?

Answer is : Basically the same. The XL have full multicoating on lens and prisms. The Sport are multi coated on lens only. The Sport does not have the click-stops for diopter adjustment or eyepiece cup. In actual operation, you won't notice the differences.

Click to expand...

I went to Discount Camera in San Francisco hoping to get to look through some of these models. "Hope" turned out to be the pivotal word. The first trip, the salesman would not let me look at the 8x42D WP XL's because there was only one box on the shelf and they did not have a floor model. After saying that, he asked me if I was planning on buying anything *today*. I said I hadn't looked through them yet and that was why I was there. So he let me see the Nikon Monarch 8x42's saying they were the same, but the Minolta's were $30 cheaper. Hrmph.
So I went back after work. Another salesman actually got them off the shelf while asking me where I heard of them. I answered: from birding websites. He said they were $299 and asked how that compared to the prices I saw online. My mistake at this point was telling him I found them for $169 and pulled out the ad from ProFeelVideo.com. Well, it ended pretty much there. Since he could come nowhere near that price--and I was not about to pay the $250 he dropped the price to--he put them back on the shelf, and I left, again having not looked through them. The thing is, the box was dusty and very faded and had likely been sitting on their shelf for years taking up valuable inventory space, space that could hold the much cheaper but "same thing" Sport model.
They were foolish not to sell it to me at my price, even if they lost money, because they are losing even more money by not having saleable merchandise on their shelves.
The Nikons looked pretty good, though twice what I want to pay and I have a feeling without as fine optics as the Minoltas. My feeling is that the Minolta XL's were their top of the line and therefore have the best lenses they could use, whereas the Nikon Monarchs are their lower mid-line so have more cost-shaving techniques employed.
I don't want to buy these sight unseen...

But I guess that sort of answers my main question though. I don't think I want roof-prism binoculars if they do not have the phase-shift coatings on the prisms. From what I understand, that is the main thing that gets them to the same point, optically, as porro-prisms.
I think I will concentrate more finding and seeing the Minolta Activa 8x40 WP-FP, which are fully multi-coated and waterproof, fogproof and nitrogen filled porros. A bit bulkier and heavier (at 27 ounces vs 21 ounces), but only about $150USD from reputable sources.

cab1024,

Good to see that you're not disregarding porro prism models. You're definitely right about their image quality in comparison with mid-priced roof prism models (even phase-correction-coated models). I have an older Minolta 7x35 XL porro prism: heavy and a little bulky, but the image quality is quite excellent; a good buy.

And good for you for walking away from Discount Camera! I had a similar experience with them regarding a 25+year-old Pentax IF porro prism that sat on their shelf for about a decade (I've seen it there for that long). Too many "pro" shops treat customers as if they knew nothing about what they want to buy.

In SF, try Ritz Photo (Van Ness or 5th and Market; Van Ness is better). Their selection isn't comprehensive, but they carry a good number and are more friendly, I think.

Just some words of encouragement. Good luck!

Minoltas

SteveF said:

cab1024,

In SF, try Ritz Photo (Van Ness or 5th and Market; Van Ness is better). Their selection isn't comprehensive, but they carry a good number and are more friendly, I think.

Just some words of encouragement. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Thanks! That's a great idea. And since Ritz is a huge chain store I won't feel guilty about buying them from the cheapest reputable place on the internet. Besides, they didn't hire me 17 (jeez, has it been that long) years ago when I was studying photography in school. funny I thought Ritz and Wolf Camera were the same owners, but SF seems to have both stores.

I think some friends of mine have the Minolta 8x40s in the Classic II and in a waterproof version. Hopefully the WP version is the one I want--then, problem solved.

I also seem to recall that Ritz and Wolf "merged" several years ago. I'm of the inclination to believe it is that way. Possibly, they're separating some shops so as to appear not so "huge". I don't know. I'm open to correction, though!

As a follow up, the Van Ness store, in my memory, carries more binoculars than the 5th & Market store. I was very polite, and the people let me look through several binoculars. Their prices are also better than other shops in the Bay Area, I think.

I'd be interested in hearing what you settle on.