Samolot
Well-known member
Good evening all,
I have had many binoculars in the past, but have recently acquired a pair of Maven B5 15x56's at the recommendation of ... Fiske. I wanted a long range binocular to complement a pair of 8x42's I have. The purpose of these binoculars were to do 50/50 daytime/nightime observing. Because of the day time component I did not want an IF binocular, and wanted something smaller that I can carry into the woods for some tripod bird observation
I was debating between the Conquest HD 15x56, Swarovski 15x56, and Maven B5 15x56. 15x56 are a tricky breed of binoculars because local stores that carry binoculars rarely stock 15 power binos. Yes, I can order all three and return two but forcing two binoculars into an "open-box" category is sub-optimal, that and a 5,000$ credit card charge all at once is something I can't risk in my young financial career should something go wrong. So all I have are my memories of once previously owning an SLC 15x56 and paper/video reviews of the Conquest HD 15x56. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Here we go...
The Mavens: The packaging appears to have changed. When you open the shipping box, you are welcomed to an egg-crate-like packaging that houses the binoculars perfectly safe, but kinda weird because you are paying top-dollar for the optic. There is no hard case, only a soft-micro-fiber cloth bag that houses the binoculars – which itself is very nice actually. For a modest charge of 30$, I ordered a separate dedicated case from Maven which is actually very functional and high quality. Despite all these quirks, you finally get to the optic itself and .... its breathtaking.
The binocular itself exudes quality. From the metal focuser which rotates smoothly, precisely, and with just the right amount of resistance, to the housing and glass itself - these are first-rate binoculars that are assembled with the proper attention to detail. There is no subtle dust or speck in the internal optical elements that I have seen in swaros and zeiss in the past, just pure quality Japanese manufacturing, assembled state-side apparently. The eyepieces themselves are large, just as large as the eye cups which for some may be a bit too clunky for proper eye positioning - the old adage "try before you buy" remains true here. The eyecups remind me of Meopta Meopros. They twist out nicely and stay in position. The diopter is very stiff so I don't see any issues with it moving inappropriately when I extend the eyecups. The front glass looks pristine, and has threads over the barrels so you can mount filters! This is kinda rare - I have only seen this in Kowa's Genesis line of binoculars. My experience is limited to CF straight through binoculars, not astro-bino-viewers which I’m sure all have threaded objectives. Overall, I was very impressed with the build quality.
Let's get to the views. Looking through these binoculars requires proper stabilization. I say that because if you are just planning to use these "free-hand", you will be disappointed. The weight of the binoculars is accentuated up front which makes for a less stable view if you want to play with the focuser at the same time – which you will. The depth of field is fairly shallow (as is standard for 15x56), and the fact that the focuser itself is VERY fast, makes for a lot of touchy movements while viewing. When mounted on a proper tripod, one can focus more on the view while making subtle changes to the focus mechanism and not worry about shake – all this will ultimately render, "the view".
The View: This is the Maven's strong suit. Absurdly bright, vividly sharp, and rich in color. Each big name binocular suffers from a color cast which preferentially accentuates a color profile (look no further than Leica's – some find it pleasing, but for me it was just too warm). The Abbe-Konig prisms in the Maven's contributes to a very color neutral viewing experiences I have seen in Zeiss FL's in the past. The SLC 15x56 also has AK prisms but I agree with other reviewers that colors felt a little white washed. The Maven's, perhaps with the flourite lenses, coupled together with the AK prisms not only makes for a bright neutral view, but it seems that all colors pop a little. No color is spared. The apparent field of view is very wide, wider than the SLC’s, less wide than the conquests – and you can see it. The view is very wide open when you put your eyes up against the eye pieces. What’s also nice is I can roam around with my eyes and not suffer any kidney-bean black outs. It’s very relaxed. Contrast is excellent – everything seems to pop out more. Supremely sharp.
I used these quite extensively the last two weekends in the woods at least against some of the harshest viewing conditions – bright, cloudy, with snow on the ground. I pointed at the binoculars against the snow and dark trees and then branches up against the bright cloudy sky. On the outside 70%, CA is evident, however in the center it is very minimal. Based on the reviews I have read and watched, it appears the Conquests show a fair amount of CA in the center and I wish I had a pair to confirm this. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance.
I posted this review with some additional comments regarding night time observation on cloudynights in case anyone is interested.
I can tell I am going to enjoy this one for a long time. Attached are photos from my daytime observation.
Thanks for reading and cheers! I’m happy to answer any questions from prospective owners.
I have had many binoculars in the past, but have recently acquired a pair of Maven B5 15x56's at the recommendation of ... Fiske. I wanted a long range binocular to complement a pair of 8x42's I have. The purpose of these binoculars were to do 50/50 daytime/nightime observing. Because of the day time component I did not want an IF binocular, and wanted something smaller that I can carry into the woods for some tripod bird observation
I was debating between the Conquest HD 15x56, Swarovski 15x56, and Maven B5 15x56. 15x56 are a tricky breed of binoculars because local stores that carry binoculars rarely stock 15 power binos. Yes, I can order all three and return two but forcing two binoculars into an "open-box" category is sub-optimal, that and a 5,000$ credit card charge all at once is something I can't risk in my young financial career should something go wrong. So all I have are my memories of once previously owning an SLC 15x56 and paper/video reviews of the Conquest HD 15x56. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Here we go...
The Mavens: The packaging appears to have changed. When you open the shipping box, you are welcomed to an egg-crate-like packaging that houses the binoculars perfectly safe, but kinda weird because you are paying top-dollar for the optic. There is no hard case, only a soft-micro-fiber cloth bag that houses the binoculars – which itself is very nice actually. For a modest charge of 30$, I ordered a separate dedicated case from Maven which is actually very functional and high quality. Despite all these quirks, you finally get to the optic itself and .... its breathtaking.
The binocular itself exudes quality. From the metal focuser which rotates smoothly, precisely, and with just the right amount of resistance, to the housing and glass itself - these are first-rate binoculars that are assembled with the proper attention to detail. There is no subtle dust or speck in the internal optical elements that I have seen in swaros and zeiss in the past, just pure quality Japanese manufacturing, assembled state-side apparently. The eyepieces themselves are large, just as large as the eye cups which for some may be a bit too clunky for proper eye positioning - the old adage "try before you buy" remains true here. The eyecups remind me of Meopta Meopros. They twist out nicely and stay in position. The diopter is very stiff so I don't see any issues with it moving inappropriately when I extend the eyecups. The front glass looks pristine, and has threads over the barrels so you can mount filters! This is kinda rare - I have only seen this in Kowa's Genesis line of binoculars. My experience is limited to CF straight through binoculars, not astro-bino-viewers which I’m sure all have threaded objectives. Overall, I was very impressed with the build quality.
Let's get to the views. Looking through these binoculars requires proper stabilization. I say that because if you are just planning to use these "free-hand", you will be disappointed. The weight of the binoculars is accentuated up front which makes for a less stable view if you want to play with the focuser at the same time – which you will. The depth of field is fairly shallow (as is standard for 15x56), and the fact that the focuser itself is VERY fast, makes for a lot of touchy movements while viewing. When mounted on a proper tripod, one can focus more on the view while making subtle changes to the focus mechanism and not worry about shake – all this will ultimately render, "the view".
The View: This is the Maven's strong suit. Absurdly bright, vividly sharp, and rich in color. Each big name binocular suffers from a color cast which preferentially accentuates a color profile (look no further than Leica's – some find it pleasing, but for me it was just too warm). The Abbe-Konig prisms in the Maven's contributes to a very color neutral viewing experiences I have seen in Zeiss FL's in the past. The SLC 15x56 also has AK prisms but I agree with other reviewers that colors felt a little white washed. The Maven's, perhaps with the flourite lenses, coupled together with the AK prisms not only makes for a bright neutral view, but it seems that all colors pop a little. No color is spared. The apparent field of view is very wide, wider than the SLC’s, less wide than the conquests – and you can see it. The view is very wide open when you put your eyes up against the eye pieces. What’s also nice is I can roam around with my eyes and not suffer any kidney-bean black outs. It’s very relaxed. Contrast is excellent – everything seems to pop out more. Supremely sharp.
I used these quite extensively the last two weekends in the woods at least against some of the harshest viewing conditions – bright, cloudy, with snow on the ground. I pointed at the binoculars against the snow and dark trees and then branches up against the bright cloudy sky. On the outside 70%, CA is evident, however in the center it is very minimal. Based on the reviews I have read and watched, it appears the Conquests show a fair amount of CA in the center and I wish I had a pair to confirm this. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance.
I posted this review with some additional comments regarding night time observation on cloudynights in case anyone is interested.
I can tell I am going to enjoy this one for a long time. Attached are photos from my daytime observation.
Thanks for reading and cheers! I’m happy to answer any questions from prospective owners.
. Yeah, that's a Nitrotech head in the picture. 
