After a blood rush too the head were I nearly sold these bins I finally got them out today for a good test. I was looking across fields, In woods and somebodys front garden(Lesser Whitethroat). All I can say is Thank God I didnt sell them as having them outside as opposed to indoors was a completely different experience.
Handle and feel: It said 5 degrees on the cars thermostat but it felt like -5. The hinge felt stiff but once I got the right distance (Cant remember the right terminology) between my eyes there was no chance of the distance moving which IMO is a good charactheristic. The barrels felt nice and smooth and fitted my hands just perfectly. The 3 stage eyecups give great eye relief and I found the perfect eye relief in just one notch up. The focussing knob is brilliant probably the best knob I've seen on a binocular(Please no sniggering
) I focussed on trees far away and quickly focussed on trees nearby and it was easily done in half a turn. The silver focussing knob has little nipples that give excellent grip even when wearing gloves which I had on but also tested them wearing no gloves. It also has a distance scale which could be useful on certain occasions. The diopter adjustment on the right hand barrel is the same feel and look as the focussing knob. It pushes up with just enough pressure and turns also with just enough pressure thus the adjuster is very easy too use and there is no chance off it moving as by pushing it back locks it in place. The rubber armouring has a lovely feel and smell(For the bin sniffers). The binocular overall feels well built as some would say its built like a tank.
View: What can I say Outside these binoculars are just brilliant, Crisp clear and bright images. Looking across fields I found there was great dept of view with having to use the focussing knob very little when scanning across the field. I saw no evidence of blurring towards the edges. There was also a nice wide fov. I've looked through Swarovisions and I would put the image in them from neutral too warm. In the Minox I would put it at neutral too cool. I'm sure somebody will understand what I'm talking about. Looking at Bluetits in trees with a very bright background with the naked eye all you could make out was a silhouette of the bird but with the Minox you could easily see the Bluetits colours and was easily recognisable with the image showing up bright. In the woods it was quite dark and this is were the Minox showed its difference between them and cheaper binoculars. Looking into a very dark hedge the image was bright and clear, I could easily make out the wren that was busily feeding and hopping from branch too branch. Everywhere I looked in this dark wood the image was bright and clear. I was finding birds in dark places were too the naked eye you could not see anything. Just brilliant.
Extras: The Minox come with a neoprene strap which has a nice spongy feel around the neck. While the Minox are not light nor are they heavy the strap makes them feel alot lighter than they are which is very important too me. They also come with a padded soft case that has a waterproof canvas feel(Not sure if it is Waterproof though)
Overall impressions: These Minox Hg 8x43 are an excellent binocular which is built very well with great optics too match. Build wise they are the same as the alphas, Optically just one notch below. Taking into account the big price difference they are up there with the Alphas as an excellent binocular. I would recommend these bins as a birding bin without hesitation and they seem to be built too last a lifetime. Score 8.5 out of 10, Reason, I had a pair of Nikon E11's which are the best binocular optically that I've looked through. I looked through the SE and could not make out any difference optically between them. My perfect binocular would be a Minox build with the Nikon E11 optics but I can only dream.
PS. I cant believe I put these up for sale. I think thats what some people call optics madness. All I can say is Phewww that was a close one. Ger.