My first miniature bino -- Seiwa Kogagu, 6x25, 11.5° ^_^ (1 Viewer)

[Binocollector]

Hi all,
just wanted to show some pictures of the new-to-me "miniature" bino I received today. I saw these before but never was all that interested. But then I saw this one which has the same FoV as the legendary Komz 6x24 -- and I had just lost out on an offer for one of those.
I am glad I went for the miniature bino -- they are just lovely and condition is great. Just very slight signs of use, optics seem almost perfect with just some very slight haze on the prisms (I have seen much worse) which is only noticed when shining a bright flashlight through them.
They are J-B93 which according to the manufacturer codes is Seiwa Kogagu which made a lot of these that were sold under a large number of different "brands". Mine is a "SUI" (no idea what that stands for but the info might be somewhere on https://miniaturebinoculars.nfshost.com.
What astonished me was the very neutral color rendition. The binos don't have the usual blueish coating but one that has a slight amber hue, similar to my excellent "Scope" 7x50 EWA from the 70's.
Interestingly Nikon still makes 2 of those in 7x15 and 6x15 but those don't have the large FoV that mine has. Still I think it is great that one Japanese company keeps making these. I see a lot of Chinese copies but the Japanese ones were in themselves a copy of German binoculars that started it all -- according to the miniaturebinoculars-website.
They are heavier than they look, a really nice and solid feel in the hands. The frame that looks like black plastic is actually metal. As far as I can see -- they are completely made of metal and glass, except for the plastic eye-cups that can be screwed off and some small leatherette-inserts in the frame.
But enough talking -- here are some pics of this lovely instrument.

 

[Binastro]

I have a Karl Stein (early Steiner) 6x25 11.5 degrees micro binocular JB 93.

I don't know how to cross reference, but I detail this binocular in the thread Karl Stein 6x30 binocular 2014 or 2015.

I can't remember where I put the binocular.
It is a very usable pocket binocular although a bit fat for a pocket.

The measured field is a bit less than marked.

My only binocular for ten years was the 7x23 Nipole micro binocular by Charles Frank. 9.5 degrees I think.
I bought this from Arthur Frank in the 1960s.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binocollector]

It is a very usable pocket binocular although a bit fat for a pocket.

The measured field is a bit less than marked.

True, not only thick but rather heavy, too. But I didn't really buy it for the size. More for the specifications. And I wanted to try one of those "miniature"-binos for a while. I didn't expect much and was pleasantly surprised. Can't wait for a nice sunny day to give them a good test run.

 

[fazalmajid]

It looks much larger than the Nikon Mikron 7x15M CF. Here's an interesting story on the history of the binocular:

Nikon | History | One Minute Story Binoculars that transcend generations (1921)

 

[Binocollector]

@fazalmajid
They are certainly bigger - aperture is 25 instead of 15. I still might have to get one of the new Nikons just for the new coatings and the fact they still make them (again).
The focus mechanism is also on the other side on the Mikron. The SUI has a standard porro style focuser.

 

[Binocollector]

So, finally a nice and sunny day and I took them on a short 1hr hike with my wife. She started complaining at some point as I stopped every few feet to take a look through the binos . But I am very pleased with the views. Wide and bright especially considering the older coatings. They do have, as usual with those old EWA optics, a lot of field curvature but it always looks worse on pictures than when looking through them. Either my cell phone camera ads curvature or my eyes remove it. Either way they are very nice on axis. So here are some free handed pics with my lousy cell phone camera.

 

[Binocollector]

Since I am so amazed by the optics of the miniature bino, I took two more pics to compare it to the Kowa BDII 6.5x32. The miniature bino is noticeably wider with an AFoV of 69 vs. the 65 of the Kowa. So much for the claim that FoV is always exaggerated on older binos. However -- to see the whole field you basically have to smash your eyeballs against the ocular lenses on the miniature bino.
What I think is interesting -- in the pics it seems the Kowa has much better edge performance but when using them, the miniature binos has a more comfortable image distortion with the old-fashioned high pincushion distortion while the Kowa shows some kind of strange compression when nearing the field edge, almost like a barrel distortion to my eyes. So, in daily use, I prefer the older optics, even though the Kowa is of course brighter. But it is negligible during the day.
Also, for a bino from probably the 70's I really like the neutral colors of the SUI miniature bino. But -- a Nikon Mikron is now definitely on my to-buy-list.
Kowa:

SUI miniature bino:

Edit: I also finally found a Komz 6x24 with also an 11.5° FoV for a good price. This will be an interesting comparison. Now all I need would be a Leitz 6x24 Amplivid to compare. There was one on German ebay but price was a bit high, being a collectors's item and all.

 

[Binastro]

I measured the Amplivid and Komz 6x24 as 12.2 degrees.
I cannot remember the 6x25 Karlstein field.

Regarding these three, I place them as first Amplivid, second Komz, third Karlstein.

I also found the field curvature, pincushion distortion and rather poor edge performance of the Karlstein 6x25.

The Foton 5x25 is also 12.2 degrees or 12.15 degrees.

A good example of the VisionKing 5x25 is worth having with a 15 degree field, claimed 15.8 degrees.

The Libra 6x30 is about 11 degrees.
The 4x22 Libra/Dowling and Rowe is 16.5 degrees.

Regards,
B.

 

[pat mitchel]

Philipp; the big brother to your mini bino

Vintage Binoculars W/ Case - shopgoodwill.com

Vintage Binoculars W/ Case Leather Case has a broken strap. One of the lens covers is missingUsed - Type: Binoculars Brand: Unbranded Maximum Magnification: 12x

shopgoodwill.com

Regards, Pat

 

[Binocollector]

Same brand, nice!
Tomorrow I will get my Komz 6x24 btw.

 

[Trinovid]

...finally found a Komz 6x24 with also an 11.5° FoV for a good price. This will be an interesting comparison. Now all I need would be a Leitz 6x24 Amplivid to compare.

Really nice to see such a well written review on lower powered binoculars and it's a big help for those of us interested in them.

I just got a Leitz 6x24 Trinovid a little while back and you might want to give them some consideration, unless there's any reasons I don't know about that make the Amplivid a more compelling choice for you.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that the brand name should be Kogaku instead.

Looking forward to your next installment!

 

[Binocollector]

Thanks . Is the trinovid 6x24 the same wide angle?
I'm also currently bidding on a Helios 6x18. Also a wide angle but not sure how wide. It's not specified. It's a reverse porro, too.

 

[mwhogue]

Thanks . Is the trinovid 6x24 the same wide angle?
I'm also currently bidding on a Helios 6x18. Also a wide angle but not sure how wide. It's not specified. It's a reverse porro, too.

FoV on the Leitz Trinovid 6x24 is 212m/1000m. I thought the Amplivid had an even wider FoV but according to the specs I find it is the same.

Mike

 

[Trinovid]

Is the trinovid 6x24 the same wide angle?

As mhogue posted, I believe it is the same and I really wish there were more binoculars available with wider views like my 6x24 Leitz. The Trinovid is also newer than the Amplivid, so I guess I'm assuming there would be some advantages with the newer refinements?

Back to Kogaku for a second, as a Japanese speaker it sounded odd and I just found this picture on the internet. For what it's worth, Japanese 'g' sounds all originate from the 'k' and Kogaku or Kogagu spelled phonetically would be こがく and こがぐ、which I can't imagine ever seeing. Here's that picture I mentioned.

 

[Binocollector]

Yes, it was a typo when copying the name from the miniaturebinos website

 

[Binocollector]

BTW - the holy grail of the old wide angles would be a Sard 6x42 for me.
I'm pretty excited though to get the Komz 6x24 today. If it's as good as the other old USSR models I own, I'll predict that it might be sharper than the Seiwa but probably will have more of a tint to the image.
The miniature bino is really very neutral in color. More than most of my old binos with the exception of my Hensoldt 6x24 "Grossfeld" which has no coatings at all.

 

[pat mitchel]

BTW - the holy grail of the old wide angles would be a Sard 6x42 for me.
I'm pretty excited though to get the Komz 6x24 today. If it's as good as the other old USSR models I own, I'll predict that it might be sharper than the Seiwa but probably will have more of a tint to the image.
The miniature bino is really very neutral in color. More than most of my old binos with the exception of my Hensoldt 6x24 "Grossfeld" which has no coatings at all.

 

[pat mitchel]

I'd look for a MK41 instead of the MK43- more likely to find one! (not cheap regardless) Despite the -41 size (huge in the hand) it's actually reasonable in weight. and had good eye relief. PM SMark on the cloudy nights forum about them. Pat

 

[Binocollector]

The Komz 6x42 arrived. It required some work. Diopter was rough, alignment was off. But optics are squeaky clean. I need to start a new thread about those. They are really lovely. When working on them -- I noticed that even the prisms are coated. So they were fully multi coated as far as I can see. In 1978. Not bad. really sharp and better eye relief than the pocket bino. Not as neutral in color but more contrast.
Those are in such a good shape that I consider having them overhauled and properly collimated. They are useable now but I don't think the alignment is 100%. They do have double eccentric rings and I am never quite sure which way to turn those. It's more of a trial and error process.

 

[Binastro]

The Amplivid has mirrors, which lowers the transmission considerably.

The Amplivid really does fit in a pocket easily.

Dougie in Glasgow completely overhauled my one.
Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago.

I would like a good example of the Trinovid 6x24, but I have not bought anything for two years.

The rarest wide angle may be the Soviet 8x30 with 13 degree angle of view.

Otherwise a c.1943 submarine periscope with 120 degree eyepiece.

Malta had a lot of submarines lying around being scrapped.
An islander got a 6 inch objective from one of these for about £5 and made it into a telescope.
He visited me and I gave him some ex gov. Plossl eyepieces that I had mounted up by a local machinist.

Regards,
B.