Great review Steve. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You have a very accessible style which I appreciate.
Rich
Rich
Yeah Kamakura makes the Maven binoculars.
ou[/I] are the one that started this whole shebang by calling stores to see how many Swaros were returned for focuser problems and then presenting that as "evidence" that wonky Swaro focusers were only .05%.
That effort was directly aimed at me, and you even tried to lure me into your scheme with emails
Brock
Kamakura Japan or Kamakura China?
Are we going to see the same binocular with other branding also?
The only binoculars I "need" are 30mm roofs. I limited my options to Zeiss Conquest HD (very happy with the 8x42), Zeiss Terra ED (very happy with the 8x42 also, at their price, choice will be made by available budget) and Kowa XD (an alternative). Now the B3 gets in the equation. Reviews are encouraging (although most praise comes from 1 individual person), price is right and the form factor is very appealing. I'm afraid I might pay for tolls though, while the former three are all available locally or used through BF from Great Britain (I almost hit the button for the Conquest classified but holded myself thinking that I already carry the 8x42 and might need something different, maybe in 10x, and haven't decided yet).
A silly question. What would you engrave in the customized Maven? Your name (but if you want to sell it)? Your darlings' name(s) (done that on Swiss Army Knives). A latin motto? Do they only have latin fonts btw? There are a lot of Greek mottos I would choose to engrave.
About their optics I can't comment. I hope my eyes will like them if I choose them. My main worries are color aberrations and spikes.
I'm perfectly happy with the Conquest 8x42, but I might have use for the Maven B3 8x30 and "maybe" the 11x45 later on.
There are many Greek verbs about that, Μέτρον Άριστον, Μηδέν Άγαν and my favourite Τετραφάρμακος, Άφοβον τον θεόν, ανύποπτον τον θάνατον και τ'αγαθόν μεν εύκτητον, το δε δεινόν ευκαρτέρητον. But that's long.
Brock,
"It's not What you say, but How you say it, and sometimes, When you say it". For the sake of this thread, post #12 was perfect...concise, respectful, inquisitive and supportive. Your thoughtful comments were well understood and appreciated.
I also see RB in the SV's and have had a wonky focuser, It Happens. But That is not what this thread was suppose to be about. I'm a defender of your right to state, and even debate your findings and comments about pro and con issues in constructive ways, just what new and seasoned BF members want and need to hear. You did so very well in #12 my friend. IMHO, all the others could have been handled through PM's. :t:
Ted
You just made by Buddy List....
Anyway, time for a vacation after I finish this next article...
Brock
I'm new here and with many fine members, like yourself, that offer excellent help and guidance in making informed optic decisions, we can all better enjoy glassing with the investments we are comfortable with! :t:
Steve,
Many thanks for the reports. The Maven models, particularly the B2, appear to be shaking things up in thir price ranges. Sounds a very impressive binocular, but can't help noticing the weight. I'd agree the Razor HD 10x50 is very good too and would be my pick of the others at around that price, and it has the virtue of been much lighter. I'd be interested in how you think it might compare on view though.
The Kite Lynx appears ot be a close relative of the B3 and they had an AK prismed model listed on their site briefly, but I understand that's been shelved for the moment. I'm not sure how close their new Bonelli 2.0 is to the B1 but it's very good indeed. I believe other companies are taking a close look at the platforms too., but the question of weight has cropped up. 33 ounces, 940g, is a lot in my book.
David
If you have a beef with me, fine. Just be decent enough to leave Arthur out of it.Steve,
Degradation? Did Arthur teach you that big word?
Brock
I'm' not sure of an inherent reason either. But all the extra light from the bigger objective has to have a role in what is a pretty obvious, yet very hard to define difference in favor of the 50 EL vs the 42 EL.Steve,
I don't think I've ever compared the ELSV 10x42 to the 10x50 directly but I did like the latter better than the 8.5x42. I can't think of any reason why an x50 should be inherently better than an x42, but it seems to be with the Razor HD and I can think of other examples at various price points where the x50 it is as well.
Just to add another dimension to the saga, I've just heard I have a Kite Bonelli 2.0 8x42 on it's way to me for evaluation. Obviously no AK prisms, but my brief try at the BirdFair really impressed. It will be interesting to see how another example of Kamakura's latest designs stacks up on a more considered evaluation. This ones is 820g or 29oz.
David
If you have a beef with me, fine. Just be decent enough to leave Arthur out of it.
a pretty obvious, yet very hard to define difference in favor of the 50 EL vs the 42 EL.