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Good, bad, ugly Aug 08, 2011
By Big Max
This review is for the Minox MD 8x16 Monocular
I actually purchased it from Binoculars(dot)com, but they didn't post the review I sent there. Returned it because of the "ugly" item below.
The good:
-Very small, with a more pocket-able form factor than standard monocular
-Eye-catching appearance
-Optics are good. For example, better edge sharpness than the Brunton 8x22 Lite-Tech monocular I purchased to replace this
-Eye relief good enough for glasses, though not great
-Strap attached to the sides so the monocular will hang straight (but see below)
-Slide focus allows one-hand operation, but see below
-Slide focus is very smooth
-Close focus, about 5 feet
The bad:
-The attractive silver body is hard to hold on to. I would have preferred at least some rubberized areas. It is steel and makes the monocular quite heavy.
-The novel slide focus, though smooth, is very sensitive. A slight change makes a big focus change. See below.
-The neck strap is attached by removable metal pins on the sides. When attached, the pins rattle a bit when not under tension. Secondly, the pins stick out enough from the otherwise sleek monocular to catch on pockets, etc. Not a good design
-Expensive, though I'd probably have kept it if not for the other negatives
The ugly:
-I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or a defect, but I suspect the former. With no finger on the focus slider, and the monocular pointed downward (looking at a butterfly, for example) the front lens will slide forward under its own power, losing the focus. There's a protective piece of glass in front of the lens, but it can be seen repeatably to slide when the monocular is tilted down. This was the deal-breaker for me.
In sum, this would be a very nice, incredibly small item except for the deficiencies listed above. Too bad.
The good, the bad, the ugly Aug 08, 2011
By Big Max
This review is for the Minox MD 8x16 Monocular
I actually purchased it from Binoculars(dot)com, but they didn't post the review I sent there. Returned it because of the "ugly" item below.
The good:
-Very small, with a more pocket-able form factor than standard monocular
-Eye-catching appearance
-Optics are good. For example, better edge sharpness than the Brunton 8x22 Lite-Tech monocular I purchased to replace this
-Eye relief good enough for glasses, though not great
-Strap attached to the sides so the monocular will hang straight (but see below)
-Slide focus allows one-hand operation, but see below
-Slide focus is very smooth
-Close focus, about 5 feet
The bad:
-The attractive silver body is hard to hold on to. I would have preferred at least some rubberized areas. It is steel and makes the monocular quite heavy.
-The novel slide focus, though smooth, is very sensitive. A slight change makes a big focus change. See below.
-The neck strap is attached by removable metal pins on the sides. When attached, the pins rattle a bit when not under tension. Secondly, the pins stick out enough from the otherwise sleek monocular to catch on pockets, etc. Not a good design
-Expensive, though I'd probably have kept it if not for the other negatives
The ugly:
-I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or a defect, but I suspect the former. With no finger on the focus slider, and the monocular pointed downward (looking at a butterfly, for example) the front lens will slide forward under its own power, losing the focus. There's a protective piece of glass in front of the lens, but it can be seen repeatably to slide when the monocular is tilted down. This was the deal-breaker for me.
In sum, this would be a very nice, incredibly small item except for the deficiencies listed above. Too bad.
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