Does anyone have experience or input on Minox BD 8.5x42 BR and/or Kahles 8x42? I think it's between these and perhaps the Pentax DCF SP. I do some hawk migration work and otherwise do general birding. Was leaning toward 10x but now am reconsidering.
Thanks.
Greetings!
The Minox BD 8.5x42 has a fairly restricted field of view... I wouldn't own one for that reason. Kahles binoculars in ANY configuration are very good for the price... and they perform very well in low light when compared to most other binocular brands. The Pentax DCF SP are a mixed bag - the price is very good for the quality of optics, but some configurations seem better than others when it comes to sharpness, brightness, etc. I own the 10x50 configuration and dislike the narrow field of view... but in low light I have not found ANY binocular brand or configuration that performs as well... when the light is fading the Pentax DCF SP 10x50 is the one I always reach for.
For raptor birding, I think 10x is a very good choice... although I personally prefer 7x and 8x binoculars for general purpose all-around birding under most conditions.
Best wishes,
Bawko
AT:
Does the fact that Minox are Argon filled rather than Nitrogen filled carry any weight for you or anyone else who might read this thread? The Minox is 315/1000 versus 331 for the Kahles -- I wonder how big a difference will manifest. There are so many good opinions out there it's tough to rely on much but what works great for the individual user eh? Having said that, I appreciate the feedback. When I get my new Minox 8x I'll take them down to where I can side by side them with the Kahles and the Pentax perhaps.