The Minox APO HG 10x43 BR asph. is their FL/ED/HD/XD/etc update of their old HG glass.
http://www.minox.com/index.php?id=3305&L=1
I'm not sure if the design truely is Apo. It probably is. The term used to mean something but now I'm not so sure it's just like ED or any other panacea. Or maybe all the Chinese ED designs (with three elements in the objective including the focuser) are Apo.
[quote=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apochromatic]Achromatic lenses are corrected to bring two wavelengths (typically red and blue) into focus in the same plane. Apochromatic lenses are designed to bring three wavelengths (typically red, green, and blue) into focus in the same plane.[1] The residual color error (secondary spectrum) can be up to an order of magnitude less than for an achromatic lens of equivalent aperture and focal length. Apochromats are also corrected for spherical aberration at two wavelengths, rather than one as in an achromat.[/quote]
But that's just a marketing/branding thing that focuses on the design goal rather than the specific glass. It'll be interesting to see how good they are and if they're competition for the "Top Four".
The other interesting thing to note about Minox today is their web pages all have three language options: German, English and Chinese. I think that says something about their market placement.
And their logo "Minox Germany". Like Steiner they have Germany in their logo. The bin may not be "Made in Germany" but that seems to be brushed over. You can't be sure where it was made.
http://www.minox.com/fileadmin/bilder/logo.gif
My hat is off to Minox for actually revealing the type of ED glass they use in this binocular, however Schott PK52 is a minimal ED glass, equivalent to Ohara FPL51 with an Abbe number of 81.6. It couldn't be used to make a "real" APO objective at binocular focal ratios, no matter how many elements or what mating glasses are used. By "real" APO I mean all colors focused within the Airy disc or very close to it. But then a 10x binocular doesn't need to be a real APO. APO sure sounds good though.
You learn something knew every day.
Henry,
Can I ask where you get the info on the Abbe number for the different types of ED glass?