Minox Hg Binoculars

Minox Binoculars

When new hunters begin their long learning adventure into hunting one of their first questions is how much should I spend on binoculars and then most experienced hunters reply “as much as you can afford.” Most new hunters do not understand why you would spend as much or more money on binoculars then your rifle but then quickly an epiphany happens when glassing mountain sides for hours and you have a pounding headache. Another important consideration is that most game activity happens around dawn and dusk in low light conditions, conditions cheap optics do not perform well in. Trust me I have been through this experiment using compact $25 Tasco binoculars then trying mid range 8 power and 10 power optics which where definitely an improvement.

My set of 10x52mm Minox HG binoculars.

I finally said I was going to get a good set of binoculars so I started doing some more research. I did not have 2000+ dollars to drop on a set of the obvious big 3 choices of high end optics like Zeiss Victory, Swarosvki, and Leica. I read an article comparing some mid range optics to the big 3 and the Minox HG binoculars where rated just behind the big 3 here: http://www.24hourcampfire.com . The price of the Minox HG was almost half the price with almost as good performance. I thought it warranted a try. Mind you, the Minox HG were using bigger objective lenses which adds to their light gathering ability.

I ordered a pair for a smoking deal from www.cameralandny.com, they have a limited run of the made in Japan, Germen design binoculars. Now the same bino’s are being made in Germany for a higher price. I phoned the fine people at cameralandny.com and they offered great advice saying that the Minox HG’s are the most under rated binoculars on the market and that I would be unhappy with the Bushnell Elite binoculars compared to the Minox HG. There was a 30 day no questions asked full refund offered and a lifetime Minox warranty. So I ordered these fine optics with some piece of mind.

As soon as I my 10×52 Minox HG binoculars I began spending some time through the glass. I noticed that the images where exceptionally crisp and clear. I took these on a spring grizzly hunt and noticed that the binoculars where very impressive during low light conditions. I am very impressed so far and I have not had any headaches from long periods of glassing. These will do great on my next alpine hunt.

Here is some the specs from the website:

• Prism Type: Roof
• Magnification: 10x
• Objective Lens Diameter: 52mm
• Angle of View: 5.3°
• Field-of-View: 303′ @ 1000 yd
  92 m @ 1000 m
• Minimum Focus Distance: 11.48′ / 3.5 m
• Exit Pupil Diameter: 5.2mm
• Eye Relief: 19mm
• Relative Brightness: 27.0
• Twilight Factor: 22.8
• Focus Type: Center
• Weatherproofing: Water and fogproof
• Tripod Socket: Yes (with Optional Adapter)
• Dimensions: 6.65 x 2.28 x 5.24″
  169 x 58 x 133mm
• Weight: 28.04 oz / 795g