Minox BD 8x44 BP
The producer ensures that only a Porro construction can provide two important features. Firstly, the transmission of such a device is supposed to reach as much as 94.5% and secondly, when objective lenses are further apart the image is supposed to be 3-D in an exceptional way.
The binoculars’ casing is made of metal and, what’s important, without a classic ocular bridge. The central screw protrudes directly from the barrel and the focusing is performed inside the binoculars through the movement of optical elements.
The binoculars are waterproof down to a depth of 5 meters and filled with argon.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 44 | 111.7/1000(6.4o) | BaK-4/Porro | 18.5 mm | 690 g | 1999 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 43.6+/-
0.05 mm Right: 43.6+/- 0.05 mm |
6 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 8.39+/- 0.2x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 93+/- 3% | 20.5/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Noticeable in the centre, at the edge above average. | 4.8/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Slight. | 7.5/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the filed centre compared to the field of view radius: 53% +\- 3% | 6/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Slight. | 7.1/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 78% +\- 3% from the field of view centre. | 5/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Very low. | 4.3/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Slightly purple. | 3.8/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
2.6/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Comfortable, handy, nice and stylish. Slippery material. Comfortable to hold and to look through. Twist-up plastic eyecups. | 7.6/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Central screw is comfortable and it moves smoothly in the range of 720 degrees. Individual focusing through a convenient click-stop on the left eyepiece. No lens moves outside. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | A comfortable exit. | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 52.3 to 74.3mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 2.35 m | 1.5/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 53.4 deg (according to simple formula) and 50.0 deg (according to tangent formula). | 5.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.36 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was minimally narrower than in specifications. A typical field for this equipment class. | 5.5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Tubes are black and matt. The bottom is gray. Black glue. Visible metal screws. Clean. | 4.3/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
6.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | High quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Green-red on the objective lenses, green on the prisms, green-purple-blue on the eyepieces. Medium intensity. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 5 | 3.5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 71.3% | 135.5 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 0pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- solid and interesting casing,
- comfortable focusing,
- high transmission,
- well corrected coma,
- slight astigmatism,
- low brightness loss at the edge of the field,
- quite good whiteness rendition,
- good quality of coatings and prisms,
- good blackening and cleanliness inside the binoculars.
Cons:
- slightly truncated exit pupils,
- distinct inner flares,
- significant chromatic aberration at the edge of the field.
We were interested the most in the transmission results – whether they really are in accordance with the producer’s promises. It turned out everything was in a perfect order and our result concurs with the Minox’s announcements. It emphasizes once again the advantages of Porro binoculars. The same result as the Minox was reached only by the Kowa, a much more expensive instrument. Other devices’ transmission was at a worse level although they often had the same or even higher price tag.
The second important issue is avoiding one of the Porro system faults which occurs rather often – the lateral “play” of the ocular bridge. The Minox features a solid central focusing screw which protrudes straight from the barrel so there’s no ocular bridge here and the focusing is performed through the movement of optical elements inside the binoculars. This solution additionally makes the instrument perfectly sealed.
Minox had several slip-ups but they were minor ones so practically in every category we can say something good about it. The final score, reaching almost 130 points so on the border of very good and excellent level, also places the Minox in a favourable light.
Looking at the ranking of instruments with similar parameters you can notice that the Minox BD 8X44 BP fits perfectly between a bit more expensive and better Eschenbach and a bit cheaper and worse Bushnell. The potential buyers have a lot of choice then and it should make them happy because using any of these binoculars will be great fun.
