Minox Binoculars 10×52 BL BR Waterproof Review

This awesome binoculars is an actual working unit with me in the field. Rain, sun, mud,dirt, heat and everything else gets on it. Apologies if this unit does not look spanking brand new for this review. Some prior cleaning have been done on it before this set of photos. Well, at least!

As more and more binoculars are being manufactured these days at cheap prices, especially in China, it is becoming ever more difficult to find the very best and well, the most expensive devices being completely designed and built in countries such as the United States, Japan and the states of Europe that are famous for finesse, such as Germany and Austria.

The company of Minox, however, is quite proud that their BL series starting at $699USD, and many others, are completely designed and built in Germany. Each and every binocular is actually hand finished and they have to pass a very difficult inspection of quality before they are shipped off the factory in Wetzlar.

The amount of detail and expertise gone into this binocular is not found easily these days. However, Minox is now capable of making truly top quality devices coming at a price that can actually compete with other brands. This makes the Minox series very, very unique as its price range is quite far below what you may find in other products, and rest assured it is no longer important where those brands are made in.

Quick look at how the Minox BL 10×52 BR is made and how exceptional they perform.

Key Highlights & Features in Simple Terms:

• Completely designed & manufactured in Germany
• Experts finish each binocular with hand touch quality
• Each device goes through a rigorous series of tests and inspections to ensure complete quality
• Completely waterproof and purged with nitrogen (Up to 5 meters waterproof)
• Optics are completely coated with multi layers
• Roof prisms are fully phase-coated
• 65 ° angle of view
• Amount of eye relief provided: 18mm
• Minimum Focus Distance: 3.5m
• Minox provides a warranty of 30 years
• The body design is pretty sleek and not complicated to use. The first look and hold tells you that this device is professionally designed and manufactured to be the top in its line.
• The main body of this device is manufactured with Polycarbonate, as it is lighter and durable.
  Entire body is protected with a hard skined, rubber like material.
• To make sure it is waterproof, this binocular is guaranteed to be completely sealed even in waters 5 meters deep. Keep in mind that many companies will claim their device is waterproof, yet they will not provide any such numbers or a rating.
• The insides are nitrogen filled to prevent fogging in drastic changes of temperature.
• For those who are fond of using tripods, just unscrew the circle-shaped dust cap you will find on the front axis and you can easily install your tripod adapter (Sold Separately). This is another characteristic of this binocular that makes it quite professional.
• The thick rubber cover on the two barrels present a heavy-duty feel while keeping a smooth, solid feel to your hands.
• Click-Stop rotating Eyecups. The Minox BL 10×52 BR caters to people whom wear glasses. Non wearers like me turn the eyecups to the extended position for correct eye to exit pupil distance. This is to prevent interference from the edges.

Technical Specs:

Magnification: 10x

Objective lens diameter: 52mm

Exit pupil: 5.2mm

Field of view: 65 deg

Eye relief: 18mm

Minimum focusing distance: 3.5m

Diopter adjustment: +-4

Twilight Number: 22.8

Operating Temperature: -10 to 50 deg celsius

Waterproof: Up to 5meters

HxWxD: 5.7 x 7.08 x 2.56inch

Weight: 950g

The 5.2 millimeter exit pupils size are big and bright, thus allowing me to see things brightly,easily under dark forest canopies.

And last but not least, the quality of the image provided is unbelievable. What makes it unique in this binocular is the much bigger objective lenses (52mm), combined with the 5.2mm exit pupil size, provide BRIGHT, sharp details even in poor lighting environments. On a full moon night, it is almost possible to see slightly with this binoculars upon stability. I was able to see things brightly in the night in urban settings with street lamps and window lights all around. It was a privilege to see details from far, with just average ambient lighting from the city. Before this, I was using an unbranded binoculars which I got it as a gift long ago. I was unable to see anything at all even in the brightly lit city area at night with the previous unbranded binoculars. What a dream to use the 10×52!

Pros:

• Looks good, simple layout, matt black design, professional looking, designed for single handed operation
• Quality build is Solid. Handling is easy, simple and firm. Doesnt feel like it will break apart if you drop it (Yet to try it)
• Optical performance is excellent in most conditions
• Extremely BRIGHT view that is Crystal Clear (Love the sharpness)
• All of the detail is finely provided in the image
• Significant central spot provided in view
• Unlike others the edges are softened at a minimum level
• The color and contrast it yields is superb. Excellent sharpness, faithful bright colors even in low light. The Dynamic color range is impressive (I really love the colors it produces).
• Helps you see extremely well in poor-lighting environments
• Minimal vignetting

Cons

• Case and neoprene strap don’t match the binoculars  high level of quality. Strap is pretty weak and might break if given a little extra tension (I do not bring the case anyway).
• Big, takes up space in your bag  (It is a sacrifice if you want to see BRIGHT, sharp images even in dimly lit areas (Street lamps etc).
• Slight Chromatic Aberration (Purple Fringing on contours of things) ONLY when there is strong backlight. CAs’ appear very very minimally when looking at backlit subjects. The stronger the backlighting, the more CA appears. Dont worry if you are not a photographer, you wouldnt notice it. As I am used to pixel peeping on my digital photographs, I learnt to notice CAs . However, the CA’s are not obstructive nor disturbing my view.

Final Word:

If you’re looking for a bright binoculars and willing to go down into your pockets a bit, then yes, Minox is the line you should be looking into. While German binoculars can be expensive, they do come in quality over quantity. The view is bright even in dark conditions, quite worth the last penny. What we pay, is what we get usually. Of course more expensive binoculars provide better end results, but this set is something to consider in your choosing.