Optics4Birding.com: Minolta Reviews

The following comments are the opinions of the writers. We're publishing them here with the permission of their authors, with minor edits for clarity or brevity. If you would like to submit a comment, send me an email.

hi. i've tried vivitar, tasco, jason, bushnell, minolta, nikon, and pentax. i think vivitar and tasco are junk. the fixed focus jason's are very limiting, i don't like them at all, i can't close focus or adjust any focus. i don't like any fixed focus binocular. the bushnell's under $100 i've tried are ok, and pretty generic. minolta and nikon, those i've tried around $100 range are very good for the money, they are much brighter than the bushnells. the image on the bushnell is noticeably dimmer compared to a nikon or minolta of equal resolution, e.g. 10x25. i've mainly used their roof prisms and pocket compacts. you get better depth perception with the roof prism, the pocket compacts that are just two straight tubes are ok too. they are very portable, close focusing to 5' on the minoltas. the pentax pockets are good as well, i've tried the 7x21 and found it just as good as the nikon. i tend to prefer minolta's 10x23 compact roof prism, it's not as bright as the minolta 10x25 Venturer II, but i like the futuristic shape and it's close focusing. it's also my first birding binocular i took everywhere so i've grown quite attached to it, also i mail ordered it from a photography magazine about 3-4 yrs ago. it was only $59.

Mikael, 17 May 1997