johnniet said:
Sid,
I am quite interested in these monoculars. What was wrong with the optics of the Nikon and Minox? Normally I assume that a small porro system works better than a small roof system.
I think my biggest problem with them had nothing to do with the optical quality of the glass.
Both seemed
very sensitive to the focus. I found it hard to adjust them to the exact point of good focus. I have normal manual dexterity so, I cannot attribute the imprecise focus to a physical problem with my hands.
I prefer to use then the normal "twist" motion of classic monoculars like the Pentax and Zeiss to the sliders :barf: and the little "wheel" focus adjusters on the optic itself :barf: . Also, the ones I tried were relatively stiff so, that probably accounted for some of the focus difficulty I had but, if it loosened up any it would not maintain its focus setting.
At first I would attribute the focus difficulty to the small size and short length but, both the Zeiss and Pentax models were relatively easy to focus. I am specifically speaking about the
range of good focus, not the mechanics of adjusting the focus. While both the Pentax and Zeiss monoculars maintain good
clarity over a focus range, the Nikon and Minox models I tested had one specific spot of good focus which I couldn't seem to find so, the view was always slightly fuzzy.
Since the Pentax monoculars are no longer available on the retail market, I would strongly encourage people to look at the Zeiss 6x18 for normal use and the 8x20 if a little more power is needed. I find the 10x25 too strong to hand hold and enjoy the optical clarity.
FWIW, the little Steiner monocular suffers from the same limitations as the Nikon and Minox and I find its contortions frustrating to use in real life even though it looks sort of trick in the store. YMMV
)
