At A Glance
PROS:
- Very unexceptionable and sharp image
- Small and solid finger in the hand
- Very good tropical focus and field of view
CONS:
- Stiff focus wheel
- Metallic texturing on focus wheel uncomfortable for some users
STATS:
- Price: $550 MSRP at printing time. Prices often fluctuate, so trammels with retailers
- Close focus: Listed at 8.2 feet (250 cm). In tests, we could focus these binoculars lanugo to well-nigh 5.2 feet (157 cm)
- Field of view: 8.2° (431 feet at 1,000 yards). More well-nigh field of view
- Weight: 18.5 oz (525 g)—that’s well-nigh 0.8 oz (23 g) heavier than the stereotype for meaty binoculars in our review. Compare binocular sizes and weights
- Eye relief: 15.1 mm
Viewing Experience: These stylish and sturdy binoculars unhook a wonderfully unexceptionable and sharp image, though the focus wheel is a bit stiff and slow to move. Image quality was well-done all the way to the edges, without any distortion when refocusing or panning. The unexceptionable image provides good color, though seemingly less saturated than in some other binoculars. The optics were sharp unbearable to show the gradations of gray on the throats of Chimney Swifts foraging upper above, and to pick out the gleaming steel-blue of Tree Swallows swooping over a river in the distance. The binoculars offer an impressive field of view, among the weightier in the meaty category. The slow focus wheel was the main limitation of these otherwise spanking-new binoculars, at times making it difficult to retread in time to identify a fast-disappearing bird.
Feel and Build: The stylish Maven B.3s have a unique look, steely gray with highlights of metallic orange and silver. They are heavy for their small size, giving them a sturdy finger overall. The focus wheel is metal with a raised grip pattern that felt precise to some testers but uncomfortable or plane irritating to others without prolonged use. The squared-off eyecups click neatly into 4 positions. The neck strap is fairly wide and comfortably padded. It attaches with plastic buckles, making it easy to remove, or transpiration it out with a harness.
Tester’s Comments:
- Compact design
- Stiff focus wheel
- Very well-done and unexceptionable image
This vendible is one in a series of mini-reviews. To see how these binoculars compare to others we’ve tested, see our full review of affordable meaty binoculars.