Introduction

Apart from the fact that they are both German brands that produce high-end optics, Minox binoculars are in many ways very similar to Steiner's in that they pride themselves on producing tough, functional binoculars using the highest quality optics, yet are also priced in such a way as to make them really good value for money.

With this in mind, I recently had the opportunity to review their very good looking mid-sized BL 8x33 binoculars, that from first appearances look like ideal binoculars to take with you on safari, camping, birding walks on a hike or pretty much anywhere.

The Safari Guide Opinion

In the review below, I have taken all the features that Minox highlight on their marketing material and give you my own personal explanation and opinion.

Outer Construction

According to Minox: Besides the practical and innovative comfort bridge it is extremely lightweight (just 650g). The comfort bridge ensures convenient handling and a firm grip, even under extreme conditions. Additional highlights of the new BL series are its ergonomic features and the rubber armored body of polycabonate that is extremely robust and weather-resistant.

The Safari Guide opinion: I do love the open bridge design on these Minox BL binoculars as well as on other binoculars like the Swarovski 10x32 EL's, they make holding them very comfortable but more importantly I find that your grip on is far more secure especially with one hand when you are not actually using them. This is important for example when walking through dense bush or if you need to keep your other hand free for taking photographs.

The rubber armour feels great in the hands and has a number of benefits that include protecting your optics, they provide a more secure grip even when wet and it also helps dampen any sounds that may be made from brushing something against them that could frighten away easily spooked wildlife.

At 650g they are lightweight as well as far more compact when compared to a full sized 42mm binocular, but compared to other mid-sized binoculars that I have reviewed, they are about average. For comparison the Swarovski EL 10x32's weigh 610g and the Barr & Stroud Sierra 8x32 Binoculars weigh 595g.

According to Minox: The new Minox BL 8x33 also features a specially developed sealing technology that makes it watertight to a depth of up to five meters. Thanks to a nitrogen filling on the inside there is no fogging of the optical surfaces, even under severe temperature fluctuations, and a clear view is guaranteed at all times.

The Safari Guide opinion: I have not been able to find out more about their "specially developed sealing technology," but a binocular that is fully water and fogproof is always a good feature to have. It will not only protect them from moisture and fog, but will also prevent any dust from getting into your optics.

Optical Performance

According to Minox: The Minox BL 8x33 has an exceptionally large field of view that makes it possible to capture moving objects even faster and far more reliably.

The Safari Guide opinion: This is true and is for me one of the biggest selling points to these binoculars. They have a very wide field of view - 421 ft at 1,000 yds or 140m at 1,000m, that equates to an 8° angle of view. What this basically means is at 1,000m the width of the image that you are looking at will be 140 meters wide.

This wide field of view will be music to the ears to those who enjoy birdwatching as a wide field of view makes easier to spot initially locate any object, but especially important for keeping fast moving erratic object like birds in your field of vision and this is why it is a feature that most people look for in a good pair of birdwatching binoculars. A wide field of view can also make it much easier to spot game if you are scanning over a large area.

According to Minox: A high-quality optical system with multicoated lens elements provides superb light-gathering power and images with an exceptionally neutral color rendition of the objects in view. Thanks to the roof prisms with phase-correction coating the user is presented an image with high detail rendition and pin-sharp contrast, even in bad light.

The Safari Guide opinion: One thing that is for sure, these produce an exceptionally bright and sharp image. I could not notice any colour fringing or softening of the image at the edges that you often find in lower quality optics.

Comparing the brightness in poor light conditions (I performed this test at sunrise), the Minox BL 8x33 far outperformed the benchmark compact binoculars that I use for all my reviews, as you would expect. But they were at least as bright as my full size 10x42 benchmark binoculars, which is very impressive for a mid-sized binocular with far smaller 33mm objective lenses.

The Phase-correction coating on the prisms basically help keep the light in correct color phase and has the result of reducing the loss of image resolution to maintain high-contrast images. It is a feature that is only found on high end roof prism binoculars.

These Minox binoculars also have fully Multi-coated Lenses which is what you want on you binoculars because this means that ALL the air to glass surfaces on the lenses and prisms are multilayer-coated with anti-reflective coatings.

According to Minox: The individual requirements of people wearing eyeglasses are also fully accounted for. With the extended eye relief the entire field of view can be enjoyed without vignetting, also when wearing spectacles. Twist-type retractable rubber eyecups with individual click stops are another convenient feature.

The Safari Guide opinion: With 17.5mm of eye relief these easily make it into my category of long eye relief binoculars and should be more than enough for most people who wear glasses. Should this be too much, the tough rubber twist up eyecups have two click stops in-between fully extended and fully retracted.

Also Included

The quality of the soft carry case is good, although I prefer harder ones with a semi solid construction that offer just that little bit more protection. The quality and feel of the neck strap is good and they make wearing the binoculars around the neck comfortable. Also included in the box was a micro fibre lens cleaning cloth.

Best Binocular Video Review of the Minox BL 8x33

The video above is part of a full review that I did for the Best Binocular reviews website, you can read the full Minox BL 8x33 Binocular review here.

Price

I think taking into account all their great features and very high build quality and components, these Minox BL 8x33's are some of the best value for money mid-sized binoculars that I have ever reviewed.

Main Features

• Magnification: 8x
• Objective Lens Diameter: 33mm
• Exit Pupil: 4.1mm
• Twilight Factor: 16.2
• Eye Relief: 17.5mm
• Weight: 22.9ozs (649g)
• Length: 5.4in (13.7cm) Height: 1.8in (4.6cm) Width: 5.1in (13cm)
• Field of View: 421ft at 1,000 yards / 140m at 1,000 meters
• Real field of view: 8.0°
• Apparent field of view: 64.0°
• Close Focus Distance: 8.2ft
• Waterproof: Yes
• Fogproof: Yes
• Fully Multi-coated
• Phase corrected Bak-4 Prisms
  
  

Cost & Where to Buy

UK Shoppers Buy in the UK:	US Shoppers Buy in the USA:
Minox 8x33 Binoculars on Amazon.co.uk	Minox 8x33 Binoculars on Amazon.com

 

Conclusion

Excellent build quality with a very bright as well as sharp image especially for a mid-sized binocular.

As a pure safari binocular, I often opt for a 10x magnification, preferring the slightly closer view at the expense of the field of view and steadiness, but because these have such a wide field of view, which is really noticeable when comparing them to most 10x binoculars, I highly recommend them as a safari binocular, especially for those that are also interested in birding.

Similar Binoculars

Top of the range Mid-Size Binocular from Kowa - a fantastic safari binocular:

 

Middle of the range Mid-Size Binocular:

 

If you are after a cheaper Mid-Size Binocular:

 

Or if you are looking for a more compact and cheaper binocular? You should consider the excellent 10.5x28 Steiner Wildlife Pro Binoculars:

 

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