Minox HG 8x56 BR MIG
Meanwhile the top-of-the-range Minox binoculars series, marked by the HG symbol, were still produced in Japan. Among these models there wasn’t an instrument with objectives’ diameter of 56-58 mm. When in 2009 Minox decided to move the production of the HG series back to Germany, they also added the HG 8x56 BR MIG model to their offer.
The binoculars feature roof prisms set in the Schmidt-Pechan system which are phase correction coated and additionally covered by a special silver-based reflection Mino-Bright coating. The optics is made of glass produced by the SCHOTT AG company. All air-to-glass surfaces are to be covered by 21-layer antireflection M* coatings. As a result the maximum overall transmission of the instrument is supposed to reach a level of 92%.
The casing of these binoculars is waterproof and nitrogen-filled. The buyer gets caps for objectives and eyepieces a comfortable and a case included in box. All sets of binoculars from the HG series come with 30-year guarantee.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 56 | 108/1000(6.2o) | BaK-4/roof | 20.8 mm | 1080 g | 4099 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 55.92+/-
0.05 mm Right: 55.95+/- 0.05 mm |
8 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 8.29+/- 0.05x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 87.7+/- 1.5% | 15/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Very low in the centre. Reaching the borderline between low and average on the edge. | 8.2/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Not especially high. | 6.6/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 70% +\- 4% | 8/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Starts from 75-80% from the field centre and is between low and average on the edge. | 8.4/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blurr occurs in the distance of 95% +\- 2% from the field of view centre. | 9/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Negligible. | 4.8/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Slight inclination of the transmission curve with the growth tendency toward the red light. | 4.2/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3.6/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Solid. Comfortable to hold in your hand and to look through. Good matt rubber padding which fits well the hands. Rubberized eyecups with 4 regulation stops. The rubber near objectives sticks out. | 7.3/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Huge black, metallic central wheel with the working range of 355 degrees. It moves smoothly. The distance scale positioned on the wheel. A comfortable individual focusing ring on the right eyepiece. It moves the outer lens. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | There is a comfortable access to the tripod exit. | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 59.5 to 75.5mm | 4/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 3.1 m | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 52.6 deg (according to simple formula) and 49.4 deg (according to tangent formula). | 5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.35 +\- 0.03 degrees and it was by 0.15 of a degree bigger than in the specifications. A typical field of view for the equipment of this class. | 5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Inner tubes black and matt. Dark bottom. On the right inner focusing lens some specks of dust and a distinct scratch in the corner. Additionally you can notice some delicate streaks on it. | 2.8/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
7.5/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | High quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Orange-pink on the objectives, greenish on the prisms and purple-pink-green on the eyepieces. Low intensity. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 30 | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 75.2% | 142.9 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 0pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- solid, compact and not very big casing for such parameters ,
- good transmission level,
- well corrected chromatic aberration,
- negligible distortion,
- not very high astigmatism,
- slight coma,
- low brightness loss on the edge of the field of view,
- sharp image across almost all field of view,
- high quality of prisms and coatings,
- good whiteness rendering,
- long guarantee period.
Cona:
- you can have slight reservations concerning the quality control which let pass a set of binoculars with visible scratches and streaks on a lens.
 |
The Minox HG 8x56 BR MIG is a new device available on the market but the mere comparison of the pros to the cons lists shows that it is certainly a very interesting option. First of all, this pair of binoculars got good or very good marks in most of our testing categories. It didn’t have any significant slip-up. The only flaw we managed to find is quite surprising, though. We thought that the production in Germany would result in perfect quality control whereas the scratch and streaks on one of the optics indicate that the control is not exactly as good as you would expect for a piece of equipment with such a price tag. On the other hand every cloud has a silver lining. If it is only an isolated event and other models are flawless their result in our test will be even better than those already splendid 139 points, scored by the Minox this time.
Below you can find a transmission graph, showing how the much-praised coatings of Minox fare.
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The maximum transmission level reaches 90%. This result is still a bit short of those announced 92% but if you take into account measurement errors of 1-2% our tests are burdened with you can say that the result is in accordance with that declared by the producer. What’s more, when it comes to a set of binoculars with Schmidt-Pechan roof prisms such a result is really good.
The comparison between the Minox’s parameters and those of its most serious competitors is presented in the following chart. As you see the Minox doesn’t have to be afraid of Ziess Conquest and Zeiss Dialyt because it is better than them. It loses to the model from the top-range Victory series but still you must remember that the Minox remains cheaper, smaller and physically lighter. For many people these are serious advantages.
At first glance it seems that the most serious Minox rival is a 8x58 pair of binoculars from the renowned Docter company. The Docter, costing more or less the same, has the same score in our test but its field of view is wider and its transmission – better. The latest feature it owes to powerful Abbe-Koenig prisms but a serious disadvantage of the Docter, compared to the Minox, is connected to it – very big weight and length of the binoculars. The Minox is almost 5 cm shorter and almost 0.5 kg lighter. For those, who decide to wear such a set of binoculars round their neck this difference is crucial and might be decisive.
To sum up the Minox HG 8x56 BR MIG is a very interesting option, well-suited for marked needs and offering customers an even greater choice. Everyone who decides to buy the Minox rather won’t regret that decision.
