Maven B2 9x45 vs Maven B1.2 8x42

[craigrh13]

Oh just picked up a brand new set of Maven B1.2 8x42’s. I love them. There’s a guy wanting to trade me his B2 9x45’s. Would I be stupid to not take this trade? Are the B2’s that much better? I know they will be larger and heavier. I get that. But what else?

 

[Xlr8n]

The Abbe Koenig design of the B2's will have a tiny bit better light transmission but you'll pay for it in bulk and weight. Your new B1.2's are reported to nearly rival SLC's with a lighter and more compact design. No way I'd trade them off. Re-read your second sentence.

 

[sndmn11]

Is this from the Facebook Maven group?

I wouldn't trade.

 

[Firehawk]

Come on now Craig! You offered the trade to me. I wasn't considering a trade at all until you mentioned trading me your B1.2. Which I have been eyeing since the announcement. But yes, I was considering making that move.

 

[craigrh13]

Lol yes. I offered up the trade. My bad. I’ve been curious about the B2’s. But as pointed out I think I’ll just stay with the more compact B1.2’s. In all reality I won’t be doing any crazy long distance glassing in Michigan. I just seen it as a way to try some B2’s. I’m thinking I’ll just hold off! Thanks!

 

[CApighunter]

Never looked through any of the B1s but the B2s are phenomenal. Only sold mine to move up to Zeiss SFs.

 

[Matt G.]

Never looked through any of the Mavens. I am purchasing the B1.2 and I am going to compare to the meostars.

 

[huffed69]

Anyone actually been able to compare b1.2 to b2 side by side?

 

[Spiral Horn]

That’s a pretty apples to oranges comparison. I’ve owned both the B2 9x45 and the B1.2 8x42. Both are very good quality binoculars at their price point.

The B2s were bright and crisp, with neutral colors. 9x magnification and 45mm objective are somewhat unique and I really liked this setup. Yet somehow never really felt Maven was able to unleash the full capability of the AK prism design. Not a big knock as they are a solid binocular, but feel similar designs like the Zeiss HTs were better. As has already been said they are kind of a bulky and heavy design which is why I eventually sold them.

The B1.2 is altogether different. Love the entire housing - fit/finish, overall build quality, buttery-smooth focus mechanism are all superb. I did find tension/resistance on the eyecups not strong enough and collapsed on their own quite a bit (annoying). The view was very bright with good resolution, but to my eyes colors were noticeably less vivid than say a Monarch HG or an SLC. This gave it a somewhat whiteish look. But designing and building a binocular like the B1.2 isn’t easy. Trying to combine short focal length, wide-FOV, extreme short focus, distortion-free, and high light transmission does begin to tease the limits of physics - especially for a $900 binocular. But, hats-off to Maven as they went all out in an attempt to build a binocular with the combination of features most hunters want at a price most can afford.

 

[Jkling12]

Never looked through any of the Mavens. I am purchasing the B1.2 and I am going to compare to the meostars.

Any update on a reciew? I have meostar hd now and want something lighter weight. Thanks

 

[Firehawk]

My buddy ended up getting a 10x B1.2 from Sndman. They are really nice. He has compared them to his 11x B2 and has decided to keep the B1.2 because the view is so close to each other and he prefers the size and weight of the B1.2

I have been looking through them and really wish that I could hold a 10x steady, but I can't. On the tripod, those Maven B1.2 are really nice. Can't wait to look through an 8x version.

FH

 

[Matt G.]

New Maven Binoculars B1.2 and B6

I've searched the internet high and low for anyone else talking about this and have found nothing. I've learned a lot on here so I figured the least I could do is share something. The same evening Maven listed their new patriotic series, I believe they accidentally posted their new B1.2 and B6...

r.tapatalk.com

You will see a lot of my comments in this thread. They are both good. I was liking the maven better due to wider field of view, larger sweet spot, almost like field flatteners, lighter weight, and more compact. There was some CA but you had to look for it away from center. I actually sold the meostars and the mavens. Unfortunately my eyes did not like the large eyecups and I did suffer eyestrain.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

 

[SoDak16]

I have the B1.2 and love them

 

[Spiral Horn]

Having owned all three as well as SLCs, Top-end Zeiss and Leica I’d rank the Mavens as follows (all are very good binoculars):

1. B6 10x50
2. B1.2 8x42
3. B2 9x45

 

[justchel]

@ Spiral Horn, from another thread I've seen that you also own a Cronus G2 10x42, that's been my "nice" bino all year and I like it a lot. The image quality and edge clarity are so impressive to me, and its flat field doesn't bother me when panning. I also have a Styrka S7 8x30 for when I go hiking as they are so light and compact with satisfying views.

I do a lot of astronomy gazing with my Cronus and have been wanting to try higher quality binos with a 5mm EP. I've always been curious about Maven and I'm interested in the B1.2 8x42, or B6 10x50. And tonight I stumbled on this post that you have used both of these as well! I can't decide if I should try the 8x42 and also keep my Cronus as I really like the 10x -although i really don't need a collection of binos- or try the 10x50 and replace my Cronus if I like the B6 more.

How would you compare the image quality and brightness between these 3? I'm mostly interested in their night time capability, in your opinion do you think either Mavens provide any meaningful gains? I would have PMed you but as a noobie am not allowed!

 

[Spiral Horn]

No issues Justchel, happy to help if I can.

The Maven and Cronus have the similar themes of being a great value for the money but at very different price points. They both offer incredibly high-performing optics in their price range.

Very happy to hear you’re enjoying the Cronus G2. It is a superb sub-$500 binocular. I wasn’t really expecting alot but their optical performance really surprised me. The view is brighter and crisper than anything else I’ve seen at that price. It is not flat-field and has a very little bit of edge distortion, and just a touch of CA under the brightest sky if one really looks for it. Overall the view is very detailed with good colors and CF resolution. I recently used it for a day on the Jersey coast and it performed very well. One thing I recently noticed on that trip was the Cronus G2 housing is not a very good insulator and gets quite cold to the touch.

The Mavens - to keep it simple both the B1.2 and B6 are a step up in performance from the B1 and B2; and IMO are among the current top performers at the ~$1k and under price. They share the same basic design platform and optical system. Personally, I prefer the view of the B6 vs the B1.2 - to me, it is a smidge more crisply detailed and yet an overall easier view. Think it may be due to the B1.2 trying to pack the low-distortion, high-transmission, wide-FOV into the B1.2’s short focal length - as that does tend to tease the laws of physics. Not taking a shot at the B1.2 as it is a fine binocular, just explaining why I prefer the B6.

Comparing the Cronus G2 10x42 to the Mavens. Either Maven is a noticeably more refined optical device as they should be for double the price.

Mechanically:
- Maven has more eye relief and is less subject to blackouts
- Maven armor feels much better to the touch & a better insulator
- Maven focuser is much smoother and feels more refined
- Maven diopter adjustment is much more robust - set it/forget it
- Both Cronus and Maven appear to be ruggedly built/durable
- B6 & G2 are similar size/weight but Maven is better balanced and feels lighter in the hand - its ergos and handling are a a bit nicer

Optically:
- Both G2 and Mavens have very crisp center-field resolution, which is really surprising at the G2 price
- Maven has less distortion and better CA control
- Neither is flat-field but Maven has a very wide sweet-spot and very limited pincushion distortion, which reduces globe effect
- Maven is clearly brighter, did a low-light test and the B6 10x50 easily outperformed my SLC and SF 42mms, and it was nip and tuck with my 10x56 FLs
- Optically, I found the B6 10x50 the crispest and most detailed/saturated image of the 3

In your situation, using a binocular for a combination of hunting and nature viewing, with a special focus on astronomy I’m very confident you’ll get a better view and more enjoyment from the B6 10x50 vs the G2. It is also the most compact / best handling 10x50 that I know of. The 50mm B6 is also clearly a better choice for viewing the night sky than the B1.2 or G2 42mms.

 

[justchel]

No issues Justchel, happy to help if I can.

The Maven and Cronus have the similar themes of being a great value for the money but at very different price points. They both offer incredibly high-performing optics in their price range.

Thanks for the detailed reply Spiral Horn! I'm really after a 10x50 so not considering the B1.2 anymore. After reading your feedback I ordered the B6 and last minute also decided on the Toric as it's considerably less. Looking forward to comparing all 3.