Maven c1 vs leupold bx-4 10x42

[chad1926]

Just looking to see what people that have had or looked through both think between the two in all different lighting conditions.
Amazon has the mavens on sale rite now for $280 and the Leupolds are around $500 worth the extra $220 for the Leupolds?

 

[Fatcamp]

That would be $220.

 

[chad1926]

That would be $220.

Thanks, should have read it over haha.

 

[vermeire]

Now that we got the pricing nailed down does anyone have an answer about the glass??

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

 

[idahohikker]

Why someone doesn’t just buy the Mavens at this point with all the glowing reviews I’ll never understand. For the record, I love my C1s.

 

[Newtosavage]

Short answer - no.

 

[idahohikker]

Short answer - no.

You’ve handled 8000 binos and like obscure ones. That’s fine and all and I think you provide good info to people generally. I think it’s objective fact that there is not a bino under $500 with consistently good review as the Maven C1s. And the only things that people knock them for—eye cups can be loose and depth of field—are minor issues IMO that do not affect glass quality. It’s okay if you disagree.

 

[BigWoods]

You’ve handled 8000 binos and like obscure ones. That’s fine and all and I think you provide good info to people generally. I think it’s objective fact that there is not a bino under $500 with consistently good review as the Maven C1s. And the only things that people knock them for—eye cups can be loose and depth of field—are minor issues IMO that do not affect glass quality. It’s okay if you disagree.

I think he's agreeing with you. I believe he's saying the extra $220 isn't worth it and he should buy the Mavens.

On a side note, I'm pretty excited to open the c.1 8x42 binos under the tree.

 

[Newtosavage]

I think he's agreeing with you. I believe he's saying the extra $220 isn't worth it and he should buy the Mavens.

On a side note, I'm pretty excited to open the c.1 8x42 binos under the tree.

Correct. I was in agreement.

I owned a pair of C1's (10x42) for about a month. Outstanding sharpness and overall image quality. Two reasons I returned them were the narrow field of view (that gave me the toilet paper tube feeling) and eyecups that wouldn't hold their position. Otherwise, they were extremely good for the price and the center image quality could compete with SLC's and Conquest HD's from my evaluation.

 

[idahohikker]

The eye cups deal can be fixed with a little glue or whatever. Really bugs some guys but the eyecups on mine are fine and I've dealt with that on other binos and it isn't a big deal.

But savage, the field of view isn't top of the line, yes, but isn't the field of view similar for other options in the price range?

Good field of view seems to be one of the pluses of the high priced options. I'd be interested in seeing a comparison if you have analyzed this.

Savage, have you reviewed spotting scopes much? I'm really liking the Athlon Ares that I bought. I think it's the Maven C1 or a top mid range option of spotting scopes. I had a Vortex Viper previously which was pretty good but has worse glass than the Ares and is way bigger.

 

[Newtosavage]

The eye cups deal can be fixed with a little glue or whatever. Really bugs some guys but the eyecups on mine are fine and I've dealt with that on other binos and it isn't a big deal.

But savage, the field of view isn't top of the line, yes, but isn't the field of view similar for other options in the price range?

Good field of view seems to be one of the pluses of the high priced options. I'd be interested in seeing a comparison if you have analyzed this.

Savage, have you reviewed spotting scopes much? I'm really liking the Athlon Ares that I bought. I think it's the Maven C1 or a top mid range option of spotting scopes. I had a Vortex Viper previously which was pretty good but has worse glass than the Ares and is way bigger.

Nope, can't fix that with glue. I need them to hold their position when extended, and be able to rotate them down for when I wear glasses or when I have them on a tripod. It was a deal breaker for me. Called Maven and they said they couldn't change them due to copyright problems. Oh well. Some folks it won't bother but I have $100 binoculars that have eyecups that hold their position, so I should expect at least as much from a $300 pair.

FOV is easy to look up specs for. But then there is another factor which is the "tunnel vision" and the "double vision" factor that some binoculars have, and others don't. Hard to explain without looking through them. My Outfitter HD's are fantastic, but they do have a bit of a double vision (you can make out both image circles when looking through them, instead of the two circles blending into one) issue that I learned to live with but would rather not. The other problem - tunnel vision - is something I notice when the FOV gets below 6.5 degrees. But even then, some are worse than others.

 

[Newtosavage]

Sorry, I don't have nearly as much experience with spotters, probably because I got my Nikon ED50 and was completely satisfied with it, and so I haven't looked around much since.

 

[chad1926]

Nope, can't fix that with glue. I need them to hold their position when extended, and be able to rotate them down for when I wear glasses or when I have them on a tripod. It was a deal breaker for me. Called Maven and they said they couldn't change them due to copyright problems. Oh well. Some folks it won't bother but I have $100 binoculars that have eyecups that hold their position, so I should expect at least as much from a $300 pair.

FOV is easy to look up specs for. But then there is another factor which is the "tunnel vision" and the "double vision" factor that some binoculars have, and others don't. Hard to explain without looking through them. My Outfitter HD's are fantastic, but they do have a bit of a double vision (you can make out both image circles when looking through them, instead of the two circles blending into one) issue that I learned to live with but would rather not. The other problem - tunnel vision - is something I notice when the FOV gets below 6.5 degrees. But even then, some are worse than others.

thanks for all of the info everyone,
So what bino do recommend under $500 price savage?

 

[Newtosavage]

I actually recommend several in that price range. There is no one "best" or even a "best for you" as some would suggest, because every binocular is a compromise of some sort. I have learned what is important to me in a binocular, and what is less important and that helps guide my choices. Image quality is important, no doubt, but if it comes in a package that gets on your nerves for one reason or another, then it's hard to enjoy the image quality.

Solid recommendations in that sub-$500 range are the Nikon Monarch 7, Vortex Viper HD (now assembled in the Phillipines instead of China), Maven C1, Opticron Countryman, and Vanguard Endeavor IV.

There are quite a few in that price range that I've owned and returned, but the list above is a group of bins I can recommend without hesitation. There are differences among them, but all of them have earned a great reputation and don't have any "weird" stuff going on that would cause someone to just return them outright.

Now, if you're talking used, then that opens things up a little more too. You can generally find some Swaro SLC 8x30's, Meostars and possibly even a Conquest HD or Trinovid for $500 if the seller has a weak moment.

 

[chad1926]

I actually recommend several in that price range. There is no one "best" or even a "best for you" as some would suggest, because every binocular is a compromise of some sort. I have learned what is important to me in a binocular, and what is less important and that helps guide my choices. Image quality is important, no doubt, but if it comes in a package that gets on your nerves for one reason or another, then it's hard to enjoy the image quality.

Solid recommendations in that sub-$500 range are the Nikon Monarch 7, Vortex Viper HD (now assembled in the Phillipines instead of China), Maven C1, Opticron Countryman, and Vanguard Endeavor IV.

There are quite a few in that price range that I've owned and returned, but the list above is a group of bins I can recommend without hesitation. There are differences among them, but all of them have earned a great reputation and don't have any "weird" stuff going on that would cause someone to just return them outright.

Now, if you're talking used, then that opens things up a little more too. You can generally find some Swaro SLC 8x30's, Meostars and possibly even a Conquest HD or Trinovid for $500 if the seller has a weak moment.

thank you for the advice, that is really pretty close to what I have been thinking on the give and take with the options at that price point.

I did look at the bx-4 and the viper hd at Cabela’s the other day and to my eyes at least the vipers looked a lot nicer.
It would be nice to have the clarity of the maven c.1 that a lot of people talk about but I think the smaller fov and if the eye cups move that easily with very little pressure would get old pretty fast.

 

[Newtosavage]

thank you for the advice, that is really pretty close to what I have been thinking on the give and take with the options at that price point.

I did look at the bx-4 and the viper hd at Cabela’s the other day and to my eyes at least the vipers looked a lot nicer.
It would be nice to have the clarity of the maven c.1 that a lot of people talk about but I think the smaller fov and if the eye cups move that easily with very little pressure would get old pretty fast.

Did for me, but plenty of folks love their C1's.

I tend to manhandle my bins quite a bit, so loose hinges, eyecups that won't hold their position, and other annoying things like that really get to me. I've owned too many "cheap" bins that did those jobs very well (like my current favorite budget bin, my 8x32 Bushnell Legends) so I expect at least as much from a $300+ bin.

Honestly, day in and day out, the ergonomics of the Monarch 7 are damn tough to beat. They are light, small, have great rubber armor, a tripod screw in the right place, are well balanced and good eyecups and one of the best focus wheels in the business. The optics are great too, but just not "quite" as bright as some others in their class. But if you can live with that (and you only notice it if you have another, brighter pair in your other hand, to be honest) then everything else is really, really good. I see a lot of birders, and a lot of them wear Monarch 7's, for good reason.

 

[vermeire]

I think he's agreeing with you. I believe he's saying the extra $220 isn't worth it and he should buy the Mavens.

On a side note, I'm pretty excited to open the c.1 8x42 binos under the tree.

Correct. I was in agreement.

I owned a pair of C1's (10x42) for about a month. Outstanding sharpness and overall image quality. Two reasons I returned them were the narrow field of view (that gave me the toilet paper tube feeling) and eyecups that wouldn't hold their position. Otherwise, they were extremely good for the price and the center image quality could compete with SLC's and Conquest HD's from my evaluation.

I just wanted to clarify; do the C1s have a narrow field of view (FOV) or a shallow depth of field? Is there a quantification of depth of field. I geeked out on bino specs tonight and want to make sure I've got the relevant numbers that I want before I start narrowing things down.

 

[Newtosavage]

I just wanted to clarify; do the C1s have a narrow field of view (FOV) or a shallow depth of field? Is there a quantification of depth of field. I geeked out on bino specs tonight and want to make sure I've got the relevant numbers that I want before I start narrowing things down.

Narrow Field of View (FOV) compared to other similar binoculars, but not terrible for the price range. Leupold has notoriously narrow FOV's but they are pretty well liked. Depth of field is difficult to measure. It should be the same for all binoculars of the same format 8x32, 10x42, etc, but some binoculars appear to give you more depth of field for some reason. I'm sure there is an optical answer but I don't know the physics behind it.

 

[sndmn11]

I had the Maven C1 and Leupold BX4, both in 10x42, for nearly a month during an archery season a few years ago when they both came out. The Leupold run circles around the Maven in dusk and Dawn, and also with sun angles that cause glare. No competition for my eyes. Made in Japan vs made in China/Phillipines has always been apparent to me.

 

[Newtosavage]

No competition for my eyes. Made in Japan vs made in China/Phillipines has always been apparent to me.

Ditto, with one exception - Bushnell somehow manages to deliver a decent MIC product, as evidenced by my wife's Legend M's and a pair of original Legend 8x32's that I use quite often. Otherwise, I'd completely agree with you that I can pick out a MIC bin pretty quickly (unfortunately).