Maven Optics | B3 Review
By Brock Akers, Rokslide Moderator
Measuring in at under 5 inches long and weighing a mere 16.25 oz. These are the ounce counters dream binocular. Built using the Schmidt-Pechan prism, Maven was able to get these extremely compact. Perfect for a hunting scenario where big binoculars aren’t as important. Such as a hunt in thick timber or if you are packing a big spotting scope.
Lead Photo: Maven B3 8×30’s next to a compact size Alaska Guide Creation Bino Harness
Construction
Once out of the package, the construction and attention to details on these 8×30’s really jumped out at me. Built out of a polymer frame, They felt rock solid. The focus wheel is very smooth with virtually zero slop. I liked the included harness attachment clips. I followed the instructions for installation and it was very easy. Adding the objective lens protectors is a must. Cheap insurance to prevent scratching and wearing off of the lens coating. With 99% light transfusion, they have no effect on performance and are available for a very affordable price. A quick visit to Mavenbuilt.com yielded an impressive spec sheet with more information than expected. A lot of questions were answered there with ease.
Pictured is the 35.5mm screw on lens protector
Light testing
I took these out to test their performance with fading light. This might be the conventional way to test an optics performance but I felt it was the most realistic scenario I could simulate aside from sitting on the mountain looking at an animal. The sunset was at 4:59 P.M. on sunny day. I picked two places I would look every 5 minutes. A tree line that was 400 yards away and few black and brown cows in the neighbors pasture 150 yards away. Here are my notes:
5:05 P.M. – Full light, can see very well
5:10 P.M. – Full light, can see very well
5:15 P.M. – Notice light fading with naked eye, tree line and cows still very visible
5:20 P.M. – I can still see the cows. Easily could spot a deer or elk along tree line if they were moving.
5:25 P.M. – Tree line still visible, saw a flock of ducks fly through my FOV. Picked the white wings out easily.
5:30 P.M. – Tough to see darker colors now. Light colors only (tan elk body moving against the dark tree line for example). Black and brown cows hard to pick out.
5:35 P.M. – I would be heading back to my tent now.
Chromatic Aberration
On a recent coyote hunting trip to the deserts of Washington I was able to detect some chromatic aberration. Although it was there, it wasn’t bad. I had to really look for it. The conditions were overcast and dry. I could only see it when I was looking at a tree or sage brush with the bright white sky as a backdrop. Built using ED glass, the amount of CA you see, is perfectly acceptable for hunting situations in my opinion. Spending hours behind these would be no problem.
Maven will be a player in the optics game for some time to come. With their optic quality and custom build option on their website, they are sure to be a popular choice among the growing crowd of hunters. With an unconditional lifetime transferrable warranty behind them and a price point starting at $500, these will be a great purchase in the upper middle class range for optics. They have found a spot in my bino harness and on my tripod for the upcoming season.
B3s mounted on a tripod.
Through August 18th, 2016, you can enter to win a Maven S.1A 25-50x80mm spotter, see the #1 post at this link
