Maven B2 9x45 compared to Nikon Monarch HG 10x42

[Nrolson2002]

Has anyone compared the side-by-side? I have the maven binoculars and love them but would like something smaller. They fit nice in my hands and don’t bother me that much but it requires a big Bino harness and I would like to cut down on the size of the Bino harness. Are they close? Is there any other bino in the $1k price range that are smaller and just as good in optical quality?


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[TimberHunter]

Old thread but bumping it up

 

[Tahoe1305]

I compared both a few years ago. Search $1000 bino comparison.

From what I recall I didn’t personally see the gain in the maven to justify the significance size and weight increase.

I’m a big fan and still an owner of the Nikon HGs. Don’t think you can do much better sub $1000. The meostars are a close second but also larger and heavier.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I compared both a few years ago. Search $1000 bino comparison.

From what I recall I didn’t personally see the gain in the maven to justify the significance size and weight increase.

I’m a big fan and still an owner of the Nikon HGs. Don’t think you can do much better sub $1000. The meostars are a close second but also larger and heavier.

Completely agree. But the B2s and HGs really couldn’t be more different. The B2s are pretty massive and the HGs are the lightest and most compact quality 42mm binocular that I know of. In my opinion they are extremely underrated. But they aren’t all that easy to find these days.

 

[Hoodie]

I have the 11x45 B2. It's a really good bino, but the HG is just a little better optically in a much more compact package.

The B2 has just a little more CA (The HG shows it but it's limited to the edge of the field). The depth of focus is also a little shallower on the B2, so you find yourself working the focus knob just a little more. Not a huge deal by any means. The B2 is probably slightly brighter due to the prism design, but the HG is plenty bright. I would guess the focus issue with the B2's is probably more of an issue on the 11x than the 9x.

Another plus for the HG is the biggest FOV in a 10x42 in its price class. It's pretty close to the Maven 9x FOV.

I agree that the Meostar HD is the best option optically in the $1k range, but I don't think it beats the HG by enough to warrant the extra size and weight. The Meostar would certainly absorb more punishment than the Nikon, but I'm pretty careful with my optics.

For my eyes, the HG is pretty much the best bino you can get for $1k.