Maven CM.1 Monocular Thoughts (1 Viewer)

[kennykerberos]

Took this one out for the morning walk this morning and thought I’d make a few observations.

First a negative. The focus ring is a bear. Maven should include a pair of vice grips to turn the focus ring. On the plus side, it stays in place! In addition, the depth of focus seems to allow me to look at stuff without changing the focus often, unless the bird is a bit closer or further than what I normally view. Maybe the focus ring will loosen up a bit with use. For the most part today, I just set the focus ring and left it alone

I liked the image. Today was a bright day, and it seemed to be quite crisp and clear. Colors were good.

I like that I can just put this in the jacket pocket. It has a bit more weight to it than I thought. It is literally half a binocular. I got use to this quickly and no issues taking it in and out of the pocket.

Objective lens cap stayed on and didn’t fall off with use. The optical lens cap is also tethered to the monocular. That’s good! I attached the wrist strap as well.

Bottom line is that this is something I will put in my pocket and carry with me on walks and bike rides. More convenient compared to wearing binoculars on a neck strap or harness. I will use this more often.

 

[Bob_McBob]

What is it with monoculars and stiff focus rings? The Vortex monoculars suffer from exactly the same issue. Thanks for the review, I recently tried the Opticron 8x25 and wasn't too impressed, so I've been giving some thought to alternatives. The Maven is rather large, but I like that it doesn't have any major protrusions.

 

[stefangaschott]

The Maven website states 6.6m as the close focusing distance. Is this a typo??? 6.6 feet would be fine, but 6.6 meters is kinda far...
Maybe you can confirm.
~Stefan

 

[Bob_McBob]

Hopefully that's a typo since all their other optics have the close focus specified in feet. I sent them an email to confirm.

 

[Bob_McBob]

I received an initial email indicating 6.6 metres was correct, but they followed up to say my email prompted them to test current inventory; the official close focus spec will now be 12 feet, which is much more reasonable for this class of monocular. They were also kind enough to send me a photo showing how the retained caps fit. It's a pet peeve of mine how few monoculars come with proper caps, and Maven's solution looks great.

 

[stefangaschott]

I received an initial email indicating 6.6 metres was correct, but they followed up to say my email prompted them to test current inventory; the official close focus spec will now be 12 feet, which is much more reasonable for this class of monocular. They were also kind enough to send me a photo showing how the retained caps fit. It's a pet peeve of mine how few monoculars come with proper caps, and Maven's solution looks great.

Thanks Bob,

That clarification and the lens covers make the maven a bit more appealing. The under 15mm eye relief is now my only concern. I'm toying with the idea of a monocular to have on hand when I'm working. We've had a great irruption year here with the double whammy of low cone crops in the spruce and fir up north, and a mast year for white pine down here on the coast. It has come up a few times that I didn't pack a binocular, and then had unusual birds just out of reach for my eyes. I thought maybe a monocular could tuck in a pocket or in the top pouch in my pack to be available to help me confirm an ID or just get a closer look, without the bulk and weight of a binocular. If the birds are within twelve feet, I hope I'd be able to ID unaided... If anyone could comment on use of the maven monocular with glasses that would be great.

~Stefan