With the 8x56 and at a distance of about 400m - 500m, the crows were not much more than moving black blobs out on the fields. I'm always looking to find a brand in whatever I buy that is something I perceive not everyone else has and has excellent quality, in Kowa I think I've found it, at least in their spotting scopes. Having said this, they work perfectly fine and if by making these changes it meant raising the overall cost or maintaining the price, but removing something from the body (like the metal focus wheel and replacing it with a plastic one), then I am totally fine with it. Made in the U.S., the Maven 10×56 binocular provides optical performance to rival the best from Swarovski and Zeiss, at a fraction of the price. For me, the times where I can see where I may miss having a case is for the extra protection they provide when traveling. If neither of these "out of the box" color options is to your liking, Maven Built does offer a custom design service where you can change the body armor, neck strap rings, focus wheel, ocular and objective lens rings, and even add engraving, but this does increase the cost and delivery time. Available with large (but not excessive) 56mm lenses, with a choice of either a very powerful 15x or a jaw-droppingly powerful 18x magnification, my initial and the almost subconscious reaction was to reply saying that I would like to review the 15x56 Maven B.5, being the more common option. At standard magnifications, this is not ideal, but with thicker glass lenses, you get a double whammy effect that results in a huge drop off in image brightness and quality. On top of this, the outer lenses are well protected by the fact that they are set back very deeply (about 9mm) from the ends of the barrels. Superior performance, tack-sharp clarity, silky focus, and build quality designed to withstand any situation - the benchmark for all Maven optics. Plus when you zoom in, you loose very little on the edges. The Austrian manufacturer, Swarovski is considered by some critics as the world’s best when it comes to scopes. However, I do have to add that whilst the ambient image brightness whilst scouting the view in the distance was diminished versus binoculars like my 8x42 and certainly more noticeable against my 8x56, what you can also notice is that at closer ranges, even though the image is not as bright, you can still make out a good level of detail in the image and thus the binocular is still very usable. When you do attach them onto a tripod, the high power and the increase in image detail really is something to be enjoyed. On these Maven's this inter-ocular distance ranges from 5.6cm up to 7.6cm which is pretty standard. Maven Binoculars Reviewed. I still have my ATS80 and sold the STM65 to fund one of the new Kowa 55mm spotters to put in the pack. Below is a link that will take you to a page with online retailers in both the US and UK that sell Maven 18x56 B5 Binoculars this page makes it easy to compare prices and then to buy from your preferred option: Contact Me | About Best Binoculars | Privacy | Sitemap |    Copyright © 2021 Best Binocular Reviews | Do You Want to Review Binoculars & Write for BBR? I found the tightness of the hinge on my sample to be good, meaning that it is not too difficult to alter the IPD, but at the same time, once set it remains in position which is a minor, but important point as a hinge that is too loose can become annoying! Shop now. Then on the other, there is the issue of combining large (but not super large) 56mm objectives with a very high 18x magnification. By using top-end optics, coatings, a good attention to detail and an obvious high build quality, Maven has produced a high-performance, very high powered binocular that they can justifiably be proud of and one which I highly recommend in the right situations: Most would agree that the 8x42 configuration is probably the best "all-rounder" and so the more you move away from this "center", the more specialized the instrument becomes.