As Director of Sales and Marketing/Outdoor Channels for MINOX Sports Optics and formerly Vice President of Sport Optics for Leica Camera Inc. (NA), Terry Moore is a recognized authority on high-quality sports optical equipment, including "glass" designed for the steadily growing birding market. Born and reared in Oklahoma, Moore exhibited an early interest in the outdoors and pursued schooling as a field biologist before focusing on business. His career grew from part-time work in a camera store to sales and sales management in the consumer photographic industry. In 1995, he established Leica's Sport Optics Division. An enthusiastic birder himself, Moore has traveled extensively in the pursuit of this passion.

Moore gives Birding some professional advice on choosing binoculars, previews the optics of the future, and reveals why - when it comes to optics - birders and hunters are more alike than they might think.

Considering that these binoculars are available for around $250 £220, I have to agree with Minox and say that they do indeed offer an outstanding price to performance ratio and are in my opinion incredible value for money.

Highlights include their excellent close focusing distance and their very wide field of view (for a 10x binocular). Their fully multicoated optics and the phase correction coatings on the prisms also help to produce a very bright and sharp image that has to one of the best in their class.

Weak points? With all their highlights and at their excellent price point, it is hard to find anything to be very critical of. Sure you can find 10x42 binoculars that are slightly brighter or with slightly less softening of the image on the edge of the view, but in my experience you have to pay much more for it. Because to achieve qualities like this you have to start using things like special reflective coatings on the prisms and extra low dispersion glass, which cost more to manufacture, bringing their price up. Besides if you want it all you should then look at the excellent HG-Line from Minox.