Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics The 6X30 Leupold Yosemite vs. the Minox 6.5X32 IF-more testing

Over the years, I've learned that to really understand the strenths and weakness of an optic, I need to use it in the field for a while. So, I took my two new 6-6.5X bins out for a stroll in one of my hunting areas.
It's a second growth fir forest at about 7000 ft. Very over grown, thick, and steep. Some open areas out to maybe 200 yds., but most of it heavy cover where a long shot would be 50 yds.
The first to get tried out was the 6X30 Yosemite. Liked it and what it did right off the bat. Much more user friendly than any of my 8X bins for this kind of glassing. While my Penetax SP 8X43, my Nikon 8X32 LX and my Leica 8X42 BA are all better optically, I couldn't tell under those conditions, at those distances. What I could tell is alot less image shake, faster, easier on the eyes focusing for whatever distance, and their light weight. You hardly know you are wearing them. They lay flat on the chest and don't move around much. They would focus right down to 11 feet. Looking through cover with them has never been easier.
But I did notice a few annoying things. If the low sun was any where near 30-45 degrees off either side, I'd get some leakage around the eye cups and that would bounce off of the oculars to increase the eye strain. The slightest movement of the head, such as in scanning, and the image had a tendency to black out. The barrels would move apart or closer easily and cause those problems. How sharp were they ? I could pick up gooseberries in among the folige, see insects and seed heads at 80-100 yds. from standing. I was impressed.
Then I tried the Minox. At first, I wasn't impressed. The idea that you set and forget just didn't work. When set for 40-50 yds., anything under 25 yds. was way out of focus. Anything over 90 yds. was odviously not as sharp as it could be.
So I changed tactics. I'd preset the 100 yd. distances at -0-, the 40-50 yd. distances at +1, and the 15-20 yd. ranges at +5. That did it. Not as fast as the Yosemite. But, even with my eyes tiring from using the Yosemite, the Minox made it plain that they would strain the eyes less. Even better was looking at something where the sun was at those troublesome 30-45 degree angles. Not a problem with the soft rubber eye cups of the Minox. Kept the stray light off of the oculars just fine.
I thought the 19 oz. Yosemite would be noticably easier to carry. It wasn't really. I did have to shorten the carrying strap on the Minox a good deal or it would roll around alot on my chest. The oculars tend to hang away from the body due to the carrying strap design whereas the little Leupold would lay nice and flat. If you are inclined to go for a mad dash to get a shot, the Leupold will behave a little better. But that's about all. BTW, the Minox comes with tethered objective covers. The first thing I did with mine was to cut them off. They ride on the objectives when it's in the case, but not in the field. Way too much trouble.
So, here's what I've concluded.
Either are much better for close, looking through cover than any of my 8X bins. No question. If you insist on focusing quickly to see everything, if you need to focus right down to 11 ft. to see blood drops on the ground, or you want the nicest riding binocular, go with the Leupold 6X30 Yosemite.
If you want the most user friendly bin, the one that will strain the eyes the least over a tough day tracking or still hunting, go with the Minox.
Either are well worth having. I'm not one bit sorry I bought both of them. They have different personalites and do the job. E

Nice write up. I've been comparing my Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum Class 6x32mm with the 6x30mm Yosemites and as was expected they are far better in every way. But they also cost more than three times as much.

I had pretty much the same problem with light leakage around the eyecups and with a little image blackout, especially when looking in the general direction of the sun. This is with the 6x, my 8x give me zero problems here. As I used them more I found that if I held the eyecup just a bit away from resting against the skin of my eye socket, the problem pretty much went away. What fixed mine for good was this. I took a bicycle innertube and cut two short lengths, each about 3/4". I put the pieces of innertube over the eyecups, like a glove and worked the lower part down to a distance of about two thirds of the length of the piece of inner tube. When you get this just right, the remaining length of inner tube folds back flat against the top of the eyecup, effectively lengthening the eyecup by the thickness of the inner tube. No more problem, at least for me with my 6x. Our individual reactions to this may well be different.

Thanks for the update. I haven't used my Minox yet, but plan on it during this bow season. That issue with the eyecups makes me glad I did choose the Minox over the Leupold (my first choice).
I did briefly compare my Vortex Diamondbacks vs my Zeiss Classics this weekend watching deer and specifically sizing up bucks in velvet. Wish I had the time and prose for more complete writeup. I wanted the Zeiss to be 5 times as good (on a per $ basis), but that wasn't so. But I still like both of them very much for hunting whitetails. My lifetime hunting buddy who was there ordered his Vortex the next day.

stumpy

I thought I would stick this in here instead of opening a new thread since the 1st post answered some of my questions.

I ordered the Vortex Diamondback 8x42 bins this week with some trepidation. I hunt the woods in E Canada, wear glasses for near sightedness, and I am 50 years old. I have used 5x32 Dusk and Dawn bins by Ranging for 20 years. They were produced for Coleman for a couple of years and vanished. Does anyone remember them? They were $100 at the time and I have seen good reviews about them on the web. Mine have seen better days and I have been looking to replace them for some time. I was leaning towards the 6X30 Leupold Yosemite when the 8x42 deal came up. The 8x42 twilight factor is better than the 5x32 or 6x30's and they are only a half pound heavier. I thought they would be a good compromise for woods work and summer field scouting. Now I am not so sure as I have seen reviews that 8x42's have poor depth of field for thick woods . Also they are more bulky and heavy. I mostly ground stand hunt now but sometimes I snow track. What do you think I would I be better off in the woods with the 6x30's or 8x42's? How do they compare in quality of the glass, coatings, and components. Should I get the 6x30's for abusive work and save the 8x42's for the truck?

Also does anyone know how well the 6X30 Leupold Yosemites sold?

Since you are used to 5x it would seem that the 6x would be less of a jump in image size and may fit your acustomed use better than the 8x. I can start to really see a difference in image size when switching from 6 to 8x. I can't imagine you not being happy with the 6x30 Yosemite as a woods hunting binocular. I wouldn't worry too much about 8x. If they are ordered, try 'em and see if they work for you. For me 8x are OK in the woods, but for rifle range sort of distances I do prefer 6-7x. The Yosemite is pretty inexpensive and if you like the 6x, then there are some other options in similar magnification to look at, but they are roof prism glass. The 6x Yosemite also has outstanding eye relief, so should work with your glasses as well.
I think Leupold has sold thousands of Yosemites. Stores I have seen that stock them say they are always out and waiting for the next order. They are a heck of a deal for their price. I had to order them online on faith to get a pair in my hands. I kept the 6x I first ordered and bought an 8x as well.

Shedder, my wife and I each have the Ranging binocular you describe. They won't stay opened out to the right width and I have applied epoxy to mine. Probably had these for 20 years.
I too recently purchased the 8X42 Diamondback. I also have the problem of wearing eyeglasses and no binocular seems to work perfectly with eyeglasses for me. The Diamondback eye relief is 18mm and I think they will be OK. After inspection and tryout, I decided to keep them.

I remember some folks saying that any $85.00 binocular was a waste of money :-) The Yosemite's seem to be good overall and very good for the money. The lens covers and the case it came with are low rent though :-)

Dino in Reno

Yosemites are chinese made. No matter how good, I can't go for that. As are the Diamondbacks, iirc.

Get the Minox.

Well, ChiCom or not my Yosemites and I had a good weekend of scouting; I really like them for our wooded areas here in Oregon.



The little revolver is my Smith 317, no lock, no fiber front sight just a handy little 9-shooter.

I can remember back in 2001, or there abouts, when I probably said "you can't run fast enough to give me a bin that costs less than $200." Well, that has sure changed.
If I were to own only one binocular, it would be a heavy 31 oz., plus, 8X42. But if I were to own two, one would be either the 6X30 Yosemite or the Minox, 6.5X32 IF. It would depend on your preferences.
While the eye relief on the Yosemite is certainly very good, it's eye box is more critical than the Minox. That and it leaks light. However, it is more easily adjusted for the eye glass user, or so it appears. Someone who actually wears them needs to confirm this suspicion.
What I don't know yet is how well these small, cheap 6-6.5X bins work at extended ranges. I assume they won't show me as much as a quality 8X. The next question I'm going to address is how much different are they. Stay tuned. E

I've got em both, to date I am more comfy with the Yo's, although the Min's "feel" a tougher.

But, I haven't been able to make my Yo's whimper yet.

Dober

Thought I'd chime in here, since like E and Dober, I have both the 6x30 Yosemites and Minox 6.5x32 (actually, I have the 8x42 Diamondbacks as well, which I will get to in a minute). Anyway, I got the Yosemites prior to spring turkey hunting here in Missouri and used them on my hunt. They were outstanding, such nice glass for a paltry sum. Their lightness and "handiness" were ideal for that application. I anticipate using them during bow season this fall.

I had bought the Yosemites after Doug/CameraLand sold out of the Minox on a great deal back in January. Then, the same deal came back again on them, so I ordered a pair. Unfortunately, they came the day after turkey season ended. However, I have used them, the Yosemites, and the Diamondbacks on two vacations this summer, the first at one at one of the large lakes in southern Missouri where I glassed a lot across the lake from the 5th floor of a condo complex, mostly at dusk, and just for looking at stuff on the lake at distance. All three binoculars were excellent, but I think the Minox has the best glass. One thing that was interesting was that one of the evenings when I was out on the deck with all the binos, just messing around, my wife, who has basically pretty much never used binoculars, came out and wanted to take a look. She used all three sets, but when she looked through the Minox, she just said, "Wow, these are amazing!" The second vacation was up in the Wisconsin Dells area, and I used the Yosemites and Minox there extensively, while on some hikes. Again, the Minox to me were just a bit better. They are heavier, but I like that, for steadying purposes.

So, Shed, for your use, I would recommend the Minox, with the Yosemites a close second. If cost is a concern, get the Yosemites, because you can't beat the value for the money. The Diamondbacks are real nice for the money, too (especially at the $129 deal Doug has on the Coyote Brown blemished units), but their 8x may be too much for your purposes.

Hope I did not confuse anyone. I have never had a decent pair of binocs until getting into this website late last year, but I am now addicted and you guys are to blame. I have enjoyed immensely using all my binocs for a lot of purposes this summer, and cannot wait to use them for their primary purpose this fall, hunting!

Crusader

Thanks for the info. I guess 6x30's and 8x42's are different enough to make them specialized. The 6x30's might be better for hunting according to what you and others here say. I will have to look for a cheap pair. I haven't got the 8x42's yet. I will have to decide then whether to keep them. If they are much better than what I am used to I likely will not be able to part with them.

Thanks you have some good info especially on woods usuage.

I'm on my 2nd pair of 8x30 Yosemites.

6x for me just doesn't have the reach, even at woods ranges, to bring out fine detail on bird plumages (we're talking sub-5" birds here) although a decent 6x image in general is wonderfully relaxing to use.

A big problem with the 8x Yosemites is that the eye relief is just 14mm (as opposed to 20mm on the 6x) and just barely reaches the end of the twisted-up eyecups, making the 8x Yosemites much less user-friendly.

I have also noticed the same effect with the 8x as E has with the 6x, that is outside light from certain angles leaking into the eyecups.

Typical of an 8x30 setup too, the low light performance of these things is merely adequate, not approaching for example the "night vision" effect of a good 7x42.

For me lens covers are an absolute necessity as my binocs are almost never cased (when I need them I need them too quickly for that) and often ride around on the floorboards of my car.

Any number of aftermarket tethered set ups will fit (including rubber Swaros), with my Yosemites I have had great success with hinged, sprung scope covers (oriented so that the covers swing towards the middle).

All things considered I find them satisfactory for daily use, they may be inexpensive but they ain't "cheap". And considerable thought went into the design... 400' FOV, lightweight, small, less than one turn of the focus wheel lock to lock, and an admirably stiff diopter adjustment.

My first pair handily withstood a few months of daily use/abuse (over the years I have broken A LOT of binocs).

What happened to my first pair was I gave 'em away to a good friend to use on her hummingbird feeder. Easy gifting, yet another plus of ~$100 binocs

My present pair are the all-black version which I would recommend, my old tan pair were looking decidedly grubby after heavy use.

Those Minox are undoubtedly excellent for the price but IF needs two hands and is way slow when half-seconds count. I figure at the very least the Yosemites, 6x or 8x, deserve serious consideration as knock about/loaners, as well as use as the primary pair for those of us having to squeeze every last dime.

OTOH a 7x30 Yosemite version might become the Holy Grail of $100 binocs.

Birdwatcher

Thanks for the review Birdwatcher. There were some really good points there I had not seen elsewhere.

I got my 8x42 Diamondback Coyote DBKCOY-428 $129.99 bins from the deal here, last week, and decided to keep them . I was leaning towards the 6x30 Yosemite's and may still get a pair but the Vortex bins were hard to pass up. When I first looked through them with my eyeglasses on I was not too impressed. Then I found I could take my glasses off and still use them. By turning the center focus down hard and adjusting the diopter I could see much better. I should have contacts to get the most out of them. The 420' field of view really sold me and the clarity was better than I am used to. I saw 2 does and a fawn crossing the hill Friday around 5 and I went up to check the bins on them. I got lucky and had them at 50 yards with the sun at my back. The image was brilliant and sharp. That evening 0.5 hours past sunset, I tried them in the woods and, when I couldn't see anything with the naked eye, I could see 20-30 yards back into the trees. I would have been able to make out a buck. I compared them to my 5x32 bins and I was surprised that the 5x32's held their own. They were cloudy from 20 years of abuse but still bright enough that they are useful. I can see the whole FOV with glasses on and shake is much less with than the 8x42's. With any degree of panting or excitement, the 8x42's are difficult to hold but that shouldn't be a problem on a stand. It was a problem, however, when I was looking at one of the nicest bucks I have ever seen on Saturday night. There is some slop in the diopter adjustment and the CF could be a little better but I can live with it. I was puzzled by the rubber ocular cover strap slot being cut on one side. Does anyone know the purpose of that?

It's cut so it'll hang to one side while viewing through the binos, but can still be somewhat firmly attached to the strap on both sides for storage/transport.

That was my assumption but it was not clear if there was an advantage to that versus having slots for both straps, like my bino buddy has. More practice will reveal which works best. The vortex ocular covers do seem too big though and often fall off. Likely they made one size to fit all their bins.