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Pros - Comes with a no-questions-asked total coverage warranty - Outstanding image quality - Excellent light transmission - Wide field of view Cons - Only waterproof to 16 feet - Slightly short eye relief - Actually manufactured in China

>Welcome to our review of the Minox MD 50W 16–30×50 Spotting Scope. Minox is known for high quality German optics, so I was eager to learn how well the MD 50W would rate among the competition. Imagine my disappointment to learn the glass was actually manufactured in China! Let’s take a look anyways, and see how well the scope performs.

The Minox MD 50W comes with a 50mm objective lens and an angled eyepiece. Eye relief is a tad bit short, at 20 to 22mm, but it’s still easy to use with or without eyeglasses. This model is compact, measuring 9.25 inches and weighing just 1.52 pounds.

What Comes in the Package?

Naturally, you’ll want to know what you get for your money. This is pretty much a barebons package, including the following items in the box:

• The Minox MD 50W 16–30×50 Spotting Scope itself
• A soft carrying case
• Lens caps

You don’t get a hard carrying case or a tripod, unfortunately (although most included tripods are crap anyways.) The soft carrying case is nice, and offers padding to protect your investment.

What’s the Magnification of the Minox MD 50W 16–30×50 Spotting Scope

Through the 50mm objective lens, you can enjoy magnification levels from 16X to 30X. Your image is crisp and clear, and the scope is fantastic for everything from birdwatching to target shooting, and even some basic backyard astronomy. The image is free of chromatic aberration, showcasing the quality put into grinding and treating the optics. Your linear field of view will range from 154 feet at 16X (from 1,000 yards) to almost 105 feet at 30X magnification.

How Easy is the Scope to Use?

The MD 50W is one of the easiest spotting scopes to use, in my experience. Adjusting the zoom level is done by rotating a wheel on the eyepiece, which has plenty of ridging for use with or without gloves or with slipper hands, and the focus wheel is much the same. The focus wheel, located just forward of the spotting scope’s “shoulder,” it large and easy to manipulate. The integrated tripod mount rotates, allowing you to easily adjust the viewing angle for your best comfort level.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on This Model?

Even though this glass only features a 50mm objective lens, transmittance is quite good. The twilight factor of the scope ranges from 28.3 to 38.7, and while I’ve seen better, it’s still quite adequate for lowlight conditions and viewing the Galilean moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn. The optics are fully multicoated, allowing for this great light transmission.

How Are the Optics and Focus?

While Minox doesn’t explicitly state it, this model appears to utilize a roof prism design with BaK–4 prism glass. The refraction is amazing, and the lack of any noticeable phase shift points to judicious application of phase correction coatings on the prisms. Throughout the whole range of magnification, you should notice amazing color reproduction, resolution, contrast, and clarity. The focus and magnification wheels rotate smoothly, with just enough friction to keep them from moving when you don’t want them to.

What’s the Housing Made From?

Minox has built this spotting scope with a sturdy but lightweight body, using rubber armoring to ensure a good grip and also provide you with some shock resistance. While no tripod is included, you can easily mount this spotting scope on any standard photography tripod. The tripod mounting ring rotates around the scope, allowing you to position the eyepiece for optimal convenience and comfort.

How Durable is the Scope?

This model is shockproof, waterproof, and fogproof. The lenses are O-ring sealed, and the optical chamber is nitrogen-purged. The whole package is protected by a lifetime warranty that offers no-questions-asked protection, so it’s definitely built to last.