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Minox ZA-5 review

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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Minox ZA-5 review
    Posted: December/26/2010 at 19:14
FWIW, I ordered the 3-15x42. The ocular is loose and I can't get it to focus at higher magnification. The fast focus eye piece moves around taking the reticle with it. Eye relief is closer to 6 inches than 4. Overall not impressed with the one I received. Then again, as some of you know, I have a rare gift of getting the only bad scope a company ever makes.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bricat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 09:16
Sorry to hear that, sounds like you got a lemon. I'm sure Minox will make it right. I have the ZA3 and I absolutely love it - no issues.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote outlawskinnyd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 10:58
thats very unfortunate...

i havent been on these forums that long, what other scopes have you gotten that are lemons?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 16:34
Originally posted by jetwrnch jetwrnch wrote:

FWIW, I ordered the 3-15x42. The ocular is loose and I can't get it to focus at higher magnification. The fast focus eye piece moves around taking the reticle with it. Eye relief is closer to 6 inches than 4. Overall not impressed with the one I received. Then again, as some of you know, I have a rare gift of getting the only bad scope a company ever makes.

That does not sound good at all.

Contact Minox.  They will take care of you.

As a side note, you do have a very special kind of luck.

ILya
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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 18:55
Originally posted by outlawskinnyd outlawskinnyd wrote:

thats very unfortunate...

i havent been on these forums that long, what other scopes have you gotten that are lemons?


I have three Trijicon Accupoints and all three have required service. The ring on the objective bell fell off of a 1.25-4x24. Another one of the same model had an internal o-ring splat against a lens, grease and all. The third, a 3-9x40, has a cracked triangle. An Elite 4200 had a loose reticle that would rotate with the fast focus. A Zeiss Conquest had several issues out of the box, including ring marks and scratched lenses. All but Bushnell made good very quickly. FWIW, I think a major contributor to my issues has been using a lead sled type rest at the range. I have no proof of this but it seems logical that the scope is getting a lot of recoil followed by a sudden stop. I never had any issues until getting that type of rest. The strongest round I fired was a 30-06 factory load. i now try to buy light weight scopes to minimize the inertia. I shoot light weight rifles so it seems logical that the scope would absorb more of the recoil than it would if mounted on a heavy rifle. Just SWAGS at this points. (Scientific Wild Ass Guesses.) The only scope brand I've never broken is an Aimpoint. All of this explains my avatar, courtesy of The Ed Show, if memory serves.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 19:04
" It's jetwrnch!!!!   BACK!!  BACK!!!  "   
 
      
 
 
 
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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/27/2010 at 19:05
Originally posted by bricat bricat wrote:

Sorry to hear that, sounds like you got a lemon. I'm sure Minox will make it right. I have the ZA3 and I absolutely love it - no issues.


With the rifle secured try moving the fast focus eye piece laterally.  If I push mine in any direction my point of impact shifts around an inch at 100 yards. Anything above 10x will not come into focus.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jjyoung Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/09/2011 at 20:48
I just wanted to report that I ordered a Minox 4-20x50 and had the same problems as jetwrnch.  The scope tube behind the zoom ring would move up/down/side to side when pushed with my hand.  The scope was impossible to use above 12x.  The eye relief was also closer to 6" and impossible to mount and use do to a very finicky eye box.  The glass was very clear in the center and very distorted and blurry about halfway out of the center.  I am very disappointed with the scope and returned for a refund.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/10/2011 at 10:09
Originally posted by jetwrnch jetwrnch wrote:

Originally posted by bricat bricat wrote:

Sorry to hear that, sounds like you got a lemon. I'm sure Minox will make it right. I have the ZA3 and I absolutely love it - no issues.


With the rifle secured try moving the fast focus eye piece laterally.  If I push mine in any direction my point of impact shifts around an inch at 100 yards. Anything above 10x will not come into focus.

This is a very interesting phenomenon.  Just out of curiosity, can you take a snapshot of they eyepice with the reticle properly focused for your eye and post the picture?

I currentl have Minox scopes on my hands: 4-20x50, 3-15x50 and two 1.5-8x32, and none of them have anything resembling this problem, so I am very curious.

Thanks
ILya
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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/10/2011 at 13:46
Sorry. I've returned both scopes. From what I've learned reading your site, the focus issue has more to do with my eyes than the scope. I'm sure a side focus scope would solve the problem. My main concerns were the overly loose eye pieces. The scope's eye pieces were not equally loose, so manufacturing tolerances became questionable. None of the other fast focus scopes I have displayed this issue. If someone needs to back the eye piece out any distance, the point of impact shifts significantly with any lateral eye piece movement. The eye piece would not return to center on it's own without threading it back into the ocular bell.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/10/2011 at 13:50
If for whatever reason you turned the eyepiece too far in the negative diopter direction, the eyepiece could conceivably start getting wobbly as it loses thread support. 
 
Not saying that's what happened in your case, but that could be a possible explanation.
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jjyoung Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/10/2011 at 19:19
The scope I had did the same thing with point of impact moving significantly.  I could look through the scope and push down on the rear of the scope as I watched through the scope and see the cross hairs move at least a foot at 100 yards.  It was not only the eyepiece itself that would move but the whole tube behind the zoom ring.  This would happen with the eyepiece screwed all the way in.  I returned the scope I had and am exchanging it for the 3-15x50.  Only reason I am trying the 3-15x50 is to see if it does the same thing.  I will report back my findings when I get the new scope.  
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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/12/2011 at 15:26
THANK YOU! I was afraid it was just me Excellent
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SD Dog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/14/2011 at 19:21
jjyoung or jetwrnch, any updates?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jjyoung Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/14/2011 at 20:40
The scope is out of stock for two weeks.  I'm guessing it will  be a month until I have one in my hands again.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/14/2011 at 23:19
Nothing to update on my end. I'm sticking with Trijicon and Zeiss for now. Two bad scopes in a row was enough for me. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jjyoung Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/16/2011 at 20:08
I will not be getting another minox for review.  I decided not to wait and go with another conquest.  At least I know what I will be getting this time. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnfox Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/19/2011 at 17:51
Originally posted by jjyoung jjyoung wrote:

The scope I had did the same thing with point of impact moving significantly.  I could look through the scope and push down on the rear of the scope as I watched through the scope and see the cross hairs move at least a foot at 100 yards.  


My ZA3 3-9x is doing the same thing....

Minox, you've got a problem!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/22/2011 at 15:44
I raised this issue with Minox and they told me that the loose eyepiece was an assembly problem on a small number of early scopes.  It has since been addressed and all current scopes go through 100% QC inspection to catch problems like this.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote brodeur272 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/22/2011 at 16:36
Ilya,
 
Glad to hear that!  I was worried I might have issues with my two 1.5-8s. 
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