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Kowa Genesis/XD 8x33 and 10x33 (1 Viewer)

dalat

...
Switzerland
Hi,

I read in a report about the Photokina fair that Kowa will introduce the XD33. Here picture and specifications:
http://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/file.php?4,file=297

Sounds very interesting with 140 m field of view (120m for the 10x) and 600 g weight (not in the flyer, that's what the guy wrote who tested them at the fair ). Apparently will be introduced in 2009 at around 850 €.

Florian
 
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Thanks for that Florian. I've tried the 8.5x44s (superb) and if these are the same optical standard, the lower weight and superb field of view could make them a real winner.

Sean
 
The specs sound excellent, especially the FOV and close focus. The only slightly disappointing figure is the eye relief of 15mm, which could prove marginal for spectacle wearers.

I tried the 44mm model some time ago and thought it was excellent, apart from the weight which would probably rule it out of contention for me. There is no such problem with the weight of the 33mm version.

Ron
 
Genesis 8x33 could be a bit of a goer for sure. I reckon as technology improves the middle guys catch up quickly with the big players. In the end you find yourself trying to find a reason to spend so much more on a "big brand" binocular that you know in heart of hearts is just not worth it.

Stan, did kowa come back to you?
 
ah, but Kowa aren't mid-range players. Their new 88mm scope is widely regarded as the best available, and these bins use similar glass. The XD44 bins are top-end optically, so we must just hope the 33mm versions are as good. I'd trade a fractional loss of brightness for the better FOV and weight of the 33's.
The XD33s could mark Kowa's big breakthrough into the alpha bins market.


Sean
 
Yes! Sollas--Kowa Europe replied that the launch date is Jan 09.I hope they dont decide to do a Swarovski or Nikon and delay launch.
 
Are these units set to be distributed in the US anytime soon? After reading Holger Merlitz's comparison with two other more familiar optics this Kowa series has me intrigued but I have yet to handle the larger model. The smaller model might suit my needs more.
 
Has anyone any first-hand experience with the 8x33's? I'm interested in a pair but they are not available locally.
 
They still seem to be difficult to find in my neck of the woods at this point. Hopefully more info/experiences will surface on them shortly.
 
Kowa had a pair on display & I believe a few for sale at the CMBO's Optics Sale last month. I did play around with them for a few minutes and they seemed quite nice although a bit bigger (longer) than most 8x33 bins. Generally a nice image but I did not have a chance to really test them out in an outdoor birding situation. Not sure that at $1,000+ they are a good buy. The next time I'm in Cape May (probably mid May) I'll stop in the CMBO store at Northwood Center and give them a better try out.
 
Kowa Binoculars are excellent I recently compared my Kowa 8x32 BD not the new 8x33 to a Swarovski EL 8x32 side by side test in early morning. the $480 Kowas image was just as good as the Swarovski in every respect , brightness, contrast ,image detail, dark and bright objects. I was so unimpressed with the Swarovski EL cost versus same image quality that I sent them back to Eagle optics.Yes the Kowa binoculars are that good, my Guess is the new Prominar 8x33 and 10x33 are even better though I have not looked through them. And NO I do not work for Kowa they are just superb optics and build for the money,from my experience I believe the top 3 Alpha binoculars hype are a waste of money and are just brand snobbery. New optics today are matching the big 3 for much less and same quality be it Kowa , Zen Ray , Meopta, and Vortex .You really can get a excellent binocular these days for under $1,000 the big 3 have superb build quality but thier optics no longer are perfection in every way.
 
Kowa Binoculars are excellent I recently compared my Kowa 8x32 BD not the new 8x33 to a Swarovski EL 8x32 side by side test in early morning. the $480 Kowas image was just as good as the Swarovski in every respect , brightness, contrast ,image detail, dark and bright objects. I was so unimpressed with the Swarovski EL cost versus same image quality that I sent them back to Eagle optics.Yes the Kowa binoculars are that good, my Guess is the new Prominar 8x33 and 10x33 are even better though I have not looked through them. And NO I do not work for Kowa they are just superb optics and build for the money,from my experience I believe the top 3 Alpha binoculars hype are a waste of money and are just brand snobbery. New optics today are matching the big 3 for much less and same quality be it Kowa , Zen Ray , Meopta, and Vortex .You really can get a excellent binocular these days for under $1,000 the big 3 have superb build quality but thier optics no longer are perfection in every way.

Agreed. The gap is closing, at least optically. Chinese bins could still do a bit more in terms of build quality and QC.

I hope Zen Ray/Promaster/Hawke makes an 8x32 open bridged ED model.

I'm interested to find out if the new Kowa 8x33 ED has the same lack of pincushion as the full sized bins. That was a "non-starter" for me after reading Holger's review.

The fullsized LX and LX L have the same issue, no pincushion so the images roll very noticeably while panning, though it appears that most users are able to adapt, and the rolling ball "disappears" for them eventually.

The mid-sized LX models have some pincushion so the "rolling ball" is much less and I find it tolerable (the also have some field curvature).

Perhaps the mid-sized Kowa ED series will also have some pincushion?

If anyone has tried one, please include comments about the smoothness of the image while panning. Thanks.

Brock
 
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