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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Kowa 8.5x44 Genesis ED (1 Viewer)

Peter_Perfect said:
You did not mention the weight which I think approaches 1Kg. If this is so then I regard them as too heavy for comfort. :C

That is a very good guess. Here are the specs from the Kowa site

Product Highlights
Specifications
Model Genesis 44-8x Genesis 44-10x
Magnification 8.5x 10.5x
Objective Lens Diameter 44mm 44mm
Minimum Focus Distance 1.7m 1.7m
Real Field of View 7.0 degree 6.2 degree
Apparent Field of View 60.0 degree 65.0 degree
Exit Pupil Diameter 5.2mm 4.2mm
Relative Brightness 16.0 10.2
Twilight Factor 27.0 17.6
Eye-Relief 18.3mm 16.0mm
Field of View at 1,000m/yds 122m/yds 108m/yds
Length 165mm
Width 138mm
Height 64mm
Weight 950g 965g

Features
Prominar XD Lens
Two Prominar XD Lens elements eliminate chromatic aberration for a clear view.

Magnesium Body
Light and durable Magnesium frame

Phase Coating on the Roof Prism
The prism has phase correction coating and a highly reflective aluminum coating to ensure sharp images and accurate color reproduction. Through the use of a Bak4 prism Kowa is able to give you bright, clear images all the way to the edge of the objective lens.

Fully Multi-Coated Optics
All lenses and prisms are manufactured with multilayered coating, ensuring a bright and clear visual range.

Waterproof and Nitrogen Purged
The housing is waterproof and filled with dry nitrogen gas to prevent the lens from fogging. The binoculars can be used in the rain and other harsh weather conditions. (Not intended for underwater use)

Minimum Focusing Distance of 5.5 feet
With a minimum focusing distance of only 5.5 feet, these binoculars can be used for many purposes.

Easy to Use Twist-Up Eyecup
All of the Genesis Series binoculars have twist-up eyecups suitable for both eyeglass wearers and non-eyeglass wearers.

Inner Focusing Mechanism
Easy focusing and a smooth turning focus wheel. Through the use of an inner focusing mechanism, the light, compact design of the Genesis Series was made possible.

C3 Coating
Kowa's roof prism binoculars use the schmidt-Pechan prism. One surface of the Pechan prism does not provide total reflection, so we have applied a highly reflective multi-coating of dielectrics (C3 Coating). This allows for a much higher reflectivity than with coatings of silver or optically-enhanced aluminum, offering a reflectance of 99% or higher across the entire visible spectrum (400 to 700mm). Not only does this provide bright and sharp images, but accurate color reproduction is also achieved. Furthermore, the roof surface of the Schmidt prism is phase coated (phase correction coated) to prevent the loss of contrast and image resolution.

Warranty: Lifetime of the product
 
I tried them at the bird fair they are fantastic bins, very bright and very sharp. They are on the heavier side but never the less still fighting for a place with the other top four. The same goes for the new scopes when they become available later this year.
 
Paul Jarvis said:
I tried them at the bird fair they are fantastic bins, very bright and very sharp. They are on the heavier side but never the less still fighting for a place with the other top four. The same goes for the new scopes when they become available later this year.

Did you have a chance to compare them with Swaro or Zeiss? The specs are just what I'm looking for since I really like the 8.5x44 format. They are also making a 10.5x44 ED.

Ed
 
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This is a Excellent binocular both optically and build clear and bright views 5.5 ft close focus this binocular beats Swarovski and Zeiss and Leica, I like the eyecups too unlike the cheap Leica and swarovski version eyecups This binocular also has a 44mm objective and the 8.5x44 power objective is perfect day or night use Swarovski and Zeiss and Leica are way over rated I viewed them all and Kowa builds better binoculars than the others this Binocular has a lifetime warranty Kowa has been building top of the line spotting scopes and thier New binoculars are just as good Kowa is over looked and a secret as far as Highest quality optics go anyone who tries any Kowa binocular will be pleasantly surprised at the high quality they are This is the binocular I am saving for now .
 
In case anybody hasn't noticed, there is a review of these in the Equipment Reviews section of this site. They sound very good, apart from the weight.

Ron
 
What with these are their new 883 scope, looks like Kowa have now overtaken the top 3 Germans in both Departments?[/QUOTE

Not sure what the 3 top Germans are, Zeiss, Leica and one other I guess.

Gwynn a brit living in AUSTRIA!!!!!!
 
I was the fortunate winner of the first 8.5X44's in the country. First impressions were good with exellent build quality but as the weather was bright I did not get the opportunity to test them in adverse conditions until Mar. in Hokkaido. In poor night-light coditions we saw a Blakiston's Owl and through the Kowa's I was able to get some plumage details not seen though my Leica Ultravids. Coupled with that with the fact that even at -16deg C the focussing was unbelievably smooth (compared to the lumpy Leicas) I was left sorry that I had not waited until the Kowas were available.
Wrt the weight Kowa recognise that the fluorite glass increases the weight and included a back harness similar to Opticron/Viking etc. and my prize posed no problems despite prolonged use in the field for my 95 kg wife. (I no longer have first access to the bins!!)
In conclusion I would have no hestation reccommending a trial for anyone looking for quality optics, particularly as they retail at considerably less than competitors
 
Yet another mistake on my posting - I'm covered in embarassment at quoting my wife's weight as 95Kg -Please knock 40 Kg off for the quickest paper weight loss in history!
 
What with these are their new 883 scope, looks like Kowa have now overtaken the top 3 Germans in both Departments?
This is very True however many people do not know about Kowa binoculars they are new to binoculars but their optics are top notch made in Japan you have to look through one look at the build quality too very impressive.
 
Hi,

I found the review of the Kowa XD binoculars in the British magazine Birdwatch being available on the internet. It's here http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=817&Itemid=42

This adds to the reviews by yours truly (see review section) and by Holger Merlitz: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/kowa85x44.html

For German subscribers, or anyone capable of deciphering the German language (which can be pretty dense), yet another three are available here: http://www.fernoptik.com/login.php?sess=ll461d6ss62c9p7mefbvtq6l05


Renze
 
collected a pair 8.5's late today. p/x'd my 10x42 ultravid's and a few other bits for them. absolutely superb, no fringing, sticky focus wheel, blaa..blaa half the price of leica HD's at £750.00 and no bulkier than swaro's. well pleased...
 
And it seems much less than the pending Nikons, too. Good to hear from another satisfied Kowa pioneer. These sound very appealing to me.
 
I have had my 8.5x44 XD for about 2 months. I would say it is a 'killer'; it kills other binoculars, and kills itself.

In a sunny day, I used it together with 2 Leica ultravid and a Zeiss FL to watch some black-neck gooses in a snow-covered lake. After the test, I threw away the ultravids because of their unacceptable CA: I saw strong and wide purple frings aound the black necks of the birds against white snow, which even made accurate focusing difficult. With FL, the color frings are visible but very thin and not distractive. With KOWA XD, I needed some effort to see the color frings in most part of the image field.

Now, I am thinking of another sale: let go this XD. The greenish color cast I have noticed with this XD is very annoying. It makes the image look plain and flat, and lack the ‘vivid feel’ that I enjoy with the ultravids and FL.

By the way, among these binoculars, I think the focusing wheel and rubber armor are the best with XD. Those with FL feel slippy.

My ideal binoculars will be a combination of XD (CA control), ultravid (great color and 3-D feel) and FL (crystal clear brightness, wide FOV).
 
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