The Bonelli 2.0 is the latest, top of the range model from Kite Optics based in Belgium. Like much of their range it's made by Kamakura Japan who are responsible for many of the better binoculars from the more familiar brands.
It's been out a few months now, but has been in short supply and I didn't get to see it until the UK birding show in August. I liked what I saw and the company has been kind enough to loan me the 8x42 for a couple of weeks for evaluation. I've given it a full workout and tried to be as objective as I can be in my observations but some conclusions are a matter of personal taste and not necessarily rational.
I imagine Kite Optics will be unfamiliar to many here from outside mainland Europe. It is a family company based in Belgium that has been sourcing and commissioning optics, primarily for the birdwatching community, since 1984. In recent years the company appears to have been expanding rapidly on the mainland and now has 15 outlets in the UK as well, and at least a toe hold in the US through Eagle Optics.
http://kiteoptics.com/en/company
The Bonelli 2.0 is currently listed alongside the original, and still very good Bonelli and shares a very similar specification. Unfortunately I didn't compare them directly at BirdFair when I had the opportunity but I believe the optical configuration is the same, but my reaction to the ergonomics and viewing are quite different and I've found the new version offers a much more rewarding experience.
The most striking visual thing about the design is the squarish cross section to the armour and the sort of hunched shoulders look. The armour has a fine surface texture and a certain amount of give, but perhaps perhaps not the the most grippy compound around. I think it looks smart though with the black anodised metalwork and grey armour. The indents for the thumbs are unusually in the right place for me and it actually doesn't feel quite as bulky in the hand as it looks and I thought offered a very balance and stable grip. Overall the Bonelli 2.0 gives the impression that there is a high quality solidity about the design and construction unlike some possible alternatives.
I found it sat very comfortably in the eye sockets leaving plenty of room for my nose which can occasionally be a problem with my IPD.... and nose! The eyecups extend in three stages.The listed 18.5mm ER is rather more than I would normally need using glasses and I expect to need the first stop, but even fully down there was no sign of blackouts. Ease of eye positioning seems to be one of the particularly appealing features of the Bonelli 2.0.
The focus is particularly smooth and light with no backlash I could detect. From close focus to 5m was about 1.1 clockwise rotations and from there to infinity another 0.6 turns. Perhaps a bit more leisurely than some binoculars I'm used to but with the fingertip control no problems at all. The dioptre adjustment is in the usual place on the right eyepiece. No fancy locking or anything, just a rather stiff (maybe too stiff for some), viscous movement. I thought the hinge well tensioned.
The rainguard is quite a reasonable fit, but the mismatch of the squarish profile of the barrels and a round objective cover is a bit annoying. They do work, but it takes far too long to fit and remove them for my liking.
At 820g or 29 ounces the Bonelli 2.0 is about the same as a couple of my other binoculars and probably as much as I'd want hanging on a neck strap all day. I haven't fitted the supplied strap for the review but it's 38mm wide and relatively soft so should be fine but some might be more comfortable with a harness for long periods.
A fairly trivial point but I'm personally not particularly keen on the case supplied. It seems a bit utilitarian and the green panels are a bit too green for me but there is plenty of padding in places and generous room inside.
As usual, it's the optical performance that really interests me. The Bonelli really is very good indeed but it also appears to buck the current trends in current optical design and may well give some pause for thought.
Kite told me the transmission has improved 4% from the previous version and the values for 450, 550 and 650nm were 84, 93 and 90% respectively. Not quite a flat transmission but the colours look clean, bright, vibrant and entirely natural to me. 93% transmission at 550nm puts it up with the very best Schmidt-Pechan roof prism designs and it shows in low light comparisons. By moonlight, or across a field lit by a distant street light, the Bonelli 2.0 view is quite noticeably brighter and the detail crisper compared to the others I have.
The field of view at 7.5 (60 afov) is not exceptional these days and there is more field curvature than I was probably expecting. The view is actually sharp to the edge with refocusing, but in poorer light the sweetspot does start to shrink, though this is probably less obvious to younger eyes than mine. I'm generally happy with both flat and curved field design, finding the latter offers better depth perception and spatial positioning. The Bonelli does that extremely well. I know the centre DOF and stereopsis should be the same for all 8x SP prism binoculars but the Bonelli does an excellent job of trying to convince you it does it better. Somehow it seems to conjure up a more three dimensional experience than my other roofs can manage.
Glare handling is very good indeed. All the visible surfaces appear well engineered and blackened. From the rear there are a couple of bright spots about two millimetres outside the exit pupils but those are rear reflections and would normally be blocked by the eyecup. I've tried all kinds of light conditions and and I've struggled to find any weakness at all. If the sun is literally just a dangerous degree or two outside the fov there is a veiling milkiness but overall this counts as really one of the very best I've seen. The Kite description refers to "large format prisms" which I imagine help in this regard.
The Bonelli 2.0 does not have ED glass in the design which some will see as a serious omission in a binocular at this price. It means that both longitudinal and lateral CA are present, but in practice I found it really only apparent when the eye positioning strayed off centre. It's an area where other binoculars do better but do feel much more forgiving than perhaps I have been in the past. The Bonelli offers much more than most of those in the way of other redeeming virtues.
Those who regularly read my reports will know I'm in the habit of estimating both full aperture binocular resolution and effective resolution for the centre 20mm of the objective which is most crucial in optimum viewing conditions for an 8x binocular. The effective resolution result was really exceptional, quite the best I've tested. This binocular delivers detail far beyond what what the eye can see, but it's real benefit is to offer amongst the cleanest, most pristine views I seen with any binocular. There is a naturalness, a lack of distortion, a richness in detail and clarity that I feel is inexplicably rare. It really is a bit special and, on balance, I think I might put up with a little bit of colour fringing occasionally.
The Bonelli 2.0 is quite an expensive binocular and I'm sure some will expect all the bells and whistles that often go with the price tag. However if you prize top quality engineering and exceptional optical performance first and foremost, then the Bonelli 2.0 might be the one for you.
There is a slightly more detailed report and discussion in the binocular section.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=312312
David
