Kite Bonelli 2.0 8x42 (2 Viewers)

bonesmalones · Oct 16, 2017

I was lucky enough to stumble across these as Eagle Optics had them on sale (their last pair). I had never heard of them before and found this thread started by typo:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=312312&highlight=Kite+Bonelli

I also own a pair of Nikon EDG 8x32 and Kowa Genesis 8.5x44. My Portuguese sister in law who knows nothing about binoculars looked through all three and when she got to the Kite she said "Oh my God these are so clear." Yep.

typo · Oct 17, 2017

Great find!

Earlier this summer a visit to Cley Spy gave me a chance to briefly compare the Bonelli 2.0 with the Kowa Genesis, Meostar HD and Monarch HG. An interesting shootout! For me, the Nikon trailed that group but it was a close call on the other three. CA control might have swung it for the Kowa overall, but I'd agree, the "Oh my God these are so clear" rating went to the Kite.

Have fun.:t:

David

bonesmalones · Oct 17, 2017

Thanks David they are fun. I think the EDG was closest in terms of a comparable view. I like the colors better on the Kite though. I need a 10x binocular and was considering the Monarch HG but now I think I'll reconsider. The bar has been raised for me. And the price tag lowered?

BruceH · Oct 18, 2017

I was watching that unit on the Eagle site and wondering when it was going to sell. It is great a forum member bought. I did remember David's comments a while back on how it looked to have superior resolution.

Is it correct that the Bonelli does not have ED glass? It is hard to tell because of all the marketing names used by the different companies. If not, do you notice any impact on CA or color bias? I get the impression from your previous post that it may be close to color neutral.

Thanks.

typo · Oct 19, 2017

Bruce,

The Bonelli doesn't have ED glass. Bones might see things differently but I didn't find CA troublesome. It was really only noticable when my eye wasn't quite aligned, and then easily corrected. Real colour neutrality is tricky to pin down, but more at the red end meant for me the colour was better balanced than the FL and HT for example.

Bones,

Raising the bar and lowering price is a tough one. There are other high end Kamakuras around from Maven, Styrka, GPO and the like which I haven't seen but sound very promising. (I have had a quick look at a factory sample of a AK prismed 9x45 which really impressed, but I don't know how it might have differed from the Maven.) I've always rather liked the Razor HD 10x50, but I've not seen a sample since production moved to China. The Meopta Meostar HD 10x42 is very good as well, but it was the 12x50 HD that really wowed me. With the Cabelas buyout and new stuff in the wings, there may be some good deals in the next 12 months. Unfortunately none of those are likely to better the price you paid for the Kite, and even on the used market it going to be some time before a Noctivid might fall into that range.

It doesn't mean there aren't gems to be found amongst lesser models but it usually means some luck and some compromises. Only you can decide your priorities. That sample of the Fujinon version of the Sightron BSII I was sent for review was right up there on the "OMG" factor, but it wouldn't challenge the top dogs for transmission, CA or engineering. Would the next one I find be as good? One Terra ED 10x42 sample out of perhaps a dozen I've tried easily outgunned the Conquest HDs on the OMG scale but the others were very ordinary. Lower on the price scale seems to be a bit of a lottery, but the only answer I know is, try before you buy.

Good luck,

David

adhoc · Oct 19, 2017

David/Others, what is the difference between the OMG Factor and the Wow Factor? (Other than religious perhaps.) Thank you! ;-)

typo · Oct 19, 2017

adhoc said:
David/Others, what is the difference between the OMG Factor and the Wow Factor? (Other than religious perhaps.) Thank you! ;-)

Adhoc,

Some years ago someone asked for a definition of "Wow factor" and my answer at the time was "crystalline clarity". Others listed factors like field flatness, edge sharpness, CA control, and brightness. Things that hardly get considered at all in my definition. No surprise there was little common ground in favourite models.

Bones' Portuguise friend's "Oh my God these are so clear" when compared to the EDG and the Genesis sounds reassuringly like my Wow factor definition. OMG sounds much more user friendly than the contrast and spatial frequency explaination I've be known to resort to recently.

David

bonesmalones · Oct 19, 2017

BruceH said:
I was watching that unit on the Eagle site and wondering when it was going to sell. It is great a forum member bought. I did remember David's comments a while back on how it looked to have superior resolution.

Is it correct that the Bonelli does not have ED glass? It is hard to tell because of all the marketing names used by the different companies. If not, do you notice any impact on CA or color bias? I get the impression from your previous post that it may be close to color neutral.

Thanks.

Hi Bruce,

I think the colors are neutral on the Kite and the CA is there, but no worse than the EDG. I see about the same amount of CA on those. The striking thing about the Kite is the clarity as David pointed out in his review. Just amazing razor sharp. They are extremely well built in an elegant way I think. A nice binocular that should get more attention.

bonesmalones · Oct 19, 2017

typo said:
Bruce,

The Bonelli doesn't have ED glass. Bones might see things differently but I didn't find CA troublesome. It was really only noticable when my eye wasn't quite aligned, and then easily corrected. Real colour neutrality is tricky to pin down, but more at the red end meant for me the colour was better balanced than the FL and HT for example.

Bones,

Raising the bar and lowering price is a tough one. There are other high end Kamakuras around from Maven, Styrka, GPO and the like which I haven't seen but sound very promising. (I have had a quick look at a factory sample of a AK prismed 9x45 which really impressed, but I don't know how it might have differed from the Maven.) I've always rather liked the Razor HD 10x50, but I've not seen a sample since production moved to China. The Meopta Meostar HD 10x42 is very good as well, but it was the 12x50 HD that really wowed me. With the Cabelas buyout and new stuff in the wings, there may be some good deals in the next 12 months. Unfortunately none of those are likely to better the price you paid for the Kite, and even on the used market it going to be some time before a Noctivid might fall into that range.

It doesn't mean there aren't gems to be found amongst lesser models but it usually means some luck and some compromises. Only you can decide your priorities. That sample of the Fujinon version of the Sightron BSII I was sent for review was right up there on the "OMG" factor, but it wouldn't challenge the top dogs for transmission, CA or engineering. Would the next one I find be as good? One Terra ED 10x42 sample out of perhaps a dozen I've tried easily outgunned the Conquest HDs on the OMG scale but the others were very ordinary. Lower on the price scale seems to be a bit of a lottery, but the only answer I know is, try before you buy.

Good luck,

David

Hi David,
I was looking at the Nikon Monarch HG because of my experience with the EDG. I have a Fuji camera and am mightily impressed with their lenses. I've heard that Tract makes some nice well priced 10x42 so maybe I'll take a look at them. The quest for the perfect binocular at the perfect price goes on.

Kite Bonelli 2.0 8x42 (2 Viewers)

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