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What is your favorite binocular at $1K? (1 Viewer)

Jremmons. What do you prefer optically about the Kowa Genesis over the Monarch HG?

I think the near complete absence of chromatic aberration allows for the Kowa to have almost perfect sharpness, to my eyes. It is as 'sharp' as any bin I've seen in the central sweet spot and, for the most part, I regret ever selling my 8.5x44, despite the hefty weight.
 
I think the near complete absence of chromatic aberration allows for the Kowa to have almost perfect sharpness, to my eyes. It is as 'sharp' as any bin I've seen in the central sweet spot and, for the most part, I regret ever selling my 8.5x44, despite the hefty weight.
Your right. The Kowa Genesis has much better CA control than the Nikon Monarch HG especially at the edge.
 
I don't see any CA in the MHG, I do see the pincushion distortion when panning, but the FOV, brightness and clarity is all good for my eyes.

A.W.
 
I don't see any CA in the MHG, I do see the pincushion distortion when panning, but the FOV, brightness and clarity is all good for my eyes.

A.W.
A lot of people don't see CA but once you see it you will always see it. Consider yourself lucky. Some people are really sensitive to it. These are not the same magnification on Allbino's reviews but it gives you an idea how the two binoculars control CA. I have had Kowa's and the Nikon Monarch HG and the Kowa's controlled CA better especially at the edge IMO.

https://www.allbinos.com/156-binoculars_review-Kowa_Genesis_8.5x44.html
https://www.allbinos.com/314-binoculars_review-Nikon_Monarch_HG_10x42.html
 
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Dennis I have seen it, in my HG 10X42 LX, while looking at a Black Crow with a bright overcast sky, a slight purplish/yellowish tinge on the upper half of the bird, it did not bother me and after that I never saw it again, so to me some people are sensitive to it, but I doubt if I will ever be affected by it. Like rolling ball I have experienced it once and never again, in a Russian BPO.

A.W.
 
A lot of people don't see CA but once you see it you will always see it...

Based upon my experience, and those who I've spent time demonstrating binoculars, I think this is not true for most individuals. It is a tantalizingly frightening myth.

I think it is fair to say that once you know how to look for CA you will be able to find it when you look for it. It needn't perpetually intrude on your conscious evaluation ever after. I can easily see CA in my everyday eyeglasses (which are glass, and much lower CA than many types of plastic lenses), but I only see it (and, at that, instantly) when I think to look for it. Same with bins. Same experience for everyone with whom I've evaluated bins.

All the above said, I nevertheless take CA very seriously. It degrades the quality of the view, regardless of whether one is aware of it. To say this again: not seeing (or being aware of) CA doesn't make a viewer immune to its consequences.

--AP
 
I am not positive if it is true but based on observations I think like jremmons kind of infers that the less CA you have the sharper the on-axis view is. It seems like binoculars like the Zeiss FL and the Kowa Genesis which have very little CA also have a very sharp center view.
 
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The way I most tend to notice CA is that it just generally produces a less "sharp" image. True color fringing, to me, is most obvious when looking towards the periphery in most bins, but again I felt the Kowa (as well as the Zeiss T*P FL models I've owned) showed very little of both image degradation and outer edge color fringing.
 
The way I most tend to notice CA is that it just generally produces a less "sharp" image. True color fringing, to me, is most obvious when looking towards the periphery in most bins, but again I felt the Kowa (as well as the Zeiss T*P FL models I've owned) showed very little of both image degradation and outer edge color fringing.
I agree with you. Lack of CA produces a sharper image and those two models have almost no CA.
 
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