New Kowa BD 8x42 with XD lenses (1 Viewer)

absolut_beethoven · Nov 10, 2013

There's not much info available on these new Kowa BD 8x42 and 10x42 binos with XD objective lenses, but I see that they're already in stock and for sale in Europe. See the links below...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KOWA-Binoculars-BD42-8x42-XD-PROMINAR-Waterproof-NEW-/350663885084

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop...-binocular-with-Prominar-Fluorite-lenses.html

Has anybody bought them, or had a chance to try them out? Mindless speculation is less than useless, but all input from people who have actually tried them out would be greatly appreciated.

typo · Nov 10, 2013

I tried it a the UK BirdFair back in August. I found the level of CA seriously troubling. Even a fraction off with centering the eye positioning and the colour fringing totally plagued the whole view and at best was evident in the outer half. I tried the 10x as well and it was the same.

Thee different Kowa staff approached me for my comments and I think they were getting the same message from everyone. I've only briefly tried the old model previously and it's puzzling how they could produce something so much worse. I sincerely hope they went away and changed something. Hopefully others can comment if they have.

David

eitanaltman · Nov 12, 2013

That's somewhat shocking considering Kowa's prowess in correcting for CA with their various Prominar branded optics. I would think a BD upgrade with Proiminar glass would be a pretty killer contender in that price bracket. Hopefully that isn't the norm for this glass.

typo · Nov 12, 2013

I think the Kowa team at the show were rather embarrassed to be honest. Not what they were expecting for a launch event. The representative from Japan admitted he was not satisfied with the performance but couldn't/wouldn't say if they were designed that way or the demo binos were faulty. He did appear to hint there was a revision of the big Prominars in the pipeline though.

David

absolut_beethoven · Nov 15, 2013

typo said:
I tried it a the UK BirdFair back in August. I found the level of CA seriously troubling. Even a fraction off with centering the eye positioning and the colour fringing totally plagued the whole view and at best was evident in the outer half. I tried the 10x as well and it was the same.

Thee different Kowa staff approached me for my comments and I think they were getting the same message from everyone. I've only briefly tried the old model previously and it's puzzling how they could produce something so much worse. I sincerely hope they went away and changed something. Hopefully others can comment if they have.

David

Thanks for the info David.

That's VERY disappointing to hear due to their Genesis models reputation being so excellent in that area.

I just picked up a Zeiss Victory FL 8x32 and it has THE least CA of any bino that I've seen, but I haven't had the opportunity to check out any Kowas.

binomania · Jan 31, 2014

absolut_beethoven said:
Thanks for the info David.

That's VERY disappointing to hear due to their Genesis models reputation being so excellent in that area.

I just picked up a Zeiss Victory FL 8x32 and it has THE least CA of any bino that I've seen, but I haven't had the opportunity to check out any Kowas.

Hi from Italy
I posted my impressions on binomania. You can find here:http://www.binomania.it/wordpress/?p=5561
Please, use google translate:t:
I'm using these binoculars for a month and i can confirm you that are not comparable to Genesis Series. This thing is quite obvious ,given the price difference. 500 vs 1150 Euro.
I think its'are comparable to economic Zeiss series, Terra ED but not comparable, for example to Zeiss Conquest HD or Leica Trinovid.
Perhaps many of you were waiting for a new genesis, but it is not the case.
If kowa will present a new top of the range it will cost much more.
Anyway, here in Italy, the purchase price is good, especially if compared to the solutions of other famous enterprises.
Best Regards from Italy

james holdsworth · Jan 31, 2014

binomania said:
Hi from Italy
I posted my impressions on binomania. You can find here:http://www.binomania.it/wordpress/?p=5561
Please, use google translate:t:
I'm using these binoculars for a month and i can confirm you that are not comparable to Genesis Series. This thing is quite obvious ,given the price difference. 500 vs 1150 Euro.
I think its'are comparable to economic Zeiss series, Terra ED but not comparable, for example to Zeiss Conquest HD or Leica Trinovid.
Perhaps many of you were waiting for a new genesis, but it is not the case.
If kowa will present a new top of the range it will cost much more.
Anyway, here in Italy, the purchase price is good, especially if compared to the solutions of other famous enterprises.
Best Regards from Italy

Man, the European prices of the compared models [Kowa, Zeiss and Nikon] are so much higher than North American prices. The Zeiss is est. 40% more for example!

oetzi · Feb 1, 2014

very compact dimensions and a close focus point of only 1,5 m. I can hear Holger Merlitz screaming

I had a look at the new range and also found this
http://www.kowaproducts.com/kowa-bd-range/KowaBD258xBinocular/
Now if they had made it a bit different than what every one else does and brought it to market in 6x or 7x, than it would be worth more than a fleeting glance...

New Kowa BD 8x42 with XD lenses (1 Viewer)

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absolut_beethoven

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typo

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james holdsworth

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