Zeiss 7x42 FL vs Kowa 8.5x44 XD Prominar (Genesis) (1 Viewer)

Hello, I would like to know if anyone has compared these binoculars.

Which of them has a better contrast, sharpness, CA, edge correction, Brightness, .... ?

Just bumpin' this up for you Alberto. I would be curious for this comparison as well. I own the FLs and have read one very respectable review of the Kowas. In some sense it should prove a very interesting comparison.

Yes, I did compare those two last year. But the problem is you can't actually. Simply because their configuration is completely different. For instance, if you happened to like the FL better, there's a good chance you're simply in favour of 7x binoculars in general. And the other way around. So the one aspect I compared them on was lateral CA, and I found the Kowa at least as good, possibly even better than the Zeiss. On this one aspect.

Renze

there's a good chance you're simply in favour of 7x binoculars in general. And the other way around. So the one aspect I compared them on was lateral CA, and I found the Kowa at least as good, possibly even better than the Zeiss. On this one aspect.

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Renze,

That is a fairly strong statement, especially considering my affinity for the FL's image. I may just have to go and order one of the Kowas units for comparison.

Frank,

I really hope you can do that comparison. However since you have stated your lack of preference for the Leupold Gold Rings, I will be interested to see whether or not you like the Kowa. I would be real surprised that the Leupolds are anything but a Kowa with Leupold labels. I have heard that several places (including one significant lack of denial from a Leupold source) and if one looks at the photos of the two they look identical. Same for the newest Alpen (forget the name) high end glass.

Steve

Steve,

I checked, notably in the Better View Desired-review by Wayne Mones, if the Leopold Gold Ring 8x42 could be a Kowa Genesis 8.5x44 in disguise (or the other way around). Well, lots of roof binoculars nowadays look more or less the same, but in this case the differences far outweigh the similarities, be it in configuration, body design, eyecups, diopter setting etc. With respect to the internals, i.e. the optical design, the comparison becomes more complicated of course, but Mones' notes concerning chromatic aberration in the Gold Ring (better than Swarovski EL, on par with Nikon XL and Leica Ultravid (non HD), worse than Zeiss FL) tell me that the Leupold must be quite another animal.

Renze