rdnzl
Not Sure.
My new Kowa BD II XD 6.5 x 32mm arrived today. I know there have been quite a few reviews, but I thought I would share my thoughts.
Out of the box, I could feel the heft of these "little" binoculars. Maybe "little" is the wrong word, since they are not small, but they are definitely not large. They came in a pretty heavy duty Cordura case. Not a cheesy case by any means. It will work. As some others have noted, the strap loops are in an odd spot, but they really don't bother me, especially since I will carry them with a wrist strap anyway. Very nice rain caps that are nice and rubbery and fit snug but not tight. Easily removed if I'm in a hurry. Objective caps are the same nice rubber and fit well. Included neck strap looks pretty standard, but I will not be using it.
The views through the binoculars is quite impressive. Very nice eye relief that allows me to have the cups all the way out, and then press my eye sockets onto them, eliminating most of any side glare. The wide view stands out
and is reminiscent of some of my old 7x35 porros but with more detail, contrast, and a nice pop to the colors but nothing unnatural. Sure, there is the falloff of sharpness that people have mentioned as your eye heads towards the field stop. But I don't find it bad or even annoying. Simply moving my head slightly or a light twist on the focus wheel takes care of it. But with such a wide field of view, moving my head slightly left or right, doesn't seem like it changes much on the overall view. So this is a non issue for me and is a good tradeoff for the wide view. I was following a couple squirrels as they scavenged around the yard, and the view was delightful. Individual hairs were very sharp at what I guess was 40 yards or so. Easy to see their sharp little claws too. A Stellar's Jay was flying from tree to tree, and following his movements was simple, and I could keep him in view at all times.
The focus wheel is really smooth and has good checkering, and a nice sort of light gunmetal appearance. The eyecups are some of the better ones I've found. Very distinct stops and they have a real quality feel to them. I get no blackouts or anomalies even if I move my eye sockets around a bit. A bit disappointing to see that the Japanese company Kowa is making them in China now, but from the build and optical quality, I really think it matters not. Really nice glass. Looking inside with a light reveals everything is clean and the way it should be. I can't see the lines from the prisms that could be in the view from the objective end. They must be aligned perfectly. My Athlons have the faintest of lines, where these do not. At least I can't see them.
All that being said.....the views, the views, the views. I can see these going a lot of places with me, and I am betting they will be great of a dark moonless night.
Here are a couple birthday photos.
Out of the box, I could feel the heft of these "little" binoculars. Maybe "little" is the wrong word, since they are not small, but they are definitely not large. They came in a pretty heavy duty Cordura case. Not a cheesy case by any means. It will work. As some others have noted, the strap loops are in an odd spot, but they really don't bother me, especially since I will carry them with a wrist strap anyway. Very nice rain caps that are nice and rubbery and fit snug but not tight. Easily removed if I'm in a hurry. Objective caps are the same nice rubber and fit well. Included neck strap looks pretty standard, but I will not be using it.
The views through the binoculars is quite impressive. Very nice eye relief that allows me to have the cups all the way out, and then press my eye sockets onto them, eliminating most of any side glare. The wide view stands out
and is reminiscent of some of my old 7x35 porros but with more detail, contrast, and a nice pop to the colors but nothing unnatural. Sure, there is the falloff of sharpness that people have mentioned as your eye heads towards the field stop. But I don't find it bad or even annoying. Simply moving my head slightly or a light twist on the focus wheel takes care of it. But with such a wide field of view, moving my head slightly left or right, doesn't seem like it changes much on the overall view. So this is a non issue for me and is a good tradeoff for the wide view. I was following a couple squirrels as they scavenged around the yard, and the view was delightful. Individual hairs were very sharp at what I guess was 40 yards or so. Easy to see their sharp little claws too. A Stellar's Jay was flying from tree to tree, and following his movements was simple, and I could keep him in view at all times.
The focus wheel is really smooth and has good checkering, and a nice sort of light gunmetal appearance. The eyecups are some of the better ones I've found. Very distinct stops and they have a real quality feel to them. I get no blackouts or anomalies even if I move my eye sockets around a bit. A bit disappointing to see that the Japanese company Kowa is making them in China now, but from the build and optical quality, I really think it matters not. Really nice glass. Looking inside with a light reveals everything is clean and the way it should be. I can't see the lines from the prisms that could be in the view from the objective end. They must be aligned perfectly. My Athlons have the faintest of lines, where these do not. At least I can't see them.
All that being said.....the views, the views, the views. I can see these going a lot of places with me, and I am betting they will be great of a dark moonless night.
Here are a couple birthday photos.
