I owned a pair of 8x32 BD XD and it was of good quality even though MIC. Kowa must have good QC as it’s the only MIC bino I’ve owned or checked out that was built well. Would prefer MIJ as well but I expect the new model will be of good quality as well.
I had a look through the 6.5 at Birdfair, and the ER was sufficient to give me full FOV with my eye glasses.
I had a look through the 6.5 at Birdfair, and the ER was sufficient to give me full FOV with my eye glasses.
Me too.
Lee
Does anybody know when the release date will be? I'd be interested in trying a pair as a lighter alternative to my 7x42's. I wonder if Kowa would loan me a pair for a prolonged field test in November...
The new Kowa BD II XD's will have a AFOV of 65 degrees which is great for a 6.5x but don't forget the Nikon 8x30 EII has an AFOV of 70.4 degrees and the Nikon 7x50 WX has an AFOV of 74.9 degrees. The Kowa will have the advantage of better DOF and ease of holding the lower magnification steady though. It should be an interesting binocular.
I agree. A 10 degree 6.5x should be very wide field and expansive and immersive. For $300.00 I would certainly try one.Yes, but the Nikon 8x30 has the drawback of much shorter eye relief and is not waterproof. And 7x50WX should not even be compared to: more than 10 times the price and it weighs 2,4kg! So it should not be considered as a free hand glass and is intended for tripod or at least monopod use.
May just be the cynic in me but I hope all the pre-release 'love' for the 6.5x32 doesn't influence or induce a change of pricing structure by Kowa so prospective purchasers get stung. The astronomical price of their 550 Prominar 'travel' scope hasn't really worked in their favour methinks.
RB
If only birdforum had that kind of pulling power! If anyone from Canon is reading this ... your 10x42L is a steaming pile of crap and prices need to come down NOW!!!!!
But I see no reason why the manufacturer of a highly regarded product shouldn't charge accordingly - if I were in that fortunate position, I'd certainly hope to be able to.
My brother was able to check this out at Birdfair - I'll add his observations to my next post in the Birdfair thread.
If only birdforum had that kind of pulling power! If anyone from Canon is reading this ... your 10x42L is a steaming pile of crap and prices need to come down NOW!!!!!
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