This follows the YF post below by more than a year, but I recently had both the new (V. 2) Yosemites and YF 6xs together (still do, in fact) and was able to compare a bit, and thought this might help someone looking at both binoculars. I bought both thinking I'd keep the best pair as a gift for a family member and send the other back, but have decided to keep one for me. Some observations:
1. These are similar but are not clones - they don't even look close enough in chassis, covering, knobs and engraving to be from the same factory.
2. The new Yosemites are noticeably warmer in tone, but you have to go back and forth looking at something white to really tell. Use the Yosemites alone and they look fairly neutral (going back and forth the Kowas look a little blue, but I think they are neutral).
3. Construction on the Kowas seems a little more refined, but the front lens covers aren't as good and the captive ones on the Yosemites.
4. The big one: both work equally well in terms of eye relief (I tried with two different pais of glasses), but with my -5.25 prescription I could not quite focus the Yosemites at infinity without my glasses on. I can go just past infinity with the Kowas w/out glasses.
Due to the last attribute, I'm giving the Yosemites as the gift (the recipient doesn't wear glasses, and I think the slight warmth makes for comfortable viewing) and keeping the Kowas. Both are bright, sharp, contrasty and have a nice FOV, but even though I almost always leave my glasses on when using binoculars, I want to be able to use them without glasses (ie, for stargazing).
1. These are similar but are not clones - they don't even look close enough in chassis, covering, knobs and engraving to be from the same factory.
2. The new Yosemites are noticeably warmer in tone, but you have to go back and forth looking at something white to really tell. Use the Yosemites alone and they look fairly neutral (going back and forth the Kowas look a little blue, but I think they are neutral).
3. Construction on the Kowas seems a little more refined, but the front lens covers aren't as good and the captive ones on the Yosemites.
4. The big one: both work equally well in terms of eye relief (I tried with two different pais of glasses), but with my -5.25 prescription I could not quite focus the Yosemites at infinity without my glasses on. I can go just past infinity with the Kowas w/out glasses.
Due to the last attribute, I'm giving the Yosemites as the gift (the recipient doesn't wear glasses, and I think the slight warmth makes for comfortable viewing) and keeping the Kowas. Both are bright, sharp, contrasty and have a nice FOV, but even though I almost always leave my glasses on when using binoculars, I want to be able to use them without glasses (ie, for stargazing).