XD 8.5x44 Prominar (Genesis)

I've purchased a Genesis 8.5x44 a month ago, after using a Zeiss Terra ED 10x42 for about two years. That's also about how long I've been doing serious birding. The Zeiss I've obtained from my partner, after they got themselves a Swarovski CL Companion 8x30.

The Zeiss' was a frustrating thing for me, as I observe with glasses - something that's difficult with the Zeiss. My partner and I also had the budget available to buy the Kowa TSN-883 a year ago and we've both been totally happy with it's quality, also compared to various Swarovski and Zeiss scopes.

My goal for a new Binocular was ~1000 Euro, glasses-friendly and low chromatic aberrations: I'm also a photographer and see CA easily, and they bother me. Hence, the genesis was quickly at the top of my list, except the spec sheet didn't seem up to date: Heavy, only moderately wide field of view, etc.

After ordering and testing two Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 and 10x42, I tested the Genesis at a dealer who stocks them. I decided for the Kowa, despite the weight and narrower FoV. In hand, the weight was for me (mid-30ies and generally fit) hardly different to the Nikon, but the rubber seemed more reassuring. I actually found looking 'around' in the view gave me less blackouts than the Nikon, and the nikon was basically CA free dead center, but had considerable CA towards the edges. And, in direct comparison the Field of view difference didn't seem significant. 145m vs. 123 sounds like a large difference, but somehow the even easier view for me with the Kowa set this off.

I wear it with an H-Strap or with hooks attached to my backpack, if I bring photo gear, and the weight is manageable. The large size can be a slight nuisance when packing, but that's a minor issue.

Overall, each time I'm using it I just enjoy the incredible view. I can only describe it as "like without binoculars, just 8.5x the magnification", there's so little aberrations or softness.

I added pictures of the eyecup modification. There are other, more sophisticated mods possible but this one has the charm of simplicity and keeps the adjustability intact as well. To make the ridge a bit softer, and add a few (welcome) millimeters to the height of the eyecup, I decided to drop in a Swift eyecup (Audubon HR/5, post-1985 type, still readily available). The Swift eyecup fits snugly so it won't drop out on its own.
Eyeglass wearers don't need all this, but for the bare eye users this mod can be just the thing. I learned for instance that the initial impression of a restricted view was completely related to the (for me) too wide eyecups, which uncomfortably fixed the binoculars to the eyes. Smaller eyecups facilitate some movement in front of the eyes, a kind of freedom one needs for a satisfying view. At least for me the angle of view has never felt restricted since.
After using this Kowa for a year and a half, I'm convinced it definitely belongs to the best binoculars made today. Suppression of CA is superb, it has ideal mass for the majority of conditions (wind!) and its transmission of color is unusually fine. That is, I've yet to encounter a binocular more color-neutral than this one.

Renze

I've had a pair of the 10.5x44 Kowas for 9 months. Almost immediately, though optically excellent, I found them very (too) heavy - I'm over 6 feet tall and no lightweight! After a morning's birding my back and neck were aching. Using them almost daily, I soon found that the focussing mechanism became very impreciseas if it had become worn very quickly, making it difficult to "find" some birds, particularly those moving rapidly. By the time the binoculars were in focus, the bird had often gone. Depth of field on the 10.5x44s is also fairly poor. Another mechanical fault which has arisen more recently, again adding to the difficulty of locating birds, is that the rotating eye cup on the left eyepiece now winds itself down as it rubs against my jacket. This means that, at times and without my being aware, one eyepice is correctly set while the other isn't and has to be repositioned. Once again, birds are missed by the time this has been done and the bins focussed. I'm hoping that these problems will be covered by warranty but, overall, I wouldn't recommend these Kowas. There's plenty of room for improvement,particularly on wight and durability.