Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Yep - torturously close ! :king: :-C
I bowled the 12th frame just out of curiosity :cat:
.......... Steeeee-rike !!!!
Arrrggggghhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!! :-O
Chosun :gh:
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Kowa BDII-XD - september 2019 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Boris Flaccus
- Start date
Yep - torturously close ! :king: :-C
I bowled the 12th frame just out of curiosity :cat:
.......... Steeeee-rike !!!!
Arrrggggghhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!! :-O
Chosun :gh:
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
That was long before falling out of a tree which did it, or even back issues. These days I'm trying to get back on the Lawn Bowling greens let alone the lanes ! I don't think I will ever get a chance to redeem myself ..... Tenpin, Golf, and Tae-kwon Do are remnants of another life ........ :-C
It was funny because we came into the tenpin comp just out of school with the team name of ......... "The Sandbaggers" !! :-O
Going to attempt the 20 min walk out to see the Peregrines tomorrow morning - but I reckon most of that will be crabbing sideways, and at who knows what later cost. Could probably do with some of those lightweight 32mm's ! I've only had 4 hrs sleep per night for the last 2 months so I might be halfway off the planet already !
Chosun :gh:
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Good luck with the Peregrines Chosun and keep on doing what you can, as often as you can. I have a few physical 'issues' as well and I am sure many of our fellow members do too. The crabbing sideways technique is something I might try to alleviate my hip problem but curiously this was not mentioned by my physiotherapist last week when I saw her. BTW she is an Aussie called Irralee and from Brisbane and she is a fine physio and Pilates coach.
Let us know if you get a look at those Peregrines.
We are going to Islay later this coming week and will be staying close to the sea-cliffs where we had our first ever views of Peregrines flying on the same level as ourselves and turning their heads to look at us. Boy what a memory and that was 1982.
Lee
The 6.5 version arrived Friday and I took it to the beach yesterday for extended use in a variety of lighting conditions.I agree with all the positive comments in various posts above -not much to add there. Several other observations:
It's very similar in size to Zeiss FL 32, slightly larger in width 4.6 v 4.9 but lighter at 18.5 oz v 19.75.
Increased 6.5 mag is noticeable v 6.
DOF seems surprisingly greater than a 7x. For me it gives a 3D effect similar to a porro. Good news/ bad news, the sharp image quality and DOF requires careful attention/practice to focus critically on a specific target as objects at different distances within the view appear to be in perfect focus when they may not be. That's not a fault or criticism, more like a good problem to have.
Case, strap and objective covers are first rate. My one slight criticism is the high quality ocular cover fits so snugly and securely on my sample it's very fiddly to remove and replace in use. The big soft rubber eye cups are larger than most 32's so I'll probably shop around for an after market substitute designed for a 42.
Mike
It's very similar in size to Zeiss FL 32, slightly larger in width 4.6 v 4.9 but lighter at 18.5 oz v 19.75.
Increased 6.5 mag is noticeable v 6.
DOF seems surprisingly greater than a 7x. For me it gives a 3D effect similar to a porro. Good news/ bad news, the sharp image quality and DOF requires careful attention/practice to focus critically on a specific target as objects at different distances within the view appear to be in perfect focus when they may not be. That's not a fault or criticism, more like a good problem to have.
Case, strap and objective covers are first rate. My one slight criticism is the high quality ocular cover fits so snugly and securely on my sample it's very fiddly to remove and replace in use. The big soft rubber eye cups are larger than most 32's so I'll probably shop around for an after market substitute designed for a 42.
Mike
You are absolutely right Mike and that comment is already in my notebook ready for my field work starting on the Isle of Islay with this bino this coming weekend. And for those in rainy climates this is not a slight criticism. Apart from spoiling the view, rain on the ocular lenses can tempt folks to wipe it off and if there are dust/sand particles hidden underneath the droplets then you get a scratched lens.
The eyecups are indeed a larger diameter than most and I have made a few measurements to illustrate this in the review.
Lee
Mike. Phew! I am GLAD you like them. I have bigger, shallow eye sockets so I like the bigger diameter eye cups on the Kowa's because they keep me from sticking them too far into my eye socket's. Binoculars are such a personal thing to get a good fit. The objective rainguard is a little tight if you stick them on too far they can be hard to get off. Try to just rest them on the top of oculars and not press them down to far. They need to be a little bit looser. I wonder what aftermarket rainguards would fit better, Steve? They are 43.5mm O.D. on the ocular. I am continually amazed that manufacturers can make an instrument as precision as a binocular but can't make a damn rain guard or objective cover that fits. I don't care for the Kowa case because I like a case with an attached strap and so many binoculars now days come with cases that don't have attached straps. My solution is to keep a few Zeiss Conquest cases in stock in 32mm and 42mm sizes and when I get some new binoculars I put them into the Zeiss case. I buy the Zeiss cases at B&H for about $30.00 each.
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Yes, it looks .5x smaller. Just kidding. Yes, you can see the difference. What is surprising and Mike mentioned it too is how much better the DOF is on the 6.5x versus a 7x. Stuff is in focus for like a 100 yards in depth. Amazing!
Dd and Dennis,
I do agree with Dennis, you can see a difference in the magnification between 6.5 and 7. That said, while I'm not technically savvy enough to explain this, the image magnification of this 6.5 somehow seems noticeably closer to a 7 than a 6 as opposed to being right in the middle. Maybe it's one of those parameters that is not strictly linear (?). In any case, if you are interested in the 6.5, I would not exclude it from consideration on basis that the magnification is inadequate for general use.
Mike
I do agree with Dennis, you can see a difference in the magnification between 6.5 and 7. That said, while I'm not technically savvy enough to explain this, the image magnification of this 6.5 somehow seems noticeably closer to a 7 than a 6 as opposed to being right in the middle. Maybe it's one of those parameters that is not strictly linear (?). In any case, if you are interested in the 6.5, I would not exclude it from consideration on basis that the magnification is inadequate for general use.
Mike
Hi Mike
I get asked this a lot but the fact is that we don't do touristy activities so don't tend to encounter the whiskies often. We have visited one distillery in over 20 visits. However, I shall keep this in mind and post any such reviews on the Whisky Bar which can be found on the forums page inside Ruffled Feathers.
Lee
dries1
Member
Kowa
What do you mean your hometown has been smokeless, surely a cigar once in a while, and I am sure there is a lot of devils lettuce being passed around.
Have a good and safe trip.
Andy W.
What do you mean your hometown has been smokeless, surely a cigar once in a while, and I am sure there is a lot of devils lettuce being passed around.
Have a good and safe trip.
Andy W.
Nice one Andy and it made me smile. Looking forward to the trip immensely and especially the beauftiful coastlines. See pic.
Thanks for your good wishes
Lee
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wdc
Well-known member
Besides the creatures you might find there, that is a lovely landscape. It would be a great painting spot... unless it is raining most of the time...
-B.
Bill the landscapes, coast-scapes and seascapes in the Scottish islands are just ravishingly beautiful. Over sandy sea-beds the sea is a turquoise so deep it is just staggering, even on over cast days. The hills and coasts can be purple with heather or ginger from dead bracken or red from autumn grasses. The rocks above the sea are covered in lichens including a characterisitic orange band just above the splash zone.
Now these scenes are gorgeous any time of year but in September and October and a little into November the quality of the light is a little buttery, a little warmer and the sky a deeper blue. Fabulous.
BTW we like it there!
Lee
My new Kowa BDII XD 6.5x32 arrived today. The new Kowa is pictured below next to my recent new Swarovski 8x30 CL purchase to show the size difference. Kowa really did a nice job with these, super sharp and bright. Build quality excellent, with a nice padded case and a very wide comfortable binocular straps. I paid $351 for the Kowa, almost half the price of my new Swarovski 8x30 CL. I spent about 10 minutes switching back and forth between the two, with the Kowa being just as sharp/clear to my eyes as my Swarovski 8x30 CL The Kowa 6.5x32 with its extremely wide field really made the illusion of making the objects being viewed almost as large as the Swarovski 8x power. This I can not explain why ? I have said this before, these are Japan Quality with a made in China label. Kowa has a winner with these.
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There is one thing quite obvious to me after reading these Kowa reviews. Chinese manufactured binos can be very, very good nowadays, closing the gap in performance and quality all the time with more expensive offerings. We all know that isn't going to change any time soon.
Glad you new Kowa owners are enjoying them.
Glad you new Kowa owners are enjoying them.
The Kowa and the Swaro are very close in size even though the Kowa ia a 32mm and the Swaro is a 30mm. In your pictures the color looks very close although I know the Swaro's are a little greener and the Kowa are more grey green. Glad you like them!
