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Message: <blockquote data-quote="oetzi" data-source="post: 2969078" data-attributes="member: 114400">Since the question of a definiton of sharpness was raised, here is my approach:I only care about how much I can see with a bino. Whether this is caused by "sharpness", resolution, contrast or whatever, doesnt matter. In the end, the bino delivers and I see or not.During the week I used Nikon 8x30 EII and the Kite to view landscape over longer distances (15-60km) and depending on the atmospheric conditions had varying results. The Nikon is my personal reference when reviewing binoculars, becaus you get a lot of optical performance for the money. Also, it is a well-known binocular over here and you have yur own benchmark when reading my comments.Atattched is a picture of the Rhine valley, viewed from Frankenstein Castle looking in a northern direction. In the foreground you see a terrace with tables and chairs, there I stood on day one in the shadow of the building to the right. Day two found me where the picture was taken, on an more elevated place.Day 1A bright sky with an occasional cloud. Limited visibility as the air was heavily polluted  and very hazy/gloomy in the distance. At about 15km in the distance, objects became "unvisible".With the Nikon I found a large industrial chimney, more or less hidden in the haze at max distance. I could identify it for what it was, but only the general shape of it, no details. With the Kite, this was not possible. I saw, that there was something, but identifying as the chimney it was, wasnt possible. In such adverse conditions, the Nikon delivers more detail than the Kite.Furthermore, overall contrast of the Kite was a bit lower that day, the landscape looked rather bland. The Nikon delivered more contrast and livelier colours, there was more of a punch in it, so to speak. Day 2Heavy rains and strong winds had cleared the air. Fantastic visibility, I could watch for 60km. On a hilltop opposite the rhine valley I discovered a radio tower. On this very day, there was no discernible difference to be found when alternating between Kite and Nikon. On the very edge of visibility (distance wise) both delivered the same amount of details of the radio tower. So I might say, the worse the conditions, contrast-wise, the better the Nikon over the Kite.Btw, on this clear day, the Kite still wasnt as colourful and contrasty as the Nikon. It was a little bit behind.How does the Kite perform when looking into deep shadows? The tower pictured was a good way to judge. On both days I looked through the windows, trying to see as much as possible inside. The Kite was always a tiny bit behind the Nikon, when it came to delivering the fine details of the walls and wooden staircase. The higher micro-contrast of the Nikon made the shadows less murky.How about glare?Thats a very complex topic with the Kite and I have yet to fathom it. Outside day one, when standing on the terrace in the deep shadow, I very often found a veil of glare, at least in the lower third of the FOV. I yet dont understand what causes it, as it happened on so many different occassions (sunny/cloudy or position of the sun). I even noticed a change of this glare when repositioning my eyes at the eyepieces. So I cant say more than that the Kite is prone to glare as compared to the Nikon.When all this sounds as if the Kite is a bad bino, it is not. First, I decided to compare it to the Nikon 8x30 EII, which is a truly excellent bino, giving top roofs a run for the money. The Kite is selling for € 520,- over here, keep that in mind.Third, its dimensions surely restricted the development of its optical qualities. There is always a price to pay and every bino (even an alpha) is always a compromise. Maybe that glare is the price to pay for a compact construction?For now, my opinion ist that the Kity Lynx HD 8x30 is a truly excellent binocular when judging the whole package. Close enough to the Nikon 8x30 EII in optical quality to feel comfortable using it, still quite cheap and also very small and lightweight.I havent used it enough to be truly familiar with it, I need to use it in the dark and try to understand the factors leading to the above mentioned glare. But I already dread the day when I have to return it. I got used to this handy package of optical quality.More will follow.</blockquote>

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