I have tried the 8.5x44 Genesis (a short time on an excursion with other birder) but I didn’t do side by side comparison like the ones I mentioned in my post. Very interesting that you sent back the EDG and they came back the same way, I guess that’s not surprising for Nikon lately.
I had no problem with flare in the 8.5 I tried and none in my 833. As far as CA, they are about as good as it gets. My comparisons with the EDG was with the top premium (alphas) and I feel it falls in that category, that’s just one optics geeks opinion. I’ve also compared the EDG to the, what many consider just under alpha if you will, and thats binos in $900-1200 range which is where the Genesis line is.
There are other possibilities when a $1000 optic is performing like an over $2000 optic. Age , how it was taken care (the elements) how much it’s been out and so on, can all have an effect. it certainly does say a lot about how good the Genesis is.
To be clear im not knocking the Genesis, I think they are a phenomenal binoculars for the price point and punch above their weight. It’s only my experience that the EDG is in another class.
The EDG did not come back in the same way, but the problems I had (loose hinge, creeping diopter and loose armoring) got rather soon worse again.
I think Nikon EDG is a fantastic binocular, but to me the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 is in the same class as the EDG. I just think they have different strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strenghts and weaknesses are of course subjective opinions, but others are facts. The total points I have given Nikon EDG and Kowa Genesis above does not lie, but some points in some categories might be able to be adjusted slightly. But that will not change the fact that Kowa Genesis gets a higher total score than Nikon EDG. If I dont give the binoculars points and just compare which one who wins each category I think Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 vs Nikon EDG 8x42 would be something like 17-9.
I do not know why you think the EDG is in another class than the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44. What are you basing it on? I have them both and have had time to compare them side by side for a couple of weeks..and I have also owned and used the EDG for 11 years and the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 for about one year. This is the second time I own a Genesis 8,5x44 binocular.
I will do some comments about some of the categories in my list. If we start with the price. In Sweden the Kowa is about the half price compared to the EDG.
Build quality? I have mentioned the problems I have had with the EDG..loose hinge, creeping diopter, lens protection falling off, armoring that has bubbles, inreliable focuser and also the rubber around the focus wheel that fell off. The Kowa seems to be better build, but only time will tell.
Armoring? The Kowa armoring is thicker and the whole binocular is armored. That is not the case with the EDG.
Focuser? The EDG focuser can be silky smooth..and if it is an speciman without any focuser issues..the EDG focuser is one of the absolutely best out there. But on my speciman the focuser is not perfect, so I can not give the EDG high points in that category. The Kowa has an almost perfect focus wheel. Maybe it will get a little bit stiff in cold weather, but other than that it is perfect.
In my hands? Both feels great in my hands, but the Kowa feels just a little bit better (its longer and thinner).
Eye relief? It is very good on the EDG and the EDG is easier on the eye for me with spectacles.
Field of view? The Kowa has a smaller FOV on paper, but in practical use it is not a big issue with the Kowa. You have to remember that the Kowa has 8,5x magnification and not only 8x.
Sweetspot? Thanks to a larger field of view and sharper edges the EDG also have a larger sweetspot.
Center charpness? Both binoculars are sharp enough, but I see details better with the Kowa (much because of higher magnification and higher contrast of course).
Edge-to-edge sharpness? The EDG is clearly the winner here. I gave the Kowa 0 points in that categorie. Maybe it would be fair to give it 1 point and the EDG 3 points instead of 0 and 2.
Brightness? If I just take a quick look in the two binoculars the EDG seems to be brighter than the Kowa, but I have compared them in a really dark room and the Kowa showed more details than the EDG. I got the same result when I compared them outside on a dark night for some days ago.
Contrast? I do not know if time (my EDG is 11 years old and the Kowa is new) have affected the contrast, but to my eyes the Kowa has higher contrast than the EDG. No contest at all.
Backlight? I have not compared them very much, but I have no issues at all when using the Kowa near the sun or in backlight. No flare..nothing. The EDG is also very good, but with the EDG I sometimes can see some internal flare. My experience with the EDG is that it can be hard to ID birds in backlight. My old Nikon 8x32 SE is much better in those situations..and I think it is the case with the Kowa also (because of the better contrast).
Colour neutrality? Both are really good, but not 100% perfect. The EDG is a little bit warmer and the Kowa is a little bit colder.
Color saturation? Both binoculars have rather saturated colors, but to my eyes the Kowa seems to be more saturated. Maybe the higher contrast make the colors pop up a little bit more than with the EDG.
Rolling ball? I can not se any rolling ball in the EDG..and not much in the Kowa either. Maybe my eyes have get used to the rolling ball in the Kowa now..because I thought the rolling ball issue was more pronounced when I first tried the binocular. But since then I have changed the diopter setting to the right position for my eyes..so I have a much more relaxed view now when panning than before.
CA? The EDG deffinitely show more CA than the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 in normal situations. The Kowa is not free from CA in all situations, but in some normal birding situations where the EDG shows cromatic aberration the Kowa is free from it.
Weather protection? I do not know how good the Kowa is, but I know that the EDG is perfect. Sometimes I flush the optics under the water tap and I have never had any issues. So the Nikon has great weather protection. I did the same with a Swarovski SLC 8x42, but it fogged up...