The Kowa Genesis 33 the best kept secret in premium midsize binoculars. (1 Viewer)

[Upland]

Loving my Genesis 8x33s. They fit my face perfectly and are sharp and bright. The sweet spot is plenty big for me and I cannot induce rolling ball. The size is perfect and they are plenty bright for my needs. Finally found an affordable mid size binocular that suits me well. Not for everyone evidently but I sure like them.

 

[marcsantacurz]

That was my experience with them. The fit me very well and I really enjoy their view. And the size is pretty good too.

 

[cottonbase]

FWIW London Camera Exchange is offering a mint condition 10x33 for £599.

 

[aucarius]

With no desire to be argumentative, and in the interest of discussion are we to judge the 8x32 Victory fl as no longer an Alpha ?, its edges are significantly less sharp than the Genesis for me.

So the Kowa Genesis is better than the Victory T FL 32s at the edges?

I've been keen on the Victory's for a while now; I'm looking for a compact bin alongside my x10s. I hadn't seriously considered Kowa even though I own a TSN-883 which is great.

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi aucarius,

Roger Vine has reviewed both the Kowa Genesis 8x33 and the Zeiss FL 8x32, see at: http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/BinoReviews.htm
And in the Kowa review he directly compared the two

His observation as to the edges, is the same as that of Torview - though he noted that the Zeiss has a larger sweet spot
See the attached copy of the summary


John


Also a comparative image from Roger

 

[aucarius]

Great, thank you, John. I wasn't aware of these reviews before, very helpful.
I'll have to keep an eye on the price of the Kowas, which are still available new versus only second hand Victorys.

 

[eitanaltman]

So the Kowa Genesis is better than the Victory T FL 32s at the edges?

The Genesis has a somewhat odd distortion profile that has been discussed by many. It attempt to correct distortion and curvature across the field, whereas the Zeiss has a more “classic” profile with more pincushion and edge blur.

BUT the Genesis distortion correction creates a weird phenomenon where it has a ring of reduced sharpness about 2/3 of the way out as it transitions from slight pincushion in the middle to straighter lines at the edge. Outside of the “blurry ring” it actually gets a bit sharper. This ironically produces that situation where it has both a smaller “true” sweet spot while also having shaper edges than a more classic design like the Zeiss. The transition of the distortion also creates a bit of “rolling ball” effect as objects become somewhat compressed at the edges.

This isn’t a criticism per se, just a different way of doing things. The sweet spot doesn’t “feel” small when you are focused on stuff in the middle, but if you start examining the off axis distortion it’s fairly obvious. On the plus side it has phenomenal color neutrality and CA control, and it is very bright and clear and very comfortable to hold.

 

[sidpost]

FWIW London Camera Exchange is offering a mint condition 10x33 for £599.

Is this a reputable shop to buy used gear from? Also, do they ship to the USA?

TIA,
Sid

 

[Upland]

This spring Kowa was running a promo on the 33s for $799. When it ended Doug at Cameraland said they had bought extra stock and would give forum members that price still. Not sure if that’s still the case but it would be worth a call.

 

[sidpost]

FWIW London Camera Exchange is offering a mint condition 10x33 for £599.

Is this a reputable shop to buy used gear from? Also, do they ship to the USA?

TIA,
Sid

Just a quick update for anyone else with the same question:

I heard back from the London office regarding some Zeiss bins I wanted to buy and they said they only ship within the UK.

 

[aucarius]

Roger Vine has reviewed both the Kowa Genesis 8x33 and the Zeiss FL 8x32, see at: http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/BinoReviews.htm
And in the Kowa review he directly compared the two

His observation as to the edges, is the same as that of Torview - though he noted that the Zeiss has a larger sweet spot
See the attached copy of the summary

Thanks to your and eitanaltman's comments, I purchased a pair of 8x33 Genesis from an auction site and am very pleased with them. Although obviously not quite as bright and sharp as my Zeiss 42s (why would they be), they are not far off and their compact size and weight mean I can tuck them into a (large) pocket and wear them comfortably for much longer, which is great when I'm lugging my 'scope or camera.
Thanks again for the informed feedback.