Using Kowa 8,5x44 with spectacles..?! (1 Viewer)

[The Kingfisher]

I have owned a Kowa 8,5x44 for many years ago, but sold it and bought a Nikon EDG 8x42 instead. But I have now bought a Kowa 883 and today I ordered the Kowa 8,5x44 to pair with the 883-scope. But since I owned the Kowa 8,5x44 for some years ago I have changed my spectacles that is both bigger and a little bit thicker than my old spectacles. I know that the Kowa 8,5x44 have good optics, but I am a bit worried that it not will work with my new bigger/thicker spectacles. Anyone here who use this bino with bigger/thicker spectacles? Does it work ok?

 

[kwikstaart]

Hi, I have about -5.00 both left and right eye but I am not sure whether my glasses are “thick” because I think I paid extra for thinner glass. Anyway, my spectacles combine excellent with my Genesis 8.,5x44 (excellent binos). Hopefully you have the same experience! But to be fair: I have never had problems with my spectacles (EDG, Swaro and Kowa)

 

[jring]

Hi,

while I am not quite sure if downgrading from an EDG to a Genesis is the right way to go, I am quite sure that the eye relief should be fine unless it was already a close call with your old glasses when you had the Kowa before... the difference is is 0.8mm as per Kowa and Nikon webpages...

Joachim, who would keep the EDG...

 

[Canip]

I have owned a Kowa 8,5x44 for many years ago, but sold it and bought a Nikon EDG 8x42 instead. But I have now bought a Kowa 883 and today I ordered the Kowa 8,5x44 to pair with the 883-scope. But since I owned the Kowa 8,5x44 for some years ago I have changed my spectacles that is both bigger and a little bit thicker than my old spectacles. I know that the Kowa 8,5x44 have good optics, but I am a bit worried that it not will work with my new bigger/thicker spectacles. Anyone here who use this bino with bigger/thicker spectacles? Does it work ok?

I measure 12.5 mm usable eye relief on my 8.5x44, so with thicker spectacles this risks to be tight and may not work.

Canip

 

[The Kingfisher]

Hi,

while I am not quite sure if downgrading from an EDG to a Genesis is the right way to go, I am quite sure that the eye relief should be fine unless it was already a close call with your old glasses when you had the Kowa before... the difference is is 0.8mm as per Kowa and Nikon webpages...

Joachim, who would keep the EDG...

I am going to keep my Nikon EDG even if I buy the Kowa Genesis, but it is nice with new things and the extra 0,5 magnification is also nice when the scope is left at home. I have my old spectacles with new/updated glass laying around at home, so if the Kowa Genesis does not work with my new thicker spectacles I can allways use my old ones. But it would of course be much more practical if the Kowa works well with my new spectacles.

 

[The Kingfisher]

I hope I will get my Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 delivered today (otherwise tomorrow). If the eye-relief on the Kowa only is a little bit worse than the Nikon EDG 8x42 they should work fine with my new "thicker" spectacles, I think.

 

[The Kingfisher]

So...I have now tried the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 for a couple of hours. First impressions was not good at all! It felt like I looked thrue a dented window. I think I'm so used to the Nikon EDG 8x42 with field flatternes that the optical design in the Kowa feels very strange. The sharpness of the edges could be better and I wish the sweet spot were bigger. But the Kowa feels better in my hands than I remembered and I have no issues when I use it with my spectacles. The focus wheel is nice, it has neutral colors and the field of view is more than enough. The central sharpness is good and the contrast is fantastic (best I have seen in a binocular..and I have tried them all). Even if the Kowa still feels a little bit strange to look thrue I have to say that I see birds incredible well. Better than ever actually! The bino seems to be like Dr Jekyll and mr Hyde. Right now I both like and dislike it..and I also love it. There is something special with the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44, but I can not really say what it is. Just something magical... 🙂

 

[Jeff51]

So...I have now tried the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 for a couple of hours. First impressions was not good at all! It felt like I looked thrue a dented window. I think I'm so used to the Nikon EDG 8x42 with field flatternes that the optical design in the Kowa feels very strange. The sharpness of the edges could be better and I wish the sweet spot were bigger. But the Kowa feels better in my hands than I remembered and I have no issues when I use it with my spectacles. The focus wheel is nice, it has neutral colors and the field of view is more than enough. The central sharpness is good and the contrast is fantastic (best I have seen in a binocular..and I have tried them all). Even if the Kowa still feels a little bit strange to look thrue I have to say that I see birds incredible well. Better than ever actually! The bino seems to be like Dr Jekyll and mr Hyde. Right now I both like and dislike it..and I also love it. There is something special with the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44, but I can not really say what it is. Just something magical... 🙂

Now I have the urge to go home and dent all the windows!

 

[The Kingfisher]

Now I have the urge to go home and dent all the windows!

It seems like the problem with a feel of looking thrue a dented window/glass was caused by wrong diopter setting. I just changed the diopter to +1 instead of -1 or -2 that I initially thought was the right settings. Now the image is much more "calm" and not so strange than before. Earlier it was fine when i looked at "isolated" birds och other things, but very strange when i used the bino at open surroundings (fields, oceans etc). I almost got seaseek when looking thrue the Kowa on those occasions. Now with what seems to be the right diopter setting it feels much better!

 

[The Kingfisher]

It seems like the problem with a feel of looking thrue a dented window/glass was caused by wrong diopter setting. I just changed the diopter to +1 instead of -1 or -2 that I initially thought was the right settings. Now the image is much more "calm" and not so strange than before. Earlier it was fine when i looked at "isolated" birds och other things, but very strange when i used the bino at open surroundings (fields, oceans etc). I almost got seaseek when looking thrue the Kowa on those occasions. Now with what seems to be the right diopter setting it feels much better!

After some more hours of birding with the Kowa I changed the diopter setting back to -1...and the image is still fine. Maybe it's just my eyes which now have got used to the optical design of the Kowa 8,5x44. To sum it up..the Kowa handles well with nice balance and great focus wheel, colors are natural and "stands out", the contrast is superb and I do not see much cromatic aberration. I prefer the Kowa over Swarovski NL Pure and the Leica Noctivid..and maybe also my old Nikon EDG. Mostly because of some problems with the focus wheel and the diopter on the EDG.

The Nikon EDG 8x42 is optically better..a little bit better central sharpness and it has a larger sweetspot. I think the EDG is very nice to use everywhere and for me the image in the EDG is very natural. I like binoculars with field flatternes..and I think thats why the image in the Kowa still can feel a little bit strange when using it in open surroundings. On those occasions the optical design with not so sharp edges becomes more visible. But compared to the Nikon EDG I really like the better focus wheel on the Kowa. It is also nice that the diopter setting does not change and I really like that it has 8,5x power and not just 8x.

 

[kwikstaart]

Nice to read the Kowa suits you! I lover my EDG 8x2 bit the wandering diopter ruined the love. I prefer the Kowa npw over my Swaro EL SV 8,5x42 but can't express exactly why. Maybe because it's almost as good but at half the price? Maybe just the Kowa-view?

 

[The Kingfisher]

Nice to read the Kowa suits you! I lover my EDG 8x2 bit the wandering diopter ruined the love. I prefer the Kowa npw over my Swaro EL SV 8,5x42 but can't express exactly why. Maybe because it's almost as good but at half the price? Maybe just the Kowa-view?

I think that our eyes often get used to the optics we use over time. The Kowa Genesis optical design feels more and more natural to me and even if the optics in the Kowa has some drawbacks (like soft edges and maybe also a little bit less central sharpness than the Nikon EDG) is has some strong optical points also. Compared to the Nikon EDG the Kowa Genesis 8,5x44 has even more natural colors, the colors stands out more, the contrast is much better and it controls CA better. The EDG sometimes have a silky smooth focusing, but it can also be stiff with bad grip and the risk of changing the diopter setting when focusing is allways there. That is not the case with the Kowa focus wheel. Instead it seems to be very well build. The Nikon EDG is a very good binocular and it is a joy to look thrue, but the combination of higher magnification, cleaner image (less CA), better contrast and less vibration in my hands means that I see birds better with the Kowa than with the Nikon EDG.

There is no perfect binocular..at least have I not found a perfect binocular yet. I have owned two Swarovski SLC for many years ago and tried the most alpha binoculars (like Swarovski NL Pure and Leica Noctivid) for extended periods, but no one has fitted me perfectly. Swarovski SLC was a great allrounder, but the Nikon EDG was better for me. But still not perfect. The Kowa also has some drawbacks, but for me It seems to be closer to perfect than any other binocular I have used so far. It feels nice in my hands, not much vibration, good eye relief, good optics overall, well build and smooth but not to silky smooth/light focusing.

I really like..or love..the Kowa when birding in the woods or follow birds when they fly over me in the sky, but I think I have to use it more to get used to how it feels when birding in open surroundings.