Highest quality binoculars at an excellent price search

Nice binoculars with good optics. only complaint is the rubber armor in the thumb impressions has come loose from the barrels... a sound is heard when you relocate your thumbs letting you know the rubber is loose

AS GOOD AS LEICA OR ZEISS

Believe me, These are as good as Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski, I like those other binoculars too do not get me wrong. However these cost half of the other European brands, and the image through these are superb and crisp and clear. I have owned my Kowa Genesis for 4 years now, with no problems in mechanical or optical workmanship. They served in bad and good weather looking through them here in Colorado. Views of misty mountains, Snow cold days fur detail on Elk and other wildlife and panoramic views with the 420 ft. field of view on these. I had a chance to compare these with a Zeiss FL 8x32 victory for a day and I guarantee if you compare these 2 binoculars you will see no difference at all in optical quality and resolution. You will see a big difference in price, I ... MoreBelieve me, These are as good as Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski, I like those other binoculars too do not get me wrong. However these cost half of the other European brands, and the image through these are superb and crisp and clear. I have owned my Kowa Genesis for 4 years now, with no problems in mechanical or optical workmanship. They served in bad and good weather looking through them here in Colorado. Views of misty mountains, Snow cold days fur detail on Elk and other wildlife and panoramic views with the 420 ft. field of view on these. I had a chance to compare these with a Zeiss FL 8x32 victory for a day and I guarantee if you compare these 2 binoculars you will see no difference at all in optical quality and resolution. You will see a big difference in price, I like them both but I kept the Kowa because they cost less and are built just as good. Excellent pair of quality binoculars for the price, give these a try I think you will be surprised how good these really are.

Field-worthy

My usual birding glass is 42mm and over $2K but, as I age, I am more interested in a smaller size for my arthritic hands and less tolerant of stratospheric prices. When these came on sale, I decided to give them a try. The Prominar exceeded my expectations. Color fidelity and glare suppression outperform my alpha-pair from several years ago. Field of view matches the very best of today’s offerings. I could quibble about a slower focuser but life is all about tradeoffs and what I gained is precision from 4.5 feet to infinity, matching my interests ranging from mosses to raptors. These also are made solidly and should outlast me.

OUTSTANDING!!

Crystal clear glass. I'm no expert but I think if you're looking for that perfect sweet spot between the cheaper Nikon/Canon glass and the crazy Leica/Zeiss/Swarovski glass this is it.Build quality is solid. Metal focus knob and body feel like they will last a lifetime. Nice and compact for travel. Comes with a decent travel case. Might go for a pelican if you're doing a Safari or adventure.Also, the minimum focus is only 5 feet so they're perfect for insects or even animals if you're able to get that close.Great price for what you get, overall I would highly reccomend them!!

Solid glass without the European markup

Color fidelity is vivid, with edge to edge being sharp. These binocular's match up with fit and finish of any top grade Swarovski or Leica. Very compact, with quality glass in a sturdy rubber on top of magnesium housing. Waterproof, nitrogen filled, many of the same features of binocs that retail for hundreds more. Highly recommended for compact/light weight binocs for hiking/birding.

The best at flare/glare control, super sharp view

There are four binoculars in this class: Leica Trinovid HD, Zeiss Conquest HD, Meopta Meostar B1, and Kowa Genesis. I have not tried the Meostar because the close focus is out to 5.6ft (1.75m). Here is my take on the other three. Another consideration is the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25, which many birders rave about, but I have not tried (it's also half the weight of these x32s). I do not wear glasses, but I have a hard time fitting binoculars to my eyes if I want to rest the eye cup fully around my eye and not tilt or use the "brow" or "hover" techniques. My eye sight is 20/20 left and 20/10 right. I seem to mostly have a problem with the right eye and blackouts.Summary: The Trinovid HD's clearly win for close focus, but their focus speed is about 1/2 that of the ... MoreThere are four binoculars in this class: Leica Trinovid HD, Zeiss Conquest HD, Meopta Meostar B1, and Kowa Genesis. I have not tried the Meostar because the close focus is out to 5.6ft (1.75m). Here is my take on the other three. Another consideration is the Zeiss Victory Pocket 8x25, which many birders rave about, but I have not tried (it's also half the weight of these x32s). I do not wear glasses, but I have a hard time fitting binoculars to my eyes if I want to rest the eye cup fully around my eye and not tilt or use the "brow" or "hover" techniques. My eye sight is 20/20 left and 20/10 right. I seem to mostly have a problem with the right eye and blackouts.Summary: The Trinovid HD's clearly win for close focus, but their focus speed is about 1/2 that of the Conquest HD. If your main concern is close focus, get the Trinovids and make sure you are ok with the eye relief. If you want a general-use binocular with good close focus and the ability to switch quickly from close to far focus, get the Conquest HDs. If flare/glare control is your main concern, get the Kowa - they are as sharp and clear as the Zeiss and control flare/glare better, and by a lot.I've spent a while looking for an 8x32 with good close focus. I tried a bunch of $400 USD or under and the Meopta Meopro HD 8x32 was the best for me. It has 3.3 ft (1m) close focus, which is fantastic, a pretty quick focus (about on par with Conquest), and really fits my eyes well with minimum blackout issues. The downside is it does not control flare well.The Trinovid has a fantastic 1m close focus, but I found it does not fit my eyes well (no glasses, but hard-to-fit). The negatives I'm listing here are highly subjective to me and my eyes, so for you it may workout great. I have to have the eye cups all the way out in the 4th detent where they can be removed, and sometimes they come out with the rainguard :( I have to work them a bit to fight blackouts and have to keep the lower part of the eyecup off my face. I am also not convinced it is as sharp as the Conquest, but that may be an effect of having to work them to keep my eyes aligned. So despite loving the close focus, I don't think they will work for me. Also, the focus is kind of slow, taking about 7-8 finger motions to go from 5ft to 150 ft.The Conquests really feel good in the hand and have a precision to them. They do focus about 2x as fast as the Trinovids, which I've seen others mention before but did not realize how big a difference that is. It takes about 3-4 finger motions to go from 5ft to 150ft, which can save a second or two in focusing time. They fit my eyes much better than the Trinovids and I can lightly rest the eyecups all the way around my eyes for a nice immersive view. At 4.9 ft (1.5m), it is a good close focus.The Kowa are fantastic at controlling flaring and glare from stray light. I was able to get the edge of the setting sun (behind clouds) in the view without noticing any. During mid-day, I can bring the view practically to the edge of the sun are barely notice any. I would say it is on par with the $2000 Swarovski 8.5x42 Field Pro in that regard. The Kowa do not feel quite as good in hand as the Conquest, but they actually fit my eyes better, about as well as the Meopro. I can fully rest the eyecups around my eyes and I do not feel like I'm squinting through them. It is a very relaxed view. The Conquest have a sleek, precise feel, the Genesis are a bit more cushy soft feeling and the focuser isn't as nice feeling, in my opinion (it's a metal mesh feel as opposed to ridges). I will say that the Genesis grip position is very good: the index finger aligns perfectly with the focuser. Even for my large hands, the closed bridge is not a problem. The Genesis have the same 4.9ft (1.5m) close focus as the Conquest, but the focus speed is more like the Trinivods.

[Rewarded Review] Awesome!

Love my Kowa TSN 883 so I figured that these bingos would be of similar high quality. Bought them for my wife. Not disappointed! Bright clear, crisp image. Puts my older Nikon 10x 42s to shame. She can’t stop using them. Quality optics are worth the price. Would buy another Kowa product as a first choice.

[Rewarded Review] Glad I tried these

I tend to overanalyze any purchase that involves more than a handful of options. I poured over videos, articles, reviews, etc. I wasn't familiar with the brand Kowa prior to my search for these binos. Everyone's looking for the best performance for the least amount of money, I'd looked through ten different sets of binos at local stores, none of which carried the Kowa brand. Of course it was in a building, hot and sweaty, masked up, my eyeglasses fogging over, all in all a not an ideal experience, came away with little actual feel if I was doing any better with a $500 or $1,500 set. I was bound and determined to resist the desire to by something too large to fit in my brief case, because I wanted them with me, not left in the truck. I'd owned a mid/low quality set ... MoreI tend to overanalyze any purchase that involves more than a handful of options. I poured over videos, articles, reviews, etc. I wasn't familiar with the brand Kowa prior to my search for these binos. Everyone's looking for the best performance for the least amount of money, I'd looked through ten different sets of binos at local stores, none of which carried the Kowa brand. Of course it was in a building, hot and sweaty, masked up, my eyeglasses fogging over, all in all a not an ideal experience, came away with little actual feel if I was doing any better with a $500 or $1,500 set. I was bound and determined to resist the desire to by something too large to fit in my brief case, because I wanted them with me, not left in the truck. I'd owned a mid/low quality set of 30 year old 10X42's, Bushnell Trophy's and knew I wanted to step up. Well I hit the jackpot with these, they absolutely blew me away, I can follow a bird in flight a 100% better with these 8 powers, with the wide field of view, I can find something with my eyes and it's no problem finding them again these binoculars in a flash. Don't overlook this brand, they might not have the instant name recognition that some of the others have but you will not be disappointed in their products. For buyers in the US their warranty covers the original purchaser for life against materials and workmanship.