Kowa Genesis 44 Prominar 8.5x44 review

[@neilenglish7433]

Very hard to beat a high quality Porro model: much better bang for buck than roofs. So not at all surprised by your results. My personal favourites are the Nikon E Ii 8 x 30 and 10 x 35. …. Simply Awesome! Happy new year David!

[@davidlytle3974]

A happy New Year to you too Neil. That was a real surprise. Yes, I've always heard of the legendary excellence of the E II. Do you think I could use one with my glasses on?

[@eugeneswanepoel877]

I've been using this model for a year or so. It replaced my 16 year old German bino which was very bright thanks to its Abbe Koenig prisms and FOV that was the widest back then. I couldn't live with it's pretty severe CA (even though it had FL in its model name) and kidney bean distortion. This Kowa has none of those issues. It's beautifully built and I do make use of the filter feature. I have one caveat for potential buyers: the rolling ball effect. I find myself making a conscious effort to avoid panning. Apparently not everybody experiences it so mileage may vary and try before buying. I couldn't. So I find myself back at square one: still yearning for that alpha glass.

[@davidlytle3974]

I thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. I must admit that I'm one of those who didn't notice it. But, that means little since I am not generally sensitive to rolling ball. And, I fall asleep on roller coasters. For those whose milage doesn't vary, thanks for filling in that missing bit of knowledge.

[@mauriciolacruz]

The summary that I came up with after reading and seeing a multitude of reviews for a long time, is that the only "negative" points of the Kowa Genesis Prominar XD 44 (8.5x and 10.5x) compared to the so-called "Alphas", are: 1. Greater weight (which I see as positive since it means greater constructive robustness.) 2. A lower FOV (which I don't find particularly negative either, since the FOV of these Genesis is not small either, it is more than enough and, in addition, we must take into account that either the 8.5x or the 10.5x version, in any case, it is always a magnification 0.5x greater than its competitors; in addition, I also particularly prefer to see the edge of the image, or circle, rather than not seeing it and being out of my field of vision because it is excessive, as happens with the NL Pure.) In some cases the edge-to-edge sharpness is also mentioned, somewhat less than the best of them all (again the Swarovski NL Pure), but on the other hand it is average to the rest. (Which does not bother me nor do I notice much of it since my eyes always look at the center of the image and not at the edges.) And with regards to the rest of the mechanical (focus wheel) and optical (sharpness in the center of the image, sweet spot, color, contrast, brightness, CA control, flare / glare / stray light control, geometric distortions, close focus distance...) characteristics, the general opinion / consensus is that the Kowa Genesis Prominar XD 44 are at the same level (or similar) as the "Alphas" in some of these characteristics and even above them in others (which also happen to be the most relevant optical characteristics for me and what I value most in binoculars.) So well, as each person has a different point of view from their neighbor, what for you "does not arrive / it doesn't make", for others "does arrive / it does make and even surpasses." I finally bought these Kowa (both: the 8.5x44 and the 10.5x44) and I couldn't be happier. And I don't look back since. Cheers!

[@davidlytle3974]

Fair enough brother. Nothing beats, "couldn't be happier". Thanks for chiming in.

[@mauriciolacruz]

@@davidlytle3974 You're welcome. 👍🏻 Do you know which other two I love too in my little collection?: 1. The Blaser Primus 8x56 (which I bought brand new for around €1,000 shipping included), and what for me happened to be the biggest surprise of them all... 2. The Bushnell Forge 8x42 for €400-ish (shipping included). Yes, made in China and certainly with some drawbacks (smaller sweet spot, lesser edge-to-edge sharpness, etc) compared to the other ones, BUT with an IMPRESSIVE overall image quality, especially considering their price point!: good glare / stray light control, very good CA control, very good FOV, very good build quality, excellent sharpness in the center, excellent color reproduction, excellent color saturation, excellent contrast, excellent brightness... I'm amazed with the Forge for just a bit more than €400! Should anyone want a second / backup pair, they should certainly consider these Bushnell. Best bang for buck! 👍🏻

[@davidlytle3974]

It's interesting to me to hear you mention the Forge. It's been on my to-do list for a while. I think that a lot of lower mid-level units hold remarkable value. The Chinese are really cranking out some good stuff recently. I definitely invite suggestions and recommendations for future reviews. Any other ideas?

[@mauriciolacruz]

@@davidlytle3974 I have heard and read good things about the Sig Sauer Zulu 9 as well. And others. But honestly, I think the Bushnell Forge are hard, if not impossible, to beat for the price. Best "budget" binos in the market. Why? Simply because their pros are much more important than their cons. I love my Kowas, but I think this model from Bushnell does have far better quality / price ratio, even though the Kowas are superior.

[@jjack-j8q]

as one of bino mania in asia, I have been watching your videos happly. I have kowa genesis 10x33 and comepared it with 10x32 ver swarovski el, nl / canon is, zeiss conquest/ leica ultravid HD. I had no doubt to say kowas central image sharpness is lowest of them all. It didn't have much sharpness then other 1000$ products but it's contrast (yellowish creamy tint) increases its long range resolution much, but not enough to over come other binos that I have compared. and it's view is flat because of It controls pincushion distortion well. I only love its color (smiler to kowa 773 scope) and it's CA control.

[@davidlytle3974]

I've never had the opportunity to look through a Genesis 33 so I can't seriously comment. But your general assessment seems to mirror my own experience with the 44, minus the yellow creaminess of hue. It really seemed close to alpha. Better than other $1000.00 binos that I've looked through. But, the Steiner showed its stuff by comparison, and comparison is what we're all about here. Our next step is that trip to Leicaland. I'll fill you in on the results of the big shootout.

[@BluesMan90]

hi, what do you think of the fujinon hc 8x42? also comparing them with the kowa genesis

[@jjack-j8q]

@BluesMan90 I haven't seen 8 or 8.5 genesis but after comparing 10x33 genesis with 8x42, 10x42 hc... genesis controls CA much better (especially on the edge of the view) better stray light performance better off axis sharpness much faster focus speed and more saturated colors. better central sharpness longer real eye relief better argonomics thar HC 10x42 HC is better at brightness color fidelity build quality overally I think genesis is the better bino than HC. hc 8x42 is much better than 10x42 hc, but I would also prefer genesis 10x33 than hc 8x42 If their price is similar. overally I think the Genesis is little bit upper level bino then HC

[@BluesMan90]

@@jjack-j8q thank you!

[@davidlytle3974]

I'll tell you the truth. I haven't even seen a Hyper-C in order to check it out. The sporting goods shops on the west coast of Florida don't offer a comprehensive selection of higher end binos to choose from. For the most part, the stores around here stock the Vortex line along with some basic Bushnell items. I recently had to drive about five hours to Miami just to see a Noctivid. Anyway, I appreciate your evaluation of the Kowa Genesis. It's assessments like yours and Holger Merlitz's that prevent me from spending all of my money on expensive but second tier play things. I will state again that the Kowa 44 is one step away from playing with the big boys. It is the finest roof that I have. It's just not equal to my Porro. Thanks again for your contribution. I'm sure that there are others who will benefit as well.

[@wrighty338]

Others have also noted how good the CA control is on these genesis prominar models. Once again you got a great deal, i think if you were talking about spending retail the Maven B.2 might just pip it in the 40mm class. Aperture reigns supreme this time around with the Steiner, sounds like that could well be a keeper.

[@davidlytle3974]

Yeah, the B2 in 9x was the first Maven product to catch my eye. I'm sure that I would still enjoy one but that big 56mm objective of the B5 has me in its grip. The price would be half that of the Swarovski SLC. I'm feeling the pull just writing about it. Anyway, thank you for being a repeat contributer and sharing your thoughts. Let's have a great New Year.

[@davidlytle3974]

Yes, it turned out to be a keeper after all. B2 or B5, either would be nice, don't you agree.

[@wrighty338]

@@davidlytle3974 The B.5 is supposed to rival the SLC for a lot less money. They are the alpha's i aspire to own rather than leica, zeiss etc. Spending less on smaller roof prism instruments means more money for eyepieces for my bigger binocular telescope in the future - a win win situation. Keep up the video cadence i think we are all on similar trajectories.

[@davidlytle3974]

I will try, so long as the Mrs. permits. Binocular telescope you say? How big?

[@wrighty338]

@@davidlytle397470mm from oberwerk. Looking to upgrade to 100mm this year

[@jjack-j8q]

and I've compared 8 powers to. have seen meopta meostar b1+ 8x42, zeiss sfl 8x40, sf 8x42, ht 8x42, conquest 8x42, vortex razor uhd 8x42, opticron aurora 8x42, nikon edg 8x42, fujinon hc 8x42, steiner nighthunter 8x56 and more as you saying about meostar, it didn't have enough central sharpness compared to nikon e2 8x30, zeiss sfl 8x40 with been compared at same time. and Its color is different from leica. leica traditionally emphasize yellow - red spectrum to make the view little bit orangy, but meostar 8x42 goes for yello - green spactrum. so the view has little bit of yellowish greeen, smiler to zeiss victory sf 8x42 thing that is smilar to leica is that it have very strong pincusion distortion like leica ultravid hd so it have little bit more 3D effect then other roof prisms. I want to say that zeiss conquest has more central sharpness than 8 power kowa genesis, meostar, nikon edg, e2 I have 8x32 conquest and have compared with each of the binos I mentioned above (I compared my friends zeiss conquest 10x32 with my genesis 10x33 and easily found the diffrence.) It's focus is very finicky but I found out that Its central sharpness is better than most of the Japanese binoculars.(/nikon hgl, monarch hg, e2, se, edg/ fujinon hc, kowa genesis, brunton epoch) but recently figured out opticron aurora 8x42 (optically considered same with DD optics shg) is significantly better then conquest. It's central image sharpenss and central CA control is at the alpha level, and it's edge sharpness continues to over 90 percent of its FOV. It's CON is very crummy build quality, strong CA at about 85% of diameter, little bit of bluish tint view and strong blue color at the border of the FOV that strains my eye more than any other 1000$ range or over bino I've seen. but beside of the CONs, it is the sharpest 8 power bino I have ever seen under 1500$ market. (best I think is zeiss victory ht 8x42 and swarovski el 8.5x42) so I suggest you to try zeiss conquest 8x32 or opticron aurora 8x42 (I didn't recommend conquest 8x42 because it has too much eye relief so you can get blackout even with glasses. + I also had steiner nighthunter 8x56 you revied, and I agree tha fact that is contrast is lower that others. It had very little grean hue but I think it's high brightness washed out it's own colores. smiler thing happened to other bright binos such as zeiss tfl 8x42, katsuma glory 6x30.

[@davidlytle3974]

Thank you so much for the serious dope on makes and models that you've COMPARED with one another. You have me curious about that Opticron; despite my frustrating experience with the Magic 8x32.

[@jjack-j8q]

@davidlytle3974 opticron's motto is to make bino lightweight and have good optics for it's price. and I think they do it well, but it seems that they don't give much budget for mechanical parts. opticron aurora is the sharpest bino at 1000$ range I have ever seen, but it also has the weekest build quality. and worst eye strain. but If some only goes for central image quality, I will suggest opticron aurora. It seems that the aurora bino comes from vixen optics factory in japan. opticron, leupold and DDoptics have been using some vixen OEM products. (it seems that opticron dba vhd and DD optics hds is very close to vixen artes J) and Vortex, sigsaur, maven is using some OEMs from Kenko optic japan. (vortex razor uhd, sig zulu 9 and 10, maven b2, sightron(kenko tokina subsidiary) sv is born in same factory under kenko tokina) PS, I think best eye - comfortable view bino is nikon edg 8x42. clearly lower lmage quality that big 3 flagship model and even under vortex razor uhd, zeiss conquest and opticron aurora, but It's optical and mechanical comfortness is really pleasurable.

[@davidlytle3974]

Good stuff. Thank you.

[@davidlytle3974]

In keeping with my new year's resolution, this Kowa is for sale at cost to you. I figured that it would be better to give you a shot at $850.00 rather than give eBay their 13 percent. Write to me if you're interested.

[@crimsonpearl4686]

Have you sold it?

[@davidlytle3974]

No, I have not. It's yours if you want it.

[@markjg2275]

I looked through Steiner compacts and 8x30 porros they give lousy views sent them all back Steiners are junk from what I looked through. I owned a Leica Ultravid 10x32 it was nice but it had flare from sun so I sold it. I bought a Kowa Genesis 8x33 and it is excellent optically no CA nice contrast no problems high quality. I guess everyone's eyes are different so opinions are different but all the Steiner glass is junk in my opinion.

[@davidlytle3974]

I can easily believe that the Kowa 33 has unusually great control over CA after experiencing the 44. Control over CA is absolutely amazing. As for everyone's eyes being different, I'm suspecting that this may be the case in Steiner's quality control department. I had heard that this was the case before I risked purchasing the ShadowQuest. I had seen some Meh views through various Steiners before but also some beautiful views as well. No rhyme or reason for such variance in personal experience, combined with similar experiences of others, seems to give some weight to the belief that Steiner doesn't have a firm grasp on consistency with their plastic products. Perhaps the ShadowQuest is an exception because of its top-of-the-line position? Perhaps the attention to detail has proven too cost prohibitive to the bottom line and that's why they discontinued it? I don't know. What I do know is, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but that 1951 test target doesn't lie. Prior to this review of the Kowa, the objective fact that the ShadowQuest resolved better by a full element is the one thing that kept me from selling it despite the features that frustrated me. Have you ever looked through this model of 8x56?

[@vesselalytle7525]

Hi Francis, happy new year! 🎉 Not the Levant, but the right hemisphere... within a 2000 km circle:) I've been guessed to be hailing from every single brunette growing nation on Earth, most bizarre guess being THE PHILIPPINES!!! 🫨

[@francisfrancis4219]

Nice to hear from you, V :) So glad to hear you’re enjoying the New Year. I hope it is a prosperous one in those important ways. It feels like a mixed New Year. I’m more optimistic than usual but fear there are a lot of conflicts and disputes far from being resolved with the ability of involving more countries / raising other simmering tensions... Your accent sounds familiar but hard to pin down. I suspect I’ve not met anyone from your origins to be sure. Listening again, I hear different mixtures sometimes familiar accents. I suspect the Latin hints comes from learning those accents of English. Thanks for the clues, I don’t know distances well, but I would say NE of the Levantine, approaching Europe... I’ve gotten into the habit of playing videos as fast as still legible, and forget how it chipmunks the sound. Well, in your case Levintines ;)

[@vesselalytle7525]

@francisfrancis4219 I wish I had your optimism. I don't see any reasons to believe that sanity, reason, and decency have a chance in 2024. The good news is that if we make it on the other side with intact US and a "mostly peacful" Europe, that would probably mean that the good guys (AKA the lesser evil) have prevailed, while our dear leaders the Global elits have taken a serious setback. Cheers 🍻 , to another year living in interesting times, and may God keep us all! Now it's time to have Dave start on my Mojito. 🍸