Kowa 6.5x32 or Nikon Action EX 7x35 (1 Viewer)

[sostinv]

Hello everyone,

I have Nikon AE 7x35 and love it. However, bulk and weight are bothering me a bit. I thought if it is worth to switch to Kowa 6.5x32 instead. Mainly for light weight and compactness. The purpose is wide field landscape observation not focused on particular object. How the IQ compares? Is the Kowa in the same league of image quality? Magnifications are almost the same. AFOV too I guess (small decrease in magnification causes small increase of TFOV keeping AFOV quite similar). Sweet spots? Contrast? Microcontrast? Color fidelity and neutrality? Yes, I know, porro 3D effect. Besides that? Spikes on tight light sources (Nikon has a bit despite being porro)? Any comparisons are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Valentin

 

[jcnguyen09]

If you are used to the alpha glasses, then the image of Kowa 6.5x32 is not in the same league. Although it got the wide field, it's very fuzzy toward the edge. If you like the Kowa, I would go with the Kowa Genesis series instead. However, my children love the Kowa. Although I usually bring several bino on the trip, they always go for the little Kowa.

 

[Blue72]

I have both

the Kowa outperforms the Nikon….Buy with confidence

 

[sostinv]

Thank you guys for your replies. It is much appreciated.

jcnguyen09, currently I have only Nikon AE 7x35 and a couple of stabilized Canons for high mags. All are quite not alphas. The goal is to go lightweight and get as wide FOV as possible without breaking the bank along with keeping image quality at decent level. The only 6.5x32 comes to my mind after some market analysis.

Blue72, thank you for valuable reply. Could you please describe what exactly the differences are? I find Nikon contrast and sharpness already on a very decent level (probably because I have not ever tried alpha ). Is Kowa even more sharper? What way it outperforms Nikon in?

 

[Blue72]

Thank you guys for your replies. It is much appreciated.

jcnguyen09, currently I have only Nikon AE 7x35 and a couple of stabilized Canons for high mags. All are quite not alphas. The goal is to go lightweight and get as wide FOV as possible without breaking the bank along with keeping image quality at decent level. The only 6.5x32 comes to my mind after some market analysis.

Blue72, thank you for valuable reply. Could you please describe what exactly the differences are? I find Nikon contrast and sharpness already on a very decent level (probably because I have not ever tried alpha ). Is Kowa even more sharper? What way it outperforms Nikon in?

the Kowa are very sharp in the center, more so then the Nikon. which you notice when looking at people over a mile away.….Outer edges are slightly better and night time performance really shines . I can see the North American nebula in the Kowa which is very difficult in the Nikon

plus the form factor is way easier to travel with

 

[mwhogue]

Hello everyone,

I have Nikon AE 7x35 and love it. However, bulk and weight are bothering me a bit. I thought if it is worth to switch to Kowa 6.5x32 instead. Mainly for light weight and compactness. The purpose is wide field landscape observation not focused on particular object. How the IQ compares? ....

Yes, I know, porro 3D effect.....


Any comparisons are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Valentin

IMO "For wide field landscape observation not focused on a particular object" the Kowa 6.5 is excellent. When used for this purpose over long distances it gives me a very 3D effect, much like a porro including the Nikon AE 7x35. A bonus is fantastic close focus performance which makes it a very versatile bin as well. The image is sharper and noticeably brighter than the Nikon. As you like the Nikon, which is a fine bin for the price, you will likely be very happy with the Kowa.

Mike

 

[Cest]

I have the Kowa and can highly recommend it.

 

[sostinv]

Thank you guys for your input. It seems there are mainly positive opinions rather than negative. Just pulled the trigger. Will post my impressions here.

 

[Blue72]

Thank you guys for your input. It seems there are mainly positive opinions rather than negative. Just pulled the trigger. Will post my impressions here.

did you get them yet?

 

[sostinv]

Not yet. Still waiting for transborder delivery... I'm expecting them to arrive close to the end of the next week.

BTW, compared my Nikon AE 7x35 to Leica Noctivid 8x42 side by side. It is funny that the eye accepts a good picture as an excellent one until you give it truly excellent picture to compare. The difference was not a kind of day and night. But Leica's view evoked some emotions while Nikon simply delivered a good view.

 

[yarrellii]

Hi sostinv. Sorry to be late, but I did a brief comparison between the Kowa and the Nikon (and two other 6-7x). Since you've bought them already, you'll probably have your answers soon. In the meantime you can read my findings here:

Kowa BDXDII 6.5x32 vs Vixen Atrek 6x30, Nikon AE 7x35, Zeiss FL 7x42

A strange comparison? Well, maybe. I hope it can be useful and fun (at least as half as much as I enjoyed making it). I’m a big fan of lower power binoculars (7x, 6x) ever since I discovered the stable and comfortable view. Furthermore, the binoculars I tend to enjoy the more, are those with...

www.birdforum.net

I hope you find them interesting

 

[sostinv]

Hi yarrellii,
Thank you very much for your review. It is much appreciated. I read it as well as couple of others before opening this thread. But I thought it was not enough to make decision. There were different opinions and impressions (including negative ones).
And I did not found direct comparisons between these two regarding the points I mentioned above. Probably I was not very attentive and missed something. Nevertheless, it would be nice to read your summarized impression of these binos about midtone contrast, micro contrast, color tint (Nikon has a bit reddish for my eyes, and Kowa?).

Thank you all for your opinions. It is very valuable for me.

Valentin

 

[Blue72]

Hi yarrellii,
Thank you very much for your review. It is much appreciated. I read it as well as couple of others before opening this thread. But I thought it was not enough to make decision. There were different opinions and impressions (including negative ones).
And I did not found direct comparisons between these two regarding the points I mentioned above. Probably I was not very attentive and missed something. Nevertheless, it would be nice to read your summarized impression of these binos about midtone contrast, micro contrast, color tint (Nikon has a bit reddish for my eyes, and Kowa?).

Thank you all for your opinions. It is very valuable for me.

Valentin

I read that review and it stopped me for many months from purchasing the Kowa's. But many users still gave them glowing reviews. It wasn’t until I saw Pinac mentioned they were sharper then the nikon 7x35 on his website that made me buy the Kowa. To be sure I also bought the Maven 6x30, Meopta 8x32, and the Nikon 8x30 monarch 7 all at the same time (already owned the 7x35) and landed up liking the Kowa the best by a clear margin.

But everyones eyes are different and there can be sample variations with all binoculars. So I be interested in your opinion

 

[sostinv]

I eventually got the binocular after severe customs delay. Compared it briefly with Nikon and here are my first impressions:

1. The build quality is surprisingly good for Chinese made optic. It feels solid and pleasantly dense in hand.

2. Contrast and color neutrality is top notch. Nikon looks far less contrasty and definitely has reddish cast.

3. Kowa is brighter. It is noticeable even in overcast weather not taken night time in consideration.

4. It is pity but my Kowa sample is less sharp than the Nikon. I know it may be a magnification difference. But I don't see that crispness of micro detail as I see them through Nikon and other binoculars. It requires more investigation of course but the first impression is not very positive here.

5. Kowa has a bit more visible field, but Nikon is more immersive. It seems the AFOV circle is a bit larger in Nikon than Kowa.

6. Eyecups are definitely much better in Kowa.

7. I have relatively narrow IPD of 62mm approximately. Kowa forms a bridge bump which is a bit unpleasant to feel when holding the binocular.

8. Kowa is much lighter. But the devil is hidden here. Micro vibrations are much more evident with Kowa.

9. Focus knob is silky smooth and preciese. No slack or backlash. Just right resistance. Nikon's focus knob is great but a bit hard to rotate using single finger.

10. Case. It is not enough space for binocular with extended eyecups. I find it a very good quality as well as neck strap. There are some complaints about the strap being of low quality. I cannot confirm this.

Overall If the point 4 was absent I would rate it as extremely good product.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Valentin.

 

[sostinv]

Some further investigation of point 4 brought me to the following thoughts:

1. Kowa does have extremely short focus throw. Micro vibrations is really a barrier to set it very precisely. I have found no way to adjust focus quickly and precisely. It is either quick or preciese. Probably, I need more practice. Nikon has long throw and focus adjustment is not a problem there at all.

2. It seems to me that Kowa is not a 6.5x, but close to 6x. Nikon provides noticeably more magnified and detailed views. That is why it seems more sharp at first sight.

3.I would say it is nothing wrong with Kowa sharpness given these two points above. But detail rendering character is on a soft side. There are no that brilliance and sparkle I see in Nikon's center. Tested both on distant street lights. Kowa definitely has more astigmatism in center of view. Probably it is an explanation.

Overall I like this small binocular. But Nikon provides almost same TFOV, more immersive AFOV, less vibrations, more comfortable grip, sharper and more detailed view. I was prepared to sell Nikon immediately after Kowa arrival. Now I will keep both and do some extended use of them. Will post again as soon as another considerations arise.

Valentin.

 

[sostinv]

Investigation of point 5. It is very interesting, but actually Kowa has more immersive views if I fold eyecups down and hover behind exit pupils. I can rest my eyebrows on the upper part of the eyecup and look from under the forehead in order to match long eye relief. The apparent field is HUGE and noticeably bigger than the nikon's. Nikon eyecups don't do the trick though. The apparent field seems the same no matter what eyecups position I select.

Point 7. Matter of habbit. It seems I like that shape more and more. Very handy to operate with the binocular by one hand.

 

[sostinv]

Today was the first sunny day from the moment I received my Kowa binoculars. And I have to admit, Kowa is bested Nikon regarding sharpness department. Didn't believe my eyes. I guess this is due to the small size of the pupil of the eye where the eye lens abberations are almost negilible. The picture appeared very sharp, clear and contrasty. Pleasure to use in a good weather.

 

[Ignatius]

Unless you have a flat face with no eye sockets the Nikon AEx 7x35 are not a good idea. I have them and they were designed for facial bone structures other than my white European one. The eye cups have a diameter of a whopping 45 mm, so getting the EPs to line up with my eyes correctly and get my nasal bone between the eye cups is a physical impossibility. Instead they float above my nose and in front of my eyes somewhere. Apart from that they are pretty good for the money. Needless to add that they and their 8x40/10x50 siblings are waiting to be taken to the charity shop. I just wanted to try out some other porros as I am a great fan - but these were not it.
So by sheer elimination, for me the Kowas would win by default.

 

[Koejoe]

Late to the party and really enjoyed reading this discussion. I’ve been enjoying my Opticron 6.5x32 adventure wp along side with my maven 7x28 as my smaller go everywhere Bin. For the money the Opticron 6.5x32 is pretty fun. Really hope to own the Kowa one day.

 

[Swedpat]

Interesting that some perceive Kowa as sharper and other Nikon as sharper...
But the biggest difference between these bins should be the eye relief. Kowa should be much better for eyeglasses wearers. Anyone who tried it with eyeglasses?