Anyone compare these to the Kowa 6.5x32
I had the chance to compare the Kowa 6.5x32 to the Hawke marine 7x32, which was mentioned above. Both deserves to be mentioned on above list, since they are comparable by spec and price, and probably in the same class of quality, even though I do not have the Pentax. I compared at the same time with a Zeiss Terra 8x42 ED, which I also mention for comparison, since it is a well known binocular.
I had all 3 in my hands, at the same time (and in addition my Leica Ultravid 8x20). They are very similar in most respects, and the difference between 6.5x to 7x is hard to see. The Hawke 7x is sold for marine, which is what I'm using binoculars for, but the only thing which qualifies the Hawke better for marine then the Kowa is the color: blue instead of dark green. Both are advertised as waterproof and have good shock protection and can be recommended for harsh environments as marine. Both have almost the same size and weight.
The optical quality of all these 3 glasses is in the sum, about the same, where each of them has its special weaknesses or strength:
- The Kowa has by far the widest view, and the best view with my sunglasses, which I almost always wear when sailing, which is the reason I like it most. It is less sharp at the borders, but one needs to consider that the area which is not sharp is not visible at all with the Hawke and and the Zeiss (which is a 8x), so in that respect, it as sharp as the other ones, but you get some additional degrees which are less sharp. I looked at two different pieces of them: the first one had a mechanical defect: the armor was not attached everywhere, and I returned it. The replacement had an optical issue, which the first one did not have: When looking by night at lights or the moon, there are stripes over the full view. I assume there are some large tolerances in the prisma. Since the first one did not have this, I returned this one as well.
- The Hawke might be the sharpest at the edges, and has the lowest CA, but has a smaller field of view, which would be acceptable for me, but the insight is very difficult with my sunglasses. Coatings are good, but not as good as for the Kowa or the Zeiss; in difficult light conditions, light a bird against the bright sky, or lights at night, there is quite a difference. It is the best one when using polarizing filters in your sunglasses (very recommended in environments with snow or water!) . The other two binoculars change somehow the angle, which results in different pictures in the right and left eye, which can be very confusing, while not with this one. I assume, this has to do with different kinds of mirrors inside (metals remove all polarization). I had a problem to get hold of one, since this is currently not sold anymore within EU.
- The Zeiss has apparently the best coatings; it provides the best view, but has the worst CA of these 3 binoculars and is not sharp at the edges. It is very similar to the Kowa when comparing the optical quality. Considering the currently much higher price (even for the smaller Zeiss Terra ED 8x32), I conclude that one pays for the name 'Zeiss'. I bought it 5 years ago, when prices were much lower, and would like to replace it with a 7x (or even 6x) , since 8x is too much on a small sailing boat.
Without doubt, all these 3 are good binoculars. I just need to mention, that compared to my Leica Trinovid 8x32, which I bought for about the same price (since it is a already used, list price is twice as much) , all of them are crap. In case you don't care about the price, you might choose a Trinovid 7x35.