Yosemite, Raptor, Kingbird, Kowa YF: Any Real Differences? (1 Viewer)

[poverty wagon]

A good friend of mine has a 10 year old son (wears glasses) that is really getting into birding and they are looking for binocular recommendations. I of course offered my assistance. :t:

I know that the 6ish x 30ish small porro like the Leupold Yosemite and its clones are a good start for kids - both price wise and size wise - but what are the differences between the clones:

Leupold BX-1 Yosemite 6x30
Vortex Raptor 6.5 x 32
Eagle Optics Kingbird 6.5 x 32
Kowa YF 6 x 30.

They are all under $100 and within $10 of each other. I think I've seen some interweb traffic where some folks like the Kowa over the Leupold, but I'm not sure why. If they are all nearly the same in terms of optical performance and ergos, I'm inclined to recommend either the Vortex or the Eagle Optics if only for the no-fault warranty.

Thanks for your collective knowledge.

Jeff.

 

[perterra]

Vortex and Eagle have a longish close focus I believe.

 

[Steve C]

The Raptor and Kingbird have a bit longer objective barrels, but there is no real difference between them. They may well have some coating differences, but the actual field difference is negligible. I have a Yosemite and a Kingbird (from when they called it the Raven). The Raptor and Raven differ only in color of the rubber armor.

Personally, I'd go for whichever you can find locally and can get a first hand look at.

You might also look at the Pentax Papillio.

 

[FrankD]

Also consider that quality of coatings and quality control in general will vary from model to model.

 

[poverty wagon]

Vortex and Eagle have a longish close for us I believe.

Good point. The Yosemites are 10 ft, the other three are 15+ ft. I think that is a significant difference in actual use.

Eagle optics reviews: there is one reviewer that bought all four models to compare, and he liked the image of the Kowa over the others.

Thus far I'm prone to recommend the Leupold first, then the Kowa. I think for a kid starting out the close focus will be a bigger factor than the slightly better optics and build quality.

But I'm still willing to hear other opinions.

Thanks.

 

[paul2013]

I've had two Yosemites, two Kowas and one Raptor (all 6/6.5x) and a Yosemite 8x. Small sample size obviously, but here's my experience: First Yosemite (previous model - maybe 2009?) was great. I gave it to my mother, who loves it. Raptor never felt quite right, and wasn't as sharp as that first Yosemite, so I returned it. First Kowa (last year) had a collimation problem, so I tried another. For the money (or three times the money) the second one is outstanding, but obviously you risk QC issues, as I had. I compared it side-by-side to a current model Yosemite for over a week, and found it the tiniest bit sharper, brighter and noticeably whiter (Yosemite is a bit warm when tested on a pure white wall). The current Kowas also appears better built and better finished than the current Leupold 6x30. But the deal breaker is that my last myopia change (less that 1/2 a diopter, 2012) put the Yosemite's far focus just outside my vision. The Kowa has focus range to spare, so that I can comfortably use it with my glasses (good ER), but can also use it fine without them.

Hope this helps.

 

[perterra]

Good point. The Yosemites are 10 ft, the other three are 15+ ft. I think that is a significant difference in actual use.

Eagle optics reviews: there is one reviewer that bought all four models to compare, and he liked the image of the Kowa over the others.

Thus far I'm prone to recommend the Leupold first, then the Kowa. I think for a kid starting out the close focus will be a bigger factor than the slightly better optics and build quality.

But I'm still willing to hear other opinions.

Thanks.

The auto spell crap kicks my butt.

 

[peatmoss]

I've got the yosemite 6x30 and used to have the raptor 6.5x32. I liked the build quality of the raptor a bit better than the yosemite. The eyecups rotated with more dampening, and the focuser didn't stick as much. I also liked the vortex case better than the leupold case (which isn't much more than a neprene sleeve). By comparison, the yosemite was marginally smaller and, at least with my copies, a little bit sharper than the raptor. Both are very nice bins, and good choices for youngsters.

 

[poverty wagon]

Thanks for all the feedback, especially those that have experience with multiple copies of this genre. Funny thing. Today one of the local birding groups had a festival, lending out binocs for guided bird walks. The loaners must have been sponsored by Eagle Optics because there were forty 8x42 Shrikes and five 6.5 x 32 kingbirds on the table. I tried one of the 6.5 x 32 kingbirds that lived a hard life as a loaner. The focuser was really hard, to the point that I didn't want to risk breaking it. I also found the eye relief to be too long; Even with the eye cups fully extended I had to hold slightly away from my brows to get a good view. The kid in question was also there and took a cursory look through the Kingbirds. He didn't spend a lot of time critiquing the view as I think he was eager to get out and see some species on his list. He also tried the Shrikes and my Vanguard Endevors, and the "big boy" 8x42 format seems to fit him OK. In addition to the Yosemite and Kowa YF, his dad and I will take him to the brick and mortar stores to see if an adult size 8x42 would suit him better. It's fun helping other people spend their money. : )

On an unrelated note, this is the second time that I'm reminded of something. Not all birders are geeked over optics like expect them to be. I think it's a small subset of us obsess over binocs as a part of our birding hobby.

 

[OPTIC_NUT]

On an unrelated note, this is the second time that I'm reminded of something. Not all birders are geeked over optics like expect them to be. I think it's a small subset of us obsess over binocs as a part of our birding hobby.

And I suspect we (bino-nuts) might be the majority of the active market, given how
many pairs many of us own.