Kowa XD44 8.5 x 44

Kowa Genesis 8.5 x 44: flagship Kowa: with XD lenses and C³coating
The Kowa Genesis 8.5 x 44 binoculars are compact binoculars with top-technology features! Despite its compact dimensions, you still have a super-bright and sharp image.

Filled with nitrogen: waterproof and fully dustproof
The Kowa is completely filled with nitrogen so that the inner pressure is higher than the outside pressure. This keeps dirt, water and other contaminants out.

Prominar XD Lens: complete elimination of chromatic aberration (colour dispersion at the edges of the image field)
The Genesis uses "Prominar Fluorite glass". Fluorite glass ensures maximum light transmission, thus a clearer image. The details are even more visible and give an even sharper picture, something ordinary glass cannot give. Fluorite has as a feature that the dispersion is incredibly low, so vague colours are fully eliminated. With fluorite glass, light transmission is 99%; the following diagram makes this clear.

Kowa C³ coating: 99% light transmission

For all Genesis models, Kowa have applied a so-called C³coating to the prisms inside the binoculars. This ensures the light transmission of the prisms to increase to 99% across the entire light spectrum (400 to 700nm). This not only gives extremely bright and razor sharp images, but you also a very natural colour reproduction. The above diagrams show the reflection of the coating compared with a conventional aluminium coating.

Twist-up / foldable eyepieces (eyecaps)
The eyepieces can be twisted up so that the binoculars come closer to the eye; this is a must for those wearing glasses because normally they would see less (as the spectacles are between the eye and binoculars).

Minimum focusing distance: 1.7 m
Because the Kowa can already focus from 1.7m it is suitable for virtually all applications.

Reviews and opinions on the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44
There are several reviews about the Kowa Genesis 8.5 x 44. It is very well-received by several critics at bird forum.

• Looking at the quality of the image: all three were very good, the Kowa was perhaps a bit better
• Looking at the ergonomics: The Swarovski wins, with the open construction it is very easy to hold
• Looking at the warranty: Kowa have lifetime warranty, as well as Swarovski, Zeiss have a more limited warranty. At Swarovski it is "no questions asked" and therefore it has the best guarantee.
• Looking at the price: Kowa stand head and shoulders above the rest. The Kowa is no less than 900 quid cheaper than comparative brands.
• For more reviews please look at this page, or this page, or the pages of Field& stream and opticstalk

Technical differences between Kowa Genesis XD 10x33, 8x33, 8.5x44 and 10.5x44
Below is a short summary of the technical differences between the various Kowa Genesis XD viewers