8x30's - Kowa or Zeiss?

[yycyak]

Hi guys, I'm thinking about treating myself to some new glass in the 8x30 category this season, and have it narrowed down (ok, my wallet narrowed things down) to these two options:

-- Zeiss Conquest
-- Kowa Genesis

Where I'm at the Kowa's are about $150 more expensive than the Zeiss. I'm leaning towards the Kowa's as I've read good things on the birding forums, but Rokslide seems to be pretty jacked up about the Zeiss in terms of "bang-for-buck".

Anyone have any thoughts or preference?

Sent from my BBB100-2 using Tapatalk

 

[gr8fuldoug]

May I suggest reading this review from another forum comparing the Kowa to a Swarovski EL and after you read it please give me a call to discuss your new Kowa

 

[willfrye027]

I compared the Zeiss 8x32 to maven b3 8x30 and ended up choosing the mavens. Would have liked to try the kowa and Meopta in that price range but I’m extremely happy with the mavens.

Battle of the small binos-Zeiss conquest hd 8x32 vs victory pocket 8x25 vs maven b3 8x30

I’m on the hunt for a new set of compact binos to complement my massive 10-15x50 duovids. While I love the duovids, they are serious overkill for timber hunting, turkeys, and a go-everywhere kind of bino. I’ve ordered all three of these to do some testing over a couple weeks. I’ll post an...

www.rokslide.com

 

[efnm]

I found binos that small are finicky to fit my eyes (eye relief). Make sure you try before you buy unless you get a great deal that you then pass along to the classifieds here. I did that with my Meoptas.

 

[Pezboat]

I found a demo pair of Swaro CL 8x30’s for $800. When I got them, they looked brand new. The new CL’s are insanely nice.

 

[Newtosavage]

I hate to say this but without trying them, nobody can really help you decide. Even if we all recommended one of them, there is a good chance your eyes would prefer the other. That's just how individual binoculars are. Especially in the smaller formats. Eye relief is a big one too. It makes such a difference. If it's right for you then you're all set, but if not, then the binoculars will be so annoying to use that it won't matter how good the glass is.

Next time I spend another $600+ on binoculars, it will only be on a pair I've actually handled before.

 

[willfrye027]

I hate to say this but without trying them, nobody can really help you decide. Even if we all recommended one of them, there is a good chance your eyes would prefer the other. That's just how individual binoculars are. Especially in the smaller formats. Eye relief is a big one too. It makes such a difference. If it's right for you then you're all set, but if not, then the binoculars will be so annoying to use that it won't matter how good the glass is.

Next time I spend another $600+ on binoculars, it will only be on a pair I've actually handled before.

Yep. Get a few that have good reviews and compare them. Do yourself a favor and add the mavens to the mix, they have a demo program as well.

 

[yycyak]

Thanks for the opinions so far guys. I'm up in Canada, so the prices up here are a bit different than elsewhere. I'm currently looking at:

-- $1,440 for the Kowas
-- $1,270 for the Zeiss

For the Maven B3's it's $800, and for CL's, I'm looking at $1600+. And in terms of trying out everything before buying, it's harder up here as there aren't any local shops that carry Kowas, Mavens, etc. It's all online. And shipping from the US makes things even pricier.

Point is, it's a pain in the ass to buy glass. I don't mind spending the $$$ on decent glass, but I want to make sure that the extra bucks are worth it. (In the back of my mind I'm thinking I should just keep my old crappy Leupolds, and spend the $1,600 on fuel or other gear.)

Alternatively, I have a lead on a Kowa Genesis 8x44 for around $1000. I really wanted to go with the 8x33's for the lightweight factor (really trying to do the lightweight thing hard this season, as I've always ignored it in the past, and packs started to get heavy), but maybe having the 44mm might come in handy for low light?

 

[willfrye027]

I was worried about that too with the 8x30s. At least with my (young) eyes, after using them all turkey season I’m confident I could use them to quickly field judge a buck or make sure a doe isn’t a spike at first or last light in the timber. 8x42 would be better but obviously there’s a weight trade off there. Although the Zeiss victory 8x42s are pretty dang light...but obviously different price range.

 

[yycyak]

Well I have two thoughts bouncing around in my head:

1. I'll be carrying a lightweight spotting scope with me, so if I need to view anything in extreme detail I can just use the spotter.

2. My goal this season is to try and bag a cow elk for meat this fall (I mean a bull is the dream, but I'm trying to keep my expectations really low.)

With the above in mind, I think (but I could be wrong) that I probably want to stay as lightweight as possible. I know the difference between a set of 8x30's vs 8x40's is maybe 1lbs at most, so maybe it makes sense to carry the heavier optics if the quality/return is there?

Or I guess another way to think of it is I know the Kowa 8x44's are a really solid piece of kit. It will cost $1000, and an extra 1 lbs. Alternatively, the Kowa 8x33's are a good piece of kit too, but will probably going to cost me $1500. Am I better using the really good 8x44's, and saving the $500 for fuel or something, or should I spend the extra $500 and get the 33's to stay lighter.

(I've been known to over-think things sometimes...)

I was worried about that too with the 8x30s. At least with my (young) eyes, after using them all turkey season I’m confident I could use them to quickly field judge a buck or make sure a doe isn’t a spike at first or last light in the timber. 8x42 would be better but obviously there’s a weight trade off there. Although the Zeiss victory 8x42s are pretty dang light...but obviously different price range.

 

[yycyak]

Thanks Doug, PM inbound

May I suggest reading this review from another forum comparing the Kowa to a Swarovski EL and after you read it please give me a call to discuss your new Kowa

 

[willfrye027]

Well I have two thoughts bouncing around in my head:

1. I'll be carrying a lightweight spotting scope with me, so if I need to view anything in extreme detail I can just use the spotter.

2. My goal this season is to try and bag a cow elk for meat this fall (I mean a bull is the dream, but I'm trying to keep my expectations really low.)

With the above in mind, I think (but I could be wrong) that I probably want to stay as lightweight as possible. I know the difference between a set of 8x30's vs 8x40's is maybe 1lbs at most, so maybe it makes sense to carry the heavier optics if the quality/return is there?

Or I guess another way to think of it is I know the Kowa 8x44's are a really solid piece of kit. It will cost $1000, and an extra 1 lbs. Alternatively, the Kowa 8x33's are a good piece of kit too, but will probably going to cost me $1500. Am I better using the really good 8x44's, and saving the $500 for fuel or something, or should I spend the extra $500 and get the 33's to stay lighter.

(I've been known to over-think things sometimes...)

Id say if its your main piece of glass, a full sized (42+mm) will probably serve you best. I have other glass that I will use if its a glassing-intensive kind of hunt. The 8x30's are for when I would like to have some glass but its not critical and I don't want the weight/bulk of my heavy binos. Hope some of that makes sense. Especially if you can get the 8x44s cheaper, it will be a more pleasing visual experience with a larger exit pupil. Although im curious why you are pretty set on Kowa with so many great options out there in the $1000 range.

 

[[email protected]]

I was just in a similar boat and wanted a pair of 8x32s. I ended up with the Swarovski ELs. Not sure about which I’d choose between the zeiss and kowa because I haven’t handled the Kowas in that bino. I have used a kowa spotter though and it was very good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk