Kowa vs Maven in a 8x30 ish

[Blue72]

If you think the B3 are good in low light (I think they are average), your socks would be blown off with the Kowa 6.5x

i can see the North American Nebula in them, something that is difficult to see in even much larger binoculars. In the B3 I see nothing

 

[TexaninSconny]

If you think the B3 are good in low light (I think they are average), your socks would be blown off with the Kowa 6.5x

i can see the North American Nebula in them, something that is difficult to see in even much larger binoculars. In the B3 I see nothing

Not trying to be a jackass, but what do nebulas have to do with deer and elk hunting???


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[Blue72]

Not trying to be a jackass, but what do nebulas have to do with deer and elk hunting???


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Low light performance

the original poster is tree stand hunting. If he is under a heavy canopy of tree branches (common on the east coast) on a gray sky day. Brighter binoculars make a difference

 

[craigrh13]

If you think the B3 are good in low light (I think they are average), your socks would be blown off with the Kowa 6.5x

i can see the North American Nebula in them, something that is difficult to see in even much larger binoculars. In the B3 I see nothing

The B3’s 8x30’s did everything I needed them too for whitetail glassing here in Michigan. I could still count antler points on bucks after legal shooting light. Maybe some true alpha glass would be that much better but those little B3’s worked just fine. In essence they got the job done and they did a damn good job at getting it done.

 

[OspreyZB]

If you think the B3 are good in low light (I think they are average), your socks would be blown off with the Kowa 6.5x

i can see the North American Nebula in them, something that is difficult to see in even much larger binoculars. In the B3 I see nothing

Are you comparing them to the 6x30 or the 8x30? My 6x30 b3 seemed as bright, if not a touch brighter than the 6.5x32 kowa.

 

[Blue72]

The B3’s 8x30’s did everything I needed them too for whitetail glassing here in Michigan. I could still count antler points on bucks after legal shooting light. Maybe some true alpha glass would be that much better but those little B3’s worked just fine. In essence they got the job done and they did a damn good job at getting it done.

I’m not criticizing the B3 I own both and like both

they have different benefits in each

 

[Blue72]

Are you comparing them to the 6x30 or the 8x30? My 6x30 b3 seemed as bright, if not a touch brighter than the 6.5x32 kowa.

Have both, kept 6x30. Great binoculars. But definitely not brighter then the Kowa, it’s not even close.

 

[TexaninSconny]

You guys are making me want to try out the 6x30s just to see if I’d prefer them over the 8x30s. Did it again, fellas…damnit!


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[Blue72]

You guys are making me want to try out the 6x30s just to see if I’d prefer them over the 8x30s. Did it again, fellas…damnit!


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You won’t regret it, especially if you do a lot of handholding

 

[Newtosavage]

A couple more thoughts:

-As I stated earlier, I recently picked up some Maven 6x30's for bow hunting and they are truly top notch both optically and build quality. They are all Japanese components (Kamakura) assembled in U.S. The glass is reported to be their premium line. I'm very impressed for a 30mm glass.

-Kowa BDII's are made in China.

-Monarch 7's are also China made bins. I had a set and the armor got loose right off the bat and they had bad glare problems. I can't recommend these.

-The Conquests in 8x32 are truly great bins (I've had these also), but they are more like a full size bin with short barrels than a compact. 22 oz. vs 16 for the Mavens. They do offer nearly full-size optical quality. Also Kamakura glass. I'd definitely own these again if I run across a deal.

-A bonus of a 6x vs the 8x is the terrific depth of field that the 6x's seem to give. Very immersive viewing. I tend to switch between 8x and 6x for archery hunting depending on where I'm going.

Not all M7's are Chinese made. Only the later ones. I owned two pairs of M7 8x30's and they were both made in Japan. I don't recommend Chinese-made bins so if they are made there now, I withdraw that recommendation.

Agreed that the Conquest HD's are more of a mid-sized bin. I have enormous hands, so they feel better in my hands than most 8x30's and 8x32's. The reason I sold the MIJ M7's is they were too small for me.

 

[Xlr8n]

Not all M7's are Chinese made. Only the later ones. I owned two pairs of M7 8x30's and they were both made in Japan. I don't recommend Chinese-made bins so if they are made there now, I withdraw that recommendation.

Agreed that the Conquest HD's are more of a mid-sized bin. I have enormous hands, so they feel better in my hands than most 8x30's and 8x32's. The reason I sold the MIJ M7's is they were too small for me.

Well....I've never seen or heard of any 30mm M7's made in Japan?? I had a set the first year they were released and they were made in China. Every review I've read on them from 2013-2014 era states they are made in China. Allbinos test on them from 2014 reports made China origin.

 

[Spiral Horn]

-The Conquests in 8x32 are truly great bins (I've had these also), but they are more like a full size bin with short barrels than a compact. 22 oz. vs 16 for the Mavens. They do offer nearly full-size optical quality. Also Kamakura glass. I'd definitely own these again if I run across a deal.-The Conquests in 8x32 are truly great bins (I've had these also), but they are more like a full size bin with short barrels than a compact. 22 oz. vs 16 for the Mavens. They do offer nearly full-size optical quality. Also Kamakura glass. I'd definitely own these again if I run across a deal.

What is your source of information that Kamakura makes the glass used in the Conquests? Outsourcing of at least some components is just the way of the world in today‘s global economy. However, as far as I know the Conquests use Schott Glass.

 

[Spiral Horn]

To me, as a guy who grew up still hunting in forested areas that have heavy canopy cover especially in early season, going smaller than a mid-sized glass is a mistake. Yeah, they are very portable and can sometimes fit in a pocket, but that really isn’t the main purpose. When spotting game in timber it is usually darker than normal and often the animal is not completely in the open. A high quality, very bright and high-resolution binocular that can be handled with one hand (my bow in the other) is the order of the day.

Would personally recommend a Zeiss Conquest 8x32, used Zeiss Victory FL 8x32, or preferably a Nikon Monarch HG 8x42 (it is only 23.5 oz and very small 42mm with amazing handling and superb optics). If one can afford them, a Swarovski EL 8x32 or Leica Ultravid 8x32 would also work quite nicely. Any of these are very well suited for a timber glass.

 

[Xlr8n]

What is your source of information that Kamakura makes the glass used in the Conquests? Outsourcing of at least some components is just the way of the world in today‘s global economy. However, as far as I know the Conquests use Schott Glass.

By saying Kamakura "glass", I meant they were made by Kamakura, not the actual glass itself. Kamakura uses many glass suppliers including Schott, just like any other optics maker. And you are correct, Conquests do use Schott glass. As an example, Tract binos are now made by Kamakura with Schott glass while Tract scopes are made by L.O.W. using Schott glass. The first offerings of Tract bino's were also made by Kamakura but with a different unspecified brand of glass.

 

[Newtosavage]

Well....I've never seen or heard of any 30mm M7's made in Japan?? I had a set the first year they were released and they were made in China. Every review I've read on them from 2013-2014 era states they are made in China. Allbinos test on them from 2014 reports made China origin.

Interesting. I could be remembering things wrong but I doubt it. I sniff out Chinese bins quick. Maybe it was the Phillipines then? I've owned too many bins! LOL

 

[Blue72]

You shouldn’t dismiss optics because they are Made in China. The Nikon ED50 is one of the all time well regarded spotting scopes with a legendary record. Yet it’s made in China

As taxes and regulations Continue to destroy Japan, Europe, and the United States. More and more business will move their products to the Economic Free Trade zones of China.

Its ironic that some territories in ”communist China “ have far more economic freedom then the U.S., such as Hong Kong. No wonder why businesses are moving there.

 

[Spiral Horn]

There is a very large amount of misinformation and wild speculation all over the internet about place of manufacture of many binoculars. In today’s global marketplace companies change material and component suppliers, some more often than others. Also, these complex optical instruments have a lot of parts, and fewer and fewer are 100% sourced from 1x specific country. Ex, Leica Trinovid and some rangefinders are made in Portugal with worldwide components; Swarovski, while stamped made in Austria, sometimes contain Japanese (Ohara Glass) or other worldwide sourced components.

Some like Maven, Tract, Riton, etc are completely OEM

Some like Zeiss Conquest are a mix - a good percentage of OEM (housing and some internal components) with some Zeiss components, the components and optical system all combined, refined, assembled and QA’d by Zeiss in Germany (the original Conquests were made at the Zeiss plant in Hungary). Now I am aware that a very large European dealer on BirdForm disagrees with Zeiss over the place of manufacture and folks have run with that and call it a completely Kamakura manufactured glass. Zeiss does not agree with this, publicly or privately. In fact, it was the source a big disagreement with that dealer. I’ve followed up with Zeiss multiple times, with multiple reps, directly at multiple shows, etc. The answer has been consistent - not completely OEM. But it is a clumsy explanation as it is partially OEM / partially Zeiss and Zeiss subsidiary / corporate partner, but all are combined and perfected by Zeiss in Germany. Zeiss is a massive company - In fact “Schott Glass” is made in Schott plants to Schott specifications all over the world. Zeiss claims that the Conquest receives the majority of the product’s value from what is done to that product in Germany and that’s why it gets the Made in Germany label. If it didn’t Zeiss would have some legal hurdles to market that product in the USA but could still likely sell it in the EU. This is consistent as Zeiss openly admits the Terra is not made in Germany.

Just a quick observation on Asian manufacture outside of Japan. It is continually improving. Making quality optics isn’t rocket science and can be done to high quality anywhere.

Not claiming expertise or to have relationships with insiders, but in today’s global economy, place of manufacture is nowhere near as clean as it used to be.

 

[zeroforhire]

I’m getting buried with my maven b3 8x30s. I love them that much. Paired with a Rick young ultralight harness, they have become my main set of binos. Add a Nikon ed50 and you have a killer, lightweight setup at a decent price.


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[TheGDog]

Get you some used Zeiss Conquests! I recently bought some 10x42's of somebody here... and I like em soo much that when I saw the 15x56's also pop up for sale by someone else couple months down the line... with as much as I was enjoying their 10's over the "Ok" Vortex 15's I had, I just had to see what it was like using that same quality in a 15! With the 15's and being up someplace high in open country... it's crazy how far you can see. I was up in some High Desert mountains (near PalmDale, back side of D11) looking over at other ridge when I realized.. Holy Fvckballs!.... I can see cars WAYYYyyyyy... the hell down there down on the flat lands! There were not super sharp focused at all.. but.. they were also like 8 miles away too. (if I remember right)

If your 10's aren't like comparable to the Conquest 10's... I'd recommend doing that replacement first. Unless you just absolutely feel you have to go smaller for weight and drop down in magnification to combat huffing and puffing and your pulse shaking it like crazy when throwing up a quick 1-hand check while moving. But even then the Zeiss 10's are pretty fricking awesome.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I have both

the mavens are better edge to edge wise, the Kowa are sharper, brighter, and bigger FOV

the real gem is the Kowa 6.5x32…..I can see the North American nebula in those things which I cannot in the mavens. Plus the lowlight performance is excellentView attachment 324971

I bought the Kowa 6.5x32 based partially on this post. I wasn’t satisfied with them and ended up returning them. The FOV and close focus were nice, but the edges seemed soft and the depth of field was shallow. I’m not a binocular specialist, my other sets are Meopta Optika 10x42 and Steiner Navagator Pro 7x50. The glass in the Kowa seemed similar to the old non HD Vortex Diamondback 10x42 that I keep in the truck, with poor control of stray light and poor low light performance.

I may get blasted for posting this since most people seem to love the Kowa, but I’m in the market for a nice 8x32 in the $400 range. I’m reading up on the Nikon M7 8x30, Meopta Meopro HD 8x32, or the Leupold BX-4 8x32 (assuming they are still Japanese glass).