Introduction

A while back I reviewed the full sized 10.5x44 Genesis from Kowa on the best binocular reviews website and rated it as one of the best views through a pair of binoculars ever as the clarity and brightness of the image produced was simply stunning. But I decided not to include it on the safari guide website because I felt that it was probably a bit to large and heavy for the average person to take on safari.

Because of just how good the 10.5x44 was, I asked the guys at Alpha Digital Services (the UK distributors of Kowa) if they could get me one of the smaller and lighter Genesis models in the XD 33 series to review and in particular the 10x version (they also make an 8x33 model) which I thought would make for an excellent safari binocular or indeed any travel adventure as well as a great all round, all purpose binocular.

Main Highlights

• Prominar XD Lenses
• Phase Coated Roof Prisms
• Diopter Locking System
• Fully Waterproof & Fogproof
• Close focus of 4.9 feet (1.5m)
  
  

The Safari Guide Opinion

Optical Performance

Aimed at the top end of the market, the biggest selling point of these Kowa Genesis XD 10x33 binoculars and indeed all Kowa Genesis binoculars is their use of their PROMINAR XD lenses that are made with extra low dispersion glass. This technology has been taken from Kowa's top of the range Spotting scopes to produce binoculars, that according to Kowa are chromatic aberration free.

Because these ultra high quality XD lenses are not cheap to manufacture, they are only used on Kowa's top end binoculars which according to Kowa results in an extremely bright image with high contrast.

One of the concerns I had before testing these 33mm objective lens versions was they would not perform as well as the 44mm version. Obviously with the smaller lenses you expect that the image will not be quite as bright, but I hoped that they would at least retain some of the impressive brightness of their big brother.

After testing them, I was not to be disappointed as not only are the colours and clarity of image produced stunning, but for a 10x mid-sized binocular the brightness of the image is truly excellent. Comparing them to my mid priced 10x42 benchmark binoculars, that I use for all my reviews, they were far, far brighter and you must remember that the benchmarks have larger 42mm objective lenses. Brilliant!

As well as being very bright, I thought the image produced was also extremely sharp and clear and I could not see any colour fringing and almost no softening of the image on the periphery of the view. The view through these is exceptional and easily lives up to my very high expectations of them.

As well as the XD lenses, there are a number of other quality features used by Kowa that help produce such an excellent performance:

33mm Objective Lenses
The use of 33mm objective lenses is an interesting choice as the most common objective lens size for mid-sized binoculars is 32mm. Kowa have however decided to use slightly larger 33mm objective lenses that don't feel or look any bigger, but they do make a small difference in the figures:

10x33 binoculars like this Genesis model have an Exit Pupil of 3.3mm and a Twilight Factor of 18.2, whilst the more common 10x32 binoculars have a slightly inferior Exit Pupil of 3.2mm and a Twilight Factor of 17.9. Which would suggest that these should perform slightly better in poor light conditions.

It is also important to remember that whilst these figures make it possible to compare the performance of different configurations of binoculars in low light conditions, they do not take into account the quality of the prisms, lenses and their coatings. But as I have already mentioned these Kowa Genesis binoculars feature the very best quality optics available which is why they produce such a bright image.

Schmidt-Pechan prism
As with any quality binocular, you expect them to have BAK-4 prisms that are made of superior optical glass to produce clearer images, but Kowa have gone one step further in that they use the Schmidt-Pechan prism design that have both BaK4 and SK15 prisms. This prism design is more compact than a porro prism binocular, but does have a few drawbacks. One of which that the two prisms are separated by an air-gap and one surface of the Pechan prism does not provide total reflection. To get around this Kowa Genesis binoculars have a highly reflective multi-coating added that they call their C3 coating. Kowa say that this gives a reflectance of 99% or more across the entire visible spectrum, which is impressive.

Phase Correction
Kowa phase coat the prism that prevents the loss of contrast and resolution. To go into a little more detail, Phase-correction coatings help to reduce the phase shift of light caused by phase differences arising from total light reflection on a roof surface! Sounds complicated, but basically it keeps the light in correct color phase and has the result of reducing the loss of image resolution to maintain high-contrast images. It is a feature that is only found on high end roof prism binoculars.

Field of View & Close Focus
They have a close focus distance of 1.5m (4.9ft). Anything under 6ft is excellent and beats most other binoculars in their class and even competes with binoculars specifically designed for things like viewing butterflies.

The field of view at 1000 yards is 357ft (119m@1000m) is good and is comparable to most top end mid sized roof prism binoculars with a 10x magnification.

Outer Construction

The body of the binoculars is made from magnesium alloy and covered in a rubberized armour that give you a tough binocular that should easily handle most conditions that you throw at them.

Rubber armoring on binoculars has a number of benefits apart from just protection as it provides a good non slip surface even in wet or damp conditions. It also helps to dampen down any sounds that may be made by knocking them against anything. For example my wedding ring can make a rather loud metallic sound if I brush it against another metal object, which could easily frighten away timid wildlife or birds.

Water & Fog Proof
The Genesis is completely sealed and filled with dry nitrogen gas to prevent them from fogging up which also means that they are 100% waterproof.

Weight
At 590g (20.8oz), they are one of the lightest binoculars in their class and easily beat many of the binoculars that they are competing against:

Weights of similar sized binoculars in their class:

• Kowa Prominar 10x33 Genesis XD - 20.8oz (590g )
• Swarovski 10x32 EL - 21.5ozs (610g)
• Nikon 10x32 EDG - 22.9ozs (649g)
• Minox BL 8x33 BL - 22.9ozs (649g)
• Leica 10x32 Ultravid HD - 18.9 oz (535g)
• Zeiss 10x32 Victory FL - 19.8oz (560g)

Eye-Relief
The eye-cups have 4 click stops - flush against the eyepiece, two intermediate stops or fully extended, giving you 15mm of eye-relief which should easily be enough for most eyeglass wearers.

Non-eyeglass wearers will just use the eyecups in the fully extended position, whilst eyeglass wearers can adjust them to suit what works best for them.

Focusing
Focusing using the central dial was really smooth. These Kowa 10x33's take one and a half turns of the dial to go from infinity to it's near focus which is an excellent 4.9 feet (1.5m).

Most binoculars that I have tested either take only one turn or two full turns or more. The low gearing on binoculars that take two turns or more mean that it does take a little longer to go from one end to the other, which has the advantage of a good fine focus, but could mean missing what you were trying to spot because of the extra turns you have to make to get there.

On the other hand, the aggressive mechanism on binoculars that only take one turn to go from one extreme to the other, does make them fast to focus, but can make them hard to fine tune your focus to get it exactly right.

I feel that Kowa have really found the right balance here. Fine focusing was simple and accurate, whilst I could quickly go from looking at a butterfly perched on a flower right next to me to looking at a distant eagle soaring above.

The lockable diopter adjustment that is used to correctly set up the binoculars for your eyesight is again another really nice touch and another sign of the quality and attention to detail on these optics. Because it locks in place once adjusted it prevents you from accidentally changing your setting. To adjust it, you unlock it by pulling it away from the barrel and then you can twist it to correctly set up the binoculars to suit your particular eyesight and then click it back to lock it in place.

Also Included

These Genesis binoculars come with a good quality soft carry bag that is very well padded and comes without a carry strap. This may sound bad, but with the binoculars in the case you just use it's neck strap which in my opinion makes for far less clutter and works very well.

The neck strap is very good and possibly a little over the top with such a light binocular. What I like about is that it is very well made, has a thick sponge padding and the point that sits behind your neck is wide enough to distribute the weight over a larger area, making carrying the binoculars very comfortable. It once again shows that Kowa have not forgotten the fine details by finishing off their optics properly rather than it just being an afterthought.

On my pair, the objective and eye piece lens caps fitted well and should not accidentally fall off. I also really like the fact that the objective lens caps are tethered (but can be removed) to the barrels of the binocular meaning that you should never misplace them

Also included is a lens cleaning cloth, some instructions and your warranty card.

Best Binocular Video Review of the Kowa Genesis 10x33 Binocular:

The video above is part of a full review that I did for the Best Binocular reviews website, you can read the full Kowa Genesis XD 10x33 Binocular review here.

Price

Priced at around £900 ($1200) they are not cheap, but you have to remember that these are top end binoculars and if you compare them with other top of the range binoculars in their class they are some of the cheapest. If you also consider all their quality components, the excellent build quality and great features, I think they are actually excellent value for money. However if the price tag is a bit too high for you, you may wish to consider something like the Minox 8x33 BL Binoculars, that whilst many not quite scale the heights of these are still an excellent pair of optics and another favorite mid-sized binocular of mine.

Main Features

• Magnification: 10x
• Objective Lens Diameter: 33mm
• Exit Pupil: 3.3mm
• Twilight Factor: 18.2
• Eye Relief: 15mm
• Weight: 20.8ozs (590g)
• Length: 5.2in (13.3cm) Width :4.1in (10.3cm)
• Field of View: 357ft at 1,000 yards / 119m at 1,000 meters
• Real field of view: 6.8°
• Close Focus Distance: 1.5m (4.9ft)
• Waterproof: Yes
• Fogproof: Yes
• Fully Multi-coated
• Phase corrected Bak-4 Prisms
• Tripod Adaptable
  
  

Cost & Where to Buy

UK Shoppers Buy in the UK:	US Shoppers Buy in the USA:
Kowa Genesis on Amazon.co.uk	Kowa Genesis on Amazon.com

 

Conclusion

Overall I rate these Kowa Genesis XD 10x33 binoculars very highly, their low weight, very close focusing distance and extremely bright image are real highlights. I also love the overall build quality and the attention to detail that give you the great feeling you get that you are holding a quality pair of binoculars in your hands.

They will make fantastic safari binoculars and are ideal for any type of nature observation. Because of their mid size they obviously are great to take with you traveling but will also be easy to pop in a bag and take to sporting events.

The incredible quality of the optics mean that the view through them is nothing short of sensational and definitely some of the best and brightest mid sized binoculars with a magnification of 10x or more that I have ever used. They feel great in your hands and are well balanced and the rubber coating is very comfortable to hold.

Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Alpha Digital Services Limited, the UK distributors of Kowa Binoculars for providing me with the Kowa Genesis XD Binoculars to review.

Similar Binoculars

Other top of the range Mid-sized Binoculars:

 

Middle of the range Mid-Size Binocular:

 

If you are after a cheaper Mid-Size Binocular:

 

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