Kowa SV 10x42 Binoculars

Kowa SV 10x42 Binoculars - The stylish design of the SV's is ideal for bird watching, nature observation or any other outdoor activity. Depressions placed in the rubber armor make it easy to grip and hold the binoculars. The lightweight design allows for extended use in the field. The binoculars are waterproof and filled with dry nitrogen gas to prevent the internal structure from fogging. This package includes a wide, comfortable neck strap, and a padded carrying case.

• Ergonomic Design
• Lightweight Comstruction
• Waterproof
• Fogproof
• Dual Rubber Armor
• Long Eye Relief
• Twist-Up Eyecups

I have a Kowa spotting scope that I am quite pleased with so I thought I would give these binoculars a look-see. I have the Nikon 8x42 Trail Blazer ATB and did a side by side comparison, thats about as fair of a test as I could give. Daytime they were neck and neck. Went back out with my wife just before sunset and kept comparing. We slowly started seeing a difference. We were glassing from 80 yards to 850yards out in the fields as dusk settled more and more. The more the dusk settled the more apparent the differences became. The shadows under the trees were noticeably brighter with the Kowas and everything just looked much crisper with them. I dont think this was a 8x vs 10x issue. With the extra 2x you do loose just a bit of field of view. However, you do gain the extra 2x and noticeable crispness even before the dusk fully settled both of which seem to justify the extra $70.00 for the Kowa. The missus decided on that early on, took me a little more fiddling for me to come to that conclusion. The Kowas do feel more sleek and may have better ergonomics for some as well. Very nice product with what seems to be a fair price.