I've had the 6x30 Kowa YFs for a few months now and they are ridiculously good for the money. You should just go buy them.

To be fair, a well put together Porro prism can match and outperform many budget roof prism. Nice comparison. It's like and Ed frac Vs light bucket Newt😉

Interesting video and findings! Thanks for posting! Another thing worth mentioning is the 3D depth perception with Porro prism designs which is far superior to roof models. I have an Opticron-branded 8 x 30 Porro oferred at the same price point, and totally agree with your findings, having tested many roof prism models costing far more than the Opticron.

@ricardoernestosotobarrios9519

Жыл бұрын

I own a second hand beatup Fujinon FMTRSX and a well cared second hand Leica Trinovid. Both are equals in resolution, the Leicas has the lovely "enhanced reality" Leica color saturation while the Fujis are more neutral in color, very Swarovski like. The Fujis has a 3D effect the Leicas cannot match. Leicas has a close focus the Fujis cannot match. Porro vs Roof, each one has their advantages. Of curse, both are top end, a top end porro vs a top end roof. The main difference between them and my lower price Nikon Action Extremes are resolution, birghtness (light transmission) edge sharpness at day, but not that, snd much, better control of reflectios at night and quality of construction. The Fujis are designed for hard use in a ship bridge or tank turret, and the Leicas might give 30 years of hard use to a zooligist (primatologist and ornitologist here seem to love them). That goes into the price too. Not just the optics. But most amaterurs do not need that kind of durability. And that price to pay for it. The sweet spot of porro prism binoculars seems to be around 300 dolars, and for a rook around 500. Over that there is a diminishing return law. You will double the price for a 5% increase in optical quality. But for tank like milspec durability, you will pay around 1000 USD.

@neilenglish7433

Жыл бұрын

@@ricardoernestosotobarrios9519 Good post! My absolute favourite is a Nikon EII 8 x30 Porro. Stunning optics and magnificent FOV 8.8 degrees. And amazing 3D

@ricardoernestosotobarrios9519

Жыл бұрын

@@neilenglish7433 Saldlu Nikon is not longer building their high end Porros. I love my Action Extremes and I wonder want they could have done do with modern glass and coatings. The high end porro seems to be a military/marine/ astronomy thing right now, but you have to pay a price in money and weight for the militar sand marine part most people do not need. BTW Im a fan of your website snce you seem to evalate both high and low end bins and telescopes.

@robertkirk4387

Жыл бұрын

Dear Sir. I have the same Opticron as you, I think you mean the savanna and I agree wholeheartedly, they are pin sharp, as bright as you need, maybe too bright sometimes, the build quality is not bad but could be improved (Chinese) and as I am currently saving for a Swarovski Habicht 8x30W (£900) I feel perhaps there is no need for the Habcht if the savanna is so good. As you imply "a good Poro Prism binocular is very hard to beat" If you can live with the older-fashioned appearance and the 3D view they are a steal.

I do believe there is a saturation point , where the quality difference is very little . I own and have owned both . Mainly Leica at the top end , in the Trinovid BN and the Ultravid and Ultravid HD but not the HD+ . I recently bought a pair of Kowa BD XD in an 8x42 . They currently sell for around the £400-430 with an RRP of £450 for the 8x43 model . The Leica Ultravids were around £1400 . There is no way there's a thousand pound difference . A mate has the old EL Swarovski as well as the latest model . I always preferred the Leica and the Zeiss to the Swarovski , especially the build quality , although the view was similar in all of them . When I first bought my Ultravids they were under £900 , now they are £1500 and the newer Noctivids are around £2000 . Swarovski and Zeiss In the top bracket are also around the £2000 . It's a complete joke and we are being ripped off . I worked for the RSPB and used to be a guide and do nest counts for SNH and the SOC . They are not worth the money and particularly in the Swarovski the trendiness of the name .

My early 90’s Walmart-bought Bushnell are still good enough for me out hiking. I often think about getting better ones, but I never really knew if it would be worth it. Nice video!

@fmbga

2 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with continuing to use the old binos when you're used to them. But if you wonder what you may be missing, take your trusty old optic with you to the store, or to some kind of nature observation event where others bring their binoculars, and compare them directly with ones you can imagine using. Try to compare under less than ideal conditions, like low light - every image looks good when the sun is shining brightly, but the dusk will separate the wheat from the chaff.

Very good sensible review 👍

Would have been nice to see a view through both of them.

@bigtb1717

2 жыл бұрын

I actually tried, but it's very difficult to get a picture through them to come out well, and I couldn't seem to get a picture that would do them justice. After messing with focus on the camera and binoculars for a while, I wasn't able to get an image that was nearly as sharp as what it was just looking through them. I was afraid it would give the wrong impression. Unfortunately, it just didn't seem like it would be properly representative of the performance you could actually expect from them.

@billhennessy5118

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 They have attachments now for cell phone cameras. That might work. I got to look through some 7X50 marine binoculars at a star party awhile back one was about $150 and the other $1,200. I really did not see that much of a difference in them. Thanks for the video.

How do your YFs compare to your Leupold Yosemite ?

@bigtb1717

Ай бұрын

They are virtually identical. I believe they are made by the same OEM.

@DrDanMD

Ай бұрын

@@bigtb1717 thank you

Looking at a pair of 10x30 CLs for $700. Thinking about getting them

@brianw6645

Жыл бұрын

Where are you finding the CL's for only $700?

@michaelklein3244

Жыл бұрын

@@brianw6645 guy on rockslyde

@michaelklein3244

Жыл бұрын

@@brianw6645 I didn't buy them though. Had something come up. Thry may still be available. Could've been on archerytalk but I think it was rockslyde

@vikinona

6 ай бұрын

Hello. I had a Swarovski EL Swarovizion 10x42, but it was not as sharp as cheaper binoculars, so I sold it. It can be forgiven because Swarovski has a clear image in the entire field of view, but overall it has poor resolution and pale colors. The Zeiss Conquest was much much sharper in the center of the field of view. And not only Zeiss Conquest, but also Bushnell Legend Ultra HD, Bushnell Nitro, Olympus EXWP, Olympus EXPS.. While it had the best resolution is the Zeiss Victory SF

Which pair will still work in twenty years?

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Assuming the Swarovski pair is better sealed, it very well might remain resistant to internal fogging and internal fungus/mildew growth on the lens elements for longer than the Kowa. But if both are treated and handled well, it's very possible both would last 20 years or more. I have a pair of Leupold binoculars which are essentially the same as the Kowas. They are probably 15 years old and still work perfectly fine.

Hi, do you think the the Swarovski 8x30 is worth ? ( Looks like a small and decent bino for the price!)

@bigtb1717

2 жыл бұрын

Yes and no. I really liked them, but it's going to be a very personal thing as to whether or not they are worth it to any particular individual. The size, build, feel and optical quality are very good. But the high price means they are well into the "subjective" value range. I don't know that the actual utility of ANY 8x30 binoculars justifies a price of over $1,000. Is someone willing to pay extra for that nicer feel, build quality, lens covers, etc.? Do they get enjoyment or satisfaction from owning and using them? Well, then it may be worth the money to that person. But at the end of the day, no matter how nice they are, it's still just a pair of 8x30 binoculars. And for most people, I don't think the usefulness of a pair of 8x30 binoculars would be worth over $1,000. Including myself, if I'm honest. But if someone can afford them, likes the features and quality and enjoys using them, they may absolutely be worth the money to that person.

@miertjestoer9525

2 жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 I will think about it , maybe used or a domo with a lower price. ( price of €650 fair ? Plus a view honderds of dollars for the brand " Swarovski " . ) I will do a test at a local store and then I will let you know if I like them or not 🤨 right now I am using a €19 SANJU 8x25 pocket binocular.

kowa is japanese swarovski in the optics world. this is just their budget product. i think that is very important to mention. bushnell vortex athlon and other china slave labour crap dont even come close to kowa as a brand name.

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

I agree, Kowa is a respected optics brand. Keep in mind, some Kowa models these days, including these YFs, are made in China.

@user-yh2bn8pb9h

Жыл бұрын

мощно!!!

all those who make this type of videos is because if they have binoculars say kowa joint bushnell or any brand and see that other people spend on swarovski leica or zeiss they feel a little jealous and want to make people believe that it is not good to spend their money on brands like those but being realistic if people have the money to buy them they will do it and they do it because they are simply the best and best quality so if they have money buy a swatovski leica or zeiss

@stevedickson5853

11 ай бұрын

You usually get around 5 percent better performance from the optics of expensive Roof prism binoculars the more you keep going up on price range than lower priced porro prisms like Kowa ,Pentax, Nikon etc ,if money is no object then people will buy Zeiss etc but for most people the average 5 percent or so better performance just isn't worth it if money is more tight

@redpillnibbler4423

4 ай бұрын

It depends how rich you are.😅

The YF is £100 the companion is £1000 . One aimed at a beginner , the other as a regular use experienced hunter or wildlife watcher . Unfair comparison.

In fact, not really helpful at all, far from that, but funny and interesting.... It's much more complex that it seems, and depends on the quality of each person's eyes....

if it costs as much as a thermal unit, buy a thermal unit and enter a whole new world. There are enough good binoculas in the 100-300 EUR price range. you gain only slight improvements when you buy binoculars for the price of a thermal

Too much talk