Kowa Roof Prism Binoculars

I picked up a pair of the Kowa SV 8x42 and 10x50 binoculars. I have a pair of Kowa YF 8x32 binoculars, which I've been pretty impressed with. The SV 8x42 are easier to manage when it comes to aligning the image to your eyes. That is, the interpupillary distance is easier to lock in with the SV binoculars over the YF binoculars. There's virtually no difference in brightness between the 8x42 and 10x50. They are both sharp and provide an amazingly bright and distortion free image. The adjustable eye cups feel high quality, and so does the rubberized coating. Since I was fortunate enough to purchase both the 8x42 and 10x50, I can pick out some possible variances in quality. The only difference I notice is the resistance of the focus wheel. The 10x50 seems a little tighter than the 8x42, but not by much. Definitely not enough to differentiate a difference in quality.The 10x50 are definitely larger than the 8x42, but not my much. In fact, they come in the size box and pouch. The YF on the other hand is MUCH smaller. They're easier to manage, but they do sacrifice a bit of brightness and are a bit more difficult to lock in the interpupillary distance. I had issues with seeing a double image occasionally, and I would have to take them off my eyes and try again. I have never had this issue with both SV binoculars.I'm a binocular amateur, so I cannot comment on how these compare to Vanguards, Kowa's higher end line, Zeiss, Swarovski, etc. All I know is that they are easy to pick up, to focus, are distortion free, are bright, and don't cause any fatigue. I've used lower quality binoculars occasionally, and I only remember being amazed as to how much light drop off there was, and how much distortion was in the image. I thought all binoculars were just inherently going to have those flaws. These Kowa's have definitely spoiled me, and opened my eyes (pun intended) to how good binoculars should be.

Wow.....I have a lot of nice binoculars....but this pair is the best, images are sharp and crisp, lighweight, high quality construction. Kowa is a great company and produces top quality lenses. I cannot imagine anything better. Highly recommend.

Excellent image quality

Very nice binocular.