Excerpt by Ken Rosenberg from Scope Quest Review 2008 Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Living Bird Winter 2008

Best of the best
Fifteen models competed in the most expensive category, including twelve conventional zoom scopes and three astronomy “cross-overs” that can be used for both stargazing and birding. Among the conventional scopes, the surprising (to us) and virtually unanimous top-of-the-line ranking went to the Kowa TSN-883 Prominar. More than a decade ago, Kowa revolutionized scope birding with the fluorite TSN-4 series, and they seem to have done it again with both the 883 and the slightly smaller 774, which is non-fluorite but boasts the newest “XD-coated” glass. In side-by-side comparisons with Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, and Nikon, both Kowa scopes provided a slightly, but noticeably, brighter and crisper image at 60x than any other scope. The three-dimensional detail visible on bird feathers and tree bark with these scopes, even in dim light, is simply phenomenal.

One evening, as we were packing up from an afternoon of scope testing, a call came in about a rare Hudsonian Godwit at a local wetland. I grabbed the Kowa 883 and headed over in the fading light. As I arrived, not only had the godwit just flown, but a steady drizzle had started. Still, several fellow birders were lined up scoping the ducks and geese with their coveted Swarovski, Zeiss, and Leica scopes—just the “real-birding” test I needed for the new Kowa. Sure enough, the Kowa 883 pulled out considerably more detail on the mergansers and teal at 60x, as if computer software in the scope had somehow brightened and sharpened the image, compared with the other scopes. On another day, three “grayish” shorebirds on a jetty several hundred yards across Cayuga Lake were barely resolvable through the heat waves with the other top scopes, but through the Kowa, two Dunlins and a Ruddy Turnstone were clearly identifiable. Besides the superb image, the Kowa scopes offer other nice features for birding, including eyecups that turn and lock in several intermediate positions and dual top focus knobs that are smooth, precise, and fast, moving from close vegetation to the distant horizon in less than half a turn.

Kowa Optimed, the innovators in high performance sporting optics is pleased to announce the newest series to their popular BD binocular series. The new BD25-GR series are designed to be compact so users can carry them virtually anywhere. The BD25 binoculars, with 25mm objective lenses, are small in size yet have serious optical performance. The advanced optical design provides crystal clear viewing in various lighting conditions.

“We have designed our new BD25-GR series to fit the demanding needs of the outdoor enthusiast,” said Josh Lazenby, Channel Manager of Kowa’s Sporting Optics Division. “We have combined our high performance optics in a compact ergonomic body design.”

Kowa’s compact sporting optics has always been the choice for the outdoor enthusiast who seeks bright range with a smaller more durable casing. The lenses of Kowa’s BD binocular series are fully multi-coated, ensuring a clear visual range and high image resolution and the prisms are phase-coated with Kowa’s proprietary C3 prism coating for maximum light transmission. The lightweight yet rugged aluminum alloy body with a comfortable rubber coating makes it fit comfortably into the hand.

The much anticipated BD25-GR models made their debut appearance at the 2008 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. “We foresee a positive response,” said Mr. Lazenby.