Kowa BD 10x32 Binocular (Green)

I was looking for a medium to small pair, but wanted some power for detail. I have a 12x50 and 10x42 and 8x36. Most small 8X's don't have the detail I need at distance. The Kowas read like they had good definition. The good news. They do have good definition. and...they are built extremely well. They are light. Also, they have a whole lot less chroma-effect than my Legends and Monarchs. I can see them as premier birding binoculars. The bad news. The focus is extremely fine, meaning you need to absolutely dial in every object change. The detail, clarity are there, but you have to tweak the center focus knob almost constantly. The other thing that suprised me, was because they are built so well, you basically have a 10x36 body. I'm glad it's built so solid, but geez, I doesn't necessarily make for a "compact" compact. Another characteristic is the tight single hinge. I takes both hands and determination to open/close the hinge any. I like that though, once you get it set, it won't change on you. I tested it hard against my 10x42 Monarchs. The Monarchs seem to have better utility up close and in the evening ( greater focal field and bigger objective lens). The KOWA's optics excel at a distance, where constant focusing is not an issue. The optics are great and they are built like a tank I just don't think they are as user friendly as the Monarchs. But, it's probably just the 10x32 package, it's a tough go and this is a quality effort and a handy pair for long range detail.