The high-quality lenses and prisms of the BDII-XD binoculars, along with ED technology (Extra-low Dispersion), provide an exceptionally sharp image and excellent color reproduction. When you need to distinguish the shade of a birds wing coverts while the bird is sitting in the shadow of a branch, your chances are clearly better with these binoculars compared to cheaper models. An 8x magnification is easy to keep stable and is the most common choice for versatile use. The twilight factor of 20.5 brings performance to dawn and dusk conditions. 42 mm objective lenses gather ample light, without making the binoculars too heavy. A great choice even for use in less than perfect lighting conditions. When you compare the field of view and image quality provided by these binoculars to, say, a pair of two hundred euro binoculars, the difference is considerable. A very wide field of view, excellent precision, and color reproduction - using the Kowa BDII XD Wide Angle is a pleasure. The closes