Kowa BD III 10x50 XD specs and field of view
The BD III 10x50 XD weighs 25.5 oz, under the 29.3 oz median for 40 models of 10x50, and its 346 ft field of view beats the 315 ft median.
- Field of view
- 346 ftat 1,000 yd
- Eye relief
- 17 mm
- Close focus
- 9.8 ft
- Weight
- 25.5 oz
- Exit pupil
- 5 mmcalculated
Why pick it
- 346 ft view, wider than the typical 315 ft
- 25.5 oz, lighter than the typical 29.3 oz
- 17 mm eye relief, enough for glasses
Who the BD III 10x50 XD suits
A calculated 5 mm exit pupil suits dusk and night sky use, and 17 mm of eye relief suits eyeglass wearers. The 346 ft view helps with wide scenes.
Close focus is 9.8 ft, equal to the 9.8 ft median for its size, and the maker list price band is $500 to $1,000.
BD III 10x50 XD or another model: the best binoculars by maker figures shows how the popular ones differ. BD III 10x50 XD is one of 40 models in the 10x50 binoculars comparison. Kowa lists it in the $500 to $1,000 price band, alongside the models in best binoculars under $1,000.
BD III 10x50 XD specifications
BD III 10x50 XD figures as Kowa prints them; rows marked * are calculated from the 10x50 size.
| Magnification | 10x |
|---|---|
| Objective lens | 50 mm |
| Field of view | 346 ft at 1,000 yd (115 m at 1,000 m) |
| Angular field of view | 6.6° |
| Apparent field of view | 66° * |
| Eye relief | 17 mm |
| Close focus | 9.8 ft (3 m) |
| Weight | 25.5 oz (723 g) |
| Length | 2.2 in (56 mm) |
| Width | 5.2 in (132 mm) |
| Extra-low dispersion glass | Yes |
| Waterproofing | Waterproof, nitrogen filled |
| Fog-proofing gas | Nitrogen |
| Maker list price | $500 to $1,000 |
| Exit pupil | 5 mm * |
| Twilight factor | 22.4 * |
| Relative brightness | 25 * |
* Calculated from the size, not printed by the maker.
BD III 10x50 XD against other 10x50 binoculars
BD III 10x50 XD shows 346 ft at 1,000 yd, at or above the 315 ft median of the 40 10x50 models in the chart. At 25.5 oz it is at or under the 29.3 oz median weight for the size.
BD III 10x50 XD and its nearest rivals
BD III 10x50 XD next to the 10x50 models closest to it in maker list price, with the best figure in each column in bold.
| Model | Field of view | Eye relief | Close focus | Weight | Exit pupil | Maker list price | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kowa BD III 10x50 XD | 346 ft | 17 mm | 9.8 ft | 25.5 oz | 5 mm | $500 to $1,000 | |
| Steiner Military-Marine 10x50 | 327 ft | 16 mm | 66 ft | 35.3 oz | 5 mm | $500 to $1,000 | Check price on Amazon |
| Maven C.3 10x50 | 262 ft | 19.5 mm | 8.2 ft | 28 oz | 5 mm | $500 to $1,000 | Check price on Amazon |
| Athlon Midas G2 UHD 10x50 | 341 ft | 16.9 mm | 9.8 ft | 28.5 oz | 5 mm | $500 to $1,000 | Check price on Amazon |
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Other sizes of the BD III-XD
Kowa makes the BD III-XD in 7 sizes; a larger front lens adds brightness and weight, and more magnification narrows the view.
| Model | Size | Field of view | Eye relief | Close focus | Weight | Exit pupil |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kowa BD III 10x50 XD | 10x50 | 346 ft | 17 mm | 9.8 ft | 25.5 oz | 5 mm |
| Kowa BD III 6.5x32 XD | 6.5x32 | 525 ft | 17 mm | 4.3 ft | 18.3 oz | 4.9 mm |
| Kowa BD III 8x32 XD | 8x32 | 461 ft | 16.5 mm | 4.3 ft | 18.5 oz | 4 mm |
| Kowa BD III 10x32 XD | 10x32 | 351 ft | 15 mm | 5.9 ft | 17.8 oz | 3.2 mm |
| Kowa BD III 8x42 XD | 8x42 | 429 ft | 17.2 mm | 5.9 ft | 21.3 oz | 5.3 mm |
| Kowa BD III 10x42 XD | 10x42 | 378 ft | 16.5 mm | 5.9 ft | 21.5 oz | 4.2 mm |
| Kowa BD III 12x50 XD | 12x50 | 303 ft | 17.5 mm | 9.8 ft | 25.8 oz | 4.2 mm |
Kowa binoculars
BD III 10x50 XD questions
BD III 10x50 XD: does it work with glasses?
BD III 10x50 XD has 17 mm of eye relief, which meets the 16 mm the RSPB advises for people who wear glasses.
BD III 10x50 XD: what does 10x50 mean?
BD III 10x50 XD magnifies 10 times through 50 mm front lenses, which works out to an exit pupil of 5 mm, the width of the beam of light that reaches each eye.
BD III 10x50 XD: how wide is the view?
BD III 10x50 XD shows a view 346 ft wide at 1,000 yd, at or above the 315 ft median of the 40 10x50 models in the chart.