Hi there!
Long-time lurker, first-time poster
I’m in the market for my first scope. I’m currently deliberating between the Kowa TSN 66A and 88A. I’ve also found a 773 on ebay at a good price. There isn’t a Kowa dealer nearby so I can’t try them out in person to compare. I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this dilemma.
I’m not an early riser and bird mostly during daylight hours, with the occasional dawn and dusk outings. It’s often cloudy and rainy where I live; I’m not sure if this counts as low-light conditions. I go on a lot of bird walks and hope to eventually do some guiding. As I’ve never had a scope before, I’m not sure how noticeable the weight difference will be over the course of a day in the field. I’m told by backpackers that an extra 0.4 kg (the difference between the 66 and 88) may not sound like a lot of weight but it makes itself felt the longer you have to carry it. The 88 is longer, too, so perhaps this makes it more awkward or cumbersome to carry?
The 88A will be better during lowlight conditions, but I’ve read the 66A still performs well, and that the 88A will at most get you a few more minutes of good viewing as the sun goes down.
I was thinking that the 773 may be the sweet spot between the two, but I’ve also read that the fluorite crystal in the 66A makes it just as bright and crisp as the 773. The fluorite is apparently also better with chromatic aberration.
I’m interested in digiscoping but it’s not a big factor in my decision.
I’m leaning towards the 66 because of its portability. I’m small and not very strong. My hesitation is whether there will be occasions in low light in which I’ll wish I’d got a bigger objective lens.
The last thing I’ll note is that I wear glasses and have often struggled to get a good view through scopes others have brought on trips, mainly Vortex, Swarovski, and Vanguard. I didn’t spend any time fiddling with the eyecup, though, because others were also using it. Perhaps some adjustment would have improved my view. I did have an amazing view once through a Nikon Fieldscope ED III; it was a revelation. But they are hard to find where I live (Canada). I would love to hear how other glasses-wearers have found the eye relief on their Kowas.
Long-time lurker, first-time poster
I’m in the market for my first scope. I’m currently deliberating between the Kowa TSN 66A and 88A. I’ve also found a 773 on ebay at a good price. There isn’t a Kowa dealer nearby so I can’t try them out in person to compare. I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this dilemma.
I’m not an early riser and bird mostly during daylight hours, with the occasional dawn and dusk outings. It’s often cloudy and rainy where I live; I’m not sure if this counts as low-light conditions. I go on a lot of bird walks and hope to eventually do some guiding. As I’ve never had a scope before, I’m not sure how noticeable the weight difference will be over the course of a day in the field. I’m told by backpackers that an extra 0.4 kg (the difference between the 66 and 88) may not sound like a lot of weight but it makes itself felt the longer you have to carry it. The 88 is longer, too, so perhaps this makes it more awkward or cumbersome to carry?
The 88A will be better during lowlight conditions, but I’ve read the 66A still performs well, and that the 88A will at most get you a few more minutes of good viewing as the sun goes down.
I was thinking that the 773 may be the sweet spot between the two, but I’ve also read that the fluorite crystal in the 66A makes it just as bright and crisp as the 773. The fluorite is apparently also better with chromatic aberration.
I’m interested in digiscoping but it’s not a big factor in my decision.
I’m leaning towards the 66 because of its portability. I’m small and not very strong. My hesitation is whether there will be occasions in low light in which I’ll wish I’d got a bigger objective lens.
The last thing I’ll note is that I wear glasses and have often struggled to get a good view through scopes others have brought on trips, mainly Vortex, Swarovski, and Vanguard. I didn’t spend any time fiddling with the eyecup, though, because others were also using it. Perhaps some adjustment would have improved my view. I did have an amazing view once through a Nikon Fieldscope ED III; it was a revelation. But they are hard to find where I live (Canada). I would love to hear how other glasses-wearers have found the eye relief on their Kowas.