50mm spotter

[YMIINIDAHO]

Looking for info/opinions on the kowa, minox and brunton 50mm spotters. Is the kowa worth a crap?

 

[Lawrence]

We(myself and two of my hunting buddies) just did a side by side comparison of the Swaro ATM 65mm HD, the Kowa 663 AB ED Promenar and a Nikon 82mm Fieldscope ED, all with a 20x60 eyepiece(the Nikon was a 20x50 I believe). Swaro was the top performer but the Kowa was a close second. It's about 95% of the Swaro for about a grand less. The Nikon held its own as well. While we were at the store, one of my buddies noticed the little 50mm Kowa and we took it outside and were impressed with its performance. It would make a great little packing scope, especially if you didn't have a top of the line high powered rifle scope. The little Kowa 50mm weighs next to nothing. Check out a great spotting scope review/comparison here:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=272

The Kowa certainly gets high marks in this review. I'm going to try and find a deal on a new/used Swaro 65 before September 1 and if I can't, I'm going to buy the Kowa 663.

 

[YMIINIDAHO]

How did the little Kowa perform at the higher powers? Thanks for that review it is a good one.

 

[ASB]

The Nikon 50 ED with a 13-40x eyepiece is hard to beat for a little scope.

 

[YMIINIDAHO]

I bet the nikon is great but I just can't justify spending that much. I have been doing some research and there are not many good opinions of the minox, and not much info on the kowa.

 

[ASB]

You get what you pay for. Doug @ Cameraland has good prices on both. If you buy the Nikon body & 13-40x eyepiece separate, it will cost a little more.....I don't think he offers that combo. Go back in this forum a few pages, there was a whole thread on this subject. I ended up going with the Nikon & 13-40x eyepiece.....I have no regrets with it. My buddy, who is very picky has a 60MM Swaro & he was shocked when we had the two side by side at dusk one evening. I was never expecting that kind of quality, as I need a small scope for my day-trips. That being said, I'm not complaining about how clear it is either. Good luck....no matter which one you buy, it's all about what fits your eye. Any good scope can be returned if you don't like it.