Kowa High Lander

[grbrown]

Hi!

Has anyone tried or bought the Kowa High Lander binocular scope? This is based on the TSN 82mm scope family and is essentially two scopes built into a single body, using the same inter-changeable eyepieces. It does not have central focus, so is not a conventional binocular, as each eyepiece has to be focused individually, but looks an excellent alternative to squinting with one eye!

See link:

http://www.kowa-usa.com/sporting_optics/product_hl.php

I would be interested to hear views and experiences, as they seem as rare as hens teeth. I know you don't need powerful bins to see hens....

Graham. :eek!:

[IanF]

Lol! First time I have seen this - one eyepiece for digiscoping and the other for viewing ;)

[kabsetz]

There is a thread on the Highlander on Cloydy Nights, forums, binoculars. There, the opinions of those who have used it seem to be very positive. I have seen the beast in a store, but not looked through it in the field. It can be fitted with either 32x or 50x wideangle eyepieces, and based on experiences with the Kowa 823, I would dare to guess the image would be quite superb. However, it is very large and heavy, and requires a very solid tripod and video head. The total weight of the rig would thus be somewhere close to 15kg. So, I'm afraid it is only suitable for viewing from fixed locations where you can get to with a car. Also, it is quite expensive.

So, if I had the money and owned a seafront property with wide vistas, I would definitely consider it.

Kimmo

[birder1011]

This is an optically excellent instrument. I use mine for astronomy on a Gitzo mountaineer carbon tripod and an Intercon Spacetec Miyauchi mount, total 9kgs.
I even machined old 4.8mm Naglers to come to infinity focus at 93x with sharp views without any colour.

I don´t recommend them for birding due to weight.

Hope this helps

Hubertus