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Nikon Ed 82 Or Kowa Tsn 823 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TREEBUG
- Start date
EagleEyed
Well-known member
Treebug,
I live in the US and have the Nikon Fieldscope 50mm and 82mm ED models with the Nikon MCII zoom and 2 Nikon wide eyepieces, these are my first scopes. I looked through someone's Kowa, a TSN-821M with the zoom, this past weekend for the first time, it seemed ok, it didn't knock me out, and I liked my 82ED better. I just received from Kowa their latest catalog and the TSN-823 is not in it, maybe not a US model! The 771, 773, 821M, 881, and 883 are in it.
I was able to use my MCII Zoom (25x-75x) on the 82ED, at 75x, yesterday, with no image degradation to speak of, a little darker of course, on a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers to great effect, the view was much better than at 60x. Although the Nikon MCII Zoom has a relatively narrow FOV, and not a lot of eye relief (eyeglass wearers beware?), no one else offers 75x, granted you can't use it all the time due to heat waves and atmospheric conditions etc., but it is available, and perfect at times, and when it's needed and the conditions are good for it, nothing beats 75x. Since I got my 82ED I have had the opportunity to look through the Swaro 80HD, the Zeiss 85 Diascope, a Leica 77, and other scopes as well.
I think I will say this, and just For Me: I was very impressed with the Zeiss focus and the view was great, digiscoping with the Zeiss may be very good as well, it also has the zoom with the widest FOV, it costs significantly less than the Swaro and Leica. To me the Swaro ATS80HD had nothing at all on the Nikon and for the price would have been a very bad choice, and the Leica may be in this boat too. I have no idea how good the Kowa 883 really is, it may be the best, but then it has the biggest objective too which equals more resolution.
The great amazing thing about Nikon is that the Fieldscope ED View Is World-Class and it Is The Best Value!
For about $100 more than the price of just the Swarovski ATS80HD angled body and the Swarovski 20-60x zoom eyepiece alone!, I was able to purchase the following:
Nikon Fieldscope 82mm ED Angled (comes with Nikon Vue-thru case)
Nikon Fieldscope 50mm ED Angled (comes with case, not vue-thru)
Nikon 13-40x/20-60x/25-75x Zoom Eyepiece
Nikon 24x/30x Wide Eyepiece
Nikon 27x/40x/50x Wide Eyepiece
Manfrotto View Carbon Fiber Kit 701RC2,055MFV
Manfrotto Long Strap
Manfrotto extra plate adapter for the tripod head
Hoya 55mm Pro1 Digital Protector filter for the 50mm ED ($35)
Heliopan 86mm UV SH-PMC filter for the 82mm ED ($145)
And I am hoping for a partridge in a pear tree!
The Nikon screw-on eyepieces are also very secure.
However if digiscoping is your main goal, then I think you have to rethink everything and KNOW which scope/adapter/camera combo (do you want to use a DSLR?) will work best for you before you buy, all things considered. I think digiscoping is an art and the correct equipment combination is essential for the best results.
Also, strange, but it just doesn't seem like the other scope brand forums here are very enthusiastic about their scopes, and the Nikon forum seems twice as big! Go Nikon, Go Nikon, Go Nikon! Oh boy there he goes again.
EE
I live in the US and have the Nikon Fieldscope 50mm and 82mm ED models with the Nikon MCII zoom and 2 Nikon wide eyepieces, these are my first scopes. I looked through someone's Kowa, a TSN-821M with the zoom, this past weekend for the first time, it seemed ok, it didn't knock me out, and I liked my 82ED better. I just received from Kowa their latest catalog and the TSN-823 is not in it, maybe not a US model! The 771, 773, 821M, 881, and 883 are in it.
I was able to use my MCII Zoom (25x-75x) on the 82ED, at 75x, yesterday, with no image degradation to speak of, a little darker of course, on a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers to great effect, the view was much better than at 60x. Although the Nikon MCII Zoom has a relatively narrow FOV, and not a lot of eye relief (eyeglass wearers beware?), no one else offers 75x, granted you can't use it all the time due to heat waves and atmospheric conditions etc., but it is available, and perfect at times, and when it's needed and the conditions are good for it, nothing beats 75x. Since I got my 82ED I have had the opportunity to look through the Swaro 80HD, the Zeiss 85 Diascope, a Leica 77, and other scopes as well.
I think I will say this, and just For Me: I was very impressed with the Zeiss focus and the view was great, digiscoping with the Zeiss may be very good as well, it also has the zoom with the widest FOV, it costs significantly less than the Swaro and Leica. To me the Swaro ATS80HD had nothing at all on the Nikon and for the price would have been a very bad choice, and the Leica may be in this boat too. I have no idea how good the Kowa 883 really is, it may be the best, but then it has the biggest objective too which equals more resolution.
The great amazing thing about Nikon is that the Fieldscope ED View Is World-Class and it Is The Best Value!
For about $100 more than the price of just the Swarovski ATS80HD angled body and the Swarovski 20-60x zoom eyepiece alone!, I was able to purchase the following:
Nikon Fieldscope 82mm ED Angled (comes with Nikon Vue-thru case)
Nikon Fieldscope 50mm ED Angled (comes with case, not vue-thru)
Nikon 13-40x/20-60x/25-75x Zoom Eyepiece
Nikon 24x/30x Wide Eyepiece
Nikon 27x/40x/50x Wide Eyepiece
Manfrotto View Carbon Fiber Kit 701RC2,055MFV
Manfrotto Long Strap
Manfrotto extra plate adapter for the tripod head
Hoya 55mm Pro1 Digital Protector filter for the 50mm ED ($35)
Heliopan 86mm UV SH-PMC filter for the 82mm ED ($145)
And I am hoping for a partridge in a pear tree!
The Nikon screw-on eyepieces are also very secure.
However if digiscoping is your main goal, then I think you have to rethink everything and KNOW which scope/adapter/camera combo (do you want to use a DSLR?) will work best for you before you buy, all things considered. I think digiscoping is an art and the correct equipment combination is essential for the best results.
Also, strange, but it just doesn't seem like the other scope brand forums here are very enthusiastic about their scopes, and the Nikon forum seems twice as big! Go Nikon, Go Nikon, Go Nikon! Oh boy there he goes again.
EE
Last edited:
Treebug,
The Kowa 823 is the fluorite version of the 821, and has a much better image. 823M is a more recent version of the 823, with identical optics but a more durable body. Sample quality would ultimately determine which scope, the Nikon ED 82 A or the Kowa 823/M would be better, so ideally you would have to view with them side-by-side. If that is not possible, it is always advisable to buy with a return option, and to carefully check that the scope "snaps to focus" decisively at its highest magnification.
Assuming equally good samples, the Nikon would be slightly better because it has a bit brighter image. However, the Kowa can have just about equal resolution, and it also has excellent contrast and very natural colors. The Kowa 823 zoom is 20-60x, and has marginally better eye-relief than the Nikon zoom, which is 25-75x as pointed out by E.E. above. Since the 823 is a phased-out model and uses a different eyepiece attachment from the new 770-880 series Kowas, it is unlikely they will have new eyepieces introduced anymore. By contrast, there have been some recent rumors that Nikon may be producing a wider-angled zoom for the Fieldscopes. We can keep our fingers crossed, as such a zoom has been on the wish-list ever since the introduction of the old ED 78 A over ten years ago. Be it as it may, as a current model, the Fieldscope is nevertheless more likely to have its eyepiece range expanded in the future.
My final comment would be that the Nikon is more compact and, being (almost) entirely made of metal, a more convincingly solid design. The Kowa 820-series is made of fibre-reinforced polycarbonate, which is supposed to be very durable but which does tend to crack rather than dent if it receives a sharp blow. Of course, your scope should never be subjected to a sharp blow, but in this life we can never be sure.
So, if I were you, I would go for the Kowa if it saved me significant amounts of money, and be satisfied that I have an optically first-grade instrument. If prices were comparable, or if the difference did not matter too much, I would probably go with the Nikon. But you do have to try for yourself.
Kimmo
The Kowa 823 is the fluorite version of the 821, and has a much better image. 823M is a more recent version of the 823, with identical optics but a more durable body. Sample quality would ultimately determine which scope, the Nikon ED 82 A or the Kowa 823/M would be better, so ideally you would have to view with them side-by-side. If that is not possible, it is always advisable to buy with a return option, and to carefully check that the scope "snaps to focus" decisively at its highest magnification.
Assuming equally good samples, the Nikon would be slightly better because it has a bit brighter image. However, the Kowa can have just about equal resolution, and it also has excellent contrast and very natural colors. The Kowa 823 zoom is 20-60x, and has marginally better eye-relief than the Nikon zoom, which is 25-75x as pointed out by E.E. above. Since the 823 is a phased-out model and uses a different eyepiece attachment from the new 770-880 series Kowas, it is unlikely they will have new eyepieces introduced anymore. By contrast, there have been some recent rumors that Nikon may be producing a wider-angled zoom for the Fieldscopes. We can keep our fingers crossed, as such a zoom has been on the wish-list ever since the introduction of the old ED 78 A over ten years ago. Be it as it may, as a current model, the Fieldscope is nevertheless more likely to have its eyepiece range expanded in the future.
My final comment would be that the Nikon is more compact and, being (almost) entirely made of metal, a more convincingly solid design. The Kowa 820-series is made of fibre-reinforced polycarbonate, which is supposed to be very durable but which does tend to crack rather than dent if it receives a sharp blow. Of course, your scope should never be subjected to a sharp blow, but in this life we can never be sure.
So, if I were you, I would go for the Kowa if it saved me significant amounts of money, and be satisfied that I have an optically first-grade instrument. If prices were comparable, or if the difference did not matter too much, I would probably go with the Nikon. But you do have to try for yourself.
Kimmo