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KOWA TSN-1, advice please (3 Viewers)

Marshall-78

Well-known member
I have recently bought a Opticron 665 scope and my mother has just discovered my late fathers Kowa TSN-1. Its in great condition and has a 20 - 60x zoom lens on it. I know this scope is old, is it better quality than the Opticron scope? Is the Kowa worth keeping hold of? Thanks
 
If your Opticron is not an ED model, it might well be that the Kowa has better performance, especially at higher powers as it has a larger objective lens (= more light, so better resolution).

The original Kowa zoom lens was not particularly well thought of, so it won't show off the scope to its best. The only way to really know is to take both scopes to a dealer that stocks the fixed wide-angle eyepieces for the Kowa 600 and 660 series scopes and compare them with your Opticron. These will certainly fit your TSN1.

I used to have a 30x wide angle on my Kowa TSN3, the version with the fold-down rubber eyecup. It was an excellent scope. I've heard that the latest 20x and 30x wides with the twist-up eyecups are even better, but haven't tried them personally. The latest zoom eyepiece is quite good too, but suffers from narrow field of view at lower powers like most zooms.

Steve
 
Brilliant, thanks Steve.
I am not that impressed with the Kowa zoom and will attempt to try the fixed eyepiece, as I am intrested in seeing what it can do.
I have a 16-48x HDF zoom on my Opticron scope that I am not that impressed with after bout 32x as the quality goes down. Do you think the Kowa will last and is it worth sticking with it. Alternatively I was thinking of upgrading my Opticron for the 815 for a larger objective lens. Do you think dealers would be intrested in the Kowa should I decide agaisnt keeping it
Thanks again
 
I might be getting mxed up here, but won't the Opticron zoom screw onto the threads around the Kowa's bayonet mount-I seem to remember reading somewhere that it did (or perhaps that is a different Opticron HDF zoom?).

I have no doubt that the Kowa will last. I had my TSN-3 for 15 years and there was nothing wrong with it (until an ambulance ran into the back of my car and wrote off both-the car and the scope!) In comparison with modern scopes, the design is a little dated, and the Kowa isn't waterproof, but in all those 15 years mine never steamed up once.

Personally I would never sell to a shop. They'll offer you next to nothing, and sell it on for top dollar? TSN-1's still sell regularly on Ebay for around £200-give or take, depending on condition.

If I were you, and I wanted to see a significant improvement in image quality above 30x, I'd consider trading both scopes in for a good 80mm ED scope, but don't let me put ideas in your head...

Steve

ps. If you're not a confident ebayer, try posting an ad in the classifieds section of BF. It costs nothing, or you could also put in a request for a used Kowa wide-angle. Some of the dealers are also worth checking for used equipment-try the websites of Birdnet Optics, Cley Spy, In Focus, Kay optical etc.
 
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I have recently bought a Opticron 665 scope and my mother has just discovered my late fathers Kowa TSN-1. Its in great condition and has a 20 - 60x zoom lens on it. I know this scope is old, is it better quality than the Opticron scope? Is the Kowa worth keeping hold of? Thanks

Hi If your not happy with the Kowa and want to sell it please keep me in mind regards Nigel porter
 
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