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Atx or apo (1 Viewer)

D

DNJ

Active member
Hi going to purchase a new scope in the next couple of days it's either going to be Leica apo 82 or Swarovski atx 85. Was just wondering if anyone had used both scopes and which one they thought was better
I have used the Leica one and thought it was much better than my ats 80 hd but never used the atx. Any help greatly appreciated
Cheers David
 
Hi,

what about the Kowa 883? Had the chance to have a closer look at an APO 82 in a shop while the owner was on the phone for 20 minutes or so and I had no immediate "must have this" feeling...

Joachim
 
Joachim,
I have investigated the ATXx , the Leica, Nikon and the Kowa telescopes and my conclusion upon comparison of different optical performances and the different aspects of user comfort that the ATX scored number 1. You can find the test report in Dutch on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor in Maarssen, The Netherlands.
Gijs
 
ATX

but try the Kowa 883 + 25-60x zoom before you buy,

with both, you will get a bigger lens + more mag. than with the leica or ATS80,

But the ATS80HD is still a very good scope.
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
Joachim,
I have investigated the ATXx , the Leica, Nikon and the Kowa telescopes and my conclusion upon comparison of different optical performances and the different aspects of user comfort that the ATX scored number 1. You can find the test report in Dutch on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor in Maarssen, The Netherlands.
Gijs
Click to expand...

Hi Gijs,

thanks for the info - I just found your test from 2010 which didn't include the ATX but the ATM - do you have a link to the latest one?
If I was hunting for an alpha scope at the moment ATX85 and Kowa 883 would certainly be my shortlist... I have seen neither so far which is probably the reason why I'm still content with what I have - my wallet just sent a message that it hopes it stays that way ;-)

Joachim
 
Joachim,
I am sorry that I did not give you the correct information, I have the test results of the ATX, but I did not publish them yet on the House of Outdoor WEB-site. I still have to forward that, it will come. It does not affect my advice given in post 4. The ATX is still number one, but you should try yourself and use test reports only as a source of background information to help you with your choice.
Success with your investigation,
Gijs
 
Hi Gijs,

no worries - I believe that the ATX is great - have only seen an ATM myself yet which was great too (as shown in your test). If the ATX results get published, let us know - I look forward to them despite the fact that my dutch is nonexistant but as you might know germans often can read dutch with some difficulties and vice versa...

Joachim
 
The Kowa 883 is so good that you must have an ATX 95 side-by-side with it to see the subtle difference, and some of the difference is related to the larger aperture.

We have a Kowa 883 and 773, and the ATX 95 with an 85 module. We routinely have both Kowas set-up side-by-side with either my ATX 95 or 85.

We all agree that the ATX 95 is the best scope, but you pay a huge premium for that next 2% improvement. The Kowa 883 w/ 25-60 EP at $2,850 is an outstanding value compared to the Swaro ATX 95 at $4,400 or ATX 85 at $4,100.

We are a family of three birders with 3 scopes. Both of the ladies own the Kowas because they prefer the focusing mechanism of the Kowa to the Swaro. I greatly prefer 25x as the lowest power and therefore use my ATX 85 more than the 95 - which is the ever so slighty better scope!

The optical quality in the Kowa 883 and the ATX 95/85 scopes is so very good, and the optical differences so subtle, that personal preferences and budget may be the most mportant final decision factor.

In my opinion, both the Kowa 883 and the Swaro 85 are better than the APO 82 or ATM 80, but again, some of the difference is the larger aperture.

Jay
 
Last edited:
Jay Gamble said:
We are a family of three birders with 3 scopes. Both of the ladies own the Kowas because they prefer the focusing mechanism of the Kowa to the Swaro. I greatly prefer 25x as the lowest power and therefore use my ATX 85 more than the 95 - which is the ever so slighty better scope!
Click to expand...

That's an important point you make here. I still stick to my Nikon scopes for the time being, but the ATX 95 is - despite its fantastic quality - a scope I won't get, simply because 30x is too much IMO. I really prefer to have 25x as the lowest power. In fact, I personally prefer 20x.

Hermann
 
I am researching in preparation of buying my first scope and have a newbie question. Why do some want a lowest magnification of 20x or 25x? My limited experience with using scopes of friends is to scan for birds with my binocs and then zoom in with the scope.
 
Lewis Haank said:
I am researching in preparation of buying my first scope and have a newbie question. Why do some want a lowest magnification of 20x or 25x? My limited experience with using scopes of friends is to scan for birds with my binocs and then zoom in with the scope.
Click to expand...

Better depth of field at short to medium distances, for instance at the edge of woodlands or at a migration hotspot with lots of bushes and so on. Makes it a lot easier to actually find the bird.

Hermann
 
That's the atx ordered should be here Wednesday just hope the weather gets better so I can get out and use it
 
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