• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Kowa's new 50 mm scope (1 Viewer)

FrankD

Well-known member
Just saw a facebook ad for Kowa's new 50 mm spotting scope.

Pic below......
 

Attachments

  • Kowa50.jpg
    Kowa50.jpg
    73 KB · Views: 727
It does appear so based on the pics, doesn't it. So the question now is whether Kowa is going to be offering two different 50 mm scopes in two different price brackets or if the newest one is the one they are actually going with.
 
I think both models were actually presented at the same time..this 50mm is a standard glass and the prominar model is (or supossed to be) a 55 mm...http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3459625.
There is some information in this thread,..but strangely the images that were on the binomania link,are not there anymore...I am watching this series..."the leftovers"..could this be a similar situation..vanishing models?...
 
Last edited:
Possibly a silly question, but I'll ask anyway! Is it likely/possible that the 25-60x zoom eyepiece for the 770/880 series would work with this smaller scope?
 
Kowa TSN-553

Possibly a silly question, but I'll ask anyway! Is it likely/possible that the 25-60x zoom eyepiece for the 770/880 series would work with this smaller scope?

I believe I read that the 553/554 eyepieces are integral (non-removable).

Regards,

Tony
 
Totes adorbs.....

:)

Maybe I will get to handle one in August or September. Assuming they are debuting at Birdfair?
 
Hi,

the image of the 553 on the next big thing websites looks a lot like it has the current small body zoom TE-9Z... the one in the 501 looks unfamiliar...

Joachim
 
mmmm..I dont know Joachim...look closely to the groove line in the mount...I see a release button there..and a broken line that doesnt look like anything i have seen in kowa eyepieces...the use of the 88 series eyepieces would have been a good choice for a new,high end model...maybe has multi model mount with an included adapter!
 
I see now....Well..That is dissapointing..That zoom is just dated for today standards...The Opticron zooms fit small body via an external thread ,right?
since this model doesnt show that feature ,that would not be an option..im only guessing
 
Hi,

yes, there is an M41x0.75 male thread around the bayonet of the small body Kowas to attach accessories like the digiscoping adapters. On some bodies this is hidden with a screw-on ring by default. So maybe it is there on the 553 too - but it has to be tested if the Opticron EPs fit physically and come to focus.

Joachim
 
http://www.brandonoptics.com/Kowa-T...ystal-Spotting-Scope-Angled-Body-_p_2451.html

Specs. Disappointingly small field of view for the zoom, and this says it’s non-removable. :-(

Wow, so they obviously bolted the small body zoom on to the 553 body with those grub screws seen in the bayonet... otherwise it's quite sure the same old zoom, even the narrow afov of 38-60 deg is still there...

And the pricing is interesting to say the least... this thing costs more than an 883 body in the same store - are they serious?

Ok, I think, I'll pass... the new 501/2 look actually interesting... half the weight of the 553, 20-40 zoom (fixed too) and quite affordable...

Joachim
 
Wow, so they obviously bolted the small body zoom on to the 553 body with those grub screws seen in the bayonet... otherwise it's quite sure the same old zoom, even the narrow afov of 38-60 deg is still there...

And the pricing is interesting to say the least... this thing costs more than an 883 body in the same store - are they serious?

Ok, I think, I'll pass... the new 501/2 look actually interesting... half the weight of the 553, 20-40 zoom (fixed too) and quite affordable...

Joachim

I suspected a high price on the 553, perhaps 1000€ or so, but that looks ridiculously high.:-O
 
Kowa: Hey marketting types? We need to outdo Opticron's stupidity of a non-sealed travel scope. What you got?

How about a £1800 55mm scope? With a fixed eye piece?

Kowa: Make it so.
 
I expect the scope to be expensive too. Maybe not that high priced though. Pre-release prices and news about these products,until made official, are speculation really.The specifications are not clear. The fixed zoom ,wrongly marked 20-60X on top of that, would be such a poor choice for such high specs scope,with the fluorite crystal and all..Why go to all the hassle and push the quality of the objective to the top just to limit its performance and appeal with an old zoom ,and fixed ?..just when they released(relatively recent anyway) a wide zoom and a barlow?..I think the whole scope must be on the drawing board still, or perhaps testing the market, because I am sure original prototypes were shown with 88 type eyepieces...
 
...I am sure original prototypes were shown with 88 type eyepieces...

I thought that too, but look at this photo from Binomania's coverage of Photokina last year. The price looks like a typo. The cost of fabricating a 50mm Fluorite objective can't be even $200 more than a 50mm ED objective.
 

Attachments

  • Photokina_Kowa_Stand©Robert_Wilton_006.jpg
    Photokina_Kowa_Stand©Robert_Wilton_006.jpg
    132.5 KB · Views: 580
Time to end the speculation. The TSN-500 and -550 scopes are now official. Yes, the eyepieces are not interchangeable. At $349, the TSN-500s might be good to stick in your glove box. The TSN-550s' claim to fame, and the reason for the $1799 price, is pure fluorite crystal objective lenses, 9.8' close focus, FOV at 132' at 1000 yards at 15x. All four scopes are waterproof and nitrogen purged.

The one con is that none of these scopes have rotating tripod mounts, which would have helped with window mounts.

Our review models should arrive by the end of next week. I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform. I'll report once we've had a bit of time with them.

All four are now live on the Optics4Birding website so those of you who have to be first can begin placing your pre-orders. The official release will be at Birdfair, and product will begin shipping at that time.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top