Buying a new scope (Kowa 883 or Nikon Monarch ED82)... (1 Viewer)

[The Kingfisher]

I have a Nikon Fieldscope ED82 with 30x DS, 50x DS and 25-75x. Optical its a very good specimen, but I would like to have a new scope with a better (not so narrow) zoom eyepiece. I like the Kowa 883 with the 25-60x eyepiece, but I have ordered three of them but they have been less sharp than my old Nikon ED82. I have now ordered a fourth specimen of the Kowa 883 and if it is at least as sharp as my Nikon I will keep it. But I am afraid that it will not be as sharp as my Nikon this time either. I have also ordered the Nikon Monarch ED82 with 30-60x eyepice. Is the Nikon Monarch ED82 a good replacement? Is it optical better than the old Nikon Fieldscope ED82?!

 

[Dutchbirder64]

Why not buying the new Kowa TSN-99? With the new 40X wide angle eyepiece.

 

[Ratal]

The Nikon Monarchs I have seen (4) have ALL been supreme cherry examples that were for their owners and to my eyes, perfection.

Yes the Kowa 883 is a delight and CA free as you are ever going to achieve, but the sample variant right now is atrocious to say the least. I sent 3 back and gave up.

 

[The Kingfisher]

Today I got both the Nikon Monarch ED82 and the (fourth) Kowa 883. To my eyes the Nikon Monarch is not at the level of the Kowa..and not at the same level as the old Nikon Fieldscope ED82 either. I have also send back three Kowa 883 before, but this fourth specimen seems to be a good one! It's sharp right up to 60x magnification and it seems to have a clean image even when it is a little haze. It is also easy to find the best sharpness at maximum power. I think this specimen of the Kowa 883 will be a keeper. I will just compare it to my old Nikon ED82 to see if it is so good and sharp as it seems to be.

 

[sillyak]

Today I got both the Nikon Monarch ED82 and the (fourth) Kowa 883. To my eyes the Nikon Monarch is not at the level of the Kowa..and not at the same level as the old Nikon Fieldscope ED82 either. I have also send back three Kowa 883 before, but this fourth specimen seems to be a good one! It's sharp right up to 60x magnification and it seems to have a clean image even when it is a little haze. It is also easy to find the best sharpness at maximum power. I think this specimen of the Kowa 883 will be a keeper. I will just compare it to my old Nikon ED82 to see if it is so good and sharp as it seems to be.

Did you try the Zeiss or Swarovski offerings?

 

[KC Foggin]

I would recommend you to buy Kowa TSN-99 with a magnification of 40x. Make sure to go for a wider field of view
You can ask help from huntingwhiz who can give you sincere advice.

I'm just going to jump in here and wish you a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like

 

[The Kingfisher]

Did you try the Zeiss or Swarovski offerings?

No, I did not try Zeiss and Swarovski this time (I have tried them before though). I red some negative reviews about the Zeiss Harpia, so it is not an altarnative for me. And I am not a fan of the placement of the focus ring on the Zeiss. That is why the Swarovski ATX isn't on my shortlist either.

 

[kabsetz]

Kingfisher,

Your Nikon ED 82 A really is a good specimen if it has already bested three Kowa 883's. Now if the fourth 883 betters the old Fieldscope, you can consider yourself lucky and settle happily with the Kowa. If and as it holds up well to 60x, I recommend also getting the 1.6x extender. On sharp Kowas it works extremely well.

- Kimmo

 

[The Kingfisher]

Kingfisher,

Your Nikon ED 82 A really is a good specimen if it has already bested three Kowa 883's. Now if the fourth 883 betters the old Fieldscope, you can consider yourself lucky and settle happily with the Kowa. If and as it holds up well to 60x, I recommend also getting the 1.6x extender. On sharp Kowas it works extremely well.

- Kimmo

I have now had time to compare the fourth specimen of the Kowa 883 with my old Nikon Fieldscope ED82. The Kowa 883 is optically better than the other 883 I have tried. With the zoom at 30x power it seems to be a little bit sharper than my Nikon ED82 with the 30xDS. But the zoom at 50x is less sharp than my ED82 with the 50xDS. The Kowa seems to be sharp at 60x, but sometimes in different situations it seems that the Kowa "loose" contrast at higher power than 45x. This specimen is not a lemon, but maybe it isn't a perfect 10 either. I would say it is optically a good specimen, but not so good as my old Nikon ED82. BUT..the whole Kowa package (with good optical quality, eye friendly zoom, no need to change between eyepieces etc) is a nice one and better than the Nikon. Right now I am asking my self if I will keep this specimen of the Kowa 883 or send it back to the dealer som I can try other specimen of the 883. I know I like the scope..and if I find an optically perfect specimen of it it could be the last scope I ever buy...

 

[jcwu88]

I have now had time to compare the fourth specimen of the Kowa 883 with my old Nikon Fieldscope ED82. The Kowa 883 is optically better than the other 883 I have tried. With the zoom at 30x power it seems to be a little bit sharper than my Nikon ED82 with the 30xDS. But the zoom at 50x is less sharp than my ED82 with the 50xDS. The Kowa seems to be sharp at 60x, but sometimes in different situations it seems that the Kowa "loose" contrast at higher power than 45x. This specimen is not a lemon, but maybe it isn't a perfect 10 either. I would say it is optically a good specimen, but not so good as my old Nikon ED82. BUT..the whole Kowa package (with good optical quality, eye friendly zoom, no need to change between eyepieces etc) is a nice one and better than the Nikon. Right now I am asking my self if I will keep this specimen of the Kowa 883 or send it back to the dealer som I can try other specimen of the 883. I know I like the scope..and if I find an optically perfect specimen of it it could be the last scope I ever buy...

Hi Kingfisher,

I can relate your experience to my 99A.

I have compared 99a to ED82. I found 99a with TE-11z at 20mm (30X) is sharper than ED82 with DS30x.
Similarly I saw a bit less contrast from 11mm-8.5mm (55x-70x) as you described .
Interestingly, I tested three Baader Morpheus 9mm, 12.5mm and 17.5mm on 99a, the color and contrast are excellent at the three focal length. No contrast degradation was observed at 9mm. (Given three Morpheus have same coatings)

So I suggest that the contrast loss could be from TE-11z zoom at 8.5-11 mm.

TE-11z is still an excellent wide zoom. I like it. When I really need good optics at high magnification, I will use Morpheus 9mm or shorter.

 

[The Kingfisher]

Hi Kingfisher,

I can relate your experience to my 99A.

I have compared 99a to ED82. I found 99a with TE-11z at 20mm (30X) is sharper than ED82 with DS30x.
Similarly I saw a bit less contrast from 11mm-8.5mm (55x-70x) as you described .
Interestingly, I tested three Baader Morpheus 9mm, 12.5mm and 17.5mm on 99a, the color and contrast are excellent at the three focal length. No contrast degradation was observed at 9mm. (Given three Morpheus have same coatings)

So I suggest that the contrast loss could be from TE-11z zoom at 8.5-11 mm.

TE-11z is still an excellent wide zoom. I like it. When I really need good optics at high magnification, I will use Morpheus 9mm or shorter.

I have to partially correct myself and say that the Kowa 883 may be a little sharper and "cleaner" at higher magnifications than I may have first thought. When I look with my other eye, this specimen of 883 is not so contrastless after all. For a few years ago a doctor could see that I have incipient cataracts on my right eye (the eye I normally use when I use scopes). That's probably what makes me feel that the 883 feels contrastless and not always super sharp, I think. But still..Nikon ED82 seems to be a little bit better at high powers!

In any case, there is no doubt that this Kowa 883 is a good specimen and the best of the four I have tested in the last years. Even at 60x it is clear and really sharp when I use my left eye. Maybe you can not expect a better optical specimen of the Kowa 883 than this, so it's probably stupid not to keep this. The focusing is also to my satisfaction and just the way I want it to feel. It should be easy to get the correct focus on the birds. You should not have to turn the focus wheel back and forth to find the best sharpness - it should easily be found immediately. This is done with this specimen of Kowa 883.

 

[jcwu88]

I have to partially correct myself and say that the Kowa 883 may be a little sharper and "cleaner" at higher magnifications than I may have first thought. When I look with my other eye, this specimen of 883 is not so contrastless after all. For a few years ago a doctor could see that I have incipient cataracts on my right eye (the eye I normally use when I use scopes). That's probably what makes me feel that the 883 feels contrastless and not always super sharp, I think. But still..Nikon ED82 seems to be a little bit better at high powers!

In any case, there is no doubt that this Kowa 883 is a good specimen and the best of the four I have tested in the last years. Even at 60x it is clear and really sharp when I use my left eye. Maybe you can not expect a better optical specimen of the Kowa 883 than this, so it's probably stupid not to keep this. The focusing is also to my satisfaction and just the way I want it to feel. It should be easy to get the correct focus on the birds. You should not have to turn the focus wheel back and forth to find the best sharpness - it should easily be found immediately. This is done with this specimen of Kowa 883.

My Fieldscope ED82 as sharp as Swarovski atx 85. ED82 is an amazing scope, isn’t it?

 

[forent]

Definitely. If only the 25-75x MC II zoom had more FOV and ER I never would have sold my ED82A. Optically, more recent alpha scopes don't offer a material improvement IMHO.

 

[The Kingfisher]

Definitely. If only the 25-75x MC II zoom had more FOV and ER I never would have sold my ED82A. Optically, more recent alpha scopes don't offer a material improvement IMHO.

I agree. If the Nikon Fieldscope ED82 have had the "same" zoom eyepiece as the Kowa 883 has..I would never have changed it for the Kowa. I will not sell the Nikon though. The Nikon ED82 scope is brilliant and more contrasty than the Kowa 883. The Kowa seems to be a little bit "flat"..or not so "punchy" as the Nikon. The Nikon ED82 with 30xDS is my "dream scope" even if it optically not is perfect (it is a little bit soft in the edges).

 

[mpruitt]

Today I got both the Nikon Monarch ED82 and the (fourth) Kowa 883. To my eyes the Nikon Monarch is not at the level of the Kowa..and not at the same level as the old Nikon Fieldscope ED82 either. I have also send back three Kowa 883 before, but this fourth specimen seems to be a good one! It's sharp right up to 60x magnification and it seems to have a clean image even when it is a little haze. It is also easy to find the best sharpness at maximum power. I think this specimen of the Kowa 883 will be a keeper. I will just compare it to my old Nikon ED82 to see if it is so good and sharp as it seems to be.

What about the previous 883's led you to return them? Star test, something more obvious? Just asking out of curiosity. I use my 883 for digiscoping wildlife/birding and have had great success.