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  1. G

    Kite APC 60 17-35x WA stabilised spotting scope

    It'd be interesting to use on a pelagic...
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    Quite the garden tick...

    It really wanted whatever those things that look a bit like carrots are…
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    What size netting that bats wont get caught in?

    I would have thought an issue might be that if a bat or small bird does fall into the netting and then fall through one of the holes it's going to drop straight into the water. Even if it can then flap out it might hit the netting on the way up and then fall back down again, presenting a real...
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    Webcam Birding List 2025

    I've just spotted an American Tree Sparrow live on the Cornell cam. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/
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    Bird ID Help - Coventry, UK

    I would suggest giving Merlin a go.
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    Do higher scope magnifications make any sense?

    I frequently use my 823m with the Kowa 1.6x adapter and the 45x wide eyepiece (50x on the 823), which equates to c. 80x. It’s very useful and usable - without it I would’ve struggled to pick up the Lothian White-winged Scoter the other day, for instance. I also have the little, old Kowa 77x...
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    Kowa 66A Performance Observations & Questions

    I'd definitely recommend buying a Scopac-style backpack, which will free up your hands when walking so you don't miss anything through your bins. It'll spread the weight better too and be much easier than carrying your scope over one shoulder.
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    BTX Alternatives

    I don't think any other scope manufacturers do, but someone else may correct me!
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    Kowa TSN-823 value?

    I’d agree. The Opticron HDF and SDL (at least some variants, I wouldn’t want to say definitively) will fit the TSN 1-4s and the older 663 and 663m series. The o-ring is used so the eyepiece ‘catches’ and can be focussed - it doesn’t help attach the eyepiece itself; those eyepieces screw onto the...
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    Kowa TSN-823 value?

    You won’t be able to pair it with the 25-60 zoom as that’s for the 883. I’d say your best bet is a Baader Hyperion IV zoom which is compatible with the 823 and works out as around an 18-55x zoom. This is the combo I have and it works great - the 823 is all fluorite and a very nice scope. I’d say...
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    Review: Zeiss Victory SF 10x32

    Saying that, I still ended up buying the NLs and have been very happy with them. The glare occurs in quite particular conditions and I find I can manage it easily enough through proper eye placement, which I think the headrest helps with.
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    Best alpha binoculars 10 x in 2024

    At least this week…
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    Kowa 1.6x Extender Score!!

    Yep! I paid £250 for mine! (They’re good though, so well worth £50…)
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    Does it make sense having a 10x32 and a 10x42 of the same type?

    If it brings you joy and you can afford both then why not!
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    What to upgrade from Opticron MM4 60 : Leica, Swaro, Kowa?

    I don't really know, but here is a link to Mike Alibone's review of the 66 for Birdwatch magazine (Mike's an excellent optics reviewer): https://www.birdguides.com/reviews/optics/telescopes/kowa-tsn-66-prominar-telescope/ I guess the only real way to answer your question would be to try and...
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    What to upgrade from Opticron MM4 60 : Leica, Swaro, Kowa?

    Well, if you have plenty of cash burning a hole in your pocket then the new Kowa 66mm is apparently amazing. I have a cherry version of the old model and that’s excellent, so I’m sure the new one must be something special.
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    Fast and lightweight tripod + head for ATC

    Those Tricers look quite interesting for anyone in the States. Though the shipping and duty costs to the UK, for instance, makes them a bit uneconomic here.
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    Scope advice

    Welcome to the forum, Paul. I don't really have any experience of Hawke scopes, but I'm sure someone else who has will be along to answer. The other thing that a larger aperture scope tends to helps with is using it at the higher magnifications, too. But you're right that in decent lighting...
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    straight vs angled scope ?

    I mean, I am an angled scope user, but I can't say it's easy to find stuff in rotated collar mode... It's better to have the feature than not to, mind you, but I don't think it's a thing most angled scope users find themselves reverting to all that often.
  20. G

    straight vs angled scope ?

    Bear in mind that with most angled scopes there is usually a facility to twist the end of the scope so that the eyepiece points out to the side of the scope. This can be useful when scanning from a car/hide, though it's not as easy to find things at that angle than it is with a straight scope in...
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    Nikon Monarch Fieldscope vs Celestron Regal M2 80ED vs Vortex Diamondback - tough choice

    I'd be tempted to buy once and buy well, and go for the Nikon...
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    Original 823 eyepiece to 883 converter

    That’s what you need, as Gzoladz74 says: a TSN-EC2 adaptor.
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    Using KOWA TSN-EX16S (1.6x) Extender with a TSN-823?

    Thanks Joachim. I now have acquired a TSN-EX16S and it works very well, at least in initial trials, with my 823. To make it work you simply unscrew the furled ring, as in your photo, and it then screws directly onto the thread surrounding the eyepiece. The EC1A adapter is then fitted onto one of...
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    Impact of TSN-EX16 on FOV?

    I think it will just be the associated loss of FOV that comes with greater magnification. So it will be proportional, I would think. So, if the FOV with the Kowa zoom eyepiece at 40x is roughly 33.87m then at 64x (40x + the 1.6 extender) I'd expect it to be 33.87/1.6 = 21.17m. (I have the TSN...
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    New March Drawing for Kowa Optics

    Doug, can we enter the draw if we’re outside the States?
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