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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Zoom eyepiece is the HDF T, #40862, which is 12-36 on this scope. Though oddly the Opticron site shows it being 15-45 on the MM4/50. In any case it's a good range, and at some point I could upgrade to the SDL zoom, or go to a fixed eyepiece. As a more casual birder, this may well be all the...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Fair enough, Joachim. Here are iphone photos with the Opticron at 36x and the Kowa as near as I could match it. It didn't help that the Kowa was on a flimsy tripod, where zooming the eyepiece or adjusting the rather tight eyecup moved the scope around. Note that the Kowa appears to show a...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Well, no one should expect a 'great' comparison as I am a beginner at spotting scopes, and a very casual birder compared to most here, but I have used cinema and photo optics for some decades so maybe my observations, limited though they be, are worth something. I am going to keep the Opticron...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Since I posted last, I've received that new Kowa TSN-501. I was also pleasantly surprised that I was able to buy a lightly used Opticron 50ED with the HPL zoom eyepiece through [the auction site] for slightly more just a week later. We are having a few days of mild weather here and I'll be...
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    Tripod and head combo for ED50

    I'll also chime in and say that I don't know that tripod, but I do own a set of Benro short legs for a 100mm ball head for cine use, and it's quite well made and very very sturdy, esp considering the weight. The adjustable leg angle locks are a clever design and they look to be the same as...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    I'll see if the Kowa's zoom eyepiece does the same as I saw on the Vortex scopes. I'd describe it as a 'portholing' effect when zooming in, yielding greater magnification but not necessarily more information. What I love about my binoculars (Nikon 8x32SE) is that they give a very big and...
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    Manfrotto BeFree *Carbon Fiber* Travel Tripod only $170 at B&H today 12/4!

    As the title says...sorry I should have put this up earlier. Seems like a great tripod for lightweight scopes and a heck of a deal, more than 50% off.
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Well, last weekend I looked through a few scopes at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (which is a must-see if you are in SW Florida). These were scopes that the volunteer staff either had fixed to the railings or were walking around with. All were Vortex, and one was the compact 'Razor HD' model...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    I feel a bit stupid now; wife and I are going to see her parents in Florida this weekend, and an obligatory part of a trip there is a visit to the Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary. I could have ordered the Kowa scope and gotten it in time to take there and test out. If it didn't satisfy it...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Thank you for the helpful comments! It's all useful. I agree that there are not a lot of objective reviews on the Kowa 501/502 so hard to judge it without seeing it directly...which is not so easy. That price is very attractive though and I'm tempted to order it from B&H then return if it...
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    Nikon ED50 vs MM3/4 50/60 vs Kowa TSN-501

    Hi all. New member here! I am a light duty birder looking to get back into it after a lapse of several years. A brief visit to Costa Rica earlier this year whetted my appetite and I'll be back there in January. I'm shopping for a lightweight but satisfactory scope, my first. I have read...
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