Kowa 77 series vs Vortex Razor 85mm (1 Viewer)

Hi folks,

I realize that this "I'm about to purchase my first scope, help me decide how to drop my cash" topic has been discussed to death, however, with that being said, I'm still looking for some advice.

As stated, I'm considering my first scope purchase and am budget-limited, but would still like to get the most bang for my buck and am hoping to have this scope for a good long while.

I'm torn between a Kowa 773 with the TE-11WZ eyepiece (a bit over my budget, but would be willing to fork over a bit more for good glass) or the full size Vortex Razor (1st or 2nd generation).

Has anybody had experience with both? Will I be happier in the long run with Kowa?

Thank you in advance!

Hi,

if it's just about budget, I cannot really recommend the 773, as the price difference to it's larger brother, the 883 is marginal (bhphoto wants USD 1999 for the 883 body which includes a usable aluminum tripod and USD 1699 for the 773 body alone - the 25-60 wide angle zoom is USD 569 in any case).
The 883 is currently the end of the road in spotting scopes (ok, there's still the big swaro ATXs that some like too, but they are equal at best and quite a bit more expensive). You will not want to replace this for a long time and there is the 1.6 extender if you ever want more than 60x - and it performs well up to 96x.

The 773 is seldom seen or reviewed, the few reviews to be found say it's a great scope, but the 883 is just a bit better and brighter, 2.5cm longer and 200g heavier (with a total package weight of >4kg who cares) and only $300 more...
The main difference is obviously 11mm less aperture which might sound not much but means a quarter more area and thus light gathering capability. Both have doublet objectives with 500mm focal length, the 773 with an ED glass element and the 883 with fluorite crystal instead. Since the 773 has a more relaxed focal ratio of f6.5 as compared to the rather fast 883 with f5.6, it works ok with an ED doublet while the fast 883 needs fluorite (or a triplet objective which is usually not used in spotters). Both have good CA control with the 883 said to be slightly better here too.

Here's some more comments on the Kowas...
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=291879

I don't think the old Vortex Razor HD 20-60x85 being still sold is a match for both of them, mainly due to the not so wide angle zoom... the Vortex has 2.2 degree true field at 20x or 44 deg afov and the Kowas have 2.3x at 25x or 57 deg afov - on the high mag end at 60x it's the same: Vortex 1.1 deg true or 66 deg afov and Kowa 1.32 deg true or 78 deg afov.
There seems to be a new model called Razor HD 27-60x85 which looks quite different (Swaro style focus ring vs double focus on top) but has a wide angle zoom 27-60x with a field comparable to the Kowa, but I haven't found any reviews.

Maybe a good example of one of the Vortex models might come close to the Kowas, but bad ones certainly have been around...
People complain about Kowas too, but not about optical performance...

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=218231

On the plus side there's the very generous warranty by Vortex which seems to be close to Swaro levels...

Joachim, happy owner of a 30 year old Kowa TSN-3...

Hi Joachim,

I really appreciate your detailed response. I have also noticed the lack of reviews on the 773 and similarly thought it may be because most just went for the 88 series, because, what's an extra 300 in the long run...
I believe I'm ready to make a qualified purchase now with winter lake-watching season right around the corner, too!

Many thanks again,
Judy

Hi,

if you want a scope now and maybe have a tripod and head so the freebies are not attractive, the 773 is a good choice.

You might even try to get lucky with the Vortex but be prepared to test and return a lemon. Reading up on star testing telescopes is recomended on that is recommended - at the least you should be able to get a clear image at 50-60x with an ED scope.

Joachim