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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Kowa Lens/scope combo (1 Viewer)

Jerry, funny you should ask. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse so BOUGHT a SECOND 883 this week along with a second PZ dslr photo adapter. So now I have TWO 883 and an 884 plus TWO Nikon ED50A's. Toying around today to see if I could make a binoscope from the 883's!
 
RJM said:
Jerry, funny you should ask. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse so BOUGHT a SECOND 883 this week along with a second PZ dslr photo adapter. So now I have TWO 883 and an 884 plus TWO Nikon ED50A's. Toying around today to see if I could make a binoscope from the 883's!
Click to expand...

Rick,
You're the man. Wouldn't it be easier to strap the ED50's together. Get two digicams/videocams and you could shoot 3D video.
Neil.
 
Jason I have been offered several good deals on the Kowa photoscope and have always passed. It is defintely VERY sharp glass but still expensive for a modular system, especially when compared to competing modular scopes from BORG. Even the superb Takahashi Sky90 astroscope is significantly cheaper.

Also as a Nikon shooter, we have the old manual focus 500mm F4P lens as another choice.

Now if Kowa were to make a photo lens with a 300-1200mm type of zoom I might change my mind!
 
RJM said:
Jason I have been offered several good deals on the Kowa photoscope and have always passed. It is defintely VERY sharp glass but still expensive for a modular system, especially when compared to competing modular scopes from BORG. Even the superb Takahashi Sky90 astroscope is significantly cheaper.

Also as a Nikon shooter, we have the old manual focus 500mm F4P lens as another choice.

Now if Kowa were to make a photo lens with a 300-1200mm type of zoom I might change my mind!
Click to expand...

Rick,
The Kowa TSN-PZ at 680 - 1000 mm is not a bad bit of kit. It's focal length may be a bit longer too on the Lens/scope. I haven't used it as much as I should have .
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/470717-REG/Kowa_TSN_PZ_TSN_PZ_Digiscoping_SLR_Camera.html
Neil
 
Neil, I have two TSN-PZ's now but since it is a screw-on adapter I did not think it possible to use with the photoscope too. I assume it would somehow need to connect to the visual prism unit tp-88EC1?

Nevermind, I just read back thru this thread and see it is possible to use the PZ on the prism unit. No mention of this on the Kowa system charts though.
 
Last edited:
RJM said:
Neil, I have two TSN-PZ's now but since it is a screw-on adapter I did not think it possible to use with the photoscope too. I assume it would somehow need to connect to the visual prism unit tp-88EC1?

Nevermind, I just read back thru this thread and see it is possible to use the PZ on the prism unit. No mention of this on the Kowa system charts though.
Click to expand...

Rick,
Yes, the PZ screws onto the Prism unit. If you had the 850/9.6 module you probably would need the PZ.
Neil.
 
RJM said:
Jason I have been offered several good deals on the Kowa photoscope and have always passed. It is defintely VERY sharp glass but still expensive for a modular system, especially when compared to competing modular scopes from BORG. Even the superb Takahashi Sky90 astroscope is significantly cheaper.

Also as a Nikon shooter, we have the old manual focus 500mm F4P lens as another choice.

Now if Kowa were to make a photo lens with a 300-1200mm type of zoom I might change my mind!
Click to expand...

What's the current price of this 500mm F4P in Japan Rick ?
 
Jason, I guess ~JPY170,000 for a 500mm F4P in mint condition including case and perhaps the matching 1.4TC.
 
focus range distance

Paul,
Since you are in the Kowa business you might try to find what is focus range distance of Lens/scope. One way of estimating it is to add close up rings until it will not focus at long distances...
Thanks.
 
DRodrigues said:
Paul,
Since you are in the Kowa business you might try to find what is focus range distance of Lens/scope. One way of estimating it is to add close up rings until it will not focus at long distances...
Thanks.
Click to expand...


I am not sure what you are asking? i am not aware that you can add "close up rings" to this setup?

Paul
 
I've had a busy couple of weeks out and about with the Kowa and various cameras. I've been shooting a lot more HD video too which is creating a lot of extra time in front of the computer.
The good thing was that I was on my own in the hides so was able to sit back and have the birds come closer ( as close as 12 meters ).
The first two were taken with the Nikon P7000 and the last three with the Nikon S9100. For closeup work and HD video the S9100 is the easiest to use and it's fast.
Neil

Nikon P7000 plus Nikon S9100 on Kowa lens/scope Prominar and Kowa 25x LER eyepiece and Swarovski UCA adapter.

Mai Po Nature Reserve,
Hong Kong,
China.
Sept 2011
 

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DRodrigues said:
Paul,
Since you are in the Kowa business you might try to find what is focus range distance of Lens/scope. One way of estimating it is to add close up rings until it will not focus at long distances...
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I presume you are interested in the close focusing at the short end. I just did a quick test with Kenko 36 mm and 20 mm together on the 850 mm module. It only made a difference of about 2/3rd meter . The 36 mm on it's own shortened it by around 1/2 meter.
Not very significant compared to the loss of light.
Neil
 
Paul and Neal,
I try in another way: - astro refractors reach focus moving out and in the focuser drawtube. As the Kowa scope focus with internal lens moving that's not visible and the "focus travelling distance" is not an info that Kowa mentions (unlike in astro refractors). So a solution to try to estimate this is to start adding length between the scope and the camera and see when the camera no longer focus at the infinite... The easiest way of doing this is adding close up rings! For my set up I need at least 65mm focus travelling. The 500mm version is the one more interesting to me.
Thanks.
 
DRodrigues said:
Paul and Neal,
I try in another way: - astro refractors reach focus moving out and in the focuser drawtube. As the Kowa scope focus with internal lens moving that's not visible and the "focus travelling distance" is not an info that Kowa mentions (unlike in astro refractors). So a solution to try to estimate this is to start adding length between the scope and the camera and see when the camera no longer focus at the infinite... The easiest way of doing this is adding close up rings! For my set up I need at least 65mm focus travelling. The 500mm version is the one more interesting to me.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

David ,
I'm still not sure what you are trying to achieve with this info.
Neil.
 
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