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Anything new on the horizon? (1 Viewer)

A

averagehuman

New member
Hi all,

Recently went down the rabbit hole of researching spotting scopes and all signs appear to point towards the 880 series. From what I can tell, this model (while aging gracefully) is more than a decade old and I would hate to spend so much money now only to discover a completely new one announced shortly after.

Looked high and low, but can't seem to find any news about a replacement/update/refresh anywhere which is why I thought I would seek the advice of members on this forum.

Would now be a good time to pick up one of these? Are there any rumors or news that you all have heard?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
Hi,

first of all, welcome to birdforum!

There was some speculation of new products announcement due to this tweet in January https://twitter.com/KowaOptics/status/1083300544695992320 - but so far the only "big news" has been the 125th anniversary digiscoping contest. Not sure if we will see an anniversary model or actually sth new later in the year.

But Kowa in general is not into very fast model cycles - and they tend to keep things compatible over long periods of time.
The last news was Kowa system S which brought a lot of old and new accessories (most important the 1.6x extender) for the current and old small body scopes... nice to be able to buy new accessoried for my 30 year old TSN-3.

And since the 880 series is still very competitive optically I would expect either a larger brother in 95-100mm aperture or a binoviewer attachment to close up to Swaro ATX.

Joachim
 
Thank you so much for the reply!

I would definitely be interested in a larger 95-100mm, but making any decision whether or not to go with a 880 series or wait for a newer and larger scope is difficult since we have no information let alone a timeline for when something like this might be released. For all I know, a new flagship model may not be announced for several more years. Also, we have no idea how much more expensive this scope will be. I am fine with paying more, but if it is significantly more expensive than the 880 I may just stick with the 880.

I have a lot to think about, but hearing from people like you helps with the decision process. There is a nice discount on Kowa 880 bundles right now, but the special pricing is set to expire in a few weeks so I need to make a decision soon. I live relatively close to their corporate office so I am very tempted to just walk in and ask!

Many thanks!
 
Good luck with that - they have trained authorised retailers to deal with general enquiries and some demonstrater outlets for that. Do you really think they will say to you, " We're launching a new scope in 6 months time, hang on until then.".
1. They want to sell their stock of current production units.
2. They have a network of authorised dealers globally to consider
3. A new product is usually revealed at a major and appropriate show event, not over a reception desk.

However, an A* for being open and honest. Welcome to BF by the way, you'll find countless examples of queries such as yours usually summed up with, "Why wait for something that may not happen, thus depriving yourself of some enjoyment meanwhile".
 
Last edited:
Dear averagehuman,

Deja vu / coincidence / sixth sense. There is a Kowa 883 for sale with tripod and video head come on today, here on BF, and in the States.

Regards, P
 
Hello P,

Thank you for pointing me in the direction of the newly listed scope. Seems like a good deal! I will be visiting a local shop this weekend to actually see one in person so any decision to seriously purchase one will be made after I get a chance to take it for a spin.

Have a wonderful day!
 
I have been hoping for a 100mm Kowa for several years and would be more than willing to pay the cost.
Thought about going with a 95mm Zeiss Harpia or Swaro but would much prefer a 100mm Kowa with their unequaled Fluorite lens.
 
B&H has the TSN-883 with 25-60x EP for $2100 in their daily specials today. That would suggest there is in fact a replacement coming soon.
 
I keep checking this site from time to time for news of a big Kowa 100mm or even better 105mm spotting scope about to be released.
Alas, starting to lose any hope of it ever happening. :-C
I wish I had Bill Gates money; I would just pay Kowa to build one for me! |=)|
 
averagehuman said:
Sagittarius, don’t ask me how I know, but I’m pretty sure they are working on a larger 88 ;)
Click to expand...

I still maintain this is total conjecture and fantasy - for certain nothing new will come from Kowa Spotting scopes in the next year or so. Why speculate about something that may not occur in your lifetime, enjoy what you have.

Also, on reading again, I chuckled at the words " a larger 88"; any bigger and it's not an 88, but a 98 etc,etc.
 
Sagittarius said:
I keep checking this site from time to time for news of a big Kowa 100mm or even better 105mm spotting scope about to be released.
Alas, starting to lose any hope of it ever happening. :-C
I wish I had Bill Gates money; I would just pay Kowa to build one for me! |=)|
Click to expand...

Look at the Takahashi offerings... FS and FC series...

Joachim
 
Hi,
I honestly do not know what a >95mm scope will bring ?
For sure , more weight (and more expensive!).
Honestly again, commercial success for a 100 or 105mm is not guaranted! how many they could sell?

Maybe Swaro could do it (even is there ATX95 version is quite new in regards to other brands) as I think they are much more agressive commercially and tecnically compared to any other premium brands. (also Japanese may not want to take a risk of a low success product and prefered quality & security)
I do not want to offence anyboby here, it is just based on experience (both for Swaro and my loved Japaneses customers & contacts)
Which premium company is behind regarding version age and diameter?: Possibly Leica 82?
Any thought (for the diameter point of view)?

Yves
 
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