kowa tsn3 prominar/ opticron 40862 zoom (1 Viewer)

Do Kowa sell an adapter for the tsn 3 scope that would enable a newer zoom eyepiece to be fitted and could anyone say whether it would be much better than the Opticron HDF T 40862 Zoom currently on this scope please.

Hi,

all the current and past Kowa small body eyepieces (current are the TE-9Z 20-60 zoom, the TE-14WD 30x wide and the TE-17HD 25x Long Eye Relief) will fit the TSN-3 w/o adapter as well as the Opticron SDLv2 (with an o-ring as spacer like the HDF).

The EPs for the larger Kowa scopes (current 770 and 880 series or the rare 820 series) don't fit and can't really be adapted because they are larger in diameter than the small body bayonet. The different adapters Kowa offers are the other way round - to use small body EPs in 820 and 770/880 series or 820 EPs in 770/880 series.

Joachim, who thinks the SDLv2 is the best EP for his TSN-3... not having been able to test the SDLv3 with it yet...

Thanks for the reply I bought this scope as a backup for my 883 very cheaply and was amazed when I saw it as I already said the cost of it was ridiculous the glass and the body are pristine the focus works like a dream and the view is not bad either.
The only fault I found later is that the thumbscrew in the adjustable tripod mount is bent.
I am planning to keep this in the boot of my car ( it came in a stay on case) as I still work and it involves travel amazing what you can see when alone on a return trip.
I thought of unscrewing and replacing it but it does not want to come out pliers maybe.... but this could cause damage to the mount so looks like I will just have to hope it does not slip I will have a better idea when the smartphone adapter arrives. I have also read these scopes do not take a filter but there seems to be a thread for one ?
It is also marked Fully Multicoated Fluorite.

Hi,

nice you got a good scope at a good price - my older and non-multicoated example of TSN-3 with the SDLv2 also performs quite good even in comparison to current alphas and thus no plans to upgrade...

Yours seems to be a fairly rare late example with multicoatings and the protective glass below the bayonet mount and in front of the prism - interesting to hear that the HDF zoom fits in there...

It would be great if you could post an image of the printing on both sides of the body and maybe measure the distance from the top of the eyepiece bayonet mount to the protective glass and the distance of the front element mount of the eyepiece (the end which goes into the scope body) to the lower end of the union nut holding the EP.

These two measurements are crucial if you want to fit a non-standard EP like the Optcron EPs in there.

PS: since you cannot really use the adjustable tripod collar if the scope is in the SOC, I would not bother to try to loosen the bent screw. If you need to, it's probably easy enough to carefully loosen it with pliers and replace it with a regular screw of the same size... although that will probably not be black and not quite as nice to use as the knurled edge original.

Thanks and enjoy your scope,

Joachim

Photos.... all we need now is some decent weather. Thanks for all you do on here Joachim I am sure I am not the only one to benefit from your knowledge. Something I cannot quite understand is stopping me from unscrewing the eyepiece it sits very securely works well so if it is not to be upgraded it will remain in place.

Joachim did you try the HDF before the SDLV and how much of a difference was there this view is already pretty good but I know what a big difference a newer more engineered eyepiece can make from previous nikon scopes the Opticron SDLV v3 is certainly not cheap now is it ?
By the way did you make anything of the photos ? I just had a look on fleabay and they have 3 on there at over £1000 there are various bits and bobs with them but I think they are all crazy myself.... anyway if you have time please let me know the difference in the HDF and SDL (SUPER DOOPER LENS )

Hi,

well, the images show it is a fairly rare late example with multicoatings and probably the protective glass over the prism...

Without some measurements we can't say if the SDLv2 would fit - the SDLv3 is completely untested in Kowa scopes so far...

And no, I never was able to compare the HDF vs the SDLv2 in the field - from secs, the HDF has a slightly wider field of view which is probably more than offset by the SDLv2 having field flattening. Otherwise the SDLv2 is waterproof (unlike the old Kowa bodies - although the protection glass in yours further improves waterproofing).
But probably not worth the trouble to upgrade...

I did try the SDLv2 vs the current Kowa small body zoom and the SDLv2 wins hands down.

PS: A TSN-3 for more than 1k quid is indeed crazy... I paid less than 400€ for each of my two examples and both came with various accessories...

Joachim