Which Spotting Scope and Why (1 Viewer)

Good morning/afternoon everyone. So my wife is into birding and I have already purchased for her some great binoculars but I want to step up the game a bit. I am big into outdoors like camping and hunting and so on so I have been looking at the different spotting scopes that also have the ability to allow the connections of DSLR cameras and iphones. Now I am not very knowledgeable on all of the terminology when it comes to real in depth birding and spotting scopes so I will have to take ones word for it. I have done some research on the internet and several brands that stick out are Carl Zeiss and Kowa. I know a bit about Carl Zeiss. They make good quality product. I don’t know much about Kowa but I have read to where they were voted either 2016 or 2017s best scope for birding/animal watching. So in general given the fact that I want to be able to connect cameras and iphones up to the device please provide me with your best input. I also value things like product durability, customer service for the product, warranty and accessories just to name a few. Also if you prefer a particular kind of stand then please feel free to share with me. You can send me an email to [email protected] Thanks for your input and time.

Hi,

it might be helpful to know your budget, weight tolerance (remember you need a sturdy tripod too - a full size scope kit around 80mm aperture will weight 4-5kg) and where you are going to use it.

That being said, Kowa currently has the edge in spotters with the 883/4 - the Zeiss Diascope is a bit dated and the Gavia is not really a replacement.

Joachim

So I am really not concerned with the budget especially if I am getting the best setup. Having never used any of the spotting scopes anything will make us happy right off. Some times having the latest and greatest is does not always mean it is the best setup. We would mostly use it on short hikes or vacation trips when we go out west or up the eastern coast. This is not something that we are so hard core into that we do every day or weekend so that might be something I want to consider as well is how often we actually do this vs the amount of money I want to spend. I just want to make sure the clarity is good and the images are sharp especially if using a camera.

Last week, after month of dithering between Kowa 883 and Swaro ATX-85, I made a decision in favor of the ATX.
Both spotter (I could test side by side) were optically at top-level but for me the "one hand" handling was crucial.
I think also the contrast of the ATX was slightly better, especially when using the extenders.
Another important issue was the construction and handling of the accessories (extender, SOC, adapter) where Swarovski wins in my opinion.
Unfortunately the price is a bitter pill has to be swallowed first.

So, if digiscoping is important and budget isn't an issue, you should take also the ATX system into consideration.

I would go with the Swarovski ATS model.....I know the ATX is out there but I am not in favor of it for my 'odd reasons'...I am not familiar with the KOWA or Zeiss....

just get what works for you...try them in the field if you can.

Optically, Kowa is the best.
Swaro is almost as good, has much the best customer support and offers the unique BTX binocular module for their ATX modular scopes.

The stated uses, short hikes and vacation trips suggest viewing comfort will be a priority. That favors the Swaro option, an ATX 95 with the BTX binoviewer.
Note that a top tier tripod and head will be needed to get full value from this setup.

At that price point is hard to discern many difference in quality..I like Kowa brand a lot,but after trying the ATX series a few times I have to say I am suoper impressed with them...I tested the 65 recently and it was SHARP and as bright as my 823..no kidding there..The few times i have tried the n85 ATX i always felt it was the best...and then i used the new Diascope a few moths ago and also gave a great view...My advice right now would be to buy the ATX 65 and a medium size carbon tripod..a simple ,portable kit,that is compact and can be upgraded to a larger objective if needed...If this scope is going to be for a woman i cant think of a better option..and for digiscoping and camera they have the best system...
This is an expensive scope ,but would be in the same league as any of the large top brands,and would be easier to tote around,and very compact to store for travelling

Hi,

wow - without proper guidance things go overboard pretty quickly... Now we're talking about a Swaro BTX 95 - a package that will weight 5-6kg with a proper tripod and head and will set you back by an amount north of 6k.

Unfortunately the intended use was phonescoping - is there an adapter for the BTX module?

Regarding optics - good examples of Swaro are close to the big Kowa - maybe a tad more CA.
But I have seen a few not so good examples of current Swaro models while Kowa was uniformly great (ok, there was some dust speck problem in the wide angle zoom EPs, but that was cosmetics).
I'm not sure why these weren't sent in for service or what service will say if the scope is just not sharp at max magnification.

If the o.p. and his wife have never used a scope and don't even know if that's their piece of cake, I would really start slow. A used alpha will give great views too and if it's too much hassle and a superzoom cam gives nice images too, it can be sold with minimal loss.

Joachim