Best scope of all time (1 Viewer)

[Birdbox]

A new year, a new decade (actually not sure if that's mathematically correct).

How's about a new "best scope ever" thread?

I'd start the ball rolling but can't decide between the Greenkat, Alpine Eagle or that one Lord Nelson once lent me on a pelagic in the Trafalgar area.

 

[John Russell]

If you exclude astronomic refractors, most testers seem to regard the Kowa 883 and 884 as being optically the best scopes. I have heard though, that there have been some problems with the focussing mechanism.

John

 

[cugsy]

Although I use my celestron 80 ED and think its great for the money,I miss my 823. That was a stunner.

 

[Phil Bishop]

Questar

 

[Enji]

If you exclude astronomic refractors, most testers seem to regard the Kowa 883 and 884 as being optically the best scopes. I have heard though, that there have been some problems with the focussing mechanism.

John

What kind of problems are those? I'm just curious since I have an 883 (a wonderful scope indeed!) and I've never had any problem with the focussing.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

What about the Kowa TSN 1-4 series?

CB

 

[Kevin Purcell]

What about the Kowa TSN 1-4 series?

CB

The TSN 3/4 are certainly good scope (and showed what could be done with fluorite in a birding scope) but they have been surpassed by the 883/4 and more recent scopes (especially when using a zoom).

But TSN 3/4 would be up there on the list of classic scopes.

If you exclude astronomic refractors, most testers seem to regard the Kowa 883 and 884 as being optically the best scopes. I have heard though, that there have been some problems with the focussing mechanism.

That's a wearing out of a brass bushing which is an easy fix (so I've been told). It's talked about elsewhere in the scope forum, IIRC.

 

[dave hughston]

Best scope of all time.

IMO,the new models of the big four (kowa 883/884,zeiss 85,leica 82 and swar apo) are brilliant pieces of equipment that any birder would /should be happy to own
Have not seen the new nixon edg so cannot comment, l use a Nixon 82a ed that l"m very happy with,with the 30w its very good and poss the best value for money
But the best l"ve looked through is a friends Kowa 883 top top class scope and l think it"s the current number one ,thus making it the best ever !!

 

[Robert Wallace]

I support the Questar its been around for many years and used by (very affluent?)birders.
I once looked through one back in the 1980's and the quality was stunning. Have any of the refractors met the same optical standards as a reflector?
It is still the one to beat after how many years?

 

[Alexis Powell]

I support the Questar... Have any of the refractors met the same optical standards as a reflector?

Not at high powers. But the Questar is fiddly, and in some ways delicate--not the sort of scope that lends itself to typical rough and tumble birding use. And for lower power, wide angle views, the modern compact birding scopes are a better choice.

--AP