Kowa 770 compared to Nikon ED82? (3 Viewers)

[4th_point]

I'm wondering how the Kowa 773/774 compare to the Nikon ED82. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The most appealing aspects of the Kowa are the wide FOV and good eye relief with the wide zoom compared to the Nikon.

For background, my young son and I started wearing eyeglasses (I usually wear contact lenses) so having more eye relief would be nice. And not having to deal with multiple eye pieces on the Nikon (i.e. swapping between wide angle DS and zoom),

I've been super impressed with my ED82. I don't think I would ever sell it, so a 773/774 would not be a direct replacement per se. It would just be a supplement where I didn't need the 75x capability. I am not always able to use 75x, but there are certainly times that I can.

Would a good example of the Kowa 77mm come close to matching the ED82 up to 60x? I realize that the difference in aperture would possibly favor the Nikon for theoretical resolution and brightness.

 

[4th_point]

For what it's worth, I did a star test with my ED82 and it appeared perfect to my eyes but I would need someone more experienced to confirm. I could not detect a difference on either side of focus. Both sides had similar well defined rings. The resolution is incredible to my eyes as well.

I just don't know what to expect with the 77mm Kowa. There are no dealers near me, and I don't know if the 77mm is prone to lemons and average samples like the 88mm? My hope is that the Kowa could match the Nikon, but maybe that is not realistic.

 

[kabsetz]

I have many years ago tested the Kowa 773 and 883 when they first arrived, using my Nikon Fieldscope ED 82 A as a reference. I'd say that except for the wider fields of view of the Kowa zoom, you can expect your Nikon - which sounds like a cherry sample from your description of the star-test - to be optically superior to the 77 millimetre Kowa. But a good sample of the Kowa would not be all that far behind.

The Kowa is fine enough, but the 883 is better than the 773, having true fluorite in the objective lens. The price difference is not that big, and size difference to my mind pretty insignificant. I'd recommend the 883 as a better supplement to your Nikon. A good sample would be as good as the Nikon or even slightly better, and with the excellent Kowa 1.6 x extender, you would get high magnifications as well.

 

[4th_point]

Thank you, kabsetz! That was very helpful to read about your experience and opinion on the 77mm Kowa compared to the ED82.

I hadn't considered the 1.6x extender with the 883/884. An interesting option to ponder!

 

[Vespobuteo]

For what it's worth, I did a star test with my ED82 and it appeared perfect to my eyes but I would need someone more experienced to confirm. I could not detect a difference on either side of focus. Both sides had similar well defined rings. The resolution is incredible to my eyes as well.

I just don't know what to expect with the 77mm Kowa. There are no dealers near me, and I don't know if the 77mm is prone to lemons and average samples like the 88mm? My hope is that the Kowa could match the Nikon, but maybe that is not realistic.TSN

I would check out the new TSN-88(A), new coatings, higher light transmission & better color fidelity, not much heavier than the 773.

 

[kabsetz]

Yep, forgot about the TSN-88. It is replacing the 883/4, and most likely a bit better still as Vespobuteo said.

 

[4th_point]

I forgot about the new TSN-88. Thanks.