Kowa Spotting Scope (1 Viewer)

[BenBirding]

http://www.scopetronix.com/spottingkowa.htm

Is this a good digiscoping scope for use with a Canon A95?
Kowa TSN-601 60mm Angled Spotting Scope

 

[Pie Face]

In my opinion no. If I were to use a 60mm scope for digiscoping it would have to have an ED/Prominar/APO/Flourite lens at the very least. Even at 60 mm, with the aforementioned coatings, you would struggle to get reasonable pictures in anything other than good light. Save up your money and by somethng with a bigger lens.

Mark

 

[IanF]

Same advice from me.

My first ever scope was the Kowa 611 - which whilst a grwat little scope for viewing with - was no use for digiscoping at all. The images were very soft and very prone to chromatic aberration (CA) - not to mention the small objective meant low light levels entering the camera and long exposure times - not ideal for bird photos.

If you're after the 60mm size then it's well worth paying the extra for the fluorite versions such as the 613/4. I used to own the Kowa 823 which is still the best digiscoping scope I have ever owned - I now own the Swarovski ARTS 80 HD!

Having said that the Canon A95 is a very good digiscoping camera - just do a search of the Gallery for the camera and you'll see what great results can be obtained.

If you already own the scope then it's still worth experimenting with digiscoping - you just have to be aware of the pitfalls such as making sure the sun is somewhere behind you and and try to avoid photos against the sky - which should reduce any CA.

 

[BenBirding]

I'm thinking about getting the Meade ETX 90, because I am on a budget and it is suppose to produce excellent results. The only downside is the size...

 

[jacksnipe]

kowa ts611 60mm know special glass

hi benbirding. I use a kowa ts611 60mm scope,fixed 20x eyepiece,know special glass,and acontax u4r digi camera.I hand hold,I dont disagree with some of the advice you have been given,but with good fieldcraft and some photoshop, you can get some decent shots.HERE are some samples I have took,I have plenty more,but i must be honest,you will still get badones,and even with photoshop,you can not make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.goodluck. B

 

[Pie Face]

hi benbirding. I use a kowa ts611 60mm scope,fixed 20x eyepiece,know special glass,and acontax u4r digi camera.I hand hold,I dont disagree with some of the advice you have been given,but with good fieldcraft and some photoshop, you can get some decent shots.HERE are some samples I have took,I have plenty more,but i must be honest,you will still get badones,and even with photoshop,you can not make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.goodluck. B

Very good photos. No doubt the fixed 2.8 aperture on the Contax contributes to this significantly.

Mark

 

[jacksnipe]

I took these in sports mode.the heron was on adull day, the little owl was a very dull day as you can see.THE wheatear on a nice sunny day,the snipe erly morning as you can see the sun is just rising and hitting them,and t5he peregrine over cast day.but mark, its not just the aperture,its good fieldcraft,andcamera scope andluck.thanks

 

[IanF]

Yep! Very good results indeed. Certainly crisp enough, good exposure and colours with just a little bit of CA on some - far less pronounced than I used to get with the 611.

 

[Tero]

BenBirding, I don't remember the eye piece on the Kowa. But if you have a camera, ask some birding friends to let you do some hand held photos thru their scope. You will have a better idea of how it works. You can even do it in a store. Just snap a few pictures of anything, a tree in the yard, something.

 

[hornet]

I took these in sports mode.the heron was on adull day, the little owl was a very dull day as you can see.THE wheatear on a nice sunny day,the snipe erly morning as you can see the sun is just rising and hitting them,and t5he peregrine over cast day.but mark, its not just the aperture,its good fieldcraft,andcamera scope andluck.thanks

Very nice work indeed. I used to use a 611 (which I still have for lightweight birding) but got nothing like this quality of photography. As you say - good fieldcraft - and, as you didn't say, - great skill and patience.

I'm sure you're right about kit vs skill. The 611 may not be perfect for digiscoping, but it's a great scope. Perhaps there's too much emphasis placed on having the very best kit?

 

[Mike66]

In my opinion no. If I were to use a 60mm scope for digiscoping it would have to have an ED/Prominar/APO/Flourite lens at the very least. Even at 60 mm, with the aforementioned coatings, you would struggle to get reasonable pictures in anything other than good light. Save up your money and by somethng with a bigger lens.

Mark

Mark..I was about to buy a Leica APO 77 to try digiscoping but a friend has reminded me that I go abroad a lot and says the large scope would be a mistake for travelling, he suggests I buy the smaller 62mm version.
what do you think? A good picture is all important.....Mike

 

[NickPatel92]

hi benbirding. I use a kowa ts611 60mm scope,fixed 20x eyepiece,know special glass,and acontax u4r digi camera.I hand hold,I dont disagree with some of the advice you have been given,but with good fieldcraft and some photoshop, you can get some decent shots.HERE are some samples I have took,I have plenty more,but i must be honest,you will still get badones,and even with photoshop,you can not make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.goodluck. B

This isn't about the "kowa" thing but where you live, i see you live in lancashire, so do i, you should check my threads from time to time.

 

[Jaff]

What a difference a lens makes

There is nothing wrong with a 611/612 for digiscoping, it's just the Kowa lenses. But I'll admit CA can be a problem, especially with whites. Also, for anyone who's interested in a budget scope, in July's edition of Birdwatching magazine they reviewed them (i.e. 60mm objective non ED scopes) and they rated the Kowa TSN 601 as the overall best one to buy, the Nikon Fieldscope III gave the best image but cost a hell of a lot more and not enough to justify the price difference.

Plenty more info in the Kowa section as well.

A selection of photos below with my setup http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=61119 (more in my gallery)

Jaff :hi: