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Kowa TSN-553 used or Opticron MM4 50 new (1 Viewer)

Hello. Having recently taken an interest in birds I’m looking for a small scope and with a budget of £1000. From looking online I’ve come to the conclusion the opticron mm4 range would be my best bet. But I’ve seen with the new Kowa tsn 55a the price of a used 553 is now well under £1000.
With the Kowa being twice the price of the opticron new, which one should I go for?
Any other general input or advice when deciding on a new scope would be of great use.
Regards Chris
 
Hello,

Or maybe a second hand MM3/MM4 and keep the (considerable) change ... or invest that change in binoculars (Opticron or another great brand)? :)
(I'm often carrying binoculars without a scope, but never the other way around.)

If looking for a MM3/4 50mm and living in the UK, you can find quite some deals. Also Opticro has/had great fixed eyepieces.

I have never tried any Kowa, but I have the Opticron MM4 50mm with a fixed HDF eyepiece (not zoom, 23x I think) as well as, for comparison, a larger and optical top notch Swarovski ATX 65mm.
The Swarovski is better, but the Opticron is already really(!) great and is the one I use now most often as it is the most lightweight and compact, and I mostly do casual birding with the bike. Just to say: the type/size/ergonomics/... are often more important than pure optical quality, especially once a very good optical quality os already reached (the law of diminishing returns...). And that is very subjective, a.o.depending on your type of birding. (If e.g.mainly for short walks, or in hides, or at dusk/dawn, a larger scope would probably be a better choice. If it was my only scope, I might have chosen the MM4 60mm instead of the 50mm.)
 

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