Need advice on upgrading from my existing spotting scope (2 Viewers)

[4John]

Lee said that weight didn't concern him. But in case anyone thinks that the MM4 77 is heavy per se (I know you didn't say so), a fairer comparison would be between the 77 and an 80mm ATS - and in that scenario the Opticron is about 400g lighter.

So to turn the point on it's head, the MM4 77 is light compared to most other scopes in its class.



I disagree. I bought a Swarovski ATS65 HD as an 'upgrade' to the Opticron MM4 77, but much as I wanted confirmation bias in favour of the ATS, I couldn't discern any difference in image quality. All it really did was scratch my Swarovski itch... job done, I now have a Kowa 66A.
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Peregrine Took,

Fair comments. The point I was trying to make, badly it seems, is that numbers on paper and generalisations are limited, someone else's view of a scope is useful, but ultimately you need to check it out with your own eyes if you can, and not be surprised if you see it differently to someone else (which is a point I should also have made !).

I am now interested to know how/why you thought the Kowa 66A was an improvement over the Opticron MM4 77

 

[Peregrine Took]

I am now interested to know how/why you thought the Kowa 66A was an improvement over the Opticron MM4 77

Perhaps the question should be, why is it an improvement over both the Opticron and the Swarovski? This is subjective, but:

• More reach - the zoom goes to 60x (discounting the Swaro 20-60, which is not highly regarded).
• Zero loss of edge-to-edge sharpness throughout the zoom range... excuse the pun, but the Kowa edges the other two.
• It's lighter than both - not important to OP, but it 'allowed' me to choose a sturdier (heavier) tripod.
• The eyepiece is nicer ergonomically, but especially so when compared to the kidney beans I experienced with the Swarovski.
• Better range of accessories, especially vs Opticron, such as phone and camera attachments.

All of this is academic to anyone who prefers a larger objective, has no need to consider weight, or, as in the case of the Opticron, has a much lower budget.
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