Upgrade to TSN-88 from TSN-883? (1 Viewer)

[hyberboreus]

I have had TSN-883 for ten years and I have been very happy with it. I’m a keen birdwatcher. Now I’m thinking that would it be worthwhile to upgrade, maybe to 88 or 99? Or should I look maybe Swarovski 95mm or 115mm? What do you think?

 

[Binastro]

It is a personal thing.

If there are any defects in your present scope, maybe change.

New is not always better.

Terveisin.
B.

 

[hyberboreus]

I’m seeking the best image quality with easy function. I think swaro 95 would be the best choice per image quality but I do not like the focusing mechanism in the Swaro telescopes. I see also that TSN-99 have had some issues on the production quality, so maybe 88a would be in the sweetspot?

 

[Binastro]

Uusi tai vanha?

If you buy a new Kowa, make sure it is a cherry example, as even the top scopes seem to have sample variation, with some being poor optically.

So maybe test any new possible purchase directly against your current scope.

Regards,
B.

 

[Tringa45]

If your 883 is still OK, save your money.
The 883 had been available for about 15 years and it took a while for many to realize that it was just as good as, or better than the competition and less expensive too.
Kowa used a minor facelift to justify a not so minor price increase. There have allegedly been some anti-reflection coating improvements but, when viewing into the objective, my 2017 vintage 883 shows fewer reflections than any other of my optics. The 88A has saved a minimal amount of weight through the use of magnesium alloy for the front part of the housing.
If you have the 20-60x zoom eyepiece, the 25-60x TE-11WZ might be a worthwhile upgrade.

John

 

[chill6x6]

So I have the TSN-88S...and two Meopta S2s. And very recently had a TSN-883 and a STX-95. From my perspective the difference between any of those is not really much of an upgrade in any direction. The TSN-883/884 are probably the birding scopes all others are compared to.

I'd sit tight and buy another binocular!