Kowa TSN-4 vs Swarovski ST-80
Marvin Dicker
appreciate an opinion on the merits of the Kowa TSN-4 versus the
Swarovski ST-80. My primary use would be in the summer for watching
waterfowl and nesting eagles in a nature preserve, on an inland lake in
the early evening hours.
I can purchase them for about the same price. Would the KOWA TS-614 be
just as good under the same circumstances?
Thanks in advance
-
MARVIN DICKER WTL...@prodigy.com
Douglas Vaughan
Paonessa) compared four scopes:
> MODEL BODY 20-60X OPTICS
> Kowa TSN-2 $378 $198 "Regular" glass
> Kowa TSN-4 $848 $198 "High dispersion" glass
> Swarowski ST-80 $858 $248 "Regular" glass
> Swarowski ST-80-HD $1148 $248 "High dispersion" glass
A most useful post. Thank you. But why do they call their high-quality
glass "high dispersion"? Low dispersion is the idea, isn't it? That is,
minimal separation of the light into its component "colors." No dispersion
gives you nice crisp images; high dispersion produces rainbow-like fringes,
esp at high powers.
Maybe HD stands for something else? (Nikon's ED stands, I think, for
"extra-low dispersion.")
-Doug
Berkeley, California
Doug_V...@macmail.lbl.gov
Ralph Paonessa
>I am considering the purchase of a new spotting scope and would
>appreciate an opinion on the merits of the Kowa TSN-4 versus the
>Swarovski ST-80. My primary use would be in the summer for watching
>waterfowl and nesting eagles in a nature preserve, on an inland lake in
>the early evening hours.
>
>I can purchase them for about the same price. Would the KOWA TS-614 be
>just as good under the same circumstances?
>
I recently had the opportunity to try out the following four scopes
with their 20-60X zoom eyepieces, listed here with the latest prices
from Eagle Optics:
MODEL BODY 20-60X OPTICS
Kowa TSN-2 $378 $198 "Regular" glass
Kowa TSN-4 $848 $198 "High dispersion" glass
Swarowski ST-80 $858 $248 "Regular" glass
Swarowski ST-80-HD $1148 $248 "High dispersion" glass
1. The zoom eyepiece for the Swarovski's convinced me to buy a
Swarovski. In the Kowa, as you zoom from 20X to 60X, it is as though
you are looking through a smaller and smaller tunnel. Above ca. 40X,
the Kowas view was not very satisfactory. (I wear eyeglasses, but this
effect is present without eyeglasses.) With the Swarovski from 20X
all the way to 60X, almost the whole field of view is visible! I was
very impressed by this.
(Note: This scope is very useable at 60X IF YOU HAVE A STURDY TRIPOD,
preferably high enough for viewing without the center column raised. I
purchased the angled version, which can be used at a lower height. In
my opinion, buy the best tripod you can afford, and if you have any
money left over, buy a scope.)
2. I compared the scopes indoors in a long hallway in subdued light. I
taped some handy targets to the wall (something with fine lines, some
color sketches, and a dollar bill) and compared them, especially at 60X.
These are ALL very good scopes, and in good viewing conditions (bright
sunlight behind you) at 20X all perform well. At higher powers, and in
lower light, the "high dispersion" glasses is better than regular glass.
Also, I thought the ST-80-HD had somewhat better resolution than the
TSN-4. The TSN-4 was similar in resolution to the ST-80 (but better
field of view at 60X in Swarowski's). It was very hard to judge color
quality; very subjective; both were excellent. I ended up mortgaging
the farm and buying the angled AT-80-HD (at a greatly reduced sale price
I couldn't refuse).
Specifically given your choice of TSN-4 vs. ST-80 (not HD), I would
choose the Swarovski based on its wonderful zoom eyepiece.
3. Other factors:
Swarovski is sealed and "guaranteed waterproof," Kowa is reported to
perform well in this regard but is not guaranteed.
Kowa focuses with knob near eyepiece, Swarovski with ring near center.
These differences drive some people nuts, but I found it easy to get
used to either one after a while.
Kowa price includes nice padded case that can be left on while using
the scope. Eagle Optics (1-608-271-4751) sells equivalent custom-made
case for Swarovski for ca. $40.
Hope this helps. Good luck with your decision. And remember to get a
sturdy tripod.
Ralph Paonessa
paon...@vnet.ibm.com Vestal, NY
Dalcio Dacol
HD for the Swarovski means "High Definition", that is what is written
on the body of the scope...
--
--
Dalcio Dacol
Washington, DC
da...@abyss.nrl.navy.mil
Won-Soon Lau
: In article <4bc01r$14...@mdnews.btv.ibm.com>, paon...@vnet.ibm.com (Ralph
: Paonessa) compared four scopes:
: > MODEL BODY 20-60X OPTICS
: > Kowa TSN-2 $378 $198 "Regular" glass
: > Kowa TSN-4 $848 $198 "High dispersion" glass
: > Swarowski ST-80 $858 $248 "Regular" glass
: > Swarowski ST-80-HD $1148 $248 "High dispersion" glass
: A most useful post. Thank you. But why do they call their high-quality
: glass "high dispersion"? Low dispersion is the idea, isn't it? That is,
: minimal separation of the light into its component "colors." No dispersion
: gives you nice crisp images; high dispersion produces rainbow-like fringes,
: esp at high powers.
: Maybe HD stands for something else? (Nikon's ED stands, I think, for
: "extra-low dispersion.")
HD stands for High Definition.
When I bought my Swarovski AT-80-HD in July '94, I got it at a price almost
the same as a Kowa TSN-3 both with the 20-60X eyepiece. The price was
approximately $1,200. But i heard the price has imcreased by quite a bit.
The Swarovski also has some eyepieces with mils and distance calibration
which are not available to non-military customer. As for the scope cover,
Swarovski do have one, it is actually for their military customer only and
its called the "Ever Ready Bag". I got it through some special arrangement
with the local distributor and costed me about $100. But it is a well
designed bag that worth the price. the bag has a sling for easy carrying
which is not found on the Kowa bag.
The strong point of Swarovski scope is its waterproofness and robustness.
I had used it in the rain, dropped it when my tripod collasped but not
a single dent nor degradation in image quality. It is truely a marvelous
scope which is going to last for a long time.
cheers,
--
Won-Soon Lau _______________________________
System and Network Manager // //
// Email: l...@ee.nus.sg //
Dept of Electrical Engineering << Phone: (+65) 772 3493 <<
National University of Singapore \\ FAX: (+65) 777 3117 \\
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