Updates on the kowa 554 anyone!!??

[bigbob]

After playing with numerous mid range spotting scopes I’m ready to get into the big leagues. The top two scopes I am interested in (primarily for backpacking) are the swaro 65mm and the newer kowa 554.
The compact size of the kowa is awful tempting but it is hard to argue with the swaros track record. After the release of the kowa I haven’t been able to dig up any “fresh” information.
Have any of you had some time behind the kowa at all? Opinions?

 

[bigbob]

I should add that I am looking for a spotter to simply get a closer look. I’ve had 80s but left them at camp after a couple days, and the 15-30x50mm spotters just didn’t give me much past my binos it seemed. My hands down favorite so far was the 15-45x65mm Athlon Ares because of its decent glass/Zoom but especially because it was small enough I was Willing to carry it anywhere even if it never came out of the pack. So I’m really looking for a similar setup but with higher end glass.

 

[amp713]

I've really wanted one myself, Luke Moffat still loves his from what I understood so that gives me high Hope's!!!

 

[HighVoltageHunter]

I ran the Kowa 553 & Swaro ATS 65 HD (w/a 25-50WA) Eyepiece, alternatively this year.
Most of my hunting consist of packing in and backpack hunting and I rely heavily on my glass.
My Swaro with the bigger objective definitely let’s in more light and therefore I can use it more effectively and for longer periods of time in low light situations. There is definitely a noticeable difference between the light gathering capability of the 65 vs’ the 55 objective.
However, the image through the Kowa is crystal clear out to 45x in ideal glassing situation’s which is close enough to the 50x power of my Swaro eyepiece. The Kowa also suffers from a small field of view but it doesn’t bother me as I only use my spotter to get a better look.
For me with how light and compact the Kowa is and with comparable glass, I will be carrying the Kowa on all my backpack hunts.
IMO the Kowa is well worth the investment.

 

[twall13]

I haven't used the Swaro to compare it to but I've owned the Kowa for about a year now. In my mind it has a couple of well documented drawbacks. First being the field of view. If you primarily use a spotting scope to get a closer look rather than using it as your primary glassing tool the field of view is a non issue in my opinion. The next drawback I see is the lack of a rotating collar. I almost wish I had gotten the straight model because there are times when I miss the rotating collar but I understand they cut that feature it to save weight. Lastly, I've heard a lot of people complain about the price as they hoped it would come in cheaper. For what you get, the price is worth it to me but everyone will have to decide that on their own. If you can live with the above mentioned drawbacks it's a great scope. It's light enough that I can justify carrying it around and it makes it into the pack. The brightness is insane for a 55mm scope. The edge to edge clarity is very good. I've come to really like the dual focus knobs and really like the scope all the way around.

I spent some time comparing it to my dad's 65mm Vortex Razor HD. Honestly, at least to my eyes, the Kowa was clearer, slightly brighter and a whole lot lighter/more compact with nearly identical magnification spectrums. I know the Vortex isn't a Swaro but it's another comparison point.

To me, this scope shines as a tool I use to take a closer look at things after glassing them up with my binoculars on a tripod. For that purpose it works very well and justifies it's weight in my pack. If I planned on spending time behind the spotter as my primary glassing tool or to check the legality of, say, a sheep 2-3 miles away I'd be looking at other, heavier and larger spotting scopes. That's my take on it, hopefully it helps.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[flyinsquirel]

Heres my take compared to a Swaro 65hd 20-60. This ain't no Matt Cashel review, so prepare to be unimpressed.

Field of view/ease of viewing: Swaro 65. The 20-60 eyepiece is very forgiving on eye alignment. This makes it easy to stay behind for longer periods of time.

Clarity: I didn't throw out one of those eye charts or anything, but I'd say pretty darn comparable at similar mags. Slight edge to the Swaro, but for just counting points a tie.

Low light: So this is where it got a little wierd, maybe others have had the same experience. As light first started to fade the Swaro showed noticeably brighter. As it headed towards complete darkness the Kowa actually started catching up, to the point that in the last minute it was pretty much a tie. I've recreated this many times at different locations and verified with a few other sets of eyes as well. Maybe one of our optics experts can explain the science behind this. Or maybe I got an odd unit.

Bottom line: If you can live with the narrow field of view and a 45 max power this is a great scope that won't get left at the truck.

 

[bigbob]

Man, you guys are making that kowa sound pretty tempting! I’m an angled spotter guy but as mentioned about the no collar, I believe I’d have to go straight on this scope. My dad has a larger kowa 770 so I suppose if I ever needed count annuli I bet I could borrow that scope. Optics planet has it listed at just over $1500 now....gonna be some serious debatin goin on

 

[amp713]

I haven't used the Swaro to compare it to but I've owned the Kowa for about a year now. In my mind it has a couple of well documented drawbacks. First being the field of view. If you primarily use a spotting scope to get a closer look rather than using it as your primary glassing tool the field of view is a non issue in my opinion. The next drawback I see is the lack of a rotating collar. I almost wish I had gotten the straight model because there are times when I miss the rotating collar but I understand they cut that feature it to save weight. Lastly, I've heard a lot of people complain about the price as they hoped it would come in cheaper. For what you get, the price is worth it to me but everyone will have to decide that on their own. If you can live with the above mentioned drawbacks it's a great scope. It's light enough that I can justify carrying it around and it makes it into the pack. The brightness is insane for a 55mm scope. The edge to edge clarity is very good. I've come to really like the dual focus knobs and really like the scope all the way around.

I spent some time comparing it to my dad's 65mm Vortex Razor HD. Honestly, at least to my eyes, the Kowa was clearer, slightly brighter and a whole lot lighter/more compact with nearly identical magnification spectrums. I know the Vortex isn't a Swaro but it's another comparison point.

To me, this scope shines as a tool I use to take a closer look at things after glassing them up with my binoculars on a tripod. For that purpose it works very well and justifies it's weight in my pack. If I planned on spending time behind the spotter as my primary glassing tool or to check the legality of, say, a sheep 2-3 miles away I'd be looking at other, heavier and larger spotting scopes. That's my take on it, hopefully it helps.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Hey man where are you located in Utah? I'd love to take a look through yours!!! And if you ever decide to jump at a straight hit me up with a price on yours, may be able to help you into a straight one!

 

[HighVoltageHunter]

Call Doug at CameralandNY tomorrow, he may be able to get you a better price on the straight model. I’ve seen the 554 for $1,250 - $1,350 but you may have to wait awhile to get it at that price.

 

[mcseal2]

I bought the Kowa 55 straight when it came out and love it. It does have the small field of view others mentioned, but it does amazingly well in low light for it's size. I had an older Swaro STM65 and after getting the Kowa I sold it, the Kowa does everything it would do. I primarily use it to size up game I've already located through my binos. I run 15x binos off a tripod a lot.

 

[tdhanses]

I really like my Kowa 554, so much I sold my Swaro 80HD ATS w 25-50 eyepiece. The weight and size sealed this over the Swaro, you just don’t give up much to it other then fov and a few mins at first/last light. BUT the Kowa is always in my pack now, Swaro rarely made it. Seriously unless your hunting sheep it is plenty good enough. I also only use it to get a better look after I’ve located game.

 

[mcseal2]

I sold both my 65 and 80 Swaro, I kept the 80 for an extra year after selling the 65 but never used it except on the window mount. A night spent switching between the 2 spotters and my 15x Swaro binos convinced me the Kowa and 15's would do all I need. When the light is to low for the Kowa I'm better off with the 15x binos anyway.

 

[bigbob]

Thanks for all the input guys. Pretty cool to have so many saying they owned Swaros and sold them to keep the Kowa

 

[gr8fuldoug]

It is our pleasure to assist you. We are one of the bigger Kowa dealers and do our best to take exceptional care of the members here.
Give us a call, 516-217-1000