Spotter Selection - Leup, Kowa, Minox, other?

Joined
Mar 26, 2019
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Long story short a recent health issue has me looking at changing up some gear to be a bit lighter. I currently have a gen1 razor hd 85mm which I believe was made on a day they got xmas bonuses because its far clearer than any other vortex i've looked through..but to say its a boat anchor is an understatement at just over 4lbs.

I use this only for RO and shooting work so I'm on it often for long periods of time and need to be able to see little plate wiggle/impact dust from a 223 at 800yrds when you cant catch trace.

Hoping to get at least equal performance to my Razor85 I've been looking at the Leupold Gold Ring HD, minox 60 and the Kowa 554. Looking to stay under $1600 absolute max and I can get a sizeable discount from Leupold but it means nothing to me if the image is garbage. I've looked through the MK4 spotters and while its a good image its not quite the Razor85 clarity but never looked through a GRHD.

Most low light performance I'd need is on a cloudy/rainy day, not glassing an animal at first or last light. I do enjoy a brighter image though...

Any of you have comparisons between these 3? or add another to consider? How is eye fatigue with the Kowas eye relief? would be staying in the 20-30 max mag range

no one local I know of to see the Leupold GRHD or Kowa and from my reading here you guys tend to be less fanboy or "what the pros use is the best" than the shooting community im in so here I am...
 

gr8fuldoug

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IMO, the Kowa 55mm is the #1 go to in a small lightweight highest quality optic. Be glad to discuss it with you, 516-217-1000, if you have a few minutes to chat
Doug
 

realunlucky

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Your field of view is going to be a lot more restrictive with a small scope. I tried to talk myself into the baby kowa but in the end went with a bigger scope.

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OP
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In comparison to the Razor85 would I be loosing anything except possibly first/last light ?

As for FOV if your extrapolate the zoom vs FOV the Kowa actually is better up until 39 power. (20x R85=117ft K55=132ft, 30x R85=102ft K55=110ft, 39x R85=89.9ft K55=89.3ft)

The only thing that worries me about the Kowa is the eye relief. Is it hard to be behind for long periods of time?

Gold Ring HD even a comparison to the Kowa?
 

tdhanses

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In comparison to the Razor85 would I be loosing anything except possibly first/last light ?

As for FOV if your extrapolate the zoom vs FOV the Kowa actually is better up until 39 power. (20x R85=117ft K55=132ft, 30x R85=102ft K55=110ft, 39x R85=89.9ft K55=89.3ft)

The only thing that worries me about the Kowa is the eye relief. Is it hard to be behind for long periods of time?

Gold Ring HD even a comparison to the Kowa?

With the Kowa you’ll only lose fov and based on your numbers not even that really, just say it was good enough overall that I kept it and sold my Swaro HD ATS 80mm. Gold ring isn’t in the same class as the Kowa.

Also the max zoom of 45x is fully usable on the Kowa, clear edge to edge.
 
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Dec 4, 2018
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I would like to see a comparison between the 550 and the 600 series. My 602 weighs 33oz, about the same as a 550 if you put a case on it. 602 is very clear glass to my eyes and has more light gathering and higher top end magnification. Is the 550 really $1000 better? Hard to believe for me but I have not looked through one.
 

tdhanses

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I would like to see a comparison between the 550 and the 600 series. My 602 weighs 33oz, about the same as a 550 if you put a case on it. 602 is very clear glass to my eyes and has more light gathering and higher top end magnification. Is the 550 really $1000 better? Hard to believe for me but I have not looked through one.

Not sure but I thought just the body of the 600 series was 33oz. I will say the 55 series has the best lenses Kowa makes while the 600 does not. It might be the difference of the Swaro CL to the EL, not everyone can tell the difference but it’s there if you really are picky. To me it’s worth the price paid for the 55 series, for others it may not be.

The 55 series is just flat out nice in all zoom ranges, max your zoom out and really study its edge to edge clarity and be honest with yourself on what you see, is the very edge the same as the center in imiage quality?
 
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
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Not sure but I thought just the body of the 600 series was 33oz. I will say the 55 series has the best lenses Kowa makes while the 600 does not. It might be the difference of the Swaro CL to the EL, not everyone can tell the difference but it’s there if you really are picky. To me it’s worth the price paid for the 55 series, for others it may not be.

The 55 series is just flat out nice in all zoom ranges, max your zoom out and really study its edge to edge clarity and be honest with yourself on what you see, is the very edge the same as the center in imiage quality?

I weighed my 602 with 20-60 eyepiece and was surprised at the weight..Unless my scale is broken!

I have no doubt the 55 lenses are nicer and give a better image. These days I feel more drawn to “value” rather than the absolute best product out there. For me a spotting scope is used to answer a pretty specific question: shooter or not? Others may have a different priority. Either way there is a range of good products out there and a guy doesn’t have to spend a fortune. Especially with kowa.
 
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