Kowa 553 vs swaro ats/atx 65

[223dude]

I'v been using a leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter
for my backpack rig but I bought a swarovski ats 80 HD
and now I'm ruined...
So I want a backpack spotter that is as close to the swaro 80 HD
as I can get.

I'm willing to pay what it takes.

So i'v been looking at the Kowa 553 and the Swaro ats/atx 65 HD.
what would you guys recommend?

 

[skierhs]

Swaro atx gets my vote. Although I personally carry a 95mm atx backpacking now. The weight really sucks but the extra OZ keep me from hiking many miles. There is a reason swaro is what everyone else compares thier optics to.

 

[tdhanses]

Well I had a Swaro ATS 80hd that I sold and kept the Kowa. That little 55 is amazing and perfect for everything but sheep etc, but maybe it is fine for sheep even, not sure, haven’t hunted them. The Kowa optics are better imo but the small fov does bother some. Also I had the 25-50 eyepiece in the Swaro, the extra 5x in zoom didn’t make a big difference over the Kowa.

For my style the Kowa was a better overall tool then the big Swaro, I use my binos to glass 85-90% of the time and use the spotter to verify a spotted animal, so the small fov doesn’t bother me.

 

[Shrek]

Kowa 553 has a fatal flaw imo. No ring mount so it can’t be rotated. That and the 553 gives up a lot of light gathering to the ATS 65. The closest you can get to your ATS 80 is your ATS 80. Suck it up buttercup !

 

[tdhanses]

Kowa 553 has a fatal flaw imo. No ring mount so it can’t be rotated. That and the 553 gives up a lot of light gathering to the ATS 65. The closest you can get to your ATS 80 is your ATS 80. Suck it up buttercup !

Naw not a fatal flaw, an annoyance for some yes. You would be shocked how well that 553 gathers light, yes the 80hd outshined it but the 553 is very usable in last light.

I’ll take the 553 over a larger spotter any day for what I hunt, less bulk and weight, it always gets packed. Also it works just fine on my 11oz tripod.

 

[WRO]

I've carried my stx 95 hundreds of miles, but it's saved me probably 50+..

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Beendare]

My take; When the Nikon small HD scope came out everyone was raving about it. Its light thats for sure....but when comparing it to my 60mm Nikon HD and a swaro 65mm all side by side....the 65 was better for the simple reason it gathers more light. I used to think I wanted that small lighter scope...but after looking through it at dusk- not a chance.

Look through the 10x swaro SLC then look through the 12x50's- you wouldn't think it but the difference is crazy...especially in low light.

The Kowa 55mm is by all accounts excellent glass. But it's 55mm.

I think the best advice is to check them out side by side before you chunk down that kind of dough. The smallest I would personally go after looking through a bunch of these is the 65mm.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I am a Swaro Slut! But I think if people sat down and glassed with the little 55 against the 65 ATX the decision would be much harder than you think. If I'm seriously backpacking hunting for elk and deer that little 55 would be hard for me not to take. If I am scouting I would take the 95 ATX because I don't have the extra weight of a rifle or bow.

 

[otcWill]

Kowa 77 with the 11xTZ eyepiece. It ain't much to carry and is every bit as nice if not nicer (IMO) than the swaro 65.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

We sell a ton of the Kowa TSN-553's and guys are thrilled with not only the quality (which is very important) but the size and weight insure that no matter what the situation they ALWAYS take it with them. This is key. Never does the thought of not wanting to pack it come up as it is under 30 ounces and fits in the water bottle holder of a pack.

Be glad to discuss spotters with you anytime
Doug
516-217-1000

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'v been using a leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter
for my backpack rig but I bought a swarovski ats 80 HD
and now I'm ruined...
So I want a backpack spotter that is as close to the swaro 80 HD
as I can get.

I'm willing to pay what it takes.

So i'v been looking at the Kowa 553 and the Swaro ats/atx 65 HD.
what would you guys recommend?

I’m having these exact thoughts myself, although I have yet to lay my hands on a Kowa TSN. I absolutely love my Swaro HD 80 and the thought of compromise kills me but man, at almost 4 lbs, it’s a bit of a pig!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Well I had a Swaro ATS 80hd that I sold and kept the Kowa. That little 55 is amazing and perfect for everything but sheep etc, but maybe it is fine for sheep even, not sure, haven’t hunted them. The Kowa optics are better imo but the small fov does bother some. Also I had the 25-50 eyepiece in the Swaro, the extra 5x in zoom didn’t make a big difference over the Kowa.

For my style the Kowa was a better overall tool then the big Swaro, I use my binos to glass 85-90% of the time and use the spotter to verify a spotted animal, so the small fov doesn’t bother me.

Why would the kowa not be good for sheep hunting??? I want to upgrade my spitter before this next sheep season and the 553 was one scope I was really interested in for the size and weight.

 

[tdhanses]

Why would the kowa not be good for sheep hunting??? I want to upgrade my spitter before this next sheep season and the 553 was one scope I was really interested in for the size and weight.

Lack of big zoom to really verify legality I’m guessing. I would use it but Luke Moffat could answer this as he has it and sheep hunts.

 

[204guy]

I would go kowa 55. It'll give you a wider gap between spotters. Plus isn't the 65 atx almost the same weight as the 80ATS? It also depends also how you use a spotter. If you use a spotter to locate animals the narrow fov of the Kowa will suck. If you use a spotter like most guys, to judge an already located animal the Kowa is great.

The non rotating body of the 553 is an annoyance but hardly a fatal flaw. As far as low light performance apparently there must be a lot of guys that are judging animals in their spotter the first and last 10 min of light? I've sat down and compared my Kowa 883 and 553 at last light to see how much I was really giving up, the 55 hung in there for a lot longer than I would have expected. Long enough where locating animals at distance with binos would be difficult.

 

[AndyB]

For those that run the little Kowa, what magnification do you feel is the best all round setting you keep it on, after which the light starts to go, or pic not as bright?

 

[Trial153]

I have the the 65 Swaro , I been thinking Of picking up the 55mm kowa to save some weight. Everyone needs to stop talking about it so I stop spending money.

 

[Beendare]

Well Ideally, a guy needs both the small Kowa AND the larger scope....its only money!

 

[mcseal2]

I sold both my Swaro STM 65 and ATS 80 HD after getting the Kowa. I use Swaro 15's so much that I couldn't justify having all those spotters. The Kowa has done everything I need it to and like others say, it's always with me.

 

[coues32]

Sold my 65hd swaro after picking up a 601
Kowa , 20x60x 60mm great lightweight spotter

 

[Ryan Avery]

RANT! I have dented the hell out of both the Kowa's I have owned. I wish they would get with it an put a little armor on them! I really hate having to put a cover on a spotter.