Kowa 77 vs Meopta S2

[Don Qui Puncher]

Anyone try these side by side or have experience with both? I think I’ve narrowed my spotter search down to these two any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[choovhntr]

Not exactly the same but I did do a side by side with the Kowa 883 and the nightforce ts82 the first year it came out. Basically the nightforce is the meopta. I actually chose the meopta over the Kowa for my eyes. That’s same year Kowa came out with their new eyepiece which is pure fluorite and probably a little better than the old one. Long story short I liked the color rendition better in the meopta( nightforce) at the time and chose it. I will say price had some factor as I couldn’t let go of the fact I could get the meopta at half the cost. Since my purchase, the only scope I question not purchasing is the swaro atx. The meopta beats the sts 65 hand down and is probably on par with the 80 and the Kowa. The meopta is big and heavy, and if your were only going to buy one scope, the Kowa 77 would be a fantastic choice. Obviously the atx would be the most ideal, but most people (me included) can’t put out that much money for every size ocular. To be perfectly honest, you probably will never be able to tell much of a difference in a hunting scenario. Usually atmospheric conditions are the limiting factor of the view, not necessarily the minor differences in the alpha glass. You are already shopping for the best of the best. The subtle differences rarely show themselves in a real world scenario. They are all fantastic, get the one that makes the most sense for what you want to do with it and don’t look back. The optic gods always want to take your money with the “new and improved” model. They yell at me constantly too

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I have not compared the Meopta S2 to a Kowa spotter, but choovhntr is correct in stating that the NightForce TS82 is actually the Meopta S2 in different clothing. Meopta also made the Euro Instinct HD spotter for Cabelas and years ago produced the old original Conquest riflescopes for Zeiss. Meopta has had its optics on the market in one way or another for quite some time but most folks didnt know because the optic had another company brand on the side.

Anything you find for reviews related to the NightForce TS 82 spotting scope can be considered the same exact review for the Meopta S2 HD.

I have owned the ATX and have since went back to the S2 (which I owned before the ATX as well). The OP is aware if this from another forum topic and our PMs. So for everyone else reading, my opinion is that unless you NEED to have the modular design of the ATX, you really wont gain much of anything optically over the S2, but you're gonna pay a LOT more money for that modular feature. So it really comes down to that one aspect when making a decision. For me personally, I liked the color in the Meopta better than the ATX and that was my deciding factor to switch back.

 

[JGRaider]

Meopta also made the dual focus, previous generation Zeiss FL T spotters for Zeiss. It says Made in Czech Republic right on the end of the box. My buddy has one and didn't believe it either.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

For those looking we have the Meopta Meostar 82 HD Angled 541620 Kit w/ 541650 Eyepiece and the Meopta MeoStar 82 HD Straight 541630 Kit w/ 541650 Eyepiece on sale for only $1,999.99

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Meopta also made the dual focus, previous generation Zeiss FL T spotters for Zeiss. It says Made in Czech Republic right on the end of the box. My buddy has one and didn't believe it either.

Interesting. I never knew about that one. I remember that was the spotter to beat back in the day. It set a new bar for companies like Swarovski and Leica to overcome. The Zeiss FL T is still an amazing spotter, even by today's HD/ED/Wide Angle standards.

 

[choovhntr]

Meopta also made the dual focus, previous generation Zeiss FL T spotters for Zeiss. It says Made in Czech Republic right on the end of the box. My buddy has one and didn't believe it either.

I researched this a lot before I bought the s2 and from what I found is that meopta used their glass and possibly assembled the Zeiss. I believe Zeiss used their coatings on the optics though which gave it more of that blueish tone compared to the yellowish one of the meopta. So while pretty much made by the same people, there is a slight difference where people may prefer one over the other. It was very interesting to me that meopta has been around so long and has made glass for so many premium companies. Until fairly recently, it seems nobody knew about them in the states at all.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

It was very interesting to me that meopta has been around so long and has made glass for so many premium companies. Until fairly recently, it seems nobody knew about them in the states at all.

Until the appointment of their new head of sports optics at Meopta 2 years ago, Meopta spent their efforts making products that were for others, the Zeiss Conquest Riflescopes, Cabelas house brand, etc, rather than promote their own line. This has changed recently and the introduction of their new Optika binoculars and Optika6 riflescopes is huge for them and will be taking market share away from many of the Pacific Rim mfg's as these are not only superior offerings, in the under $1,000.00 price class, they are also not made in China but a product of the Czech Republic

 

[timberbuck]

The Zeiss FL T spotters are as HD, UHD etc. as anything today.

""FL" means flourite glass.

Vortex has elevated the optics catch phrase from HD to "UHD", I guess Leica,Zeiss and Swarovski need to catch up? What is next "SUHD" "Super Ultra High Definition".

 

[Napperm4]

The Zeiss FL T spotters are as HD, UHD etc. as anything today.

""FL" means flourite glass.

Vortex has elevated the optics catch phrase from HD to "UHD", I guess Leica,Zeiss and Swarovski need to catch up? What is next "SUHD" "Super Ultra High Definition".

They’ll follow Kuiu and we will have UHD Pro next year