- Thread Starter
- #21
100% agree. I can glass deer further with binos than the resolution of the 55 can put horns on them. So to me it’s not worth carrying for hunting big countryI had a Kowa 554, Swaro 85 atx, and 115 atx.
I recently sold the 55mm Kowa and kept the two bigger spotters. I preferred the Kowa focus wheel over the Swarovski, but the small 55mm lens just could not hang with the bigger optics. I found that I never used the Kowa, even when I was backpacking, which is what I bought it for. It just did not have the resolution that a larger objective is able to deliver and low light performance sucked.
Kowa has great glass, but no matter how good your glass is, 55mm just limits the amount of resolution it can deliver. At higher magnifications this becomes obvious.
If I didn’t have a 15x binocular I went everywhere with and wanted a mid range glass, the small 55mm spotter would make sense to me.
Thanks for the update! What do you consider long distance and moderate ranges?Just wanted to drop a little update. Spent a little time behind the new KOWA 554 and it is substantially better with the new eyepiece. It was also next to a new 884. And although it isn’t comparable a long distances, I think it would be an excellent choice for moderate ranges for someone that’s weight conscious.
I own both the 77 and 55. . My 55 rarely gets put in my pack. I had the 77 for years, picked up the 55, and honestly immediately missed the view of the 77 and just everything else about it. Last year aside from just throwing the 55 in to have on an elk hunt i never used it on, i never took it anywhere. Only packed my 77. For me, the little extra weight is 100% worth the convenience that scope provides. Have considered selling my 55, but im a gear hoarder, so its just on the shelf.. Im heading out tomorrow to scout and leaving the horses at home and throwing a pack on and heading to 11k...didnt even consider grabbing the 55. 77 all the way
Does not matter for me, the reason i like my 77 has nothing to do with magnification, glass quality, or eyepiece. Its the field of view. When i look for deer, i will pick apart hillsides, and especially spotted trees for something as simple as an ear moving. So i use my scope to grid search all day long. The 77 is night and day worth the extra weight over a 55mm for how I use scopes. Nothing against the 55, great scope, i wanted to love it, just for me and how i use spotters, the field of view is useless in comparison. For someone else who hunts differently, im sure no issue. But I will spend hours in my spotter picking apart tiny details, and have found lots of deer in the middle of the day because of it. Just depends what type of glasser you are and what you need it for. . The only time i pack my 55 is archery elk, and thats only to figure out how big a bull is thats miles away if i need to.Is anyone on here talking about the NEW kowa 55?
I think that's what the OP was referencing.
Edit: I'm sure it will still struggle a little in low light. But the viewing experience will be wayyyy nicer.
The NEW 55 has a LARGER field of view at its lowest magnification than the 77/88Does not matter for me, the reason i like my 77 has nothing to do with magnification, glass quality, or eyepiece. Its the field of view. When i look for deer, i will pick apart hillsides, and especially spotted trees for something as simple as an ear moving. So i use my scope to grid search all day long. The 77 is night and day worth the extra weight over a 55mm for how I use scopes. Nothing against the 55, great scope, i wanted to love it, just for me and how i use spotters, the field of view is useless in comparison. For someone else who hunts differently, im sure no issue. But I will spend hours in my spotter picking apart tiny details, and have found lots of deer in the middle of the day because of it. Just depends what type of glasser you are and what you need it for. . The only time i pack my 55 is archery elk, and thats only to figure out how big a bull is thats miles away if i need to.
Good info but you do know that the new 55 has the widest field of view of any spotting scope out there that I know of. I'm sure some of this is because of the lower magnification then the bigger scopes.Does not matter for me, the reason i like my 77 has nothing to do with magnification, glass quality, or eyepiece. Its the field of view. When i look for deer, i will pick apart hillsides, and especially spotted trees for something as simple as an ear moving. So i use my scope to grid search all day long. The 77 is night and day worth the extra weight over a 55mm for how I use scopes. Nothing against the 55, great scope, i wanted to love it, just for me and how i use spotters, the field of view is useless in comparison. For someone else who hunts differently, im sure no issue. But I will spend hours in my spotter picking apart tiny details, and have found lots of deer in the middle of the day because of it. Just depends what type of glasser you are and what you need it for. . The only time i pack my 55 is archery elk, and thats only to figure out how big a bull is thats miles away if i need to.
Im aware the new version is much better. the 50% greater FOV over the original model for a 17-40x scope is great. Ill still take my 77 with higher power. As i said, nothing against the 55mm. For what I do, the 77mm with better FOV at full power for grid searching is worth its weight in gold. Im not grid searching at low power. Im at near full picking apart branches for the flick of an ear in the middle of the day. And that 40x, isnt gonna cut it for my style. But i hunt different than many, and what i do works for me.Good info but you do know that the new 55 has the widest field of view of any spotting scope out there that I know of. I'm sure some of this is because of the lower magnification then the bigger scopes.
yep well aware. I dont grid search at low power, I have binos for that. Im talking about picking apart a mountain side branch by branch looking for the flick of an ear or movement of a horn.The NEW 55 has a LARGER field of view at its lowest magnification than the 77/88
Might make that grid searching nicer![]()
I always thought the 77 was goldilocks porridge, but maybe the 66s is...