Swarovski ATC vs. ATS vs. Kowa 553…Updated 4/26/23!

[Westy35]

If Kowa made their 66mm spotter in pure fluorite crystal, at 37oz THAT would be a sweet little package.

 

[InteriorAKPopsicle]

I'm in Montana, it's an outfitted hunt in the Brooks Range- hence the once in a lifetime

I'm very happy with the ATS 65; but outside of this particular hunt- I wouldn't be overly surprised if a smaller spotter would work just as well (deer/elk).

If I was lucky enough to be hunting sheep more frequently, I think the ATS 65 would be a solid choice backpack hunting.

that is where I am at - I don't really need the spotter for Caribou or Moose, but I'm wanting to keep in the mountains so it will help for back there.

 

[WyoHuntr]

I'm really curious about the low light performance of the ATC vs the Kowa. I ran a Kowa 554 on a mulie hunt last year and wanted to chuck it down the mountain by day three. I hunt bucks that go in early and come out late. It was damn near full daylight before the Kowa was worth a damn, and it was the first optic I'd lose at dusk. (It was awesome in full daylight, though). Hoping the ATC is an improvement.

I was going to buy an STC to check it out, but my STS 65 needed to be replaced. (I do wish the STC was the same weight as the 554, though). I'll let you fine folks flesh out this one out before I give it a go

 

[MightyWhitey]

^^^
That’s why I sold my 554. My 10x42 NL pures can damn near see in the dark, so I’m really hoping the STC is better in low light than the Kowa. I really didn’t know if I was just expecting too much from it, or if it just sucks at low light, but I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks that.

 

[TXCO]

Im in the market for one of these this year. Looking forward to the results.

Curious how well the ATC or any them can do resting on a pack not on a tripod. They advertise it can be handheld to an extent. Also curious how it does digiscoping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[grainhog]

My only optics are Vortex Razor HD 12x50 binoculars. I never leave home without them, from still hunting timber to tripod-based spotting out to fairly long distances. I plan to glass more in the next 5 years than I have in the past 5, and am considering getting a spotter.

Question: would the current generation Swarovski ATC 17-40x56 feel like enough scope for me, as a do-all complement to my 12x50s for northern Rockies mule deer, elk, and even potentially sheep in the big mountains? Thanks.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

My only optics are Vortex Razor HD 12x50 binoculars. I never leave home without them, from still hunting timber to tripod-based spotting out to fairly long distances. I plan to glass more in the next 5 years than I have in the past 5, and am considering getting a spotter.

Question: would the current generation Swarovski ATC 17-40x56 feel like enough scope for me, as a do-all complement to my 12x50s for northern Rockies mule deer, elk, and even potentially sheep in the big mountains? Thanks.

For sheep, there's a large difference between attempting to count rings to age a ram and looking at curl amount and/or grooming. There's also a difference between counting inches at distance versus getting a general feel of the animal.

Identify what you need the optic (in this case a spotting scope) to do, and go from there. First, be aware that all optics will leave you wanting "more" from time to time. Second, you can have the best optics but unless you practice your glassing those optics are not going to make you a glassing expert.

 

[OutdoorsMD]

I have been playing around with my setups ATX 65/Slik 635/Outdoorsmans pan head which has been a great setup for me on a lot of hunts. I thought it was light but have shaved almost 3lbs off it by going to an AOKA/RRS Bhp-16/Swaro ATC. One thing I have noticed is when I have both scopes set at the same magnification the ATC seems to have a wider field of view. I have not noticed any resolving power or clarity differences. The 65mm scope does perform better at very first and last night but not by a huge margin. Considering how small it is I can’t imagine not having it in my pack especially when weight is a concern. Another nice bonus with the small ball head it you can rotate the scope for an angled view if needed.

 

[WRO]

I’ll take the little Kowa and sell the ATC to a Swaro fanboy to recoop my losses I’ll take immersive colors in the Kowa over the smeared/varying shades of blue/green my eyes see in the Swaro glass any day of the week

I've used the 95x vs the 88, I thought the 88 was a good scope but I'll take actual colors over immersive popping colors every day.

BTW, not a fan of the sts either.

 

[nobody]

I've used the 95x vs the 88, I thought the 88 was a good scope but I'll take actual colors over immersive popping colors every day.

BTW, not a fan of the sts either.

Just goes to show, that's why there's options on the market!

 

[nobody]

Duplicate

 

[Trial153]

I wasn’t a fan of the 553 to keep it for weight savings vs my 65 ATX. Now with the ATC that I put in the line up I will most likely sell the 65 and jump up to 85 and just keep to the two spotters. I have played with ATC enough already know it way more usable then my 553 ever was.

 

[Fun Guy]

Im in the market for one of these this year. Looking forward to the results.

Curious how well the ATC or any them can do resting on a pack not on a tripod. They advertise it can be handheld to an extent. Also curious how it does digiscoping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I handheld an STC today and it would work in a pinch, especially for just a quick peak to confirm. I have looked thru the 554 before and thought the eyepiece and FOV of the STC was definitely better. You could definitely use it resting on a pack/tree/etc.

 

[Matt Cashell]

The review is complete and should publish soon. Can’t wait to hear if you guys take anything away from it! It was a ton of fun.

 

[realunlucky]

The review is complete and should publish soon. Can’t wait to hear if you guys take anything away from it! It was a ton of fun.

Look forward to reading this one

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[InteriorAKPopsicle]

The review is complete and should publish soon. Can’t wait to hear if you guys take anything away from it! It was a ton of fun.

I'm going to be buying a spotter in the next month or two so this will be great. I'll be keeping an eye out!

 

[robby denning]

I just proofed Matt's review. It's good stuff. Put it this way: I was surprised...

@Justin Crossley will have it published asap.

 

[Flatlander06]

I have a Kowa 554 and Swaro 15x56 SLC's. I agree with the comment that they serve different roles. The Kowa is very clear, but it's not what I'd call a comfortable spotter for finding game. The eye relief is a little bit limited, and the field of view is a little small for that use for me personally. I feel like the Kowa excels at evaluating an animal, keeping track of one already found, etc. It's a great optic for looking at an animal, just not for finding one. For comparison I've owned a Swaro STM65 and a ATS80HD in the past. I decided that packing the small spotter and 15x binos was better for me than packing a big spotter often enough I sold the big spotters.

The 15x binos in comparison are the best tool I've tried for finding game. Mounted on a tripod the big field of view lets me catch little flickers of movement I'd miss with something less steady or with a smaller field of view. They are a significant advantage over my 10x Leica binos from a tripod for some hunts. Mule deer during October rifle seasons are a great example. Deer are not easy to locate and having the binos on a tripod helps me thoroughly check each shadow when glassing a hillside.

Downside of the 15x is that I can't see the same detail at distance I can with the spotter. It just does not have enough magnification for my eyes to replace a spotter for evaluating game most times. I hunt elk late in rifle season when there are a lot of broken tines, and that spotter can save me a long walk to a broken bull as an example.

My optics currently consist of Maven B3 8x30 binos, Leica Geovid HD-B 10x42's, and the ones mentioned above. I do not currently bow hunt, just muzzle loader and rifle.

Scouting trips I'm generally taking the Mavens 8x, Swaro 15x, and the spotter. 8x around my neck, the others in the pack. I don't need the rangefinding binos for this.

Hunting elk, caribou, moose, antelope I'm generally taking the Leica 10x and the spotter. I don't need the 15x to locate these animals most times. My 10x are capable of locating, my spotter for evaluating. There are exceptions but this is what I do more often than not.

Deer I'm almost always taking the 10x Leica, 15x Swaro, and the spotter. I'll be glassing enough with the binos on the tripod to justify the weight.

My interest in going to the Swaro instead of my Kowa is primarily the larger field of view. I hope that it will be better for scanning, locating game than the Kowa for me. It may or may not be enough different to change my current system for some hunts.

Hope that makes sense and helps.

Thanks for sharing your set up. I want to invest in this kind of system as well and am planning on adding 8.5 x42 el, 15x56 slc's and some sort of spotter this year! I cant figure out if I just want to verify game with a spotter if so I am leaning towards the 553 or If I want to really glass with one....if so I am leaning towards an 883....

 

[Steve O]

Not going to change my mind but always enjoy a good comparison. I read this late last night, not carefully, and started searching all over for the article

 

[robby denning]

Not going to change my mind but always enjoy a good comparison. I read this late last night, not carefully, and started searching all over for the article

not quite done yet, Justin will post on here when it hits our homepage.