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

[Ryan Avery]

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

Give the people what they want....

 

[robby denning]

Give the people what they want....

they want you

 

[Trial153]

I just sold my 553. I was going to wait till my spring bear hunts were over however in the three side by side uses, less than three hours total I know….. it was clear what one was more user friendly for me considering eye placement and usable field of view. Image quality i thought was a was a wash most times. However when I was situated just right the 553 had slight edge. Considering I was on chair on the top of my truck cap with both mounted on sturdier then needed tripods. I will give up that slight edge for more usable eye placement space. Especially getting comfortable on a side hill or on uneven terrain without a good seat

 

[Justin Crossley]

I'm finally back from vacation and catching up on a few things. Matt's review is live on the homepage!

Swarovski ATC Compact Spotting Scope Review

 

[JStol5]

Great review!

 

[Steve O]

As expected a very good write up! I know when I compared my 95 ATX, 65 ATX, and ATC it was a very easy decision to send the 65mm objective down the road.

 

[mtwarden]

Great review- thanks!!!

 

[Fun Guy]

Matt, thank you very much for the review. I do have a question about the photos of all three scopes at 40X. It appears the center tree is a good bit larger in the 553 image compared to the other two. Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Awesome write up. Thanks.

 

[twall13]

Great write up. I can't say I'm super surprised at the results. I love my little Kowa for what it is, but the eye relief and field of view are certainly big shortcomings. If you only get the spotter out to verify, the Kowa works great. If you rely on your spotter to grid a hillside, the Kowa 553 probably isn't the scope for you. I also didn't realize what a challenge it is to digiscope with it until I got my Kowa 883. It does make sense, given the small field of view.

If the ATC and the 553 were closer on price I think the decision would be a no brainier for most guys. Given the price difference, I think you have to look at your specific use case and make a decision whether it's worth the extra money to you.

Either way, I'm glad we finally have a few options for lightweight scopes with good glass.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Matt Cashell]

Matt, thank you very much for the review. I do have a question about the photos of all three scopes at 40X. It appears the center tree is a good bit larger in the 553 image compared to the other two. Thoughts?

Thank you.

That is an optical illusion because the tree takes up a greater portion of the smaller field of view in the 553.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

Just makes you wonder if these reviewers are even looking through the same product...

No BS Comparison of the Swarovski STC vs the rest of the field.

Hey Roksliders! What makes S&S Archery stand out from the rest of the industry? We test, and test, and test. And then we post honest, REAL reviews and opinions of our findings. Our goal is to get you into the gear that's going to work best for you. Period. With that said...Here is our no BS...

rokslide.com

 

[Tony Trietch]

Thanks Matt. you just cost me $....

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Why did the Kowa at 40x look closer than the ATC at 40x? It looks like the Kowa was maybe 45x instead of 40x?

 

[Matt Cashell]

Why did the Kowa at 40x look closer than the ATC at 40x? It looks like the Kowa was maybe 45x instead of 40x?

It is because the field of view of the Kowa is so much narrower. They are magnified the same (40x).

 

[Matt Cashell]

It is called the Ebbinghaus illusion:

 

[Fever Buck]

Really appreciate the follow up review on the ATC. There isn’t a ton of info on these still and so it’s great to have more data. I was originally going to go with the STC since it seems more efficient for packing but the ATC seems much easier to use. Anyone have thoughts on which model makes more sense?

 

[Steve O]

Just makes you wonder if these reviewers are even looking through the same product...

No BS Comparison of the Swarovski STC vs the rest of the field.

Hey Roksliders! What makes S&S Archery stand out from the rest of the industry? We test, and test, and test. And then we post honest, REAL reviews and opinions of our findings. Our goal is to get you into the gear that's going to work best for you. Period. With that said...Here is our no BS...

rokslide.com

Yeah, to put it politely, that review was flawed…

 

[Trial153]

Thanks Matt. you just cost me $....

You won’t regret it. It’s a great scope, very very impressed so far

 

[Fever Buck]

Alright, so who’s got the best deal on an ATC?