Kowa TSN-550 Prominar 55mm Fluorite Crystal Spotting Scope preview

Its finally here!

We are very excited to be one of the very first to have our hands on the new, highly anticipated Kowa TSN-553 (angled) and TSN-554 Prominar spotting scope with a pure fluorite crystal 55mm objective lens. As backcountry backpack hunters we are constantly on the lookout for high end products that cut ounces and increase performance. Does this spotting scope have what it takes? YOU BET! The Kowa TSN-550 series ultralight spotter is exactly what we have been waiting for! We are currently working up a review to be posted soon! What i can share with you is our first impression:

"We are blown away by the small size, weight, and feel of this scope. Optically it is truly in a class of its own, with very high end resolution and amazing light gathering. We put the 553 up against some of the finest 65mm glass in the industry, and while it wasn’t always better it was VERY close! The integrated 15x - 45x eyepiece was something we were worried about, but no more. Its perfect. Only in low light does the view become dim in the upper range. The dual focus is smooth, and with the high end glass quality we found it easy to get focused quickly. Eye relief might be on the low end, but it was easy to adjust to. And the only gripe we could find was the lack of a rotating collar. There will be no reason to ever leave this spotting scope at home." -Rob

We have had quite a bit of time with this spotter, and will have an in-depth review available very soon. But I have a feeling that this will be replacing a lot of 65mm spotting scopes, especially for those guys who are weight conscience. Here are the specs:

Retail Price: $1999

S&S Archery Price: $1799

Objective lens Diameter 55mm Objective lens material Fluorite crystal Coating Fully multi-coated Magnification 15-45x Minimum Focusing Distance 9.8ft Field of view (degree) 2.5-1.3 Field of view at 1000ft 132ft-69ft Size TSN-553: W 10.6”×H 6”×D 2.6” TSN-554: W 11.3”×H 3.4”×D 2.6” Weight 553: 28.5oz 554: 28.2oz Color 880 Green Material for Body Polycarbonate Eyepiece Non changeable Twist-up eye cap Yes Hood system Slide Filter Thread 58mm Water Proof IPX7 (Dry Nitrogen Gas