Kowa TE-20H 25x Long Eye Relief Spotting Scope Eyepiece

[quest450]

Looks like is OOS everywhere.....would the TE-11WZ Wide Angle Zoom eyepiece be a good plan "B" for Kowa TSN-773 Prominar XD ?

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

They have the te-20h at bhphotovideo.com. The te-11wz is a different type lens. My favorite right now is the te-80xw, a phenomenal eyepiece. I have all three eyepieces for my Kowa 883.

 

[quest450]

Thanks Denys, talked to BHphoto yesteday and I'm waiting for inventory check but seems like TE-20 H is OOS
Is the TE-80XV better choice than TE 11 WZ for 773 600-1K scope ?
I'm trying buy once cry once

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Ok. Interesting. I was able to put the te-20 in a shopping cart and take it to checkout, but not execute the sale.

I love the te-80 very much, but it's pricey. It's not an LER eyepiece. I want to be clear on that, but it's awesome.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I just checked adorama.com, they have the te-20h.

 

[quest450]

I just checked adorama.com, they have the te-20h.

called them too...no bueno

 

[quest450]

I don't mind spending the extra $$ I just dont want to do it 2X

 

[mgdietrich]

I have the converter to put a 82SV eyepiece in a 883. That was how the 773 I bought came, I converted to the LER soon after but don’t really see much difference. If interested let me know, just sitting in a box.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I don't mind spending the extra $$ I just dont want to do it 2X

Ok. Here is a quick write up about the TE-80XW.
First off, it's $700 just for the eyepiece. (I also spent an additional $85 to get the cover for the eyepiece with the extra glass.)

The magnification is 35X in my 883, and it's supposed to be the same for the 77x series. It's 40X for the 99x series.

As I said earlier, I have a TE-20H for my 883, but I use the 80XW much more often now. The 20H is nice in that it provides for long eye relief when in position, but with my Edelkronne stand, I find that I can have the 883 very close to me to the point I don't much need the LER. What I have discovered is that the FOV of the 20H is comparable to a tunnel. That's a feature of the long eye relief; wide FOV is contrary to long eye relief and it must be designed properly to provide both.

At Bayou Rifles, from the 1000 yard line, I can see the entire line (23 positions) through my 883 w/ the 80XW. I try to be a little more astute and I aim the spotter so that I see the flags on the side of the predominant wind, making sure my target is somewhere in the middle of the view. That doesn't always work out, but I adjust. In one peek, I get a whole view of the field. I did not have it at the Nationals at Ben Avery; it came at Christmas.

I recently acquired an adapter to attach my Smartphone to my 883 and I have been playing with the camera app in pro mode to get decent pictures. I am posting here recent shots using that setup with the 80XW (left) and the 11WZ set at about 35X (right). I have to play with the setting s more for taking pictures with the 20H LER, because it is LER. The two pictures below show the increase in FOV at the same magnification.

I think you can see why I am enamored with wide angle eyepieces.

 

[quest450]

Ok. Interesting. I was able to put the te-20 in a shopping cart and take it to checkout, but not execute the sale.

I love the te-80 very much, but it's pricey. It's not an LER eyepiece. I want to be clear on that, but it's awesome.

thanks for your help TT !

I ended up getting the TE-80XW 40x ($659) and TSN 16 1.6x Eyepiece extender ($329) for some more magnification, B&H Photo had the best prices.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

thanks for your help TT !

I ended up getting the TE-80XW 40x ($659) and TSN 16 1.6x Eyepiece extender ($329) for some more magnification, B&H Photo had the best prices.

Excellent, you will love that eyepiece. I also have the TSN-16 extender thing. I recently tried it out with the 80-XW and got these pictures as a test. On the left, without the extender, on the right with the extender.

 

[quest450]

WOW, that looks great, can't wait to get my new toys, B&H and Midway shipped it today, I might take it to my gun club this Sunday to play with it in heavy mirage at 600 yards

 

[6BRA]

Excellent, you will love that eyepiece. I also have the TSN-16 extender thing. I recently tried it out with the 80-XW and got these pictures as a test. On the left, without the extender, on the right with the extender.

TT...would you say the 80xw allows more light resulting in more color with 1.6 extender? What is your experience with holes at 600 with this combination? I have the 883 and 1.6. Considering upgrade to 80xw...thanks

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

@x47Mike
In answer to your first question, no. I'm not even sure I understand the question. More light than what?

For the second part, I have not shot at 600 yards in a long time, I'm a 1000yard competitor and test stuff at 100 yards. I also have not used the 1.6X extender at the range as I have not seen a need for it. I use my Kowa to monitor conditions and the target line, not for looking for bullet holes.

The 1.6x extender will reduce the light, and make it darker, because that's how optics work. It's a specialized device, just like the astronomical adapter. I do like that Kowa has all those capabilities.

Now as for the 80XW eyepiece, I have talked about it quite a bit and I think it's the very bestest eyepiece for observation with the Kowa, and that's what I use it for. If I wanted to see bullet holes, I would use my 25-60X WZ eyepiece and in a pinch, I would even use my 1.6X adapter.

 

[6BRA]

Thanks you just saved me. It does appear from your photos the 35 wide angle has better color than the 20x60, at 35x.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

As a rule, you should never depend on pictures take through optical devices such as spotters and riflescopes for a purchase decision. It's a good thing to check FOV and maybe reticle appearance but never IQ.

The 80XW's claim to fame is phenomenal FOV and IQ at 35X. I think you were considering using that for a different purpose by adding the 1.6x extender. I agree with you that for your purposes the 25-60WZ is better suited.

Glad to be of help.

 

[quest450]

Denys, thank you for your help
I've made a big mistake and looked thru Swarovski glass at the Piedmont match last weekend, well today is Dec 24th in my home, no Christmas tree BUT brown suit Santa is gonna deliver my new scope tomorrow, Swaro 115, BTX eyepiece and 1.7x magnifier, I need another drink to fall asleep tonight.....can't wait to wake up tomorrow

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

In optics, as in many other things, size matters. A 115mm objective will present a better image to the eye compared to an 88mm objective, with the caveat that quality of glass is equivalent. The downside is the added weight and size. This is called compromise.

 

[Fred Bohl]

As a rule, you should never depend on pictures take through optical devices such as spotters and riflescopes for a purchase decision. It's a good thing to check FOV and maybe reticle appearance but never IQ.

Very true. None of the many attempts by my three man optics test group has produced a repeatable method to compare IQ using either eyepiece projection (without lens on camera) or digiscoping (with lens on camera). The images are not good enough or consistent enough. We have been at it on and off for the last 18 years.