Over the past 5 years or so there has been an explosion in the compact spotting scope segment of the market. This is for good reason. There are very few hunters who actually need the horsepower of a full size spotting scope. However, these compact spotters offer a lightweight portable option that still provides significantly more detail than standard binoculars. One of the premium offerings in this segment is the Kowa 553. I picked one up and after four seasons with it here are my thoughts.
Specifications
First of all, one of the most remarkable attributes of the Kowa 553 is its weight. The little Kowa features a 55mm objective lense, which the spotter to come in at only 28.5 oz. Compared to the over 4 lbs that many full size spotters come with, this is a huge weight savings.
The Kowa has a magnesium body, which is what allows it to be so light. The magnification range is from 15-45 and it features Kowa’s fluorite ‘glass’. While most spotting scopes utilize a fluorite blend in their high performance glass, Kowa makes all of it’s top tier lenses out of pure fluorite, which is a crystal. In my testing this was evident in the top in its class resolution.
Strengths
If you can’t tell already, I am a big fan of the Kowa 553. The light weight makes carrying it less burdensome and the compact form factor fits well in a pack. The glass is also exceptional. Until the very tail end of dawn and dusk the Kowa 553 hangs in there with much larger spotters. Resolution is indicative of the fluorite glass, which is to say it’s very good.
The Kowa also performs well in other metrics of image quality evaluation. The edge to edge clarity is excellent and there is little to no distortion on the edges of the image. There is also virtually no chromatic aberration. The contrast lines between exposed snow packs and dark granite pose a tough task for any spotting scope. However, there wasn’t any perceptible chromatic aberration even on these challenging images while mountain hunting.
Focus Adjustment
Another aspect that I really liked about the Kowa was the dual focus mechanism on the top of the scope body. Many modern spotting scopes are going to focus adjustments that go around the body of the spotting scope. While this is a sleeker design, it also makes fine-tuning the focus of the image more cumbersome. In contrast, the Kowa has a coarse and fine focus adjustment wheels at the top of the scope body. This makes getting a crisp image quick and effortless. Especially given how trim the spotting scope already is, the added bulk of the focus wheel is a welcome trade for the ability to really focus the image perfectly.
Weaknesses
Despite all of the positives, there are a few weaknesses that are common with ultra-compact spotters. First of all, I found a notable drop in image quality when the optic goes above 40 power. The image at max magnification is not unusable, but for best resolution the Kowa is better run at 40x and below.
Another drawback with the Kowa is the field of view is very small. This is a minor inconvenience for me as I like to locate animals with my binoculars and the spotting scope is for getting a closer look once the animal has already been found. However, if you’re a person that likes to glass through your spotter for hours, this is a major drawback. The smaller field of view is common with compact spotters. However, the field of view on the Kowa is tighter than the Swarovski ATC, which is it’s direct competitor.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, the Kowa 553 is an excellent compact spotting scope. For most western hunting it provides all the resolution and image quality that a hunter needs. For a trophy mule deer hunter focused on only pursuing the largest deer, or for a dedicated sheep hunter a bigger spotter with more magnification and a larger field of view is a better option.
However, for almost all other applications the Kowa 553 is more than adequate and comes in at a weight where you will actually pack the spotter with you. A top end spotter is useless when you leave it in the truck. Finally, the excellent focus mechanism means that in practice the Kowa 553 outperforms similar quality options in the field do to the precise adjustment.