Ed67 Report post Posted December 21, 2021 I’m getting old and Most of the time I’m solo hunting so I’m thinking if reducing pack weight and buying a Kowa compact spotters, either the 553 or 554. Anyone here have experience with them? Pros/cons? thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted December 21, 2021 You sound like me, That 553 is pretty sweet and you really can't go wrong with Kowa. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrustratedMonk Report post Posted December 22, 2021 Long time lurker... I have the Kowa 554 as well as a Swarovski STX 65/95. I do not use my spotting scopes for glassing; that is what my SLCs are for. I use my spotting scopes for confirmations or clarifications. Picked up the 554 on a whim due to a great price. So I ran it through its paces while scouting for and hunting black bear and Coues here in AZ; it sucked lugging both spotting scopes but doing side by side comparisons under hunting conditions was priceless. The 554 competes favorably against the STX 65. You lose a few minutes in low light and a bit of top end magnification. But the fluorite glass is dang nice. The overall dimensions between the two are about the same but the 554 is half the weight (with Swaro case and with Kowa neoprene case) . On Kodiak I was able to compare the 554 against the guide's Swarovski STS 65. To my eyes the 554 was better in the conditions that we encountered (lots of overcast and very little sun). If you are counting inches then the Kowa 554 is probably not the best choice. But if you are looking for "shooter/no shooter", then it can be a great choice. The 554 has earned a permanent place in my optics arsenal. Did get my 554 from CameraLand while on sale. You should also get be able to get it from Liberty Optics for a great price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed67 Report post Posted December 22, 2021 Great info. Thank you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creed_az_88 Report post Posted December 22, 2021 Frustrated monk pretty much hit the nail on the head. I have a 554 and it has been nothing short of spectacular. I've compared it side by side with both the sts and stx 65's. The kowa has a relatively poor field of view, as well as semi poor eye relief, but because I dont use a spotter to locate animals and only to get a closer look at them, those cons are a non issue. At this point, you could not convince me to carry a swaro 65 over the kowa 554. Outside of the last few minutes of light, the 554 hangs with the swaros and in many conditions, to my eyes, I have felt like it was superior in clarity and brightness. It is usable at all zoom ranges, but it maxes out at 45x. In my experience, using the swaros beyond 45x is not a great experience unless conditions are perfect. The 554 is an amazing piece, and because of its size and weight, it is much more versatile than most scopes. Kowa hit it out of the park with that one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed67 Report post Posted December 22, 2021 Thanks I’m 99% sure to buy the 554 not the 553, just not a fan of angled. I like the idea of carrying the spotter in my side pocket. My current Vortex spotter weighs 4.5 lbs so saving 3 pounds will be great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twigsnapper Report post Posted December 22, 2021 I compared the 554 to a couple other scopes this summer while scouting with a buddy that had one, honestly I wasn’t impressed. The short eye relief and the narrow field of view pushed me away buying one. We were comparing my 884 and an sts 65 hd with the 554. I’ll take the extra weight. If weight is the primary concern then maybe the 554 would be suitable but I wasn’t impressed. I also only use a spotter for judging game not finding it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MP12 Report post Posted February 28, 2022 On 12/21/2021 at 9:17 PM, twigsnapper said: I compared the 554 to a couple other scopes this summer while scouting with a buddy that had one, honestly I wasn’t impressed. The short eye relief and the narrow field of view pushed me away buying one. We were comparing my 884 and an sts 65 hd with the 554. I’ll take the extra weight. If weight is the primary concern then maybe the 554 would be suitable but I wasn’t impressed. I also only use a spotter for judging game not finding it. Was the image quality pretty similar to the swaro's? It seems like if you only use a spotter to judge game that You wouldn't need a wide FOV or a longer eye relief and that image quality is the more important thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted March 1, 2022 Image quality is on par for the most part, with that said FOV and ER are important. Especially ER. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
