This is honestly the best optical comparison video I have ever seen! Would love to see the Leupold HD 12-40x60 thrown in as it is in a similar weight class and gets little love on UA-cam.
Brilliant view through comparison of these small spotters. The vortex has brighter imaging due to its smaller actual field of view (the diameter of visible circle) than other two. The original Kowa 553 had a similarly small afov that people complained about.
Thank you for this great video!! I would love to see a video like this comparing the Kowa TSN 66a and Swarovski ATS 65. Keep up the great work. It sure has been helpful
Awesome review with having all 3 side by side on the same picture. For my eyes I'm really liking the vortex and I think that's the one I'm going to save up for. Thanks
Thanks for this comparison. I have no FOMO feelings with my Vortex and happy that it performs really, really well next to models that cost twice as much.
I ended going with the Kowa. I have the 88A as well. Oh my is the 55A a phenomenal lightweight spotter! Excellent glass! I am super happy with this purchase! Only three way it could be improved in my opinion: 1) is if the fine adjustment knob was was even “finer”. Say twice as fine….. 2) the mount was ARCA. 3) the body could rotate in relation to the mount like on bigger spotters. 2 and 3 are easily overcome as is…. But I would still love a finer adjustment gearing….. Regardless, this is the best spotter I have ever seen.
I don't have one of the reviewed scopes but I do have a Vortex Binocular and just wanted to mention I had a malfunction "my own fault" and when I contacted them to see if Could buy a repair part they said we will send you a prepaid sticker just send it in to us and we will fix it. I explained these were way past any typical warranty date thy said no problem. A week later I received a message my equipment was being returned it was actually a new binocular! They are hands down the best company I have had the pleasure of buying from in a long time. BTW I bought them in the first place after looking at a number of other manufactures product and was very impressed with the cost to performance ratio definitely a winner.
I had the same thing happen with my rifle scope. I wanted to change my turret to a different MOA increment. They paid for shipping and then gave me the new version of the scope because they didn’t have the turret in stock I was requesting any longer. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever seen
I had the same thing happen with my rifle scope. I wanted to change my turret to a different MOA increment. They paid for shipping and then gave me the new version of the scope because they didn’t have the turret in stock I was requesting any longer. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever seen
Great video. I bought the angled Razor before I found your video - it cost much less than the other two. I'll be using it with my iPhone to take pics; I'll also be using it to see the hits on my targets when 'i shoot my .22 rifles. I bought an Ollon phone adapter to hook the iPhone to the Razor.
You continue to read my mind! After schlepping around in ID last year with what seemed like a 10 lb. Leupold SX-4 spotter, I'm looking to drop some weight this year. As always, thanks for the content!
Real good work on this review. Very good objective parameters to measure and report the details. I would love if you were able to compare some of the bigger scopes of these manufacturers in the same manner
Great comparison, thank you. I wish more reviews really showed the differences and were to the point like yours, well done. I'm a birder, and I have a bigger normal sized scope that I never end up hauling around, I think that Kowa is in my future.
Happy to help! When you're ready to purchase, reach out to us at GearFool.com! We're launching our new WayPOINTS Rewards Program with the industry's best perks.
The Swaro and Kowa have amazing glass quality and even tho they are much cleaner than the vortex I feel I can see stuff better in the vortex in these test, especially the bird at the start
Great review! For me personally, edge-to-edge clarity is paramount for serious glassing (i.e. - looking for animals) in both binoculars and spotting scopes.
Vortex is less than 1/2 the money and weighs 5oz less. I bought the straight Vortex model last year. No complaints after I took off the front lens cover.
Am I tripping or is the razor revealing the bird in the tree much better than the other two? I’m not being biased here i own Swarovski binos, or was the lighting different at the moment you had your camera on it
Honestly, I found the results to vary in small, inconsistent ways throughout these comparisons. There were plenty of consistencies throughout that I was able to talk to, but every once in a while I would be both surprised and confused. That's why I lean so hard on showing you guys the footage! The Vortex had some distortions but did a great job at holding texture throughout. -Brady
Great info except for this. You are mixing up exit pupil and the eyepiece field of view. EP is the diameter of the light exiting from the eyepiece, you can step back and see it and even measure it with a caliper. What you are showing is the field of view which is related but is set by the eyepiece field stop diameter and related to the eyepiece design. EP is objective diameter divided by magnification. FOV is how wide an angle you see looking through the eyepiece. Lower price point scopes use narrower FOV eyepieces and higher price point wider FOV due to the cost of adding more lenses and more complicated and expensive lenses to achieve a wider FOV with low distortion.
Honestly, I wondered about this but was unable to find more in-depth information. Thank you very much for the comment! I'll use this info in future videos. -Brady
as I have posted in another one of your videos why can't you do the same test at a range of a target with 5 shots @ 100, 300, 500, 700 & 900yds this info would be valuable for long distance shooters
very nice! Do more 😅.... including prices would be helpful. Edging towards a kowa for really good optics for a better price myself. someone said they have a better warranty than the swaro?
This is honestly the best optical comparison video I have ever seen! Would love to see the Leupold HD 12-40x60 thrown in as it is in a similar weight class and gets little love on UA-cam.
I also would love to see that comparison
Best spotting scope review that I have seen. He nailed it. Wish he would do a review of mid priced range scopes. Outstanding!
Brilliant view through comparison of these small spotters. The vortex has brighter imaging due to its smaller actual field of view (the diameter of visible circle) than other two. The original Kowa 553 had a similarly small afov that people complained about.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It's very much appreciated.
Thank you for this great video!! I would love to see a video like this comparing the Kowa TSN 66a and Swarovski ATS 65. Keep up the great work. It sure has been helpful
Excellent comparison. Wish there was more videos available like this.
Awesome review with having all 3 side by side on the same picture. For my eyes I'm really liking the vortex and I think that's the one I'm going to save up for. Thanks
Thanks for this comparison. I have no FOMO feelings with my Vortex and happy that it performs really, really well next to models that cost twice as much.
Wow, that was an excellent review. It’s worth watching multiple times. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this video.
I have discovered that the front lens cap on the Swaro snaps right into the rear lens cover so you won't lose it. Sort of cool.
I've wanted to see this review for a while! Thanks for doing it. Well done!
I ended going with the Kowa. I have the 88A as well. Oh my is the 55A a phenomenal lightweight spotter! Excellent glass! I am super happy with this purchase!
Only three way it could be improved in my opinion:
1) is if the fine adjustment knob was was even “finer”. Say twice as fine…..
2) the mount was ARCA.
3) the body could rotate in relation to the mount like on bigger spotters.
2 and 3 are easily overcome as is…. But I would still love a finer adjustment gearing…..
Regardless, this is the best spotter I have ever seen.
I don't have one of the reviewed scopes but I do have a Vortex Binocular and just wanted to mention I had a malfunction "my own fault" and when I contacted them to see if Could buy a repair part they said we will send you a prepaid sticker just send it in to us and we will fix it. I explained these were way past any typical warranty date thy said no problem. A week later I received a message my equipment was being returned it was actually a new binocular! They are hands down the best company I have had the pleasure of buying from in a long time. BTW I bought them in the first place after looking at a number of other manufactures product and was very impressed with the cost to performance ratio definitely a winner.
I had the same thing happen with my rifle scope. I wanted to change my turret to a different MOA increment. They paid for shipping and then gave me the new version of the scope because they didn’t have the turret in stock I was requesting any longer. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever seen
I had the same thing happen with my rifle scope. I wanted to change my turret to a different MOA increment. They paid for shipping and then gave me the new version of the scope because they didn’t have the turret in stock I was requesting any longer. Far and away the best customer service I’ve ever seen
Great video. I bought the angled Razor before I found your video - it cost much less than the other two. I'll be using it with my iPhone to take pics; I'll also be using it to see the hits on my targets when 'i shoot my .22 rifles. I bought an Ollon phone adapter to hook the iPhone to the Razor.
You continue to read my mind! After schlepping around in ID last year with what seemed like a 10 lb. Leupold SX-4 spotter, I'm looking to drop some weight this year. As always, thanks for the content!
finally a great comparison video
Hi! Incredible review. Question! Where I could get the front caped scope for the vortex (similar to swav's) thanks!!
Real good work on this review. Very good objective parameters to measure and report the details. I would love if you were able to compare some of the bigger scopes of these manufacturers in the same manner
Thank you. An interesting comparison would also be the Hawke Endurance 13-39x50 vs the Vortex Razor.
Great comparison, thank you. I wish more reviews really showed the differences and were to the point like yours, well done. I'm a birder, and I have a bigger normal sized scope that I never end up hauling around, I think that Kowa is in my future.
I don’t understand why vortex doesn’t make the UHD version of the spotting scope. Definitely would be closer for probably half the price
You read my mind. I’ve been looking at these exact 3 scopes to get and you answered most of my questions. Thanks
Happy to help! When you're ready to purchase, reach out to us at GearFool.com! We're launching our new WayPOINTS Rewards Program with the industry's best perks.
The Swaro and Kowa have amazing glass quality and even tho they are much cleaner than the vortex I feel I can see stuff better in the vortex in these test, especially the bird at the start
Glad I found you guys. Great comparisons and unemotional analysis.
Great review! For me personally, edge-to-edge clarity is paramount for serious glassing (i.e. - looking for animals) in both binoculars and spotting scopes.
Vortex is less than 1/2 the money and weighs 5oz less. I bought the straight Vortex model last year. No complaints after I took off the front lens cover.
I've found it best to just loose the lens cap to avoid that issue 😅
one of the best optical comparison video
Great review and good job being objective with each scenario. Really appreciate these type of reviews
That was an excellent review 👌
Great review! It would be fun to compare my Nikon ED 50 with these three
We'd love to hear your thoughts if you ever do. Go to gearfool.com next time you need some gear if you want to support us!
You do excellent reviews, best on youtube, keep it up. Cheers
Am I tripping or is the razor revealing the bird in the tree much better than the other two? I’m not being biased here i own Swarovski binos, or was the lighting different at the moment you had your camera on it
Honestly, I found the results to vary in small, inconsistent ways throughout these comparisons. There were plenty of consistencies throughout that I was able to talk to, but every once in a while I would be both surprised and confused. That's why I lean so hard on showing you guys the footage! The Vortex had some distortions but did a great job at holding texture throughout. -Brady
What is the name of the after market lens cap for the vortex?
Would love to see the new maven in this comparison
Great comparison
Thank you!
Very useful comparison
Good review thank you
Well done!!!
Great review!
Best review . Ty
Zeiss 95mm and swaro 95mm comparison?
I’ll go with Swarovski.
Why in the world do premium scope companies not all provide native Arca foot tripod attachments? 😢
Full size swaro scopes have arca swiss compatible feet
@@ericb697that’s the one I was thinking about that DID have native arca.
Great info except for this. You are mixing up exit pupil and the eyepiece field of view. EP is the diameter of the light exiting from the eyepiece, you can step back and see it and even measure it with a caliper. What you are showing is the field of view which is related but is set by the eyepiece field stop diameter and related to the eyepiece design. EP is objective diameter divided by magnification. FOV is how wide an angle you see looking through the eyepiece. Lower price point scopes use narrower FOV eyepieces and higher price point wider FOV due to the cost of adding more lenses and more complicated and expensive lenses to achieve a wider FOV with low distortion.
Honestly, I wondered about this but was unable to find more in-depth information. Thank you very much for the comment! I'll use this info in future videos. -Brady
as I have posted in another one of your videos why can't you do the same test at a range of a target with 5 shots @ 100, 300, 500, 700 & 900yds
this info would be valuable for long distance shooters
very nice! Do more 😅.... including prices would be helpful.
Edging towards a kowa for really good optics for a better price myself.
someone said they have a better warranty than the swaro?
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I think I clicked on the wrong video lmao cause these scopes cost more than my rifle
Long story short. You get what you pay for.. weird
Yessir.
Vortex is trash, as always.
How dare you put Vortex in the same comparison as Kona and Swarovski!!!! You must be a Vortex fan-boy. The Optics Gods will punish you for this.
Great review!