Kowa TNS-501 Angled Spotting Scope

A remarkable little scope at very low weight and quality of manufacture. Optically it is exceptional even though it is relatively cheap compared to other top brands. However the 50mm object lens does give a rather narrow field of view, especially at maximum zoom. Also I found that focus at maximum zoom is not as good as at lower zoom settings.

A good equipment for those who want to practice Sport Shooting.

The product has good build quality. It is lightweight and very easy to transport and handle. It has good lenses. I bought it to be able to practice Sport Shooting 25 meters away and for that purpose, the product is very good. I advise anyone who wants to buy it and who intends to do Sport Shooting up to 25 meters away.

A great spotting scope for the price!

I have needed to replace my Eagle Optics spotting scope for a year or more but put off a purchase because I didnt thunk I could afford a replacement.But I heard about this compact scope online and purchased one from B&H Photo. I attached it to a tripod I had purchased earlier from B&H.I didnt thunk that Kowa would put their name on an inferior-quality scope but for only $350 I wondered. Now that I have tried out the scope, I am most impressed with its quality. The image is bright and good even zoomed to its maximum of 40x. Its incredibly portable too. Some may have an issue with the fixed eyepiece, but its not an issue for me since it zooms to 40x. I only wish that Kowa would produce a digiscoping mount for Android phones; not all of us spend $700 on an Apple phone.

Great lightweight scope

This is a great little scope, helps out when I need a little more distance than my leica 8X32 provide. Totally recommend it for that situation, very light weight, I used it when hiking and keep the heavy swarovski for car birding.

Kowa TSN-501 Spotting scope.

Extremely lightweight spotting scope. (I needed an inexpensive spotting scope for children's use at Birding Festival's. Just encase they knock it over? I am a part time Birding Guide.) Unfortunately it does not have a rotating collar, or a retractable sun shade. It has a small amount of light falloff around it's edges, and a bit of color fringing on it's highest power. As would be expected on an inexpensive, small objective lens spotting scope. It has a course focusing wheel, and a fine focusing wheel. A nice, needed feature. Unfortunately: it is so lightweight that it easily moves about with any vibration! Overall; it isn't a bad small spotting scope for the money. [I put a top end B W UV Haze filter on it, and have on order a short, metal sunshade for it. I also ... MoreExtremely lightweight spotting scope. (I needed an inexpensive spotting scope for children's use at Birding Festival's. Just encase they knock it over? I am a part time Birding Guide.) Unfortunately it does not have a rotating collar, or a retractable sun shade. It has a small amount of light falloff around it's edges, and a bit of color fringing on it's highest power. As would be expected on an inexpensive, small objective lens spotting scope. It has a course focusing wheel, and a fine focusing wheel. A nice, needed feature. Unfortunately: it is so lightweight that it easily moves about with any vibration! Overall; it isn't a bad small spotting scope for the money. [I put a top end B W UV Haze filter on it, and have on order a short, metal sunshade for it. I also purchased a needed Sensei center pinch objective lens cap for it.

Small, Very Light, & Useful

This little scope weighs less than a pound and can be handheld at the low magnification of 20x. But at higher magnification, it needs a tripod, or at least a sturdy support. Using it with a tripod, even a small, light one, kind of defeats the point of lightness and portability, so I will probably use it almost exclusively handheld at 20x. The optical wuality is quite good fir this price point.

Tiny scope packs a punch

I don’t pretend to be an expert on spotting scopes, but after my research, this seemed like a good, lightweight pick. When I began using it, I was amazed at the sharpness in focus and the extreme telephoto. My only complaint is a small one: I had a tiny bit of Chromatic aberration when looking at detailed subjects (on 40x zoom pointed in the sky ONLY), such as pine needles.This is a quality scope for the money, and I would recommend this product.

[Rewarded Review] Good compact scope.

I use the Kowa TSN 501 spotting scope for birding in areas that are too far to carry a large spotting scope and tripod. The 501 is small enough to easily fit into a small backpack with a monopod and a fold-up camp stool which I find useful to have for long observation sessions. The 501 is light enough to be easily stabilized with a monopod. Optical quality is good. The focus knob and the zoom work smoothly. The magnification range of 20 to 40X works well for observing shorebirds, wading birds and ducks at moderate distances. One aspect of the 501 that could be better is eye relief. Eye relief of 14 to 12.5 mm is too short for someone wearing eye glasses. The view through the scope is fine if you do not wear glasses or can remove them when using the scope, but there ... MoreI use the Kowa TSN 501 spotting scope for birding in areas that are too far to carry a large spotting scope and tripod. The 501 is small enough to easily fit into a small backpack with a monopod and a fold-up camp stool which I find useful to have for long observation sessions. The 501 is light enough to be easily stabilized with a monopod. Optical quality is good. The focus knob and the zoom work smoothly. The magnification range of 20 to 40X works well for observing shorebirds, wading birds and ducks at moderate distances. One aspect of the 501 that could be better is eye relief. Eye relief of 14 to 12.5 mm is too short for someone wearing eye glasses. The view through the scope is fine if you do not wear glasses or can remove them when using the scope, but there is a tunnel vision effect when wearing glasses even with the eye cup down.

[Rewarded Review] Great travel scope

Truly a tiny scope but the image is bright and clear. I wanted a scope for a foreign trip with a chance to see waterbirds. It's actually smaller than the monopod I want to put it on. Seems perfect.

[Rewarded Review] Light as a feather yet effecti

I bought this scope for my trip to Yellowstone. While larger scopes like the Kowa TSN-99A are great for very long distance spotting, the 501 has good glass and worked well for seeing that distant mountain goat or grizzly in Lamar Valley almost as well as scopes 10x in price and 4x in weight and size. Perfect for spotting and casual digiscoping.