Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Kowa 553 vs 773

For backpack sheep and mule deer, for those that have used both, is the 77mm worth the extra weight over the mini 553? When it comes to optical quality.

I have a 664, but I'm considering adding another spotter.

Can only say the 773 is a very good optic after using one all last summer. Doubt you could go wrong if you go that route.

The little Kowa is a nice enough scope and weighs very little.

For me it wouldn’t be worth it. I own a 553.

I have limited time looking through a 773. It does have more eye relief (a shortcoming of the 553), and better edge to edge sharpness.

Everything else being equal, larger objective lens have better resolution. But the 553/554 is a bit more recent design than the 773/774, and allegedly SLIGHTLY improved coatings.

But the size penalty alone would make me think twice about stuffing it in my pack. A larger tripod may be preferred to handle a larger spotter, increasing the footprint in your pack and even more weight.

One thought is the new Swaro 56mm. It’s supposedly better than the 553/554–brightness and eye relief.

Also the FOV of the 553 is less than I think it could/should be.

Looked through a 554 and the eye relief/box and FOV left me wanting more

Be careful of 30338, he’s an enabler.

For sheep hunting better optics is worth it. The 77mm has better resolution and at a higher power than the 55 mini scope. The 55 is an amazing optic but has poor eye relief, a narrow field of view and limited power. It looks like the 56mm Swaro is in the same class but with an easier to use eye-box. I'd train harder and take the 77mm or a 65 mm Swaro, Zeiss or Leica.

I think most sheep guides/outfitters would agree.

Probably the ultimate weight/size compromise is the Swaro 65mm. I bought mine 10 years ago, the current one is even better.

I hunt sheep every year and I used to own a 663, which is a great scope. Then I sold and bought a 773 and have used that for about 4-5 years now. The 773 is definitely a step up from the 663 and I’m happy to carry it on my sheep hunts because I don’t think going any bigger would make sense. With the 773, I feel like I’ve hit the perfect balance of performance vs weight/bulk.
I also bought a 554 this last hunting season and used it on a pronghorn hunt instead of my 773. I haven’t used them side by side, but I was very impressed with it and never felt like I needed more for the pronghorn hunt. That being said, I probably wouldn’t take it on a sheep hunt instead of my 773, unless it was a solo trip. Then I would be ok sacrificing some optical performance to try and be as light as possible.
But for hunting antelope, caribou or goats, I think I will be happy to carry the little 554 instead.
I hope this makes sense.

I have a 773 and have used it this last hunting season.
The glass is great in it, can’t complain about that. But the wide angle eyepiece I just can’t get used to finding things 2-300 or closer on that 25x .

Thanks for the response. Sounds like I need a 77mm in my life.

Both are fantastic scopes, with optics second to none. However, if you intend to keep the 664 that you already own, I would jump over the 773/774 and go to the 883/884.
I've had a 554 going on 5 years and don't feel the need for anything else. But I don't sheep hunt either... though I've heard of a few guys that were quite happy with it in that scenario.

I do all my scanning with binos on a tripod. The spotter only comes out when I'm looking to assess trophy quality and age. For that purpose, the smaller FOV is not an issue....and at 28oz, it's always in my pack, instead of sitting back at camp.

Let us know what you end up with.

+1

Eagle,
What bino are you using?

What eyepiece are you thinking about?

TE-11WZ 25-60x Wide Zoom Eyepiece

A 66 or 65mm scope is a great, one size fits all compromise if you plan on having just one scope. But if planning on having two, then 77 and 55mm is a perfect combo because I still consider the 77 to be a backpackable scope.
Just wanted to add that I have the 25-60x WA zoom.
A few years ago a friend of mine wanted to replace his 65mm Swarovski so we compared my 773, his older 65 Swarovski, a borrowed new 65 Swarovski, and a borrowed used 80mm Swarovski, and we spent a few hours messing around with all of them at different distances and looking at things in the open and looking at things in shade and shadows.
I have no technical explanations, but we both thought the 77 outperformed the rest and both agreed that the next closest was the new 65mm Swarovski.

Kowa Genny 10.5X44s for scanning on the tripod and 8X33 Gennies on my chest for offhand and stalking.

At the same time?

Yep

I do not own a Kowa 77x spotting scope, I have a Kowa 883, which was an upgrade from my old Kowa 82-SV that I had been using for over a decade in competition. (Kowas are durable.)

I purchased my Kowa from Doug @ Cameraland and I have been ecstatic with my purchase. It is an awesome spotter and the pure fluoride glass is stunning. At that time, I bought the 25X LER eyepiece and the TE-11WZ 25-60X wide zoom eyepiece. I also outfitted my Kowa with the photo adapter for digiscoping with my D7500. I have been using the 25X LER eyepiece at matches to monitor conditions, but at Christmas, my wife gifted me with the new Kowa TE-80XW 35X wide angle eyepiece. The eyepiece has replaced the 25XLER as the one I use for matches and general observation. That eyepiece is stunning. It's new, it's difficult to find and it's not even listed on the KowaUSA website (last time I looked), but it is stunning. And so is its price at $700. Did I mention that it was stunning?

I also got the astronomical lens adapter and found a Baader 4.5mm astronomical lens. It was great looking at the recent comet with that setup. Looking at the Moon with that Baader 4.5mm lens in the Kowa is breathtaking. I love Kowas as they provide all manners of adapters for different purposes. I have the 1.6X booster but have not tried it yet.

BTW, all these gadgets work fine with the 770 series.

There is one recommendation if would urge people to get and that's the fitted case for protection. I got the Kowa C-881 for my 883, they have them for the 77X series, the C-771 for the 773 and the C-772 for the 774. They are light and provide padding for the device. They are a b*tch to put on the first time, but once on, they stay on.

Also, I spend some time reading birding sites for spotting scope info. The Kowa 77x and 88x are highly regarded, with a preference for the 88x because of the bigger size (better resolution) and the pure fluorite glass. I was also surprised to discover that the Kowa 99x are not a favorite on the birding sites I frequent; they are too big, and they appear to have quality issues. It seems Kowa is pushing the pure fluorite lens technology past its current fabrications limits and it's a crap shoot if you get a good one or a bad one, almost 50-50 it seems. I had hesitated between the 88x and the 99x, finally opting for the 883 for its size and heft, now I'm happy I had reached the proper decision.