65 mm Spotting Scopes Compared

The greatest aspect of my job is getting to play hooky every now and then to take optics and gear in the field and put them to the test. I recently got a wild hair to compare some of the toppest of the line 65mm spotting scopes. So I took the morning off, drove into the mountains, and spent some time behind three of the nicest 65mm spotters out there.

I wanted to see the Kowa Prominar TSN-66 compared to the Leica APO-Televid 65 compared to the Swarovski ATX/65. Admittedly, this was a terrible comparison because all three optics are stellar. I mean, I really had to scrutinize to find subtle flaws and differences between the three. 

I sat up on top of a ridge and looked at distances up to 1000 yards, the reason for the 1000 yard cap is because that’s really all I had in this particular spot. The next ridge in the distance was further than I could range and we’re still getting some good mirage this time of year. No matter how much money you have in your optics, you can’t escape mirage.

I rated each optic on the following metrics:

• Overall Optical Clarity (at lowest and highest magnification at 1000 yards)
• Edge to Edge Clarity
• Low Light Performance
• Bright Light Performance
• Ergonomics
• Perceived Durability

Low Light Performance

I put my lab coat on in gray light and had a hell of time trying to figure out which spotter brought in more light. If you put a gun to my head and asked me, I would have to say the Kowa performed better in low light, but not by much at all. If the Kowa earned a 10 out of 10, the ATX was at a 9.5 and the Leica was at 9. The kicker was the fact that the Leica comes with a 25-50x eyepiece, both the Kowa and ATX have a 25-60x eyepiece. At 60x, the Kowa and ATX were as bright as the Leica at 50x. These metrics are not enough for me to be disappointed in the Leica at all. 

Overall Optical Clarity

Next, I looked at total optical clarity. I kept the distance at 1000 yards and rated each optic at its lowest and highest magnification. I rated the Leica and the Kowa at a 9.5/10, and gave the ATX a 10/10. Again, I had to really scrutinize here. The ATX system won by a very slim margin (again, gun to head). I found the Swarovski gave me a little better clarity when it came to finite detail, like the ends of tree branches and small twiggy type stuff. I also found the ATX did not flatten the image quite as much and I was able to see depth a little bit better. In other words, the ATX didn’t mush or flatten objects together and I was able to clearly see what was in front of what out there. Realistically, this will only come into play if you’re really trying to score a buck and you’re having a hard time seeing his rack from a profile perspective.

Edge to Edge

No difference here, each spotter has a near perfect edge. I was pleasantly surprised because I thought I would for sure see a clear winner in this category.

Bright Light Performance

Both Leica and Kowa performed extremely well in this category. I did, however, notice the ATX dim as I moved from low mag to high. Now, the surprising thing to me was that I didn’t see the other two spotters dim. I know they did, they have to, it’s physics, the further light travels, the more it dims. When you increase magnification, you’re increasing the distance light has to travel to reach your eye. Leica and Kowa were nearly imperceptible with this metric, but the ATX was not. Now, did the ATX dim enough to impede my view? Absolutely not. I was still able to see everything I needed to see, even when looking into shaded areas.

Ergonomics

When it comes to high end glass, ergonomics is where the differences start to show up. I gave both the Leica and Kowa a 7 out of 10, and I have the ATX at a 9/10. The Televid and TSN-66 are a bit longer and bulkier than the ATX/65. They also just have a standard foot on them whereas Swarovski cuts the foot on their spotters for Arca-Swiss compatibility. This is a nice feature because it can eliminate the use of an extra adapter plate.

The Leica and Kowa have both a main focus and fine focus wheel. This comes in handy when dialing in your focus at 50 or 60 power. All morning I kept saying how nice it was to have that fine focus adjustment. The ATX system does not have that extra little wheel, (which is a slight downside) but I also didn’t notice it not being there when I did need to dial my focus in. I was able to finely focus the ATX at full power with no problem. I also noticed how nice it was to have the main focus wheel and the magnification dial right next to each other on the ATX. Both Kowa and Leica put the focus wheels in the middle of the body and the magnification dial is on the eyepiece, right against your face. I found this to be a bit inefficient.

The biggest plus for the ATX eyepiece is the eye box. This thing is huge, or it feels huge (that’s what she said). I did not have any problems getting in and out of the ATX. I never experienced any issues with eye relief or light flares or reflections. 

I did, however, experience some eye relief issues with the Leica and I did have some trouble getting back into the Kowa. Each time I switched back to one of those two optics, I had to adjust where I put my face on the eyepiece. 

This might not seem like a big deal to most, but it is to me. Imagine you find a buck with your binos and want to get a better look. You swap to your spotter and are having a hard time locating that deer so you start to handhold your binos to find him again. Now you need to get back into your spotter, you struggle a bit with eye relief and by the time you get on that spot, the buck has moved. That’s valuable time wasted when you could be filming, scoring, or deciding that you need to move quickly to get into shooting position.

Durability

I am not overly concerned with the durability of any of these optics. They’re all very well built, and I do not see any issues with normal to moderate use. That being said, I rated the Kowa at an 8 for durability; I had the Leica and Swarovski at a 10. This is because Kowa does not use a rubberized armoring and I feel that the exposed Magnesium alloy body will show cosmetic scratches and whatnot a lot easier. Cosmetics obviously won’t affect the functionality of the optic, but they will affect its resale value.

Conclusion

This truly was the worst comparison I could have done. All three optics reviewed here are absolute powerhouses and will get the job done. The Kowa 66 is super bright and extremely clear. I have no doubt that I can confidently score an animal out to distance with it. Leica will not compromise glass quality for anything, and it shows. Optically, the Televid is gorgeous, I cannot see anyone being unimpressed after looking through it. I can confidently recommend these spotters to any hunter out there.

That being said, if you’re asking me for a clear winner, I am going to go with the Swarovski ATX/65. While I did have this optic rated highest of the three, the deciding factor is its versatility. The ATX/STX/BTX system from Swarovski allows you to swap eyepieces and objectives. So if you have an ATX/65, but find you want a larger optic for low light glassing, you can simply buy the 115 objective and still use that angled eyepiece you already have. Further, if you find yourself in the market for “big eyes” type optics, you can grab that BTX (dual ocular eyepiece) and use it with any of the four objective lenses in this system.

With all three spotters sitting in between in that $3k to $3.5k range, it really comes down to ergonomics and versatility. For my money, and the various terrain that I find myself hunting in the ATX system fits my needs best. Everyone likes different things and hunts in different ways. It's good to know that no matter the style with which you glass, or what features you want in a spotter, you don’t have to sacrifice optical quality.