Kowa TSN-99A 30-70x99 Prominar Spotting Scope Zoom Kit (Angled Viewing)

Wonderful spotting scope! I have a bad habit of buying the most expensive item I can't afford and then regretting purchase. Not this time! This spotting scope is fantastic. I am not going to compare it to other expensive scopes because I haven't tried them or owned them. Besides, I love this scope so I am not going to grieve over the fact that there are always going to be bigger, better, more expensive scopes to buy. Bragging rights is not the point of owning quality optics. It's all about the view and man this scope got the view. I got old, tired eyes and looking through this TSN 99A is like getting the use of a bionic eye! Clarity and sharpness that is unbelievable. Never had an optic that could be zoomed to maximum and not suffer with blurry images and loss of sharpness! This scope is obviously great because it has the ability to zoom to maximum and still present fantastic images. Using this scope in low light is a wow experience and it really shines in that regard. Looking at Moon and Jupiter is an awesome experience. Using the Kowa TSN-EX16 extender made the view up close and personal. Just getting started on my journey with this fine optic and expecting to see some fine sights! Now, I am going to give the person looking to buy a spotting scope, especially a big, powerful scope like this and others some valuable and practical advice. This advice is for the beginner or newbie. The person just looking to buy their first spotting scope and is somewhat overwhelmed by the choices to make. First bit of advice if you are interested in buying a scope for digiscoping or wildlife observation is to buy the best quality you can afford. You can't go wrong with the Kowa TSN-99A. Don't get bogged down with reviews that focus on technical jargon and making a competition between scopes based on engineering data, name brand and price points. All the high end scopes will be great including Kowa, Swarovski, Zeiss, etc. Try to find a way to test scopes before you buy! If that is not possible look for reviews that stress quality of images at high zoom, ease of focus and use in adverse weather, suitability for digiscoping and variety of accessories avaiable. The Kowa TSN-99A checks off all those boxes. Now I want to give this advice to help beginners also. If you buy this scope or a similar scope you will absolutely need a VERY good tripod and head!! You might as well throw scope in garbage unless you are prepared to spend the money for a VERY GOOD tripod and VERY GOOD head. This scope and any big, powerful scope will require a very stable tripod and smooth moving head!! This is what confused me the most when I was looking to buy this scope. I am going to tell you the exact tripod and head I bought and why. I believe if you purchase this combination you will have a wonderful and enjoyable spotting scope experience! I bought a Manfrotto MT055CXPro3 carbon fiber tripod and I bought a Manfrotto 502AH Pro video head to fit on top of tripod! This combination works PERFECTLY and smoothly and easily with my TSN-99A scope! I was very confused and worried about getting the right combination to get the most out of my scope and this combination is exactly right! Because the Kowa TSN-99A has a new tripod mounting foot it will bolt up perfectly to the Manfrotto 502AH video head, which in turn mounts perfectly to Manfrotto MT055CXPro3 tripod! No confusing and costly adapters to buy! Easy to use scope and tripod/ video head combo. This combination makes mounting and moving your scope SMOOTH and EASY and SECURE! I have just taken all the confusion away so you can buy your NEW scope and use it with great success! All the items I told you about I purchased at and I got a good price, fast shipping and terrific customer service! Thank you for taking time to read this lengthy review,I hope it helps. Thanks again and God bless you on you journey!