Review: KOWA TSN-99A PROMINAR spotting SCOPE

2 November 2021 
By Stuart Hamilton

​When the call came from KOWA Europe HQ in Germany, I was delighted. "Would you test our top secret new scope?" and the answer was of course was, "Yes, yes I would." 

This was equipment that has been under wraps for a very long time and we had received only snippets of info about throughout 2020. So it was after some eager waiting for the box of goodies to arrive that I set off to the usual Lea Valley patch for several days birding, armed with the TSN-99A PROMINAR.

What did I use?
  • TSN-99A Spotting scope Angled Typ with Fluorite Lens  
  • TE-80XW 40x Wide Angle Eyepiece for TSN-770/880/990 
  • TSN-IPXR RP Digiscoping Adapter for iPhone XR 
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The trial venue was across reservoir and farmland habitat and I did get varied weather conditions ranging from gorgeous sunshine through to the more extremes of wind and rain, but thankfully we seem to have hit a patch of warmish weather with birds active throughout the day.

The view...
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As you can imagine with varied weather across several days, light ranged from poor to very good and it was in the ideal and fortunate circumstances of very good early morning light that I was treated to absolutely pristine images and natural colours from the TSN-99 PROMINAR without any detrimental side effects. I was seeing the scope in all its glory one could say, with its improved optical coatings on the objective lens and prism and additional protective KR coating. Even in poorer light conditions as the clouds gathered, definition was maintained to a very high level.
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But of of course it is at distance where we ideally do the judging here and this is where the TSN-99 PROMINAR really did come into its own. Where most optics tend to flounder, I was provided a good level of high definition for scanning various gulls and waders along the King George V reservoir and though not trialled, I fully expect this scope will perform extremely well when sea watching given the level of clarity and detail I was getting.

​All the clarity and detail will no doubt be due to the fact, for the first time in any Kowa spotting scope, a Kowa XD lens with extremely low dispersion characteristics was used for the convex lens of the TSN-99 PROMINAR. The concave lens paired with the fluorite crystal lens is made with special dispersion properties to reduce chromatic aberration even further. This special combination virtually eliminates chromatic aberration even at high magnification. It redefines the standards of colour brilliance and is the result of many years of Kowa optical design. Which is super impressive stuff quite frankly.

​Focus, images and handling...
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This new flagship spotting scope with large 'pure fluorite crystal' 99mm objective lens was excelling in the testing conditions and was being a joy to use. For quite a big unit, it's not too inconvenient to lug about. This will be thanks to the scope's full magnesium alloy body which makes the scope lightweight and portable with good grip when setting up quickly.

​Where some KOWA products have not been the best looking in the world in recent times (in my opinion) the new breed binocular models such as the BDII-XD binoculars ​and SV II binoculars have shown that the brand have turned a corner on the aesthetics side of things and the new TSN-99A scope is certainly a looker with the light green and black paint job now competing with the very best in the premium optics race.

​I also hear that the TSN-99A PROMINAR should be fully compatible with all current Kowa System accessories and digiscoping adapters upon launch, which is another huge tick in the box when considering a purchase or an upgrade if already a KOWA owner.
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Verdict
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In short, this equipment is without doubt a thoroughbred among premium scopes and one I recommend highly.​
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★★★★★★★★★ 9/10

Testing scores
  • Design: ★★★★★★★★ 8/10
  • Performance: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
  • Durability: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
  • Weight: ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
  • Value: ★★★★★★★★ 8/10

Contact: www.kowaoptic.com
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Pricing
  • TSN-99A PROMINAR Angled body only: £2,999.00
  • TSN-99S PROMINAR Straight body only: £2,999.00
  • TSN-99A PROMINAR Zoom kit – Angled  body with TE11WZ II 30-70x wide zoom eyepiece: £3,549.00
  • TSN-99S PROMINAR Zoom kit – Straight  body with TE11WZ II 30-70x wide zoom eyepiece: £3,549.00
  • TE-80XW 40x extreme wide angle eyepiece: £649.00
 
The KOWA TSN-99A scope will be available to buy from all official stockists from October 2021.
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