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In case anyone is interested, or even reading this: The Moon through the Kowa 88mm is superb! Sharper than my Vixen 90 astro 'scope and completely free of false colour fringing. I was easily able to use 96x with the 1.6x Kowa extender without loss of image quality. Very satisfying indeed!
The only downside was having to twist my neck to look upwards into the eyepiece. I suggest you choose the "bent" Kowa model [TSN-883] if you have any interest in astronomy.
I could have dug out a star diagonal for downward looking comfort and used my astro eyepieces. Though it would have meant a lot of fiddling about finding the Kowa 1.25" adapter in place of the zoom. I shall be better prepared next time. Now I know it is so well worthwhile I shall have the correct equipment to hand.
Sadly, it would not have helped. There is not enough inward focus on the Kowa '884 to allow a star diagonal to be used in the 1.25" adapter. I just tried and it would only focus at my feet and. Then only a yard, or two, further away at the other end of the available focus range.
Which is a shame. Because a star diagonal [elbow] makes it far more comfortable for astronomical viewing of objects high in the sky.
I tried my various Glass Path Correctors but they didn't help enough to reach focus at infinity with the 1.25" star diagonal. I should have bought the 'bent' model TSN-883.
Note that the single eyepieces I have tried can reach focus in the 1.25" adapter.
WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN WITH ANY TELESCOPE NOR BINOCULARS WITHOUT FULLY APPROVED AND PROFESSIONALLY TESTED, SOLAR FILTRATION. INSTANT AND PERMANENT BLINDNESS IS EXTREMELY LIKELY!
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