Spotting Scope Recommendations

CJR · Aug 16, 2017

What's everyone using? Looking to stay in the $800-1000 range. Do you prefer angled or straight eyepiece? Mainly going to be used in the badlands stalking. Thoughts?

Captain Ahab · Aug 16, 2017

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...d=108093780&CQ_search=euro%2Bhd&WTz_stype=REG

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I prefer straight as target acquisition tends to be easier.

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http://www.longrangehunting.com/thr...-euro-hd-nightforce-spotter-questions.138914/

labhunter66 · Aug 16, 2017

I would go this route: http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-razor-hd-11-33x50-straight-spotting-scope You can find them cheaper than suggested retail. They're pretty compact and easy to carry if you're using them in spot and stalk situations. You can get angled or straight. I prefer straight but I really think it just comes to person preference.

Captain Ahab · Aug 16, 2017

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/master-class/2013/05/2013-optics-test-spotting-scopes

Kurtr · Aug 16, 2017

go on cameralandny.com look at the demos and save your self some money. Call and talk to doug they are good people to deal with. The 16-48 vortex would be a good pick. Or just mortgage the house get the swaro atx 95 with the btx .

sweeney · Aug 16, 2017

I went with an Athlon Ares 15-45-65 last year for my badlands hunt pretty dang nice for the price, I went with angled which in the field on the tripod works great but if you are in a truck the straight is the way to go.

limit2winit · Aug 16, 2017

Vortex Razor. i went with the angled 65 and love it. pair it with a phoneskope and its the real deal

SDMF · Aug 16, 2017

How about a mechanically image stabilized fixed 20x zeiss? 60mm obj. skip the tripod.

Kentucky Windage · Aug 16, 2017

SDMF said:
How about a mechanically image stabilized fixed 20x zeiss? 60mm obj. skip the tripod.

I guess I'll take it if you're trying to give it away. Do you deliver?

5575 · Aug 16, 2017

Go buy yourself a used swaro off ebay for that price, problem solved.

Kurtr · Aug 16, 2017

What used hd swaro can you get for a grand.

USMCDI · Aug 17, 2017

Buy once, cry once. I have 4 and wish I had just done it once and got it over with. Leupold MK4 HD gold ring 12-40x60=OK, Leica Televid 77=good, Vortex Razor 20-60x80=OK, Zeiss Diascope20-60x80=the real deal!

KiYi · Aug 17, 2017

Get a Leica or Swaro and be done. If you read reviews, read real field reviews, like rokslide, Eastmans, etc. from reputable sources. If you have to stay at that price point, only one i'd buy is a Vortex razor hd.

5575 · Aug 17, 2017

Who said anything about HD? Besides HD gets thrown around way to much these days, good glass is good glass no matter what.
And to tell you the truth I did pick up an 80mm swaro first HD edition "silver" for a friend about 5 years ago for $1200.
But that scope in non HD is excellent glass and you can always find them for 750-1000.

Here you go, nice tripod as well. Only problem is now you will be bidding against a couple guys on here! ha ha ha

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-A...428460?hash=item4b1fd261ac:g:zOkAAOSwDJlZlKAx

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-S...472935?hash=item1c8ea83667:g:QN0AAOSw-pVZlLdR

I guess you did say for stalking so I would stay with something in that 60-65mm area sorry about that.
There was a nice gold ring on bisman last week for $500. Great glass for the back pack. Being able to go down to 12 power is really nice in low light. Wish they all did that!

Here's that one. Good deal.

https://www.bismanonline.com/mandan_nd/leupold_spotting_scope_variable_12x40

SDMF · Aug 17, 2017

If you wear glasses, the 12-40x60 Leupold is very hard to beat as they've got more eye relief than anything else I've ever used.

Angled allows you to keep a tripod lower (which means steadier) in the field but they SUCK on a window mount.

Norske · Aug 17, 2017

A straight eyepiece is more intuitive to use. But for pickup use, an angled one will reqire less twisting in the truck seat. Remember the scope will swivel in its foot bracket, so the angled eyepiece doesn't have to point up, it can point sideways or anything between. I wanted to use my scope for photography as well as hunting so chose a straight one. E-search for www.betterviewdesired.com, an old birdwatcher's website with really good comparison testing of optics. The site deserves a few evenings of study, not just a couple hours. I learned there the critical part of a scope is the eyepiece (the big part is simple optics and easy to design). Swaro has the best zoom eyepiece, but the fixed power Pentax eyepieces (designed for astronomical scopes) are even better. The best scopes are astronomer scopes, but all are really big. The refractors are very heavy, and the mirror astro scopes are fragile. More recently, I learned that Vortex makes a spotter that accepts the Swaro eyepiece. That will save you hundreds of $$. Since I wanted to use one with a camera, I bought the 80mm Pentax because they make a camera mount that fits their DSLRs. And yes, eyeglasses mess up the view through great optics because of the additional air/glass interfaces.

Jake G · Aug 17, 2017

angled for the field, straight for the truck! I have an angled one and it is bunk for the truck but it works.

Kurtr · Aug 17, 2017

5575 said:
Who said anything about HD? Besides HD gets thrown around way to much these days, good glass is good glass no matter what.
And to tell you the truth I did pick up an 80mm swaro first HD edition "silver" for a friend about 5 years ago for $1200.
But that scope in non HD is excellent glass and you can always find them for 750-1000.

Here you go, nice tripod as well. Only problem is now you will be bidding against a couple guys on here! ha ha ha

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-A...428460?hash=item4b1fd261ac:g:zOkAAOSwDJlZlKAx

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-S...472935?hash=item1c8ea83667:g:QN0AAOSw-pVZlLdR

I guess you did say for stalking so I would stay with something in that 60-65mm area sorry about that.
There was a nice gold ring on bisman last week for $500. Great glass for the back pack. Being able to go down to 12 power is really nice in low light. Wish they all did that!

Here's that one. Good deal.

https://www.bismanonline.com/mandan_nd/leupold_spotting_scope_variable_12x40

The mavens, vortex and others can all be had cheaper and are just as good as the older swaro my friend had that same 80 that you posted and side by side with the razor they are equal. The new ones are a different animal. The btx is a game changer. The optics world has grown leaps in the last five years. Competition is great for us as a consumer.

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And that tripod is heavy. He carried one day and went and bought a slik

Whisky · Aug 17, 2017

Regarding straight vs angled. I moved from a straight to angled spotter and i will NEVER go back. My glassing time on the ground vs pickup is probably 20:1, or more. For the little I do use it in the pickup, rotating the body so it operates similar to a straight hasn't been a problem.

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The new 55mm Kowa is getting rave reviews and would be the perfect little spotter for the pack. It whips the Razor and competes with bigger obj Swaros.... But it's $1800.

http://blog.sandsarchery.com/2017-optics-shootout-results/

http://blog.sandsarchery.com/kowa-tsn-550-55mm-fluorite-crystal-spotting-scope-review/

SDMF · Aug 17, 2017

Brightness and trueness of color of those older silver Swaro's can be beaten for sure. I'm not sure that resolution can though. I'm not sure anyone has caught up to Leaded Crystal for pure visual clarity/resolution.

i have a soft spot for Zeiss Classic 10x40 and 8x32's for the same reason.

Spotting Scope Recommendations

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