Spotting Scopes

[Eyeeyecaptain]

Realizing more and more how valuable of a tool a spotting scope can be. I don\'t personally own one, but am looking into them.

Any advice on a specific product, power, etc? Much appreciated!

 

[colorado russ]

Well, I\'m by no means the expert but will toss out my 2 cents.

1) I think this might be the one piece of equipment you don\'t want to scrimp on, if possible. I own a Bushnell 15x45 and works fine under perfect conditions but not so well with low light when you really need it(dawn/dusk). Caveat: Like anything, might have to compromise if only use 1 or 2 times a year. This is what\'s keeping me from upgrading - little usage.

2) My preference would be the angled eyepiece and not the straight. If you do very much glassing, I think the angled is way to go. Especially if you are standing up, then you\'re looking straight down which is more comfortable to me.

Heard/read good things about Vortex and believe they\'re priced reasonable for the quality.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I went through this a few months back. Ended up with a razor 16-48. It was a good balance of weight, price, and quality. At 2.75 miles I could see bull vs cow but wasn\'t counting points. If the sun hit horns right I could see \"big\" vs \"little\".

I went with angled and am happy.

 

[Eyeeyecaptain]

Thanks for the input guys. I\'ve been looking at vortex a bit. I have one of their scopes and my buddy has a set of their binos and I think it\'s really good glass for the price!

 

[elky McElkerson]

i\'m also no expert.

mine is a straight scope and i like it more than an angled. why? because i got the Vortex 65mm 15-45x version. at 15x it is a damn fine scope to use for \"glassing\" a distant hillside. i have a pretty badass tripod and ball head, so i can set it up to where i can sit straight, look forward and simply scan a hill looking for deer. an angled one might be better in all other aspects..(like)evaluating a deer you already found with your binos, letting a buddy look over your shoulder at the whopper, or looking up a hillside. BUT for long duration glassing, a straight scope wins for me. if you are scanning with an angled, you have to keep taking your head off the lens to crane your neck for relief. and my straight scope goes into my pack with ease. its just more streamline.

i love the Vortex. my buddy left me a Leica and there is no comparison, but honestly the Vortex gets it done fine. i can only tell the difference if i am trying to read a dollar bill at 70 yards. looking at deer, they all look the same.

 

[colorado russ]

Good point Cliff!

Andrew, looks like you need 2 eyepieces!!