spotting scope

[amp713]

I have yet to buy my own spotting scope and used my dads since we were always hunting together but this year i will probably buy my own house and go scouting without him a few times. So i will have to get my own and now i have some questons, first is the 65 vs 80 mm idea. I will be using my scope for alot of high country hunting where i will be hiking miles upon miles. I want a super light weight scope but was wondering if the 65 had any large down sides to it? Also has anyone had any bad scopes that they would recommend to never buy? I know you get what you pay for so i will be trying to get a mid range or higher scope but weight is one of my biggest concerns. Any tips, advice, or good places to look will be greatly appreciated like always!

[TheGreatwhitehunter]

Swarovski is the way to go IMO, I have the STS-80 wish I had bought the 65mm model.
I like the straight better then the angled, but the angled is better all round in many peoples opinion as they are great for looking up hill. The 65mm will be lighter and easier to carry in a pack as it is not as bulky.

You can buy a Swarovski with eyepiece for $1499 while supplies last from Doug at CamerlandNY it is the regular STS-65 or the ATS-65 model and it is a steal of a deal he also sells Nikon and Vortex and many other good brands

here is the link http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/swar ... warovski65


Nikon makes very good quality spotters for the money and a high end model EDG which is very good but pricey.

I used to have a Leupold and was happy with it till I got my Swarovski.


Bushnell makes a good spotter for the money but I still like the Vortex better

Vortex makes a excellent scope for the budget and the Razor line is very impressive for the money overall Vortex is a no brainer with an outstanding warranty.

Zeiss are decent spotters also

If you are looking for a great deal on Zeiss check out my friend Mark's deals at www.Elkhuntersports.com his prices and customer service are awesome

[sneekeepete]

Greatwhitehunter pretty much said everything I would have said. I don't really need a new spotting scope but I have been looking into some of the smaller light weight ones for back country hunting. I think the best one I have found that is balanced as far as sacrificing some clarity and light gathering for size and weight is the Nikon 16-48x60 Spotter XL II. I also beleive Nate Simmons wrote a review in the latest EBJ on this if remember Correct. Anywho good luck in your search hope this helps a little.

[huntindad]

I cannot argue with Swarovski as mentioned above but IMO if your gonna take a step down from there you owe it to yourself to check out the Pentax PF ED series. Do an online search and you will find some reviews by some of the birding websites and find before the big three came out with their new ED and HD models some critics put the Pentax above them (the big three). I won't try to agree with that as I have the Pentax20-60 x80 ED but have not had the opportunity to compare to any of the Euros but I will say I love mine and it can be had for about $1000 and the 65mm for about $800. Another cool feature is they work with any 1.25" telescope eyepiece of which Pentax just happens to make arguably the best.

With any of them when you get ready to buy if you shop online make sure you are getting the eyepiece too , some sites aren't real clear that the scope does or does not come with the eyepiece.

JMHO

Bill

[WinMag]

I agree that Swarovski is the best out there, and someday I will own one. But for now I have always had good luck with Nikon optics.

[model70]

Last year I upgraded spotting scopes to a Nikon Fieldscope III in 65mm. So far no complaints at all. I looked at the 82mm version too but it seemed a little too bulky for my daypack. I would have liked a Swarovski but the Nikon was priced right. Maybe someday.