Spotting scope

[Lollygag1]

Just returned from a trip where the guide used a spotting scope to view wildlife. Am now hooked and want to get one for use on/off the boat. Any suggestions, brand/price?

 

[rardoin]

Hmmm. What is your budget? What do you want out of the scope? My land based recreational love is long range rifle competition where we most commonly are shooting 600 or 1000yds at score ring targets. A spotting scope is a critical piece of gear as it is used to score for your competitors by viewing their target at distance but more importantly to view mirage to determine wind intensities and changes while I am shooting or coaching a team member. I have had the opportunity to use many different scopes. A quality scope that will resolve small bird markings at 200yds and not become overly distorted with mirage will run in the $2000 starting point and go up from there. A binocular scope will run in the upper $4000 to low $5000 range. I suggest a 80mm or larger objective scope. The brands I suggest considering are, from least expensive to most, are Meopta, Kowa, Leica/Swarovski. At a team match two weeks ago I was able to look through a Swarvski BTX (binocular head) and it had the best image detail, color saturation and near zero chromatic aberration of any scope I have ever used. If your budget is $1500-$2000 Pentax as well as Vortex (a relative newcomer but solid kit) are worth a look. Go to SportOptics dot com and check them out. I have dealt with their brick and mortar store in Hammond, LA and they are great to deal with and will usually match or beat a competitor's price if asked. One feature to consider is getting a long eye relief ocular (LER)... it will reduce fatigue although I have to look through the scope for 3+ hrs intently during a 1000yd match day so it is a must for my neck/eyes.


edit- for the record, I have a Swarovski ATS-80, 20-50 zoom aspherical lens eyepiece and paid about $3400 7 years ago but prices are not significantly higher since then.

 

[phillippeterson]

Swarovski Optik all the way. Pricey, yes. Still enjoying the ones I have thirty-five years later. Of course you can see things with optics that are not as high end, but to see absolutely clearly with great light gathering and enjoy them for decades is worth the cost. And my opinion is like a toe - everybody has one.

 

[ScottC]

I've been wondering about these for years. I have a "lazy eye" and I really only end up using one side of a pair of binoculars anyway. Is a spotting scope at sea going to be dramatically better (distance and width of field) than a pair of 7x50 binoculars?

 

[dannc]

The problem with using a spotting scope, or anything over 10x magnification, is the movement of the boat. I have a pair of 10x50mm binocs that are hard to hold steady on land. The 7x50mm's we have are much easier to use on land and on the boat.

When I have used a spotting scope, I have had it on a tripod, not sure that is really going to work on a moving boat.

I have not used stabilized binoculars but they are on my list when I win the lottery.

Later,
Dan

 

[psneeld]

Just bought this one from Amazon $255 and am very pleased.

Gosky HD Spotting Scope 20-60x 80mm with Tripod and Smartphone Adapter, BAK 4 Prism Spotter Scope

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DKK6WPS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Sure better ones are out there...but like a lot of things, at what cost and how much better are they really?

My favorite is audiophiles that rave about frequencies outside most of our hearing range.....

 

[Lollygag1]

Hey I made a great living in the 80's and early 90's selling to those audiophiles. The $1000 turn table stylus was especially critical.

 

[DonW28]

Swarovski Optik all the way. Pricey, yes. Still enjoying the ones I have thirty-five years later. Of course you can see things with optics that are not as high end, but to see absolutely clearly with great light gathering and enjoy them for decades is worth the cost. And my opinion is like a toe - everybody has one.

+1 for Swarovski. Go outside in low light and look at something with detail like a sign at least 1000 yards away and you will see the difference in $2K glass and $200 glass. As long as you aren't looking through both of them under the same conditions you will never know the difference unless you have garbage glass. And when you are counting growth rings on a sheep you need absolute clarity. Almost had a stroke when I paid for the first one I ever bought but it was well worth it. But I agree with the comment about using one on a boat. Even a windy day with a quality tripod on the ground can be a beast at high magnification. I'd splurge on a good set of binos. But admit my Swaro binos are reserved for hunting and shooting. The boat has a Vortex 10x50 set. She has never complained about it and the Swaros are prone to seasickness.


Don

 

[Comodave]

Do they make stabilized spotting scopes?

 

[phillippeterson]

Do they make stabilized spotting scopes?

If you're asking about Swarovski, as far as I know they do not.

Stabilized optics would be great for use on a boat, though.

 

[Comodave]

We have a pair of stabilized Nikon binoculars and they are wonderful.

 

[Hippocampus]

For the boat Steiners. At the range use the glass on the rifle (benelli) being a cheapskate. Rest are iron sights +/or red dots. But considering putting a spotting scope on the b day or Xmas list. Spend as much or more on glass as rifle if you hunt is good advice. Best rifle is worthless until it has good glass trued in.

 

[psneeld]

+1 for Swarovski. Go outside in low light and look at something with detail like a sign at least 1000 yards away and you will see the difference in $2K glass and $200 glass. As long as you aren't looking through both of them under the same conditions you will never know the difference unless you have garbage glass. And when you are counting growth rings on a sheep you need absolute clarity. Almost had a stroke when I paid for the first one I ever bought but it was well worth it. But I agree with the comment about using one on a boat. Even a windy day with a quality tripod on the ground can be a beast at high magnification. I'd splurge on a good set of binos. But admit my Swaro binos are reserved for hunting and shooting. The boat has a Vortex 10x50 set. She has never complained about it and the Swaros are prone to seasickness.


Don

Not always do dollars count for performance.

When Fujinon first came out with their marine 7X50s I got a pair for under $200. The Steiners and better were all well over $500 to $200 and the Fujinon optics were rated as good or better by independent testers.

Then after a few years the Fujinons went up in price and the competition made less expensive pairs, not by lowering optical standards but by the housings and frills.

My lesser expensive spotting scope is pretty good optically, but the case, adjustments and frills (tripod, etc are certainly not luxury.

It does the job for me and for the amount it will get used as I am not a pro anything nor want to be.....it is just right in performance and price.

 

[rardoin]

As mentioned, a spotting scope would not be practical on a boat as it will need a tripod and even tied to a dock the motion would have the object slewing around/out of the field of view. Hand holding a monocular scope the size of your average (worth having spotter) scope would make handheld use impractical. Binoculars for the win on a boat...no doubt. I love Swarovski optics and have never had a pair of binocs/scopes that disappointed. But, Kowa (Japanese glass) and Meopta (Czechoslovakian made with German Schott glass) are both outstanding and, for most users, a very practical less expensive option. Not a huge cost difference but definitely cheaper.

 

[psneeld]

That's why I bought a less expensive one...for the times on a boat that it is still effective enough to use on low power (but still way higher mag than binocs) and for dockside....and land excursions at the higher powers.

I wouldn't say having one aboard is impractical.... totally...just probably when underway on smaller vessels all the time and a lot on larger ones. A good reason for the inexpensive ones unless you need it for other reasons.

 

[Spinner]

I use an inexpensive monocular (bought at the Seattle Boat Show years ago). It’s about a 40 power, has a range finder. I find it is much easier to use than my very heavy, higher-powered binoculars. I can scope out shorelines, buoys, marinas, wildlife, all one-handed, while leaving my other eye unobscured.

 

[Eduardo]

I agree that a spotting scope on a boat will probably rarely be stable enough to be useful. The low end is generally 20-25x magnification. There is a reason so many binoculars marketed to mariners are 7x magnification while the most popular binocular for land based activities is a 10x. The lower magnification increases the field of view which makes the image appear more stabile. I have not seen a stabilized spotting scope, but somebody probably makes one.

I am a dealer for Swarovski Optics so I am very familiar with their products. For wildlife viewing from a boat I would recommend the NL Pure 8x42 binocular. The NL pure are the finest binoculars you can buy. They have a much larger field of view than any of their competitors and can also be fitted with a forehead rest that also will help the user hold them more steady.

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like more information on them or any Swarovski product.

Eddie
ebrownw2@gmail.com

 

[bowball]

I am a dealer for Swarovski Optics so I am very familiar with their products. For wildlife viewing from a boat I would recommend the NL Pure 8x42 binocular. The NL pure are the finest binoculars you can buy. They have a much larger field of view than any of their competitors and can also be fitted with a forehead rest that also will help the user hold them more steady.

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like more information on them or any Swarovski product.

Eddie
ebrownw2@gmail.com

I have the Pure 8x42’s and an older set of EL’s. Both are fantastic with the edge to the Pure due to field of view.

Once you use these you can’t go to any other brand so don’t look if you don’t want to buy! I gave my mother who is a very serious birder a pair of EL’s over a decade ago; she says everyone that tries them buys a pair, even if they didn’t intend to!

 

[AKDoug]

I have a Leupold 15 x 40, the eye relief is a little longer than most spotting scopes and you can turn the power down if the boat has very much motion, and up if not. It also has the option for a shoulder stock so you don't need a tripod, which has been handy for hunting as there is seldom time to set up a tripod when you are verifying whether your target is legal or not. It's not "the best", but is very adequate for the job and the manufacturer has a great reputation and warranty.

 

[Mark Laurnen]

Spotting Scope?

You have already read some very good advice. If you plan to use you optic from any boat, get a good binocular. At this late phase of my life, I’m probably on my fourth optic iteration, binocular and spotting scope. You really do get what you pay for. I couldn’t afford top quality gear, or so I thought, during the early years. Looking back, I now realize how much less money I would have spent if I started out with what I have now vs climbing the quality ladder along the way. There are numerous good names, but none of them are inexpensive. Optics Planet is a good house. Consider Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica, Steiner, Meopta. If you want to stay American , look closely at Leupold. Set your sights high and you’ll be loving your binocular long after you can remember what you paid for it.

 

[LegendintheRainforest]

I have hunted, guided, & boated all my life here in Southeast Alaska. I have used a huge gamut of optics over the past 45+ years. I agree, if you can afford it and plan to use them often, then Swarovski, Leica, & Zeiss spotting scopes cannot be beat. To be fair though, those are meant to be used on the ground, not a boat. I have used them on a boat, but only in calm bays for a quick look to verify whether an animal is "huntable" or not. It is not easy to glass something on a beach with them and will frustrate even the most patient person.

As far as binoculars go, those brands are also at the top. However, if your primary use is to "view" wildlife from the boat or the shore at medium ranges (50-800 yards), I would suggest the image stabilized binoculars. I have been using a couple different brands over the last 18+ years. The first set of Fujinon's were amazing. They had a full gimble built in to them (like a marine compass on your dash). You could watch wildlife in a 10' RIB in 2-footers while moving. The downside was they would burn through 4 AA Lithium batteries in 1-2 full days' use. Also, the battery compartment was on the external bottom and was prone to saltwater intake (the optics were waterproof though).

My next brand are the Canon's. These are only stabilized for handshake and light motion - nothing like the Fujinon's. However, I can go several months of heavy use on 2 AA Lithium batteries. They also work very well from the boat, as well as hunting. The optics are medium-class glass, which is fine for normal use. Here's a link to their line: https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/image-stabilizer-binoculars

If you want to do photography & video of the wildlife, then get to the shore with a good spotter and a Phoneskope for your cell phone.

FYI - My current optics are:
Swarovski 20-60x ATS 65 HD Spotting Scope
Leica Geovid 10x42 HD-B Rangefinding Binoculars
Canon 18x50 IS All Weather Image Stabilized Binoculars
Canon 10x42 IS All WP Stabilized Binoculars
Canon 8x25 IS All WP Stabilized Binoculars

 

[Bigsfish]

Spotting scope and not binoculars, right.

My experience is in dry land as a sniper application in shooting. I would suggest you find a dealer that has the brands you interested in by and go out side and compare side to side. My bet is you will pick Leica.