Spotting Scopes on a Budget <$500

[chukar hunter]

While I enjoy reading the reviews on some of the high end optics that have been going around the forum recently, I myself am in need of some new glass but don't have the budget that would accommodate such a purchase.  Spending over $500 is not in the cards at this point and I need a functional spotter to expand my hunting opportunities. 

My background with optics is limited.  I've got a rifle that is topped with a Leopold 3-9 Goldring, Leoupold RX-600i Rangefinder, and a pair of Nikon Monarch 10x56 ATB Binoculars.   The most I have paid for any of my optics is $400.  I am extremely happy with my Monarch's and am looking for a similar value in a spotter. 

A few key features that I am looking for include:
-Magnification to 60 power
-Lens Objective of 80mm minimum to maximize the exit pupil for good low light operation
-Straight Orientation for quick target aquisition
-Value/Cost
-Warranty, though a well made spotter/optic shouldn't need it, it's good to have

After doing quite a bit of research I have narrowed the search down to the following selections:

Brand   Name   Magnification   Objective   Orientation   Weight   Eye Relief    Warranty    Cost
Bushnell   Legend      20-60             80 mm   Angled           81 oz   18 mm   lifetime    $460.00
Leopold   SX-1 Ventana   20-60     80 mm   Straight           37 oz   24 mm   lifetime    $419.00
Vortex   Diamondback   20-60     80 mm   Straight           47.1 oz   16.5 mm   lifetime    $499.00
Nikon   Prostaff 5       20-60             82 mm   Straight        33.5 oz   16.5 mm   25 yr    $499.00
Alpen                  20-60             80 mm   Straight           57 oz   18 mm   Lifetime    $399.00
Kruger                  20-60             80 mm   Straight        33.5 oz   15 mm              $380.00
Vanguard   XF 80 A       20-60            80 mm   Straight        59.3 oz   19 mm              $489.00

After looking at the options I have really narrowed it down between the Leopold, Vortex, and Nikon.  Leopold seems to have the most value, good eye relief, reputable brand,  and price point that allows me to purchase a tripod as well, while coming in under budget.   Vortex hands down gets rave reviews on this site and seems to have the best warranty, but has a worse eye relief and weight compared to the other two. 

Does anybody use any of these spotters and have any info or advice on making the decision? 

[deerhunter_98520]

Have you looked through any of these yet? If not i would reccomend it...I have a vortex and would suggest that to anyone..there a great company that backs up their product  ...if u decide to go with vortex get ahold of elknut on here

[KFhunter]

I'd look for a used gold ring

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/spo/4336783319.html

[liljozie495]

hey my hand looks good with that gold ring in the pic...i still got it, its in prime condition btw!

[Ccortez]

hey my hand looks good with that gold ring in the pic...i still got it, its in prime condition btw!

Do you two know each other or was that a huge coincidence?

[KFhunter]

hey my hand looks good with that gold ring in the pic...i still got it, its in prime condition btw!

Do you two know each other or was that a huge coincidence?

 huge coincidence 

[MLBowhunting]

I just bought that Alpen spotter for 50$ at Sportsmens Warehouse in the Tri Cities

[liljozie495]

hey my hand looks good with that gold ring in the pic...i still got it, its in prime condition btw!

Do you two know each other or was that a huge coincidence?

 huge coincidence 

That was pretty good lol

[Bean Counter]

If you're willing to buy used and are patient, you should have no problem finding an HD spotter if you're willing to spend a few hundred more dollars. There is no way I would take a spotting scope out to the field that was <$500. Waste of my effort. I would take a year off of hunting first and save up the extra cash. Seriously. They're just not worth lugging all that weight around for crap optics that are loaded with color fringing and poor low light performance.

I have a Nikon ED Fieldscope (82mm) that I scored for just under $800 on eBay. The difference between my Nikon and the ones you mention are literally night and day.

[deerhunter_98520]

  except I couldn't take a year off from hunting

[Bean Counter]

except I couldn't take a year off from hunting

I'm serious though--a cheap spotting scope isn't worth having. You'll be impressed with it.. for about 5 minutes. I would hate to take a year off hunting myself. But I could still find outdoorsy things to do:

• Go shoot some neighborhood coyotes.
• Practice the bow
• Help a friend fill his elk tag
• Train for and run in a race
• etc

[chukar hunter]

If you're willing to buy used and are patient, you should have no problem finding an HD spotter if you're willing to spend a few hundred more dollars. There is no way I would take a spotting scope out to the field that was <$500. Waste of my effort. I would take a year off of hunting first and save up the extra cash. Seriously. They're just not worth lugging all that weight around for crap optics that are loaded with color fringing and poor low light performance.

I have a Nikon ED Fieldscope (82mm) that I scored for just under $800 on eBay. The difference between my Nikon and the ones you mention are literally night and day.

I as well could not take a year off hunting!  I've got out of state hunts planned for the next three years, so was looking to expand my optics for these hunts.  It's truely an obsession....Crazy Talk!

While I agree that you get what you pay for, do you have comparables for showing color fringing or poor low light performance between the two optics.  My Monarch's are considered crap binos in some people's eye's but in my opinion perform great.  Will I be able to look through the "cheap" spotter and tell if he's got a 30" spread and is a big 4 at 1500 yds?  I'll be plenty happy walking up to him and finding that 2" sticker I couldn't see through the spotter...

Pre-owned is great but I think all but Vortex void the warranty if there is a transfer of ownership? 

[bobcat]

Leupold spotters are really nice for the money. The 12-40x60 I believe is around $700 new. You might find a used one on eBay for $500, and with Leupold the warranty is good forever, and not just to the original owner. Best of all they're made in the USA.

Personally, I have a Kowa, it's a 60mm objective and I have the 25x long eye relief eye piece. I got it new for less than $500. I can't recall the exact price but it's been about 10 years. I didn't have the money for a Leupold so the Kowa is what I ended up with. Don't know if I'll ever upgrade, as it works good enough for my purposes.

I have used cheaper spotting scopes and they were worthless. But my Kowa is certainly a lot better than nothing.

[JLS]

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/nikon.pl?page=nikon8320

Also, if you watch the demo lists you can find a Minox MD 62 for very good prices.  The Minox is a great scope for the money.

The demo scope I ordered from them had fully warranty and no issues whatsoever.

[Bean Counter]

I as well could not take a year off hunting!  I've got out of state hunts planned for the next three years, so was looking to expand my optics for these hunts.  It's truely an obsession....Crazy Talk!

Yes you can. It is a choice. I took most of last year off because I was expecting a baby around the time of the fall hunts. I could have hunted, but it would have been a bad choice.

If you have the money for out of state hunts, it is foolish to march off on hundreds of dollars of gas expense, hundreds of dollars of non resident tags, and then insist you can't afford to spend a few hundred more bucks on a nicer spotter. Its just bad economics. Seriously, cut back on one of the tags or two and spend closer to $1,000 on the spotter. You WILL thank us. Otherwise, if our intrastate hunts will overlap, PM me and we'll get together. You can look through my glass and  then  and finally  as you conclude that since you bought cheap, you're going to buy twice.

While I agree that you get what you pay for, do you have comparables for showing color fringing or poor low light performance between the two optics.  My Monarch's are considered crap binos in some people's eye's but in my opinion perform great.  Will I be able to look through the "cheap" spotter and tell if he's got a 30" spread and is a big 4 at 1500 yds?  I'll be plenty happy walking up to him and finding that 2" sticker I couldn't see through the spotter...

The need for HD glass isn't there with bins like it is for a spotter. Namely because the higher magnification of a spotting scope multiplies the impurities of the glass. Deficiencies in an 8x42 set of binoculars won't be as noticeable as they would if you constructed a 30x spotting scope with the same quality of glass.

Its not that you will have trouble determining whether that trophy shooter buck has a 30" inside spread or not--you won't even know he's a buck. That is the biggest benefit of having quality glass--it saves you from hiking down from the mountain and dedicating yourself to a stalk and wasting half your afternoon to find out that you were chasing a doe. I just don't have time for that. Quality glass is phase corrected. There is better contrast especially when glassing in the direction of the sun and less lateral color fringing ("chromatic aberration") anywhere you look.

I used Nikon Monarch's myself for about 5 years. They're great glass. If I couldn't find my EDG's I would have no problem taking the Monarch's out on a day hunt close to home. I only bought HD binos (Nikon EDG) because I found a screaming deal on them and I happened to be blessed with enough money to afford it. Among their benefits from mid range binos: they are super lightweight and have an equivalent field of view of many 42mm objective binos even though they're only 32mm. They're light and small enough that the neck strap is good enough and I don't need to fool around with a silly harness. Even though I spend more time looking through the binos than the spotter, its still more important to budget the HD glass for the spotter and not the binos if you can only afford one.

Pre-owned is great but I think all but Vortex void the warranty if there is a transfer of ownership?

Most of the optics champs (Leupold, Swarovski, Nikon, etc etc) don't require you to send proof of purchase when sending your glass in for their excellent customer service. I haven't dealt with Vortex but have only ever heard good things about them. I would consider purchasing from Paul, the ElkNut1 on this forum because a) he is the man and b) he sponsors this forum.