Free: Contests & Raffles.
i recommend saving your money and getting a nice spotter...i have the 85mm razor hd and havent looked back....you dont realize how useful a high end spotter is until you have one....that being said you would have to be willing to get over the price tag...one thing i took into consideration is the lifetime warranty on it...no questions asked...i spent the 1500 now and my kids will eventually get the spotter and warranty
Thanks for all the info guys. Quote from: deerhunter_98520 on April 28, 2015, 03:38:44 PMi recommend saving your money and getting a nice spotter...i have the 85mm razor hd and havent looked back....you dont realize how useful a high end spotter is until you have one....that being said you would have to be willing to get over the price tag...one thing i took into consideration is the lifetime warranty on it...no questions asked...i spent the 1500 now and my kids will eventually get the spotter and warranty I probably should just buck up and get something high end. Maybe an "early Christmas present" for myself
I have been watching this thread with some interest.I just ordered a Pentax 65mm ED spotter body.Got a smoking deal.Now I need an eyepiece (1.25") and am stuck between a 20-60x or a fixed wide view.People LOVE the fixed eyepiece for it's optical performance.What power fixed do you think is most practical?
Quote from: thinkingman on May 05, 2015, 02:06:07 PMI have been watching this thread with some interest.I just ordered a Pentax 65mm ED spotter body.Got a smoking deal.Now I need an eyepiece (1.25") and am stuck between a 20-60x or a fixed wide view.People LOVE the fixed eyepiece for it's optical performance.What power fixed do you think is most practical?'Most practical'.......? If like me, since 99% of my annual shooting is done at a range on paper, you might pick the best fixed power eyepiece based on what power that you would most use at what distances you typically find yourself shooting off the bench. As most of us choose to hunt certain areas more often than not, year after year, I have a pretty good idea of the maximum range that I'm comfortable shooting in a hunting situation. Given that, I would likely choose a fixed magnification based on that maximum distance that I can easily and clearly see my intended target and have ample FOV, be it on paper or hair.A Pentax anything is a safe bet and I truly enjoy and find that a 65mm spotter is perfect for my purposes. Good choice!Good luck and enjoy.
Buy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight.
Quote from: magnumb on May 06, 2015, 09:01:38 AMQuote from: thinkingman on May 05, 2015, 02:06:07 PMI have been watching this thread with some interest.I just ordered a Pentax 65mm ED spotter body.Got a smoking deal.Now I need an eyepiece (1.25") and am stuck between a 20-60x or a fixed wide view.People LOVE the fixed eyepiece for it's optical performance.What power fixed do you think is most practical?'Most practical'.......? If like me, since 99% of my annual shooting is done at a range on paper, you might pick the best fixed power eyepiece based on what power that you would most use at what distances you typically find yourself shooting off the bench. As most of us choose to hunt certain areas more often than not, year after year, I have a pretty good idea of the maximum range that I'm comfortable shooting in a hunting situation. Given that, I would likely choose a fixed magnification based on that maximum distance that I can easily and clearly see my intended target and have ample FOV, be it on paper or hair.A Pentax anything is a safe bet and I truly enjoy and find that a 65mm spotter is perfect for my purposes. Good choice!Good luck and enjoy. Thanks.I just ordered a fixed 14mm wide view, which calculates to approx 27X.We'll see how that does.
I bought an Alpen and really like it.. Lifetime warranty.
The difference between $500 dollar glass and $2,000 dollar glass is at a thousand yards not just seeing a deer, but being able to count its points. Once you get to high end glass its a little more difficult to tell the differences. I purchased the Swaro 20-60 X 65 and love it. If I had to do it again I would have probably went with their wide angle 25-50 because I rarely zoom into 60 power. That's pretty minor issue.
Quote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice.
Quote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent.
I just picked up a Zeiss Dialyt. The best glass in the industry, lightweight, economical, bombproof and quick and easy object acquisition.My dads friend had one that was 20 or so years old that I used on a sheep hunt a few years back and when Zeiss decided to bring back this classic I had to jump on it. My son should have it in his pack 20 years from now. My friend had a new Alpen spotter on that same trip and it was unreal how the 20 year old Zeiss Dialyt outperformed the new Alpen. We put them on the same Rams numerous times that trip. On several Rams quite a ways out with the Alpen you could only see a dark stripe where the horn crossed the muzzle whereas with the Zeiss we could see one side had lambs tips and the other side was broomed.
Quote from: MtnMuley on May 14, 2015, 10:00:52 PMQuote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent. We have a Vortex Razor HD 85 w/20-60 and 30WA-MOA eyepiece and a Leupold 12-40x60 and a Leupold compact 25x50 and I would suggest looking for a used Leupold Non HD 12-40x60 if you want to stay around $500. It will serve you very well. Don't worry about in being non ED or HD. That is nice to have especially if you do a lot of bird watching too, but a non HD 12-40 will serve you just fine. We use ours as much or more than the other spotting scopes.
Quote from: JDHasty on April 15, 2016, 09:48:33 AMQuote from: MtnMuley on May 14, 2015, 10:00:52 PMQuote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent. We have a Vortex Razor HD 85 w/20-60 and 30WA-MOA eyepiece and a Leupold 12-40x60 and a Leupold compact 25x50 and I would suggest looking for a used Leupold Non HD 12-40x60 if you want to stay around $500. It will serve you very well. Don't worry about in being non ED or HD. That is nice to have especially if you do a lot of bird watching too, but a non HD 12-40 will serve you just fine. We use ours as much or more than the other spotting scopes. I had a Leupold 12-40×60 and really liked it until I put it next to my buddies leupold kenai last November while hunting mule deer. His kenai was far superior to my 12-40×60. So I sold my leupold and bought a razor and absolutely love it.
We did some long range target practice this weekend and the Swarovski spotters were fantastic.I'd save and not compromise. The high quality optics allow you to spot effectively all day.
I just picked up the Leupold 12x40x60 this past week, haven't really tried it outside yet but I will this weekend bear hunting in Copalis. I bought the Swarovski 30-70x95 two years ago and it had a wow factor off the charts, I could see Jupiter moons with it but I over bought, it wasn't really practical to carry due to size and weight and really big even to put on my truck window mount so I sold it and bought the Leupold for its all around use and packability.
Quote from: MtnMuley on May 14, 2015, 10:00:52 PMQuote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent. Last November my truck was broken into in Montana, my Leupold 12-40 spotter on a Cabelas window mount, Swarovski 15x56 binos, a Mark V Stainless 340 Weatherby with Leupold 3-9 scope, Leica 1000 Rangefinder, fully adjustable trailer hitch, and 5 gallons of gas all stolen. I gave the police the numbers off the rifle in the police report but I have never heard anything back. I hate thieves! Fortunately homeowners insurance covered most of it, I purchased another Leupold 12-40 Spotter in the Billings Cabelas. I had Brotherhood Outdoors TV in Montana for a hunt when this happened, they called Swarovski who is one of their sponsors, who sold me a new pair of 15x at a huge discount and overnighted them to Montana by Fed EX at no charge, I had them by 10am the next morning, I was hugely impressed by Swarovski. I'm considering getting another Swarovski Spotter (newer version) to compliment the Leupold 12-40 HD.The newer style Swarovski 15x binos are noticeably better than my older pair from 2003 that were stolen, better glass, better covers, and lighter weight, they are awesome. The new HD Leupold 12-40 Spotter is really not much better than the older one I bought in 1997, but I'm very glad to have one again and it came with a greatly improved cover, I love that lightweight compact spotter. I still haven't replaced the rifle, that particular rifle is no longer made and fairly tough to find. I'll probably have to buy the accumark which is a great rifle but more costly!
Quote from: jay.sharkbait on April 19, 2016, 07:16:39 PMWe did some long range target practice this weekend and the Swarovski spotters were fantastic.I'd save and not compromise. The high quality optics allow you to spot effectively all day.So JAY was the man on that 'grassy knoll'
Quote from: bearpaw on April 22, 2016, 05:39:06 AMQuote from: MtnMuley on May 14, 2015, 10:00:52 PMQuote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent. Last November my truck was broken into in Montana, my Leupold 12-40 spotter on a Cabelas window mount, Swarovski 15x56 binos, a Mark V Stainless 340 Weatherby with Leupold 3-9 scope, Leica 1000 Rangefinder, fully adjustable trailer hitch, and 5 gallons of gas all stolen. I gave the police the numbers off the rifle in the police report but I have never heard anything back. I hate thieves! Fortunately homeowners insurance covered most of it, I purchased another Leupold 12-40 Spotter in the Billings Cabelas. I had Brotherhood Outdoors TV in Montana for a hunt when this happened, they called Swarovski who is one of their sponsors, who sold me a new pair of 15x at a huge discount and overnighted them to Montana by Fed EX at no charge, I had them by 10am the next morning, I was hugely impressed by Swarovski. I'm considering getting another Swarovski Spotter (newer version) to compliment the Leupold 12-40 HD.The newer style Swarovski 15x binos are noticeably better than my older pair from 2003 that were stolen, better glass, better covers, and lighter weight, they are awesome. The new HD Leupold 12-40 Spotter is really not much better than the older one I bought in 1997, but I'm very glad to have one again and it came with a greatly improved cover, I love that lightweight compact spotter. I still haven't replaced the rifle, that particular rifle is no longer made and fairly tough to find. I'll probably have to buy the accumark which is a great rifle but more costly!That Leupold 12-40 is a poster child for an optical instrument that way over performs in the field vs in the store. Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty good in the store or at the shows, but the guys who use them in the field really love em'. Me included. And Swarro customer service - what can anyone ever say to give some of our better optical companies their due. Swarro is one of those who you just know has your interests at heart. OMG, they take a personal interest in your situation whether you are a long time customer, a first time shopper or someone who is in a position to do them a favor in the future. Gotta love em'
Quote from: JDHasty on April 22, 2016, 06:24:35 AMQuote from: bearpaw on April 22, 2016, 05:39:06 AMQuote from: MtnMuley on May 14, 2015, 10:00:52 PMQuote from: Bob33 on May 06, 2015, 03:35:34 PMQuote from: bearpaw on May 06, 2015, 03:16:03 PMBuy a decent spotter or don't waste your money, save until you can get a good one! The cheap ones are hard to use for extended times and they simply are not clear enough. I would get no less than a Nikon. I like the Leopold 12x40x60 the best of all spotters. It's compact, lightweight, long lasting, and good enough to look through all day. I've had the same one for 17 years and still prefer it over more costly spotters due to the reasons stated. I had a Swarovski that was great but got tired of packing the bulk and the weight. Funny you should say that. I have a Leupold 12-40x60 HD spotter and a Swarovski 20-60x80 spotter. I use the Leupold much more. However, I had the Swarovski out this past weekend in the Blues looking at sheep, elk, and bears - and it sure was nice. I'm in the same shoes as you two, except I went with the big Zeiss 85mm HD. The Leupy is priceless and was worth every penny spent. Last November my truck was broken into in Montana, my Leupold 12-40 spotter on a Cabelas window mount, Swarovski 15x56 binos, a Mark V Stainless 340 Weatherby with Leupold 3-9 scope, Leica 1000 Rangefinder, fully adjustable trailer hitch, and 5 gallons of gas all stolen. I gave the police the numbers off the rifle in the police report but I have never heard anything back. I hate thieves! Fortunately homeowners insurance covered most of it, I purchased another Leupold 12-40 Spotter in the Billings Cabelas. I had Brotherhood Outdoors TV in Montana for a hunt when this happened, they called Swarovski who is one of their sponsors, who sold me a new pair of 15x at a huge discount and overnighted them to Montana by Fed EX at no charge, I had them by 10am the next morning, I was hugely impressed by Swarovski. I'm considering getting another Swarovski Spotter (newer version) to compliment the Leupold 12-40 HD.The newer style Swarovski 15x binos are noticeably better than my older pair from 2003 that were stolen, better glass, better covers, and lighter weight, they are awesome. The new HD Leupold 12-40 Spotter is really not much better than the older one I bought in 1997, but I'm very glad to have one again and it came with a greatly improved cover, I love that lightweight compact spotter. I still haven't replaced the rifle, that particular rifle is no longer made and fairly tough to find. I'll probably have to buy the accumark which is a great rifle but more costly!That Leupold 12-40 is a poster child for an optical instrument that way over performs in the field vs in the store. Don't get me wrong, it looks pretty good in the store or at the shows, but the guys who use them in the field really love em'. Me included. And Swarro customer service - what can anyone ever say to give some of our better optical companies their due. Swarro is one of those who you just know has your interests at heart. OMG, they take a personal interest in your situation whether you are a long time customer, a first time shopper or someone who is in a position to do them a favor in the future. Gotta love em' I've also had exceptional service from leupold in the past, I sent them my old spotter once for repairs and I've sent a couple scopes for repairs, every time the items were repaired at no charge even though the repairs needed were due to abuse. One of my guides had a damaged Leupold scope (not Leupold's fault), he sent it in to Leupold for repairs and they sent him a new scope at no charge! I would buy from Leupold or Swarovski with complete confidence in their products and service!Not so much with Zeiss. My son had an older Zeiss binocular he sent in for repair and they kept them and sent back their cheaper model of binocular and charged him. He is still mad about that, none of us are likely to purchase from Zeiss again.