20-60x60 vs. 20-60x80

[ian_padron]

OK team, you were very helpful in my selection of binos earlier this year. I ended up with Vortex Diamondback 12x50s and boy are they slick.

I'm now in the market for a spotter and will be sticking with the Diamondback line. The Dback spotters are offered in 60 and 80 mm objective lens diameter, both in 20-60 variable power. The smaller of the two is nearly a pound lighter. I backpack hunt almost exclusively, so weight is important, but not at the expense of not being able to see what I'm trying to spot. Let's talk about the pros and cons here...

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[thinkingman]

That's a lot of magnification for Diamondback glass....More than I could use.
To answer your question, the 60mm would be as large as practical packing.

[JDHasty]

That's a lot of magnification for Diamondback glass....More than I could use.
To answer your question, the 60mm would be as large as practical packing.

   absolutely

[ian_padron]

Thanks for the input guys, most reviews I've read have been positive even at 60x. Now is it Swaro or Razor grade...no. But for a mid-level spotter I think the Dback is tough to beat. How do you think the light gathering of the two would compare?

The guy at Cabelas claimed I would get twice the optical performance in the 80mm. When I asked him to elaborate, he struggled to do so. Thoughts?

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[Bob33]

The guy at Cabelas claimed I would get twice the optical performance in the 80mm. When I asked him to elaborate, he struggled to do so. Thoughts?

Well, that's easy. The answer is "it depends". A good 80mm vs. a bad 60mm: yes. A good 60mm vs. a bad 80mm: no way.  Everything equal optically: the 80mm will gather more light. It has 78% more surface. In dim light you can probably see better. In daylight there would be not as much of an advantage.

That's either a case of optical ignorance, or an intentionally misleading sales pitch.

[bobcat]

Try to step up a bit in quality, or I think you'll regret it. Spotting scopes need to be top quality glass for hunting purposes. If it's just for at the shooting range for looking at your targets the Diamondback would probably suffice. But for hunting at least go with the Viper for $650. (Or open box/demo for $585)

http://stores.elknut.com/vortex-optics-viper-hd-spotting-scope-straight-or-angled-15-45x65-open-box-demo/

[Crunchy]

With the diamond back line i would look for some thing with no more than 40 power.  Or look at the smallish Razor spotter 10x30x?  Decent price and good glass.  You will be much happier.

[Reidus]

I think an 80 would be a pia for backpacking. I haven't used an 80mm much but a couple times this year I had a difficult time seeing with my 60mm Nikon fieldscope III due to low light just before dark. I been wondering how a 80mm would have performed in those situations.

[Bean Counter]

Try to step up a bit in quality, or I think you'll regret it. Spotting scopes need to be top quality glass for hunting purposes. If it's just for at the shooting range for looking at your targets the Diamondback would probably suffice. But for hunting at least go with the Viper for $650. (Or open box/demo for $585)

http://stores.elknut.com/vortex-optics-viper-hd-spotting-scope-straight-or-angled-15-45x65-open-box-demo/

^ To Obi Wan you will listen

Personally, I don't like Vortex. Seen lots of them, including the Viper and Diamondback spotter.

80mm is too much for backpacking  I love my 82mm spotter for up to  2-3 mile hikes from the truck but I'd have to grab something smaller for a dedicated backpack hunt. I might consider some 15x56 binos, maybe an LRF, and skip the spotter altogether. 

[JDHasty]

Try to step up a bit in quality, or I think you'll regret it. Spotting scopes need to be top quality glass for hunting purposes. If it's just for at the shooting range for looking at your targets the Diamondback would probably suffice. But for hunting at least go with the Viper for $650. (Or open box/demo for $585)

http://stores.elknut.com/vortex-optics-viper-hd-spotting-scope-straight-or-angled-15-45x65-open-box-demo/

Good advice.  Hold out a bit for a scope that is going to meet your performance needs.  I don't know about the lower end Vortex, but will take other's word for it.  Those really small 11-33x50 scopes are pretty unforgiving.  If you take the advice of others here be sure to purchase from someone who will let you return it if is isn't going to do what you need it to do AND be sure to purchase and have it delivered when you will be able to budget time to giving it a good test under field conditions.  I am not trying to dissuade you, but I do want to see you make an informed final decision.

82 or 85 is too big to pack.  60-65 is packable... to a degree.  If you already are packing into a wilderness area or flying in and need to look at every ounce a 60-65 scope is pretty big.   

[ian_padron]

Thanks again guys for all the insight, exactly why I asked! I'll keep everyone posted on the direction I end up going.

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[fillthefreezer]

i had the vortex that preceded the diamondback and it was useless over 30x.
nothing wrong with an 80mm for backpacking but, you will consider just how necessary it will be. its alot easier to pack the 60 class glass for maybe i will use it...

[Hot Lunch]

the question really is how far are you packing? For most day hunts a 80mm is packable, 3-5 miles in and you want a 65mm. If you have a buddy split the load up so you can get the big eye in 

[fillthefreezer]

come on guys, seriously? kowa 600 series is about the lightest 60mm glass, that is usuable at 60x, available. the difference between it and a razor 85mm is 30oz. is that really too much for packing? 30oz? cut the weight elsewhere if a guy wants to pack 80 class glass

[JDHasty]

come on guys, seriously? kowa 600 series is about the lightest 60mm glass, that is usuable at 60x, available. the difference between it and a razor 85mm is 30oz. is that really too much for packing? 30oz? cut the weight elsewhere if a guy wants to pack 80 class glass

True story.  I just would not want to make the sacrifices elsewhere to pack 80 class glass very far at all.   

[Bean Counter]

You should also consider the terrain of where it is you like to hunt. If its semi-forested it might not be the most efficient use of weight and space to carry more than 60mm. Personally, I wouldn't bother deer hunting where I do if I couldn't take my 82mm scope. My deer honey hole here in the open deserts of southern Arizona isn't that secret or hidden. Its a tall mountain on public land with a decent amount of roads in the area, but nobody wants to climb it. Its about a 1,000' vertical climb and in some spots a bit  dangerous to get up, but as the crow flies its only 3/4 a mile from where we can park to the mountaintop. Most people probably drive by it and be like "I ain't climbin' that thing! I couldn't shoot a deer form up there!  " The idea of carrying an 82mm scope + tripod up in addition seems doubly crazy. But indeed: we see deer that all the silly heads drive around and have no clue about  Its a tough hike, but we put deer down every year.

By contrast, while in search for elk in the heavily forested White Mountains, I don't even bother to bring my spotting scope.