Spotting Scope mag preference

[Alpine Mojo]

I was having a conversation with some friends the other day and we discussed spotting scopes for a while.  The biggest difference between us was the range of magnification we all liked.  Im curious what all of you prefer.  Im not looking for this to get into a "this brand vs that brand" type of thread, everyone already has their favorite, just what power spotters you prefer to use.  Nothing scientific either, I just want to hear what has worked well for you in the field.

[BIGBULLBALLS]

Anything under $1000 45x max magnification.  60x for scopes over $1000.  Cheaper optics really look bad with 60x.

[jackelope]

I use a burris 15-45x-60mm and it works fine for me. get into the really big glass and you have size/weight issues too remember.

[Steve C]

The problem with spotters is that heat distortion or mirage is also magnified with increased magnification in optics.  I would tend to go with the best 15-45x at least 60mm scope I could afford.  There will be some times when 60x will be useful, but there are others where you will really see more with 15-30x.  I think that as a general rule, the further out you need to look, and the more detail you want to see, the more $$$ you need to spend, and the bigger your objective lens will need to be.  That is to get better resolution as the priority, not necessarily more magnification.

[7mag.]

Depends on quality and objective size. Good quality, 80mm or so objective, up to 60 power. Good quality, 60mm objective, 45 power is better. The big difference is low light conditions. Also what you want out of your spotter. 80mm's are bulkier and heavier, but have a wide field of view and gather light well, along with being able to handle more magnification. 60mm's are more packable and lighter, yet still do a good job. I personaly like the 80mm class. I have a 20-60x80mm and I wouldn't trade it for any other spotter on the market.
Something to understand is, as magnification increases, light gathered decreases, thus making it darker. Quality of glass is just as important, probably more important, but that is a different subject.

No matter what the quality and objective size, less magnification is brighter and clearer.

[MAGhunter]

I like the burris 20-60 x 60 

[G.R.K]

45x,But the new wide angle eyepieces looks very tempting from Swarovski and Lieca.

[Intruder]

That's kinda a tough question... it's one of those "it depends" answers.  And it does really depend on what/how you using it.  In the the smaller 65mm  or < objectives 45x is about as high as you want to go.. 30x or 35x is often the practical limit.  With a big 80 mm or > with awesome glass and a 300 tripod you can go up well past 45x. 

I would say in maybe 75% of hunting scenarios 25x-35x is going to cover the bases though.

[huntnphool]

For the money the Nikon Spotter XL is hard to beat. Lite enough to pack if you want and still have a 60 OB.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Spotter-XL-16-47x60-mm-WITH-CASE-AND-TRIPOD_W0QQitemZ350186582843QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item350186582843&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50