Swaro Spotter Eye Piece

[BlackTail]

Picked up 65mm swaro spotter body today and am trying to figure out what eye piece to go with.  Definitely want variable but can't decide between the 20-60 or the 25-50 wide angle.  Thoughts, suggestions, experiences....?

[CheyTac]

 My binos are plenty wide angle enough, I find that if I am setting up my spotter I have already located what I want to zoom with my binos, therefor I am looking for as much reach with the spotter I can get. I chose the 20-60 and have no regrets.

[JPhelps]

There is a level of magnification above which resolution does not improve (physics).  In the case of a 60-65mm lens, that is just over 30x.  Anything above 30x only gives a bigger, blurrier image.

On my Swaro 65mm I have the 20-60, but if I had to do it again I would probably go with the 20-50 WA.  The 20-50 will be easier to look through for extended periods.

[BlackTail]

I understand that with a 65mm objective your only going to be able to use so much magnification and 60x would be pushing it.  But, like CheyTac, I mainly have used a spotting scope for getting a closer look at something I've already spotted with my bino's.  Maybe that would be different with a Swaro as my previous spotting scope wasn't something I wanted to look through any longer than I had to.  I was pretty much set on getting the 25-50 wide angle but have a read a ton of reviews about that eye piece having a very small sweet spot for eye placement and a lot of people were getting blackouts or kidney spots if they didn't position their eye in just the perfect place.  Any first hand experience with the 25-50?

[nwhunter]

I can't make a recommendation as I don't have the scope YET , did you find a deal on the body? I am in the market, trying out a buddies this weekend to make sure I want to spend the $$$$. nwhunter

[MtnMuley]

Personally if I chose the 65mm body, I would go with the 20-50WA like JPhelps stated.  There's a lot of truth about higher magnification levels with medium objectives (distortion).  This was the reason Leupold stuck with the 12-40 power in their 60mm Gold Ring spotter.  I would definately go with the 20-60 if I had the 80mm body though.  Also, you're dealing with the best optics manufacturer in the world and quality should be great with either eyepiece you choose.

[BlackTail]

I can't make a recommendation as I don't have the scope YET , did you find a deal on the body? I am in the market, trying out a buddies this weekend to make sure I want to spend the $$$$. nwhunter

I got the non hd sts 65 body at Wholesale Sports for $695.  Couldn't pass it up for that price.

In regards to the 25-50 WA eye piece, like I said, I was all set to go with that one.  Just got a little gun-shy after all the bad reports I've heard with people getting the blackouts and kidney bean effect.  I guess the only way to be sure is to go somewhere I can look through both!

[nwhunter]

Thanks Blacktail for that info. I called wholesale and got the same price for the body and have it on hold until I get there tomorrow. That is half off and even with the eyepiece its less than $1500 out the door for the best glass you can get. I will be trying it out in the Blues by tomorrow nite! nwhunter

[BlackTail]

Thanks Blacktail for that info. I called wholesale and got the same price for the body and have it on hold until I get there tomorrow. That is half off and even with the eyepiece its less than $1500 out the door for the best glass you can get. I will be trying it out in the Blues by tomorrow nite! nwhunter

No problem. I sure thought it was a great deal.  So what eye piece are you going with?

[nwhunter]

I bought the 20-60 eye piece. I am happy with it at this time not a lot of use yet but I did watch a bull at close to 1000 yards and cranked it up to 60 and it was very clear. Of course I am used to a leupold seqoia scope so this is a huge jump in quality! Thanks again for the scoop on the sale and the body was actually another 15% off when I got there so for a brand new swaro spotter I was in less than 1200 bucks!!! nwhunter

[high country]

you REALLY should look through a fixed 30ish eyepiece before yu dive into a variable. there is a big difference in performance. the typical hunter thinks ore horsepower is where it is at, but when you get flatter image, better CA and big FOV plus less size/weight it is a win all around. give one a peek, seriously.