Spotting Scope Help!!

[alumaweld01]

Hey Guys! I'm looking for a spotting scope that doesn't break the bank (Swarovski lol). I'm looking for quality and something that will reach out a few hundred yards to spot out the points on a Bull/Buck. Your advice and opinions will be grateful!!!

[norsepeak]

sequoa by leupold with tripod and case for 249 shipped online.  Good middle of the road scope.  Just make sure to by the best glass you can afford, you won't regret it in the long run.  I have the gold ring Leupy HD and absolutley love it, but it aint cheap.

[ribka]

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62210

A really good scope for the money. Not as nice as a zeiss or swaro but a lot less money

[royalbull]

I plan on buying a swarovski (its time) I'll sell you my Nikon for $150

[Bean Counter]

Don't buy a non ED/HD spotting scope. I have non ED binoculars and that's fine because the magnification is only 8x. Magnification at 30-75x really amplifies the poor properties of standard def glass. I bought a Nikon ED 82mm for just under $1,000 and it will probably last me the rest of my life. You don't have to go top of the line like $2,000-3000, but spending a little more now will save you the cost of having to upgrade later. 

[ZRS-8x42]

Hey Guys! I'm looking for a spotting scope that doesn't break the bank (Swarovski lol). I'm looking for quality and something that will reach out a few hundred yards to spot out the points on a Bull/Buck. Your advice and opinions will be grateful!!!

If you want Swaroski quality without its price, I will then shamelessly plug in our ZEN ED2 spotting scope. We are planning to ship them next week. We offer a free pair of ZRS HD binoculars for pre-order customers

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/spottingscopes/zenspotter82-angled.html

We also have a couple of midsize (15-45x65mm) spotting scopes that we will make an announcement later this week.

Best Regards

Charles

[longrange7mm]

Leupold compact is about the best bang for your buck IMO

[addicted]

Hey Guys! I'm looking for a spotting scope that doesn't break the bank (Swarovski lol). I'm looking for quality and something that will reach out a few hundred yards to spot out the points on a Bull/Buck. Your advice and opinions will be grateful!!!

If you want Swaroski quality without its price, I will then shamelessly plug in our ZEN ED2 spotting scope. We are planning to ship them next week. We offer a free pair of ZRS HD binoculars for pre-order customers
http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/spottingscopes/zenspotter82-angled.html
We also have a couple of midsize (15-45x65mm) spotting scopes that we will make an announcement later this week.
Best Regards
Charles

Do you have the numbers for this as far as light transmission and such. A deutch hunting magazine had actual measurments from several scopes that they had tested side by side and I was wondering if you do this sort of testing as well.  When i think sworo quality without the price i think Schmidt and Bender but they dont have much in the way of Binos and Spotters. 

[addicted]

I also see on this Zen spotter(witch is pretty slick looking btw) you say:

"•2nd Generation Extra Low Dispersion (ED) Glass: Best in Class resolution"

what other glass was in this class.

[MADMAX]

I really like my Nikon team real tree
http://www.pcrush.com/product/Spotting-Scopes/113721/Nikon-Team-Realtree-16-48x65-Spotting-Scope-Outfit

[addicted]

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62210

A really good scope for the money. Not as nice as a zeiss or swaro but a lot less money

that minox is weighing heavily in my mind. I already love my minox binos.

[jackelope]

Hey Guys! I'm looking for a spotting scope that doesn't break the bank (Swarovski lol). I'm looking for quality and something that will reach out a few hundred yards to spot out the points on a Bull/Buck. Your advice and opinions will be grateful!!!

I can see antler points on a deer from 1/2 mile away under most conditions with my cheap p.o.s. Burris at 45x.
 
Low light would not be happening, but that's where the good stuff shines IMO.

[Wacenturion]

I really like my Nikon team real tree
http://www.pcrush.com/product/Spotting-Scopes/113721/Nikon-Team-Realtree-16-48x65-Spotting-Scope-Outfit

I have the same scope only in the 82mm model.  Absolutely love it.  Spent a lot of time comparing and for me this was the brightest, easiest to adjust without a bunch of play...very precise adjustment and quick.  Great in the field in low light.  Lot of quality for the money. 

[Gringo31]

sequoa by leupold with tripod and case for 249 shipped online.  Good middle of the road scope.

I have one and am not impressed.  It's OK on it's lowest power but if you try and crank it up, it's much too grainy.  It's about as good as a good rifle scope for magnification.

[Rob]

Leupold compact is about the best bang for your buck IMO

Could not agree more.  I got the 15-30x50 and love it.  Scope and tripod are under 5lbs so it fits in my pack without breaking my back.  Clarity is great, and I was able to count points as short as a couple inches long at 700 yards this last season.

I have given up carrying binos.  I carry my 7x lieca range finder for close range viewing, and pull out the Compact Leupold for anythign beyond 300 yards or so.

I stow it in my pack in the rifle sling already rigged to the tripod so it can be deployed pretty fast.  See photo.

[gadwall]

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62210

A really good scope for the money. Not as nice as a zeiss or swaro but a lot less money

ribka seems to know his stuff.  I don't have any experience with the Minox but I do have a 400.00 Nikon and it does great for hunting sagebrush muleys.

[ZRS-8x42]

I also see on this Zen spotter(witch is pretty slick looking btw) you say:

"•2nd Generation Extra Low Dispersion (ED) Glass: Best in Class resolution"

what other glass was in this class.

I apologize for just seeing your post until now.

I would group the following spotters into this class: Swaroski, Kowa Prominar, Vortex Razor, Zen ED2.  What they have in common is the fullsize ED spotting scope with compact design. It's easy to build a good quality spotting scope without worrying about size and weight. It's also not too hard to build a APO spotter with one piece of ED glass.  But to build a compact ED spotter (shorter focal length) with compromising the image quality, the requirement for glass grinding precision, coating, collimation is at a totally different level.  To achieve that, those spotters all have at least two pieces of ED objective lenses.

[addicted]

wow that is a pretty broad range of optics.

[Bob33]

I would group the following spotters into this class: Swaroski, Kowa Prominar, Vortex Razor, Zen ED2. 

I'm curious why you left the Zeiss 85 off your list?

[MtnMuley]

Me too.  I tried them all, including the Leica Televid77 that wasn't mentioned either, and chose the Zeiss 85 HD over them all.

[ZRS-8x42]

I would group the following spotters into this class: Swaroski, Kowa Prominar, Vortex Razor, Zen ED2. 

I'm curious why you left the Zeiss 85 off your list?

This list is not exclusive. I list them there because they have similar design.  I agree with you and the other poster, the Zeiss 85mm FL spotter is a superior product!

[Pathfinder101]

What is your top price range alumiweld?

(BTW, I'll second what Gringo said about the Sequoia, I was just about to pull the trigger on one, and a few guys on this site told me to take one outside and look at something far away.  They were right.  It was no better than my $150 Alpen that I was already using.  When I upgraded, I sacked up and bought a used Golden Ring off Ebay for about $600.  Worth every penny in Montana this fall. )
...Oh, and for the record, the new Zen Ray scope was not available when I bought my spotter.  I have the Zen Ray ED2 binoculars 8X43s, and I LOVE them...