Spotting Scope

[huntnut]

I am looking to purchase a spotting scope,and with all the choices it can be confusing. I was hoping the good memebers of this site could give some recommendations.Brands, straight or angle eyepiece,power,and so on.

[high country]

how much $$, are you giong to pack it, do you have any issue with ordering online, can you be happy with a fixed power or do you require a zoom? zooms if they are the highest quality are nice, but a good fixed wa eye piece will always blow them away IMO

[halflife65]

High End $1600+
Swarovski, Leica, Ziess.

Middle (but still good) ($800 to $1300)
Leupold Gold Ring, Nikon (some), Vortex (some - kind of a 'tweener, you can get them for $600 or so), Pentax

Low End: (under $400)
Leupold (not Gold Ring), Nikon (some), Vortex (some), Weaver, Bushnell

This is by no means an exhaustive list and there are many more out there, certainly.  Try to go in the evening when the light is starting to get a little bit dusky and go look through them outside.  Just take the salesguy if you have to.  You're getting ready to spend a bunch of money and if they won't let you do that they can suck it.  Just go buy it somewhere else.

After owning Leupold my new philosophy is that I'll save for whatever it takes to get the highest end optics that I can buy.  So, for instance, I've been saving for a couple of years to get a high end (probably Swaro) scope at the expense of being able to buy a "middle" scope today.  Depends on how much you need it today or if you can get by another year without one.  Good gear lasts a long, long time.  I've been applying this philosophy to all gear purchases and, volume-wise, I own a lot less gear than I used to but it's all much, much better quality (Sitka Gear, Mystery Ranch, Swaro binos, etc.)  Not cheap to buy and takes a long time to accumulate but, with the exception of clothes that I'll wear out, will last a long time and/or have a high resale value.

[huntnut]

It is going to be an purpose scope ,packing and vehicle/home ,would like to spend a bunch but cannot I would guess any where from 400 to 800.I have a cabin and prop just outside goldendale and do most of my hunting in that area

[halflife65]

If you want a packable scope, maybe something like the Nikon ED50.  Small, light pretty good quality.  Top end of your price range but should be affordable.

[high country]

a used pf 80ed would be a bulky option with likely the best image you can afford, a nikon 50mm as mentioned will be firendlier to pack, but leave a lot to be desired when the light is not perfect. nikon is pretty good in this price range, used leupold gold rings are available in the 5-600 range. I can't give any input on the chineese stuff, but I know it is getting good fast.
 
if you see any kowa scopes on the used market, give them a peek.

[MtnMuley]

Leupold Gold Ring 12-40x60mm.  You can easily find one used in great shape for under $800.  Shop around, and you can probably get one new for $800.  As I've mentioned many times,  I own high end spotters, and use them rarely.  Scanning with 12 power is unbeatable, and 40x is true and clear to be able to really zoom in.    

[Miles]

If you are looking at a quality packable spotter I would highly recommend this one:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,72861.0.html

I posted some links with reviews and a bunch of pics that accurately show the size of the scope.

[high country]

I should also say that a good pair of big bino's will trump a mid grade scope too. a used pair of leica 12x50's or minox 13x or 15x do wonders.

[halflife65]

Forgot about Minox.  Another good one to investigate.  Also, I think Zen Ray is a sponsor here.  I haven't looked through them but they might be something to check out, as well.

Yeah, I agree about the binos, High Country.

[Bean Counter]

If you want a packable scope, maybe something like the Nikon ED50.  Small, light pretty good quality.  Top end of your price range but should be affordable.

I have a Nikon ED82mm. The glass is amazing. I agree that if you're looking for compact so you can carry it several miles, you should look at the Nikon ED50 or the Leupy Golden Ring HD. The Pentax PF65 EDII or Zen-Ray's may be worth a look, too. I myself started having ambitions for a scope but saved for a year and a half and finally found an awesome deal on on my Nikon on ebay. Everything you've heard about quality glass and binoculars is even more important with spotters. With your 8x binoculars you may have a tough time noticing the flaws in sub par glass--however when that magnification goes up to 30x, you'll notice the color fringing, darkness, aberrations, etc. Life is too short for cheap glass--seriously.

If I went with one of the high speed, light weight options listed above, I'd probably go with a carbon fiber monopod. For my Nikon 82 I use an aluminum tripod from Manfrotto. Great quality and definitely makes a difference in user enjoyment.

I definitely recommend the straight scope. Mine is angled. Most of the time it doesn't make a difference but if you like glassing down from high points the angled presents quite an ergonomics dilemma.

Let us know what you decide.

[SkookumHntr]

I have that little Winchester 20x60 I think it is! Its a pos.. Actually works pretty good for target practicing but the focus adjustment is pretty tough! I wanta get the Vortex Nomad!

[addicted]

http://www.camofire.com/

prostaff 16-48x65 is on sale for about 2 more hours.  even with swfa's 100$ off this is still a better deal.

[ZRS-8x42]

Maybe it's slightly above your original budget, I would recommend the ZEN ED2 20-60x82. We currently have a $200 discount on it (code: Birdforum).

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