Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Scopes and Optics => Topic started by: jackelope on June 29, 2009, 04:33:25 PM

Title: Zen spotting scope
Post by: jackelope on June 29, 2009, 04:33:25 PM: so given all the great reviews re: the zen ray binoculars and the semingly great price structure i was curious about the spotters i see listed on their site. does anyone have any reviews or info re: their spotting scopes??
mainly the angled 20-60x80 sedona scope.
thanks.
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: ZRS-8x42 on June 30, 2009, 10:01:30 AM: Hi, I know they are a few members who purchase the SEDONA spotting scopes. They are solid performer in optical quality. I like them in the light weight package. It is significantly lighter than several models comparable in objective lens size and image quality. If you are looking for performance similar to ZEN ED binoculars, they are not there yet.
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: whacker1 on June 30, 2009, 10:49:02 AM: Jack - I was waiting for them to come out with something comparable to the ED line of binoculars. I have the Windriver sequoia, and It is ok at the 15 x to 25 x range, but over that and there isn't enough focus to bring it clear.

I haven't found an affordable spotting scope that exists as of yet. The leupold Gold Ring is about the cheapest, but I still don't think the quality deserves the pricing. Still lacking in clarity at the higher powers. I may have to buy a Swaro in the next few years if I don't find anything in the interim. And I don't think my wife wants me dropping that sort of coin....
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: Intruder on July 01, 2009, 07:44:21 AM: IMO Vortex makes the best "inexpensive" spotting scope out there. 350 gets you 500-600 quality in other brands. Non ED glass at that price though. Check out some of the birding models in the Vortex Stokes line. I know Vortex has some new spotters on the market now.... I haven't really looked at them though, did most of my research about 2 years ago.
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: Steve C on July 01, 2009, 09:55:01 AM: Quote from: whacker1 on June 30, 2009, 10:49:02 AM
... but over that and there isn't enough focus to bring it clear.

FWIW, tht is not a focus problem per se, but rather a resolution problem. You can place the lenses at any position, but if the resolution is lacking, then the image won't pop into place like it should. Resolution is harder to maintain as magnification increases too.
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: whacker1 on July 01, 2009, 02:02:35 PM: Steve C - thanks for the comments on resolution. I assumed that was a component, but don't know enough about optics to narrow it down. Have you checked out any affordable spotters? You seem to spend a lot of time playing with binoculars, thought you might have spent some time with spotters. As I said before, I think my wife might leave me if I purchase very many items from Swarovski.
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: Steve C on July 01, 2009, 03:27:00 PM: I have never been able to develop a lot of love for a spotter. I like to use both eyes and a heavy day hard glassing with even a good spotter tends to give me headaches. Having said that, if I was looking for a killer deal on a decent spotter that is better than the Sequoia and good enough for all but extreme spotter use, check out-

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex.pl?page=vortexsandpiper
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: whacker1 on July 01, 2009, 03:37:02 PM: steve - any other suggestions worth checking out - other than the Vortex?
Title: Re: Zen spotting scope
Post by: ZRS-8x42 on July 01, 2009, 04:03:50 PM: Quote from: whacker1 on July 01, 2009, 02:02:35 PM
Steve C - thanks for the comments on resolution. I assumed that was a component, but don't know enough about optics to narrow it down. Have you checked out any affordable spotters? You seem to spend a lot of time playing with binoculars, thought you might have spent some time with spotters. As I said before, I think my wife might leave me if I purchase very many items from Swarovski.

It is fairly common for all zoom spotting scopes. At higher magnification, the exit pupil of 80mm spotter will reduce to 1.3mm for 60x. The image quality will reduce quite a lot. It is true for spotter cheap or expensive. But some high end ones did manage it slightly better at higher magnification. My personal favorite is still the one with fixed power with wide viewing angle.