Best Spotter for the $$$

chasewild

Active Member
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Looking for everyone's opinion on the best spotting scope for western big game (mule deer, antelope, elk, and eventually sheep) during solo-backpack style hunts FOR THE MONEY. My current binos are the Vortex HD's and they have been great (although noticeably less sharp than "the next step up").

Length, weight, cost, warranty, and, of course, clarity of the optic are my main concerns. Also, keep in mind your tri-pod length and weight considerations here.

Second, tell me what your specifications are: angled, straight, 65X, 80X, rubber armor, etc.

Thanks in advance for all of your help. If any of you have something for sale, PM me.

Best,

Chasewild
 
All of the following scopes are those that I have personally handled side by side with each other.
Swarovski 95mm atx 30-70x
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Cost.... $ 4,775.00 (I know a guy who can get it a lot cheaper--$3,600)
Field of view (ft/1000 yds). 104-57
Length (in) 16.8
Weight (oz/ lbs) 75.8 / 4.737
Clarity. And color. Color is perfect,The color is true to life. What colors you see with the naked eye with be identical through the scope. clarity is unbeatable.
Warranty. lifetime limited, You can send in optics once a year for free cleaning. All factory defects are covered. Personal damage can be fixed but will cost
Durability is extreme. I had mine fall from an 8 foot drop and land on the rubber eye piece on a rock with no damage. However I have read of those who broke their optics and got a free replacement. They have excellent customer service.

Overview
The design of the scope makes zooming and focusing fast and simple by putting both the zoom and focus rings together in the center of the scope, rather than at the eyepiece and zoom knob.
The clarity and light transmission achieved from this scope is, in my opinion, unbeatable. It takes a keen eye to notice slight differences in clarity. But when looking for antlers out to as far as 2.5 to 3 miles, every little bit helps. The closest in clarity I found to the Swarovski was the zeiss victory diascope. And the leica apo televid 82.
Low light transmission is excellent as well with the Swarovski. Given you are using a 95 mm objective, more light is able to be captured. However the downsides are that for such a large scope it is a bit bulky and a little heavy. (4.74lbs) This doesn't bother me personally but I can see it being a problem for others there is also the option of buying the smaller of the three objectives, (85mm or65mm with 25-60x zoom at 14.6 inches long or 13.4)making the scope lighter and smaller to carry. A bonus is the two piece scope design that can be broke down to store in a more compact case.
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Price as well is a downside. However, in my opinion the extra cost is worth the clarity, depending on how far you are looking to take your hunting. I would highly recommend the swarovski line of scopes to anyone looking to make a profession or obsession out of hunting.


Zeiss victory diascope 85 t fl 20-75x
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Cost $ 3,548 (can be found cheaper)
Field of View at 1000 yd 120 - 48 ft
Length in Inch 13.6 inch
Weight in oz/lbs 52 oz/ 3.25lbs
Color and Clarity.
Color is on the colder side of neutral, giving you a slight enhancement of blue in the overall color spectrum.
The light transmission is exceptional, however the extra brightness of the image has an impact on the contrast in bright conditions. the contrast is slightly lacking in comparison.
Warranty, 2 year limited warranty on victory line of products stated on zeiss website.
Overview
The zoom range is excellent providing more versatility in closer/ farther viewing. The weight of the scope is almost a pound less than the 85mm swarovski scope
Low light images are sharp and exceptional, however the trade off being that in bright conditions contrast is lost, which causes less sharpness to edges making it difficult to pic out details. The pros are that the scope is lighter to carry with excellent low light conditions however the cons are loss of sharpness and contrast in bright conditions, not completely true to color, cost and warranty. Personally if I am going to spend that much on a product, it will be a lifetime purchase and the warranty should hold up to more than just two years. I could be wrong on warranty info but If one were to spend this kind of money on a product I would recommend spending a little more and going with swarovski if image quality is a priority.

Vortex razor hd
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Cost $ 1600
Field of View 117-60 feet/1000 yards
Length 15.3 inches
Weight 65.7oz/ 4.1lbs
Color. Color has a slight magenta/purple hue
Clarity is sharp and clear out to about a mile. Past that, the sharpness and saturation fade making it difficult to pick out detail like extra points and cheaters.
Warranty is outstanding. You could throw it against a wall out of anger and they will replace it.
Overview
the razor hd spotting scope is an excellent scope at a great price. When comparing side by side with swarovski at closer ranges it is difficult to see any difference in sharpness, however you can see the warm spectrum hue of magenta. At longer ranges you can tell the image isn't as sharp as higher end scopes. It is a bit heavy and a little bulky. However when comparing the cost and warranty to others, it is in my opinion the best buy for the price. A purchase that will last a lifetime thanks to an outstanding warranty. Any other scope I have looked through at or below the price of the razor hd doesn't even compare in image quality or warranty. I would recommend this scope to any avid hunter looking for the best possible buy at the price it is. However I would recommend upgrading if you are making a profession out of hunting or are just looking for the absolute best, regardless of cost.

I haven't handled the leica apo televid enough to write any sort of review on but that is another one you might want to read about
"Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you
down to their level and beat you with experience."
 
With prices like that its a wonder they don't offer financing yet. Rediculous...

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
 
i have the vortex viper HD 15-45x65. i love it. its light weight, enough glass to see forever. fantastic warranty. i bought it brand new for $550.00 three years ago. i cannot complain. I cant afford to spend 2000 dollars on a spotter yet so this is making do and it does fantastic. i would HIGHLY recommend this spotter. watch ebay and cameraland, they have some great deals.


"Shoot Straight"
 
I wouldn't pick a single spotter that Trophy listed if solo backpacking is a main consideration. Go with a Leupold Gold Ring HD 12x40. They're light, a high end optic and are the best spotter for the $$$. You'll see a lot of guides who have to hike using the same thing.
 
I've been carrying around a 25-60x80 swaro angled for a while and am almost ready to swap it for a 65mm straight, but still the swaro. The 80 is big and heavy and I need to make space for the trophy's not the toys.
 
I use a Swarovski 65 straight. Great glass and compact and light enough for a backpack. I just don't like bending my neck down for hours at a time and also wanted to save on tripod weight yet be able to also glass while standing, that's why I went straight versus angled. You an get a spotter that weighs less, but I would hate to give up any optical quality.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jul-21-14 AT 03:07PM (MST)[p]See if you can find a used Swarovski "M" series as compared to the current "S" series. It is the same glass, but has a lighter magnesium body than the aluminum body in the "S".

I ended up going with an 80 ATM... it only weighs a few ounces more than the 65 ATS, but gives the extra light-gathering of the larger objective lens. We're all different, but its worth it to me.

As for "value", the Razor would be a contender there. You'll have to decide if the European quality is worth the money.

Grizzly
 
$200-$800 spotters are all the same IMO! Crappy in low light real blurry when you turn them up.

Ive owened simmons, bushnell, vortex, Leupold, barska ect and there all the same! No matter the price hell the 30 year old bushnell put the Leupold & vortex to shame!


I broke down bought a swaro 65 and loved it for a couple years till I got my swaro 80mm!

So to anser your ? don't spend $600 when you can get the same quality for $300. Save a few extra bucks you wont be disappointed!





hornkiller.jpg
 
>Kowa makes some excellent spotters for
>the money.

100% correct, some reviewers say better than Swarovski. But you must get the Prominar version.

Grizzly
 
Vintage/30+ Year old Bushnell!










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A better, and a more revealing set of questions would be:
What is the best scope under 500
What is the best scope under 800
What is the best scope under 1500
What are the best scopes.

For the money means a lot of different things.

The best scopes are:
Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica and Kowa.
The rest fit into the other categories I mentioned. At least that is my opinion.
 

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