# whats the best spotting scope?



## xbow

hi guys im looking at getting a spotting scope no idea what to get. whats the lets say top 5 you'd pick? i do a lot of backpack hiking so is it better to go less weight or do you sacrifice more weight for better distance? last question whats better angled or straight? so whats the best bang for the buck any help would be great thanks in advance.


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## svmoose

That's a tough question - there are so many options out there I'd say set a price or a size and go from there. You can spend $3000 plus very easily on a scope, but at the same time there are plenty at the $600 and down range that will be great scopes as well.

Currently I use Leupold Compact 15-30 x 50mm for my primary hunting scope. It's fairly lightweight - which you compromise some objective (light gathering) and zoom for the weight. But it's been a great scope and I have no reason to change it. I buy a lot from Amazon and they have it there for around $20-40 less than most other places. And they usually have a lot of reviews.

Here's a link:
Leupold 15-30X50Mm Compact Spotting Scope

They also make an even more compact version which I've never tried, but would expect it to be decent coming from Leupold - it does only go up to 20x though. I'd recommend at least having 30x power.

Leupold Spotter 10-20X40Mm

That being said, I don't think this is the best spotter for everything. It's great for backpacking, but using from a truck or not having to pack it very far, I'd go for the Vortex Viper HD in a 65mm, but the 80mm is sweet, just heavy.

Vortex Viper HD 15-45x65

Vortex Viper HD 20-60x80

Personally I haven't tried angled very often, but do like it when I have used it. Its a little harder to find your target, but comfortable to use once you do, and you get used to it I hear.

I'd also recommend the Nikon Fieldscope (compact) as well as any Vortex spotter like the Nomad or the new Diamondback.


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## torowy

+1 on the leupold compact. 

If you are like me and carry everything on your back and climb lots of mountains, smaller/lighter is better.

You need a pretty heavy duty tripod to make anything over 30x usable in the hills. Its usually pretty windy anywhere you are going to try and see far away from.

Nikon has a pretty cool compact on too. I have never used it though.


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## swbuckmaster

you dont want a big huge scope on a back country back pack hunt. They take a big tripod and there heavy as heck. 

I use a cheep bushnell 15x45 scope it looks like a rifle scope. Its light and I can use a small tripod and I can see anything anyone else can see with a high dollar scope. cost was about 300 bucks. That being said Its not as easy to hook up a camera and do video through it. I spend more time hiking then hunting off a wheeler or truck so its great. 

If your in a car the big lenses are great for video and spotting.

If you want to do both look to a middle of the ground for car spotting and videoing look at a vortex with 16x48 or 11x33. I seldom ever use anything over 30 power. most of my glassing is done on 15 or 20 power. Then crank it up to 30 if I want a better look. 

So it all depends on what you want to do with it I guess. Then look at your budget.


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## martymcfly73

I love my Leupold as well. I use it almost every day in the summer/fall. I sit at my house and watch the goats and sheep on Timp. Plenty powerful.


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## Mike Honcho

I currently use the Swarovski ATS 65 HD. It is an extraordinary scope and is certainly one of the "best" spotting scopes available. However, if I was buying a new spotting scope today I would purchase the Swarovski ATX (angled) eyepiece with the 65mm and 95mm lenses. I would use the 65mm lens for backpacking and the 95mm lens when glassing closer to roads or when I wanted to get super-high quality pictures and video. Of course, this set-up would cost approximately $5000, but you could wait on the 95mm lens and spend $2000 less. Very expensive, but also very good equipment.

As for angled v. straight? I switched to the angled and I really like it now. However, it is was a transition and it took some time to adjust.


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## MWScott72

+1 on the Swaro ATX HD 65. I love mine. You'll choke on $2000 price tag for one, but, the longer you look use it, the steep price tag becomes less and less of an issue. It weighs more than the compact scopes, but I absolutely love the clarity and ligh gathering ability. I wouldn't mess with the 80mm objectives on a backpack hunt - too much weight.

You can't go wrong with Leica or Zeiss - along with Swarovski, they are the top three in my opinion. I do have a pair of Vortex 10x32 binos, and if their spotters are as good as their binos, for the price point, they would be hard to beat on a tighter budget. I've never looked thru a Vortex spotter though, so can't comment on them.


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## gwailow

1A-- Swarovski! Any ole' 65 or 80mm will do.
1B-- Leica Televid. As good as the glass above
3-- Zeiss Victory
4A-- Kowa TSN series
4B--Vortex Razor HD
4C--Leupold Gold Ring
6--Meopta Meostar

In all fairness to Nikon though, I have not looked through any of their EDG stuff, but at the price they are asking it had better be some pretty freaking amazing glass.

As for the Leupold compact scope, yeah compacts are great for backpacking but so are binoculars. Realistically, a good pair of high end binos is just as good as a compact or lesser glass in my opinion. I owned a compact Leupold for 4 or 5 years and I will gladly pack the full size Swarovski and tripod instead of it, any day of the week. Eye strain alone is worth the additional weight. Upside to bigger and better glass--you can cover more area from a single vantage point instead of viewing from several vantage points. This allows you to better utilize your time in the field. If money is an issue, then buy the best glass you can afford, or save up for a couple of seasons and buy the better glass. You will not regret buying the "better glass". That's just my 4.5 cents


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## MudInBlood

Mike Honcho said:


> I currently use the Swarovski ATS 65 HD. It is an extraordinary scope and is certainly one of the "best" spotting scopes available. However, if I was buying a new spotting scope today I would purchase the Swarovski ATX (angled) eyepiece with the 65mm and 95mm lenses. I would use the 65mm lens for backpacking and the 95mm lens when glassing closer to roads or when I wanted to get super-high quality pictures and video. Of course, this set-up would cost approximately $5000, but you could wait on the 95mm lens and spend $2000 less. Very expensive, but also very good equipment.
> 
> As for angled v. straight? I switched to the angled and I really like it now. However, it is was a transition and it took some time to adjust.


I haven't done the research myself, but was told that the ATX 65mm scope weighs more than or comparable to the ATS 80mm. I could be wrong, but why not just get the ATS 80mm and use it for backpacking if it is similar weight to the ATX 65mm? Is the ATX that much better than the ATS to justify the extra weight when you are backpacking?


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## Mike Honcho

MudInBlood said:


> Mike Honcho said:
> 
> 
> 
> I currently use the Swarovski ATS 65 HD. It is an extraordinary scope and is certainly one of the "best" spotting scopes available. However, if I was buying a new spotting scope today I would purchase the Swarovski ATX (angled) eyepiece with the 65mm and 95mm lenses. I would use the 65mm lens for backpacking and the 95mm lens when glassing closer to roads or when I wanted to get super-high quality pictures and video. Of course, this set-up would cost approximately $5000, but you could wait on the 95mm lens and spend $2000 less. Very expensive, but also very good equipment.
> 
> As for angled v. straight? I switched to the angled and I really like it now. However, it is was a transition and it took some time to adjust.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't done the research myself, but was told that the ATX 65mm scope weighs more than or comparable to the ATS 80mm. I could be wrong, but why not just get the ATS 80mm and use it for backpacking if it is similar weight to the ATX 65mm? Is the ATX that much better than the ATS to justify the extra weight when you are backpacking?
Click to expand...

You are correct. I believe the ATX 65 weighs 55.9 ounces while the ATS 80 weighs 57.9 (the ATS 65 weighs 48.4 ounces). For me, the allure of the ATX is its versatility. I like its modular design and the ability to break it down when packed away. I also like the various lens options and the ability have two different scopes without actually having two different scopes. Nevertheless, the ATS 80 is awesome and it too is an excellent option.


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## MWScott72

MudInBlood said:


> Mike Honcho said:
> 
> 
> 
> I currently use the Swarovski ATS 65 HD. It is an extraordinary scope and is certainly one of the "best" spotting scopes available. However, if I was buying a new spotting scope today I would purchase the Swarovski ATX (angled) eyepiece with the 65mm and 95mm lenses. I would use the 65mm lens for backpacking and the 95mm lens when glassing closer to roads or when I wanted to get super-high quality pictures and video. Of course, this set-up would cost approximately $5000, but you could wait on the 95mm lens and spend $2000 less. Very expensive, but also very good equipment.
> 
> As for angled v. straight? I switched to the angled and I really like it now. However, it is was a transition and it took some time to adjust.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't done the research myself, but was told that the ATX 65mm scope weighs more than or comparable to the ATS 80mm. I could be wrong, but why not just get the ATS 80mm and use it for backpacking if it is similar weight to the ATX 65mm? Is the ATX that much better than the ATS to justify the extra weight when you are backpacking?
Click to expand...

I like the angled eye piece because you don't kink your neck as much. Look straight out or up at an object with the two different eye pieces and you'll be able to tell the difference. The straight eye pieces do well looking down, but to me that doesn't override the angled advantages.


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## grizzly

I went with the Swaro ATM 80 HD. For me, it was worth the few extra ounces to jump to the 80 over the 65. Any of the Big 3 will serve you well, but Swaro is what my eyes like best.

The new Vortex are great for the money. Not as good as the Big 3, but EXCELLENT value.

CameraLand has great Demo prices on Swaro right now. I paid $1849 for mine and it drop-shipped straight from Swaro. Full Warranty.

You can get the 65 HD for $1399 and the 65 non-HD for $999. Tough to beat those prices.

PS. Seriously consider the new 25-50 WA eyepiece. The extra FOV, as compared to the 20-60, is great for hunters. The little bit of extra magnification (which is often unusable due to atmospheric disturbance) is not worth the FOV-loss in my opinion.

PSS. Get a good tripod or the glass is useless. S&S Archery has a great video review.


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## xbow

wow thanks everyone for the amazing advise i think im going to go with the vortex viper its in my price range and i think it will work out well good luck to everyone hunting this year and thanks again


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## utskidad

FWIW, I went with the Bushnell 15-45x60mm Legend Ultra HD. Clearly not in the class of the Swarovskis, et al., but last Saturday, the boy and I were spotting .22 rimfire holes on ocnventional paper targets at 50 years with ease. Reading the little half-inch high grid numbers, too, like they were right in front of me. It's definitely a step above in quality from the low end $250 class scopes, without costing a whole lot more. Compact, too.


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## avin_111

Vortex Viper is the best, but if you don't want to spend too much money, you can choose Bushnell, or Celestron, They are also known for making best spotting scopes.


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## Rspeters

This thread is over two years old.


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## chia6

Vortex scopes are tough to beat. Get the nicest one you can afford. If you can't spend very much the diamondback is nice for the price and fairly cheap. If you can afford the viper hd of razor I'd recommend doing so (both are a little heavier than diamondback). I prefer angled over straight but its a personal preference.


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