Choosing a Spotting Scope: some good information to help you selecting this your best spotting scope
As consumers, we are pummeled with so many products that it's a wonder
we buy anything at all. And what we do end up buying might be obsolete by the
time the door closes behind us. This is bad enough, but sometimes we aren't
even able to see the product before we can buy it, which is especially true for
high-end sporting optics for hunting. For example, how many of you have a store
within reasonable driving distance that carries Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, and
very high-end Nikon binoculars and compact spotting scopes?
There is at least some relief in the best spotting scope arena. Unlike computers and digital cameras, spotting scopes haven't made a Significant concept change in decades. So as consumers, our biggest challenge comes in considering three factors;
1. What do you really need the spotting scope for?
2. Which type of spotting scope would fit that need best?
3. How much money are you willing to spend?
Spotting Scope Variations
Although spotting-scope variations could be increased by including telescopes used for viewing the stars, our use is a little less ethereal: Hunting, target practice, shooting competition, backpacking. or similar activities are our primary interests here. This narrows the field somewhat, but it still leaves us with a few choices to make.
The spotting scopes for sale you have seen on the range come in two varieties: catadioptric (mirrors and lenses) and prismatic (refractor). With one exception; I'm going to cover the more popular prismatic type used by shooters. Like binoculars and riflescopes, prismatic spotting scopes come with a set of erecting prisms that reverses and inverts the image so that it appears normal.
You're probably aware that the high-end spotting scopes can be acquired with zoom lenses and that most offer single-power lenses. In the past, it was widely accepted that zoom lenses didn't provide the resolution and clarity that the single-power lens did. I remember 30 years ago purchasing a spotting scope with two single-power lenses for that very reason. And it remains true that single-power lenses can be purchased for most spotting scopes that offer considerably more field of view than that of the zooms. But zooms have gotten so good that image quality isn't the problem it used to be. In fact, modern zoom lenses are so good that it would be my first choice for most uses.
High power position shooters are often served better by the 45-degree angle viewing lens. It's also impossible to view an object up on a hill at close range when using a car window mount without a 45-degree lens. But for many of us, the straight through lens is more convenient. It's much faster to locate objects, and for those of us whose necks take a beating when bent to look down, the straight through lens is the only way to go.
An Important Feature
There are two kinds of focusers used in the scopes discussed herein: helical and knob. A helical focuser is a rubberized band or collar around the barrel of the scope (Nikon and Swarovski). Fine focusing is aided by a sturdy tripod and a steady hand. I find it a bit difficult to fine focus using a helical focuser as it tends to be more shaky. Also, the focus is very sensitive, and one tends to shoot past the mark often, requiring a bit of fidgeting. They are faster for gross focus; however, they allow you to more quickly focus on moving objects -- birds for example.
Knob focusers use a small knob at the top, side or rear of the scope that requires several turns to move from near focus to infinity. This makes them many times more accurate than a helical focuser. Consequently, the knob focuser is slower than the helical -- but more precise. Knob focusers are used where precise focusing is more important than speed.
There is at least some relief in the best spotting scope arena. Unlike computers and digital cameras, spotting scopes haven't made a Significant concept change in decades. So as consumers, our biggest challenge comes in considering three factors;
1. What do you really need the spotting scope for?
2. Which type of spotting scope would fit that need best?
3. How much money are you willing to spend?
Spotting Scope Variations
Although spotting-scope variations could be increased by including telescopes used for viewing the stars, our use is a little less ethereal: Hunting, target practice, shooting competition, backpacking. or similar activities are our primary interests here. This narrows the field somewhat, but it still leaves us with a few choices to make.
The spotting scopes for sale you have seen on the range come in two varieties: catadioptric (mirrors and lenses) and prismatic (refractor). With one exception; I'm going to cover the more popular prismatic type used by shooters. Like binoculars and riflescopes, prismatic spotting scopes come with a set of erecting prisms that reverses and inverts the image so that it appears normal.
You're probably aware that the high-end spotting scopes can be acquired with zoom lenses and that most offer single-power lenses. In the past, it was widely accepted that zoom lenses didn't provide the resolution and clarity that the single-power lens did. I remember 30 years ago purchasing a spotting scope with two single-power lenses for that very reason. And it remains true that single-power lenses can be purchased for most spotting scopes that offer considerably more field of view than that of the zooms. But zooms have gotten so good that image quality isn't the problem it used to be. In fact, modern zoom lenses are so good that it would be my first choice for most uses.
High power position shooters are often served better by the 45-degree angle viewing lens. It's also impossible to view an object up on a hill at close range when using a car window mount without a 45-degree lens. But for many of us, the straight through lens is more convenient. It's much faster to locate objects, and for those of us whose necks take a beating when bent to look down, the straight through lens is the only way to go.
An Important Feature
There are two kinds of focusers used in the scopes discussed herein: helical and knob. A helical focuser is a rubberized band or collar around the barrel of the scope (Nikon and Swarovski). Fine focusing is aided by a sturdy tripod and a steady hand. I find it a bit difficult to fine focus using a helical focuser as it tends to be more shaky. Also, the focus is very sensitive, and one tends to shoot past the mark often, requiring a bit of fidgeting. They are faster for gross focus; however, they allow you to more quickly focus on moving objects -- birds for example.
Knob focusers use a small knob at the top, side or rear of the scope that requires several turns to move from near focus to infinity. This makes them many times more accurate than a helical focuser. Consequently, the knob focuser is slower than the helical -- but more precise. Knob focusers are used where precise focusing is more important than speed.
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