Questions about spotting scopes

[peterl]

Looking at spotting scopes got a question or two.
I have a bushnell 20-60 x 60, is there a big difference between that and the same spotting scope in 20-60 x 80 ? I guess what I'm asking does the 80 mm
let you see that much clearer at 400 or 500 yards? Local sporting goods store
has both a Bushnell in 20-60 x 80 and a Vortex in the same 20-60 x 80. Vortex
is more money ( both used by the way ) Is the Vortex a better spotting scope that the Bushnell ?

 

[ultimate_monkey]

the 80mm will give you a slightly wider feild of view, and MAYBE do better in low light as it would allow a bit more light in.

spotting scopes, like rifle scopes have their quality determied by how good the glass is. a qulaity spotting scope will be 1K or more, just like a rifle scope

for the 2 you have mentioned i would ask to take both outside and look threw them at distance at max magnification and see which ones clearer, and if its worth spending the $ to replace the one you have

 

[stubblejumper]

the 80mm will give you a slightly wider feild of view,

h ttp://www.opticsplanet.com/msgboard/about3-1448.html

Remove the space between the h and the ttp.

From that link

The size of the objective has nothing to do with the field of view. This feature is determined by the magnification and the design of the eyepiece

 

[Epoxy7]

One of the best deals you can find in a spotting scope are the Pentax line. The next step up is significantly more. Zeiss, Swarovski, US optics etc. Anything below Pentax and you'll be paying more in replacement costs. May as well get something that will last you a long time. Cheap anything cost you more in the long run.

 

[BCP]

the 80mm will give you a slightly wider feild of view, and MAYBE do better in low light as it would allow a bit more light in.

spotting scopes, like rifle scopes have their quality determied by how good the glass is. a qulaity spotting scope will be 1K or more, just like a rifle scope

for the 2 you have mentioned i would ask to take both outside and look threw them at distance at max magnification and see which ones clearer, and if its worth spending the $ to replace the one you have

ultimate_monkey hit the nail on the head. Quality over quantity when it comes to spotting scopes. Of course when quality is the same, objective size will come into play. I would like to add on top of quality of glass, there is also the quality of the coatings and inert gas to consider. "Fully multi-coated lenses" is one of the key words you want to see. It means all lens are multi-coated and that helps in reducing glare and distortion, as well as increase light transmission. To help you decide which scope you want, look through them side by side during low light. Do so near sunset if you can, or looking at a dark shaded area. When set near maximum magnification, which one produces the better image? Everyone's eyes are a little different, so only you can determine which one is better for you.

...Cheap anything cost you more in the long run.

Reminds me of one of my shooting friends who bought a $60 spotting scope off ebay. I couldn't even focus the darn thing at 200 yards, plus it seemed dark! I don't know if he replaced it, or just lives with a 100 yard only scope.

 

[peterl]

Ok did a quick check.
Busnell legend ultra hd 20-40 x 80 $429.99

Voetex Viper 20-60 x 80 $749.99

Pentax pf80 ed $1199.99

So that means that Viper is better than a Bushell and a Pentax is better than both of them? Hmmmm me thinks this is harder than it looks.

Any one know of a good web site that does a good job of listing not by price but who's spotting scope is better? There has to be better way than to see how much I can put on my Visa card.

 

[stubblejumper]

Any one know of a good web site that does a good job of listing not by price but who's spotting scope is better? There has to be better way than to see how much I can put on my Visa card.

Try These

http://www.bestspottingscopereviews.com/

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/gear/scopes/sc_review

 

[Epoxy7]

Ok did a quick check.
Busnell legend ultra hd 20-40 x 80 $429.99

Voetex Viper 20-60 x 80 $749.99

Pentax pf80 ed $1199.99

So that means that Viper is better than a Bushell and a Pentax is better than both of them? Hmmmm me thinks this is harder than it looks.

Any one know of a good web site that does a good job of listing not by price but who's spotting scope is better? There has to be better way than to see how much I can put on my Visa card.

Stubblejumper posted some good research sites. That's where I did my research before buying my spotting scope.

Cameraland a site sponsor often has demo deals or kits. The Pentax for example is the same price you listed but with the tripod, and car mount. The Viper is the same price but for one cent more you get the tripod. Etc.

I don't know for sure but I would suspect the Viper level with the Vortex is Chinese glass. The Razor would most likely be Japanese. The Pentax is Japanese. Again I'm not familiar with the Vortex one. I can say that the Pentax is the lowest I would go price wise. The next step up is twice the price.

 

[Jordan Smith]

AFAIK, the Viper uses Japanese glass, and most if not all Viper products are assembled in the Philippines.

 

[peacefrog]

Looking at spotting scopes got a question or two.
I have a bushnell 20-60 x 60, is there a big difference between that and the same spotting scope in 20-60 x 80 ? I guess what I'm asking does the 80 mm
let you see that much clearer at 400 or 500 yards? Local sporting goods store
has both a Bushnell in 20-60 x 80 and a Vortex in the same 20-60 x 80. Vortex
is more money ( both used by the way ) Is the Vortex a better spotting scope that the Bushnell ?

An 80x eyepiece with a 60mm objective scope ( which is what you are describing 20-60 x60) will not do you any good. Too much magnification not enough scope diameter. Go with a minimum 77mm objective and a 20-60x eyepiece for a good combination. Bigger objective = greater field of view, and more light transmission. Buy the best you can afford, in optics you do get what you pay for.

 

[stubblejumper]

An 80x eyepiece with a 60mm objective scope ( which is what you are describing 20-60 x60) will not do you any good.

20-60x60 describes a maximum magnification of 60x,not 80x.

Bigger objective = greater field of view, and more light transmission.

More light transmission with equivalent optics, but not necessarily any larger field of view. Look at the link below.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/msgboard/about3-1448.html

From that link,

The size of the objective has nothing to do with the field of view. This feature is determined by the magnification and the design of the eyepiece

 

[maynard]

An 80x eyepiece with a 60mm objective scope ( which is what you are describing 20-60 x60) will not do you any good. Too much magnification not enough scope diameter. Go with a minimum 77mm objective and a 20-60x eyepiece for a good combination. Bigger objective = greater field of view, and more light transmission. Buy the best you can afford, in optics you do get what you pay for.

Field of view has more to do with the eyepiece. While a buddy of mine has a 82mm Kowa with a 25x LER eyepiece he can see 6 targets wide at 1000 yards. With my 77mm Kowa with a 22X WA eyepiece, I can see 10 targets wide. For long range target shooting heavy mirage at anything over 25X will almost make you seasick. And the higher the magnification in the eyepiece smaller the field of view regardless of the diameter of the objective lens.