Spotting scope for F-Class?

rishu_pepper

rishu_pepper

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Last week at Vokes, basically everyone had a spotting scope for looking and reading mirage, etc.

Now I'm not thinking of buying "just to keep up with the Jones'", but I can see a use for it.

In any case, which one would you recommend? I don't have a large budget for it, most likely wanting to pick up something on the EE.
 
Look at the Vortex Nomad...I started with it and it was a great little spotter and fairly inexpensive.

Not sure what your budget is for one but stay away from the Costco/Canadian Tire $99 specials if you can.

You will most likely want one with an angled eyepiece unless you will be using a smaller camera type tripod to set it on.

Vortex Nomad 60mm Angled Spotting Scope (20x-60x zoom)
$379.00
Click HERE

Or if your budget allows:
Vortex Skyline 80mm Angled Spotting Scope (20x-60x zoom)
$499.00
That one is HERE

As with scopes you get what you pay for and it's all in the glass. My Pentax is a great balance of price and performance and I would rate it up there with the Leica's and the Kowas at 1/2 the cost (or better) if you have $1300 (with fixed eyepiece) to spare on one :) You can get the body with a 20-60 zoom for less:

Pentax PF80 ED
Demo Unit Price: $1029.99
Angled Unit - With Zoom Eyepiece
at http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/pentax.pl?page=pf80ed

PF-65 ED II (Have not had a good look through these but saw a few at the Nationals in Sacramento)
Price: $899.99
Angled Unit - With Zoom Eyepiece
Includes Field Case
at http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/pentax.pl?page=pf65edii
 
$500 is about what I was willing to spend. I'll see if I can find a Vortex to take a look-see.

What's the difference between using straight/angled eye-pieces? Specifically, which one is better for us prone shooters?
 
You will see that most F and TR shooters will use an angled spotter. Some will set it up so that they can just move their eyes a little and they can see through the spotter without losing position.
 
CyaN1de said:
Look at the Vortex Nomad...I started with it and it was a great little spotter and fairly inexpensive.

Not sure what your budget is for one but stay away from the Costco/Canadian Tire $99 specials if you can.
Click to expand...

What he said.


The Bushmaster stuff SUCKS so freakin' bad. I bought one as a backup and tried using it in my indoor 50 yard range. No matter what power I had it on, I could NOT make out even a single bullet hole at 50 yards.

Stay away!!!
 
Donnie said:
What he said.


The Bushmaster stuff SUCKS so freakin' bad.

Stay away!!!
Click to expand...

Agree most strongly with this remark about Bushmaster from Canadian Tire.

At the Wholesale Sports near me they have an 80mm 20x60 Tasco for under $200. I wonder if anybody has used these and can comment. I know you get what you pay for, but that is what I can afford right now.
 
fmj357 said:
Agree most strongly with this remark about Bushmaster from Canadian Tire.

At the Wholesale Sports near me they have an 80mm 20x60 Tasco for under $200. I wonder if anybody has used these and can comment. I know you get what you pay for, but that is what I can afford right now.
Click to expand...

This is precisely what I'm wondering about the Meade scope I saw at Costco for $90. I posted about it in the Optics forum.
 
Years ago, my then wife bought me (as a b-day present) some Tasco binoculars, supposedly their "top of the line" model. Absolutely the worst glass I've ever looked through, impossible to get them in focus, actually gave me a headache trying to use them. And of course, they were on sale, so they couldn't be returned.
I'm quite happy with my Vortex scope, and yes, the warranty is unbeatable. Bushnell makes some great binocs and spotting scopes, well worth a look.
 
Angled eye piece. Pentax ED and eye piece if you have the budget. Fixed mag eyepiece has awesome eye relief and very comfy to use. Variable on the 65 ED is horrid if you are blind. 80ED variable is much nicer.

If you wear glasses, be aware of eye relief of the eyepiece. Most are WAY too short and you basically have to drive your glasses into the eyepiece to see anything - bad.

Lower mag works just fine as you are not spotting the target, just the conditions and a wide field of view is what I prefer.

Now comes the twist, less expensive scopes might just work BETTER then some pricey units. The goal for the spotting scope is to see conditions - the targets tend not to move. New coatings on pricey scopes let you see THROUGH mirage so the object is much clearer.

Birders want to see the BIRD so clarity and colour correctness is tops for them and they are the biggest users of spotting scopes.

I am presently testing a Celestron 80. Dirt cheap, decent optics and not bad at seeing the mirage. Eye piece is also not bad for eye relief when dialed to around 20X. I would rate it a 7 but for just over $200, hard to fault. They also come with a lifetime warranty and there are dealers across Canada. Support is based in Calf.

Best suggestion is to look through as many as possible. Used spotters from 80's production might just be the best buy cause their coatings weren't all that great so mirage should stand out better.

One of the nicest spotters I have seen lately is an older Bushnell Elite ED - not sure how old but image quality at 1000m was superb. Was very surprised at how good this really was. The owner picked it up on the EE for $400-500.

A superb deal - DON'T DO IT.

Even with pretty heavy mirage, the scope saw right through it wtih excellent resolution.

Totally useless as a condition reader.

But for counting points on a distance buck - a great choice.

YMMV.

Jerry
 
Right now the Vortex seems like a good option for me. Or I could just save up a little longer and go for the lower-end Kowa's.

Most likely I'll buy from the States, unless I see a good deal on EE.
 
Interesting points you bring up, Jerry. I never thought of it that way.

I'll definitely take a look at the Celestron 80. What are some cheap places that carry it?

Oh, and I see the F-er's using some kind of funny looking stand for their spotters. Where does one buy those? Or can I use a small (but stable) camera tripod?
 
KOWA - good kit. Talk to Banished. He has great experience with these products and I have seen his. Good optics and you can see the mirage quite clearly. But not familiar with all the various models and accessories. Not cheap but.....

Although Nikon makes great binos and decent scopes, never been too impressed with their spotters. Eye relief is way too short which is suprising from a Japanese company. They should know all about eye glass use.

Many are using the Ray Vin base. Built like a tank, good design and easy to operate from prone. Not cheap but it works. Camera tripods don't work because a leg will get in your way AND there is no cantelever to put the scope next to you.

Can you fab a similar stand, of course, but I gifted myself one of these RayVins. I am very happy with this investment.

Jerry
 
Yikes, I just took a look at the RayVin base, $349! The Celestron itself is cheaper than that! ;) I'll think of some alternatives for stands.

Did you mean this one for Celestron 80 ED:

h ttp://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=85&ProdID=201

Or is the non-ED version okay?

h ttp://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=84&ProdID=199
 
Interesting point on mirage. Come to think of it I never noticed it on my higher end scope. I can't sell my cheap scope as its not worth peanuts. Guess its worth keeping to 'read' conditions.
 
Mine is the non ED version.

Glass is also not bad at all considering the price point. Field of view and eye relief is not good when you crank on the zoom but as I said before, high zoom is not something important for this application.

yep, the base is pricey BUT if the spotter falls over, is blown over or cant be easily adjusted while in position, you are better off not having a spotter at all. You don't need the aggravation when on the line.

Ever use a light tripod on a spotting scope in the wind and have it shake? There is a reason there are tripods that cost a small fortune and they have no issue selling them to the trade.

Jerry

Jerry
 
mysticplayer said:
Although Nikon makes great binos and decent scopes, never been too impressed with their spotters. Eye relief is way too short which is suprising from a Japanese company. They should know all about eye glass use.
Jerry
Click to expand...

Just curious Jerry, have you ever used a Nikon with a fixed eyepiece? I have a Fieldscope lllED 60mm with the variable eyepiece. For the money spent I really like the scope, and not having glasses I don't have an issue with eye relief. I was wondering if a fixed eyepiece might be a better option for those with glasses.

Brian, if you google "birding optics" or similar you should come up with some sites that will garner good info and price points on scopes. Better View Desired is one I have visited and has some good stuff.
 
I just went through this same exercise and finally decided on the Kowa 661 (non-ED) model which has an angled eyepiece and rotating mount (important if you want to furrther adjust the postition of the angled eyepiece relative to your eye). Not convinced that ED would be of much use in the game that I play (F-Class). I selected the LEF 25X eyepiece given that I wear glassses. I also really like their protective case design. Great glass in a relatively small package.

Got mine for about $850 ($CAN), when I figure in the exchange and PST/GST.
 
I'm looking at a shop that sells the Celestron 80 for $135USD, I might pick one up.

As far as stands go, I'll try using my Manfrotto tripod + ballhead for now and see how that goes. It can go as low as ground touching, and the ballhead makes adjusting easy (for camera application anyway).
 
The only way you are going to see through the mirage is if your scope is focused ON the target. The key with the spotter is to focus 1/3 the way down the range.

My Pentax 80ED is FABULOUS for seeing the mirage as RP can probably attest to since I made him sit and study the mirage with it the other day at Vokes :D

You can also spot 6mm bullet holes at 600yds in a no mirage condition with it which we were doing in Saskatchewan last year first thing in the AM.

You can find Freeland scope stands used for under $200, you don't HAVE to spend $350 on a RayVin....I just wanted something that no one else had up here at the time.....now everyone has them....LOL
 
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