Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics For hunting purposes only - "Big Eyes" or spotting scope?

That all depends on how much I was into glassing, if not tons then I would go with a spotter if tons then a lot of it would have to do with at what distances.

And yes no doubt if you can afford both then by all means do it.

A man can have too many rifles but never too much good glass!

Make sense?

Mark D

Mark I agree

I am somewhat of a glass snob if you will. I own Leica binos and have high quality glass on all my rifles - Swaro, Kahles, etc.

I am thinking long and hard about a Zeiss spotter, but also wanted to make sure that I am not making a mistake by buying a spotter and forgoing the Big Eyes. I may end up with both, yet, but certainly want to make a good decision if I only end up with one or the other.

Make sense?

Yes it does, and I would encourage you to consider this.

Get to a shop where you can line up a Zeiss a Swaro and a Leica b4 you choose which spotter that fits your eyes.

Ok?

Personally I would encourage you to buy a good spotter first and then the big bino's. The only was I would consider the opposite is if you lived in the west or the southwest and did a ton load of glassing.

I am off to the hill to looky lou for bruins.

Chao Po Ahora

Mark D
Mark D

Top notch advice there Dober...

To some degree, it depends what one is hunting. A spotter will save literally miles of walking critiqueing a sheep or goat, or a moose in an antler-restricted area.

I've played around with both the big Swaro and the spotter. The big Swaros are awesome for spotting game, and really the only way to pick apart a hillside. However-they are heavy to tote around. My usual spotter lately is the new 50 mm Nikon (also have a 62 mm Leica), and carrying that thing around is an afterthought. The Swaros, not so much. Went on a Coues deer hunt this past January that involved a lot of walking and climbing. The Swaros were nonpareil for spotting gane, but after a couple of days I found myself leaving them in camp and carrying the Nikon. Also had the same experience on a sheep hunt. I guess I'm a bit of a wimp-your mileage may vary (but then again, maybe not...).

Excellent point ironbender; appreciate the very helpful responses... looks like Swaro's get the nod. I wonder if the wife will believe they had 'em on close out at Wally World? Thanks guys!

Mark, you have given sage advice and I agree 100%. When I originaly ask my question I was not thinking of 15 power binoculars,I wqas thinking of the set that Darrel Cassel makes and sells. They are a bracket that holds 2 spoting scopes and mounts on a tri pod as such you look thri=ough then like binoculars
My bad....................

Mark

I have been to Cabelas and have looked at all the spotters - Leica, Zeiss, Swaro. I couldn't tell much difference if any of the 3, the Zeiss with the FL glass is by far the best deal out there, imo.

Then Powder River let er buck and get after them.

Mark D

You want to make sure you get the higher grade Minox if you buy one. The base model 15X58 Minox I checked out last spring would not quite show me as much as my 8X42 Leica unless the range exceeded 800 yds.
I hear lots of good words about the 12X50 Pentax SP as well. E

Mark's advice has been spot-on. If it is an either/or situation for open country deer, I would use 15x binos on a tripod over the spotter. Sitting hours behind a spotter is tiring to me when using just one eye, even with an eye patch on the off eye.

Jim White has made a tripler that attaches to most binos by easily clamping to the eyepice. It is said to be brighter than the Swaro doubler.


Doug~RR

I'm using a set of the BIG Big Eyes that Darryll is putting together, and for stationary viewing i really love them. This rig is a set of the older model Bushnell Spacemaster II's 22X WA oculars. Excellent glass really for it's price tag-- about $800 or so. Way too big to haul arond tho IMO.

I also have a pair of the 20X50 Weaver's he put together for me for $600 +/-, and i've hauled it attached to the Leupold Compact tripod in my pack in the CO mtns. more than a few miles just last season, and i'll do it again this yr. as well.

I can't compare them to the models these guys speak of tho.

I just read Rick's very interesting article, I haven't read the entire thread here so what I say may have already been covered. This is my experience and opinion.
I hunt archery Elk. The equipment weight that I carried on the first trip to the last has steadily decreased. 3 years ago I bought a pair of 12x Ziess binocs, retiring my 10x Ziess. Any more power and you can't hold them steady enough to see anything. As for the tripod, it would be a great assistance however the weight and bulkyness become a problem when you are walking in 2 to 3 miles of backcountry.
If you are close to a vehicle use the tripod, if your on foot and everything you carry in you have to carry out then the tripod may be too much. You as I get the choose.

The big problem with doublers, etc. is they rob you of resolution due to the use of a much smaller exit pupil.
That's another thing to consider. Along with the extra magnification, you need sufficient exit pupil size. That's one reason why the 12X50 and the 15X60 class binos work so well. The other of course, is the use of two eyes which greatly increases depth perception and, therfore, the ability to see detail.
So, if you go with a spotter, instead of the 50-60mm binoculars, you should consider one with at least a 60mm objective to make full use of that increased magnification. E

BTW, I suspect that for the open country hunter who both needs to find and evaluate game, the Duovid in 10+15X50 has some real possibilitys. You scan with it on 10X and then rest it on something like a pack and then switch to 15X to better evaluate the critter. Alot lighter and more compact than any binocular/spotter combination. You would give up some small degree of resolution due to the smaller objectives over a 60mm class bino and some degree of low light performance at 15X. However, when it got really darker, the 5mm exit pupil of that Duovid would outlast the smaller exit pupiled 15X60. E

This is the review I wrote up regarding the tripler. I did notice a loss of sharpness with the tripler. Jim White is making a spacer to correct the offset from center noted in the review.
I would like to see how sharp the lightweight Nikon 50ED is when turned to 30x. At 16 oz, it would be a good alternative to a doubler or tripler if the resolution is much better.

The Review:
The Jim White Tripler comes in an unpadded camo cordura case with a flap fastened with velcro. There is no belt loop on the case. The flap has a plastic cap in which a lens cloth is stuffed. The cap fits into the clamp when the flap is closed, but is sized large enough that it rests against the end of the lens tube and will not fit down into the recess of the lens tube and rub against the lens. In the case, it weighs 7 oz on my digital fish scale.


I tested the tripler using a pair of Leica Duovid 10+15x50 binoculars, and a Cabelas 20-60x60mm spotter which I purchased in the late 1980's and believe them to be Redfield Regal IVs with the Cabelas badge.


The optics were tested on a homemade resolution chart of the letters aaeeoocc and 111 of various sizes. This was stapled to a cardboard box and set out down the street at a distance of 65 yards. Temp was cool and no mirage was detected.


The tripler attaches easily to one eyepiece of the binoculars by squeezing the two tabs together to enlarge the ring and fit over the eyepiece. Due to the clamp attaching to one side of the tripler tube and the larger size in the binocular eyepiece, the centerline axis of the tripler does not line up with the axis of the bino lens tube/center of the exit pupil. The tripler is slightly off center. This may result in an eclipsed view, but the tripler angle may be adjusted easily by squeezing the clamp so a full field of view is given. I noticed that the tripler is not in the same line as the bino lens tube when so adjusted (i.e. it is clamped on a a slight angle). Different binos may have different eyepiece diameters, so this effect may vary.




I compared the Duovids set at 10x with the tripler attached (30x total) against the spotter set at 30x. With the bino/tripler, I could distinguish the e's distinctly in the 4th smallest set of letters. In particular, I keyed on being able to distinguish the horizontal line of the e. The 3rd smallest set of 1's could be distinguished as separate and can detect the top cap and bottom of the 1 clearly.
With the spotter at 30x, I could see the 2nd smallest set of e's clearly. The 4th set of letters are 4.0mm tall and the 2nd set are 2.8mm tall, or 40% smaller.

With the Douvid set at 15x and the tripler attached (45x total), I could discern the 2nd smallest set of e's and the 1's of the 2nd set. I could see separate 1's in the top, smallest set of letters, but could not tell the top and bottom of the 1 clearly.
With the spotter set at a comparable 45X, I could see both the e's and 1's of the smallest set clearly. The 1st set of letters are 2.3mm tall, or 18% smaller than the 2nd set.

Using just the Duovids set at 15x, no tripler, I could discern the e's of the 7th set of letters, and the 1's of the 6th set. The 1's in the 5th set appeared to run together.

After sunset, I tested how long I could tell the e's on the bottom left, 9th set. Sunset was at 6:58 this evening and the sky was clear. With the Duovids set at 10x and tripler attached, I lost detail of the e's at 7:10pm. At 7:15, I could not distinguish the largest letter on the right side of the chart. The 9th set, bottom left was readable using the spotter set at 30x until 7:15.

I noticed that the spotter appeared brighter during daylight than the tripler assembly. The view through the spotter was also noticably sharper. The tripler setup had about 20% less field of view than my spotter when set at comparable powers. Different binos and spotter mey give a different FOV. Also noticed was that the focusing of the bino with the tripler attached was more critical/touchy to the amount of focus dial rotation, than when just using the bino alone.

I did not notice any tinting of colors different than the Duovids transmitted. Nor did I see any color fringing when looking at pine needle clusters against the sky.

In looking through the spotter and tripler, I held a cupped hand over the off eye rather than squint. I also used a towell draped over my capped head and optics which helped cut ambient light from the side and really helps with seeing more acutely.

Doug~RR

I totally concur with E on the 60 mil spotter thing, unless I was a hard core backpacker there is no way I would go smaller than that.

Mark D

Mark, what would you suggest for an ultralight backpacker scope? I've got a Nikon Fieldscope 82ED with a 25-75x eyepiece that's AWESOME, but 4.25lbs. I want scope#2 to dump as many ounces as possible, but realize scopes smaller than 60mm get dark sooner, and anything I look through will be subconsciously measured against my Nikon. I'd like to cut weight and size both for week+ backpack hunting. My Binos are 10x42ELs, and I've got the tripod mount for them, so they can be my Small Big Eyes in addition to normal duties. The country I intend to hunt is crazy steep and painful-----think Sheep country, so all of my ounces need to be accounted for carefully, and mostly in the form of fuel! BUT, if the scope doesn't cut it, I'll end up not spotting game and hiking more to get close enough for my glass to work. Catch 22......

My list of considerations so far are:
(midweights)
Pentax PF65ED
Nikon Fieldscope III &III ED 60mm
Leupold Goldring 12-40x60HD
Minox 62 or 62ED
Kowa 662 ot 664(ED)

(lightweights but 50mm)
Kowa 502 or 504ED---both under a pound!
Leupy Goldring 15-30x50mm
Nikon Fieldscope ED50mm---right at a pound

(Misc./others)
Nikon Spotter XL 16-48x60
Sightron 20-50x60
Bushnell Elite 15-45x60


One other thought I had, was using my 25-75X eyepiece on the tiny Fieldscope ED50. Not sure what the power ranges would end up, but it could make a great setup for cheaper by swapping my eyepiece back and forth.

Any thoughts?

I found Rick's review and advice on the home page of the Campfire to be both enlightening and inspiring.

I have since bought some Zeiss Victory FL T 10x56 binoculars, Minox BD 15x58 ED BR binoculars, and a Swarovski 65 STS spotting scope.

I use them all three extensively even here in the NW Florida Piney Woods and don't know how I'd possibly enjoy hunting or see as much game again wihout them.

They've opened up a whole world that I was missing because I just wasn't SEEING!

I can't figure out which glass I'd leave at home in what situation but I think I'd have to study carefully the terrain I'd be hunting, the amount of weight I could reasonabley bear, distance from the vehicle, and would rather err on the side of extra weight and have "superior vision".

I know one thing for absolutely sure though! It's not possible to see too well and I definitely like the big eyes concept and am not likely to ever be caught without big eyes again for very long.

$bob$