Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Cornell's 2008 Spotting Scope Review

For you folks with an interest in or who are shopping for spotting scopes I just noticed this link from the EO website....

http://www.livingbird.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=272&srcid=265#top

A pdf copy of the results is here....

http://www.livingbird.org/netcommunity/bbimages/lb/pdf/ScopeChart2008.pdf

Frank,

What did you think of this review and its results?

Of interest to me was the inclusion of the Bushnell Elite in the "mid-priced ($1000-1500)" category when I've never seen it sell for anything more than $700. I suppose that's Bushnell's fault for listing MSRPs that are just ridiculously out of whack with their products' actual real-world price points. (I've never seen anyone do this nearly as blatantly as Bushnell always has.)

Also of note were the fairly damning comments about the Vortex Skyline series as well as the equally high praise given to the Stokes Sandpiper.

I'm not sure I agree with everything the author posted but, I was certainly pleased to finally read a review where honest opinions were shared as opposed to the watered-down, always complimentary, virtual advertisements we normally get to read.

Bravo Cornell and Living Bird.

Frank,

Good posting. I got a lot out of that article. Like, Kowa!!!!

FWIW, I looked through a Vortex Skyline ED last week and was severely disappointed in the quality of the image. To the point that I decided to not even consider it any further, no matter the price.

Also tried a Nikon 82ED with 25-75x zoom. Very sharp, but also very narrow FOV. Looked through a Pentax PF65ED and it seemed to strike a reasonable balance at both range extremes. I had wanted to check out the Pentax PF80ED but they had sold the last one just a few minutes before I got there and were packing it up.

Based on the above review, other than the Kowa scopes there does not seem to be much excitement in anything else yet. I'm hoping there will be a few more announcements during the next few months or I'll be putting off buying the spotter for a year and getting set up for reloading instead.

lucznik,

I do not really know what to think. Spotters have not really been my strong point. I was more into the current lineups from the various manufacturers a year or two ago...and much has changed since.

Admittedly, I never seriously considered the high end Nikon, Zeiss, Leica and Swaros. $1600+ (and closer to $2000 or better) for something I would not use 1/4 of what I use my binos for is just too much for me to justify. In the case of spotters I was always more interested in that fine line between excellent performance and reasonable price. The smallest Nikon ED model, the original Pentax ED and a few others in that $600-$900 price range are really the only ones that peaked my interest at that time. I then find it somewhat shocking that they were listing spotting scopes in the "under $1000" as budget or affordable.

I realize the tolerances have to be tighter and the designs a bit better because of the need for good image quality at higher magnifications. However, the author's comment about the difference between the binocular and spotting scope markets in terms of "affordable quality" seems to be very true.

After having read the article I am left with several different impressions.

1) It seems everyone's comments about the 65 mm Pentax ED A II not comparing to the original in terms of image quality or functionality seem to be spot on. The original was compared directly to the high end scopes of similar size. The second version was ranked 9th or 10th in its respective price category. That is pretty sad in my opinion.

2) I agree with you on utilizing the MSRP. It really puts a different spin on things especially considering how heavily some of those scopes are discounted.

3) Though I have heard of Vixen I have never owned their products so it is somewhat of a surprise when I see three or four of their spotting scopes ranked at the top of that category.

4) I think I may need to look at the Vortex Sandpiper more closely.

5) $2300+ for a scope that isn't make in Germany or Austria? It must be good not only for it to merit that type of price tag but also the high praise it received in this review. I always knew Kowa was a player in the spotting scope market but I had no idea it was that much of one.

Keep in mind I am taking all of their comments at face value. I did not entirely agree with their comments/ratings in the 2005 binocular review and that is an area that I feel much more comfortable with.

The only thing I know for sure about spotting scopes is that one should try them out to see if they meet expectations. Very much like binoculars and probably worse. Worse because they use much more magnification, which magnifies the optical imperfections of the optic in question. From what I've seen, lots of people think some of them are really great, until they try to use the maximum magnification availiable. That's usually where they see it's design limits or get introduced to the effects of mirage. E

That includes eye relief. You can't just rely on comparing manufacturers' published specs. It's best to actually look through the different scopes. Where there is a choice of eyepieces, they are a very important component.

Paul

Good points guys. Higher quality glass and more sophisticated optical designs really show their worth at higher magnifications.