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

My saying is,"you don't know what you are not seeing until you see it"

Made it to Cabelas today and had enough time to compare some glass. I only looked at some stuff across the store, but tried to keep each scope at the same power level while comparing them. I looked through the Leupy 12-40x60ED and 15-30x50, the new Nikon ED50, and the Nikon 60mm Fieldscope (not ED). With the time I had I'd have to call the Big Leupy and 60mm Nikon a draw under those in store conditions. The little ED50 was great, but just wasn't as bright under any power setting, and really got darker at the top end. So did the 60mm at it's higher (60X) top end. THe Leupy had great eye relief and the weight was about a push with the larger nikon. I had the two Nikons weighted with thier eyepieces on, and they were 20ounces and 40 ounces. That's kind of a big difference IMO. The Little Leupy was a good performer for what it is, but I didn't care for it's focus knob location or fine adjustment ability. Maybe it was just new and stiff. I also found it's eye relief to be inferior to the other three, and there was some image distortion as I moved my eye around within the narrow box. Not sure of the technical term for this condition, but it was much more apparent on that scope.
So anyway, the choice is currently between the ED50 and the two larger,heavier scopes. It's still a weight vs. performance thing....

My gut feeling is go for the larger 60mm scope that you like. I doubt very much that any 50mm will match the 60mm scopes. It isn't a matter of low light performance. It would be a matter of being able to see detail at the highest magnification. And that, assuming glassing/coatings that are close, requires a larger objective. A 60mm scope has an exit pupil of 2.5mm @ 24X. A 50mm has a 2.5 exit pupil at 20X. That's 20% more, however you cut it. E

I cut it to 80 MM objective on my spoter...........

My only spotter now is an 82mm. The pros and cons are pretty obvious.....

I want to go compare scopes some more, but I'm thinking that the lightest 60+/-mm scope w/ or w/o the better ED glass is the way I'll prolly end up going. My other option is to start leaving other gear at home and take just food and my 82ED. Camp like a pauper, but glass like a king! I'm looking at ALL options.

For those that use a set of binos on a tripod a lot try this and see how it works for you.

It works great for me.

When set up and studying a hill side I go in a grid from left to right.

When I do this I can use the bridge of my nose and or the bones right above my eyeballs to rest on the glass and slowly move it.

Make any sense?

Try it and you'll see what I mean.

Mark D

Great suggestion Mark. I've used the same technique which is one reason I hate trying to glass while wearing glasses. I leave the eye cups "out" so I can lean against them.

I always leave the cups in, for me I feel like I get a better field of view that way.

Mark D

I obviously was amazed at what a set of 15X binocs can do on a tripod, such to the point I no longer plan to buy a field spotter. I do have a Leica 77mm angled eye-piece spotter that is an incredible optical instrument with the 27x eyepiece. However, my Minox 15x58s are handier and easier to look through for long periods of time. I can even use them hand held--for a minute or so.

I've spent a lot of hours so far this spring looking thru mine for bruins, veddy veddy user friendly.

So far have seen some neat bruins including a couple of colored ones that were quite tricky looking.

Mark D

Really? I can't run 'em that way at all...

Me neither. I always thought the only reason to run (or fold) the cups down was for eyeglass wearers to get close enough for a full field of view.

Actually, with my ELs I run them out about half way, and on everything else I just lean into the squishy rubber.

BTW, does anyone have experience with the older style Swaro eyecups that block out more side light? They seem like a good idea, but I've never tried them.

Just tried cups in recently, and got it to work for me after a while (have to rest my brow on just right).

It solved an issue I was having with my left lense fogging, due to the increased ventilation.

I know it is a weird thingy but for me it works model perfect and is just a lot easier for me...

Go figure me doing something differently than the rest of the world...grins

Dober

Dave how's the bruin season coming up your way?