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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Looking for a spotting scope with excellent eye relief (eyeglass wearers), with reasonable magnification (15-30 or therabouts), and close in focus (at least 5 meters) for the bird watchers in the house, but suitable for hunting as well, so needs decent low light performance at 20X and would be nice to check the weatherproof box. hoping to maintain reasonable size and weight with an objective in the 50mm to 65mm range... Would like to keep the purchase price at or under $750, including the integrated eyepiece... i will acquire a tripod separately ... my Google Fu so far has brought me to Zeiss, Leupold, Athlon, Hawke. Some really appealing offerings can't give me the close focus of 5 meters. Curious as to what you guys would recommend. Also keen on ease of slapping an iphone adapter on for digiscoping...
appreciate your recommendations...
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
pondering Doug's Kowa TSN-602 shot show sale at $722.50 as my upper limit at the moment...
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,259 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,259 Likes: 6 |
I haven't checked specs lately, but I'm betting 5M close focus will be hard to do.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Yeah, the specs on the Kowa claim 6m... which is close enough... several appealing scopes from Athlon and Leupold were out at about 10m...
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Hmmm pondering Doug's Hawke Endurance ED 20-60x68 Spotting Scope as well... anyone got experience with it or the Kowa TSN-602?
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 10,760
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 10,760 |
Sure you want a spotter? Nice binos may be more useful?
A true sportsman counts his achievements in proportion to the effort involved and fairness of the sport. - S. Pope
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Bins... I've got a Minox HD 8.5x52 BR for me and a Vortex 6.5x32 Fury for me (that the wife took for her own)... figured to round out the optics with a dual purpose spotter... birding and hunting...
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 600
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 600 |
I purchased an Athlon Ares 15-45X65 from Cameraland and have been very pleased (had it almost a year) with the low light and clarity of the spotter. I use it primarily to age deer at 300 yds or more with a Primos tripod trigger shooting stick. The cost is well within your price range.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369
Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Athlon Optics Ares 15-45x65 UHD - RL, thanks for that recommendation.
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 8,711 Likes: 10
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 8,711 Likes: 10 |
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,369 |
Kowa 664 nice but above my price point
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 817
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 817 |
Looking for a spotting scope with excellent eye relief (eyeglass wearers), with reasonable magnification (15-30 or therabouts), and close in focus (at least 5 meters) for the bird watchers in the house, but suitable for hunting as well, so needs decent low light performance at 20X and would be nice to check the weatherproof box. hoping to maintain reasonable size and weight with an objective in the 50mm to 65mm range... Would like to keep the purchase price at or under $750, including the integrated eyepiece... i will acquire a tripod separately ... my Google Fu so far has brought me to Zeiss, Leupold, Athlon, Hawke. Some really appealing offerings can't give me the close focus of 5 meters. Curious as to what you guys would recommend. Also keen on ease of slapping an iphone adapter on for digiscoping...
appreciate your recommendations... As for wearing eyeglasses when using it. Cant say for sure, but i believe that Kowa might well be the only one offering individual power eyepieces as opposed to only variable power eyepieces. And one of the choices Kowa offers is a long eye relief eyepiece intended for eyeglass wearers. I also believe its only offered in a 25x version.
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Joined: Jul 2009
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,209 |
Eye relief on the leupold 15-40 gold ring HD is about the best I have ever used. Good imagine as well. Not sure about shortest focal distance.
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