Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Spotting scope OR 15x binos?

I have a rifle and a shotgun I'm happy with. I have a compact bino (Steiner 10.5x28) that I always carry and like. I have had success with elk, deer, and ducks with these.

This season I added a rangefinder.

I can muster up enough funds now to get the next piece of equipment. I can choose the make and model of each easily enough but choosing which is harder...a Spotting Scope (65mm) OR a 15x bino (and doubler?) ?! I accept either will be on a tripod.

As an Example, the weight difference between the Swarovski 15x56 bino and the 65mm spotter are nearly neglible when accounting for tripod, etc, so that's not a breaker. Even the price of between 15x56 and a STS non-HD aren't that far apart, again not making a breaker.

Out here in Arizona, it seems I can either see 15 miles or 40 yards.I've never been much impressed by the difference between a 10x and a 15x bino. But I've read 'all' the articles and have some experience in the field now that is pushing towards including the tripod optic in my strategy. I read the boards, the articles and have looked through what I could before posting. Your field experience is much appreciated.

So without getting into the specifics of budget or maker...how would you decide which ONE came next, a Spotter or a 15x Bino?

For the price of a Swarovski you could conceivably get a less expensive, but not all that inferior, set of big eyes AND a decent spotter. That way you're covered either way.

Depends on what you hunt, where you hunt and how you hunt.

If you backpack into mountains with big views and want to micromanage horns from a mile out, the spotter is the way to go.

If you want to glass a draw for an hour to spot a bedded Coues deer, then the binos will be a better/more comfortable solution for you.

I agree with the other poster, you can get pretty good glass in both applications for less than the Swaros. When you figure out which you use more then splurge for the alpha glass.....

Just my .02,

I have the 15X Swaro. and a leupold 20x60 spotting scope and use the 15X way more, I would like to get a better spotting scope someday but if I had to chose just one I would go with the 15X. I think the doubler is a waste of money.

I have the 15x56 Swaro's and they are great for glassing long periods of time on a tri-pod with little or no eye fatigue, much better for finding game than a spotting scope.
Once the game is found a spotting scope is far better for judging the size of the animal but far less field of view and eye fatigue sets in much sooner. so it depends on what needs are most important to you.

btw...If you do go with a set of 15x56 Swaro's plan on upgrading your Steiners fairly soon because you wont be quite so happy with them afterward.

completely agree !!!!!!!!!

Nothing beats the 15x bins out here in AZ. As a guide and outfitter I only carried 15x bins.
Spotters are nice and good for field judging, but for glassing nothing beats the 15's.
If I was you, I would get the 15x Vortex or 13x Minox (I own both and the swaro's) and if a spotter is a must get a Minox 62 if Doug still has them on sale.

Kique

valise,

Let me welcome you to the 'fire. Maybe I have some good news for you. Under "Selling Spendy Stuff" in the free clasified I listed a 13X56 MInox for $600.

I used them on one varmint hunt and they was no eye strain even after hours behind them.

Hunting horns or meat?

If horns buy the spotter first.
If meat buy the binoculars first.

This assumes the competitive horn hunter would consider it a waste to tag a merely adequate animal.

My own choice has been a wider selection of somewhat inferior (if not by absolute necessity certainly forced by price) optical equipment.

Agreed that on first impression the difference between the naked eye and any optic is much greater than the difference between 6X -8X -10X -15X and a spotter is more impressive.

Seems to me that for spotting game a trained eye matters more than the optic. For scoring game the optic matters much more though there is always the oh my goodness gracious response.

We used to have three elk bulls on our property that hung together - much of the year down at night up in the morning in a regular predictable pattern, a big typical, a smaller typical and a non-typical - sheds collected and available for scoring -
- (with the same pattern year after year I don't understand the non-typical recurrent there are things about non-typicals I don't understand)
- scoring at distance is a little harder

I think but can't prove that I'm content to miss things with the lower power binoculars and think I've seen everything in a quicker impatient even rushed scan but it also seems to me that some folks almost early blur that is see something in a narrow spotter fov and are somehow satisfied they've seen everything and stop looking - just sightseeing and not looking - like seeing a cow elk and not looking behind her for a bull - so I'm inclined to think big eye binoculars and careful attention are most important for the meat hunter -

I saw those and was going to mention them. Pretty good deal.......

Despite roving through the threads here recently and not finding the old discussions regarding Spotting scopes vs Big Eyes thinking, I came upon them via another route.

'08 thread...
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2408685/1

'09 thread...
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3208084/1

Having read through them now, I will say that the comments directly above have been marvelously concise and useful in providing perspective.

I'd suggest you buy a good, heavier 10X40/42 binocular and see what you are missing first. Leupold's Gold Rings, Meopta, or the Pentax ED's. You don't need to use a tripod with them, but they do help.
If you are going to carry a spotter, then you need to make a tradeoff as to weight vs. performance. I've got an 82mm Nikon ED which I'm sure shows me stuff was out there that no 15X binocular could ever show me. But it weighs something like 4 lbs.
But, basically, binoculars are for glassing and a spotter is for getting a better look at something you've found. E

If you are trying to judge something way off I would agree, but if you are glassing for animals I would disagree.

To close this out...

In the long run I tried both a spotter and some 15x bins.

Even though the bins were only 27oz, I didn't much like carrying them (packed or with bino bra), found them too awkward to handhold with a narrow FOV and therefore they require a tripod for good use (no surprise).

I can hold my 10x26 and 8x20 (ultavids) perfectly fine. The 8x20s have a decent FOV so I've been pairing them with a spotter in select locations. The spotter doesn't take up much different space in the pack with tripod than the bins did. I like the 3x mag factor in pairing these two.

I appreciate the feedback and the experience built on those comments to better understand my own preferences.

My preference would be towards a 65 mm spotter with a good, wide angle 20x eyepiece. Specifically I would suggest the Pentax 65 mm EDII with the Pentax XW 20 mm eyepiece. That isn't a cheap combination but the optical performance is excellent. The image is extremely wide at 176 feet plus it is sharp with excellent edge sharpness. You can use the entire 176 foot field of view. The scope body weighs around 37 ounces but I am not sure on the eyepiece weight.

I would honestly put that combination against any set of "big eyes" currently on the market.

The beauty of this choice is that you could then use a zoom or any other 1.25 inch eyepiece on the scope if you feel you need more magnification.