Just tested an angled scope and hard to get on target for me. Any tricks to acquiring the target? I can see the advantages of the angled scope but just too used to a strait ocular, should I learn to live with it or return it for a straight ocular?

I believe the angled ocular is superior for use at a shooting bench, where you can set it up in a way that you don't have to leave your seat after a shot, just lean over to look through the scope.

I prefer a straight scope in the field - it's just easier to find a tiny object at long distance that you originally spotted with your binos when you can point the scope directly at it.

I had the same pro lem when I first acquired my angled spotter. I learned to look down the side of the spotter to get on target quickly. il over mine and would never go back to a straight in the field or at the bench.

Having used both styles a fair bit, I'm a big fan of straight oculars over angled for the reason you stated. It's much more intuitive and quick for me to get on target with a straight spotter.

I think it depends on what you do with the spotter. if you glass with it, angled is probably the most comfortable. if you just want to identify straight is better. I have a straight spotter, but the next spotter I get I am going to try and angled 50 mm vorted razor. doug say the ratio of straight to angled is 2:5 with angled being more common

I find angled better for everything except glassing from a truck. In that instance straight is better.

I have both kinds, many use a spotter out of a pickup window on a mount, then straight is easily best, a 50 or 60. The angled is harder to get on a target when mounted on a
tripod, that is where a straight scope shines.
So, if you were looking for just one scope I would get a straight scope, they are quicker to get on target. .

My thoughts exactly

Had to read that twice...I saw "in the field or at the bench" as "at the beach." No less valid a point, either way.

+1

I have learned to live with finding my subject with an angled spotter. In the field it works much better on a short tripod that is not affected by the wind and much more comfortable to look down into the eye piece for long periods.
also works great at the bench : )

those looking from a truck, which I've never been in the need to do, so I don't really know, but IF you are clamping to window, couldn't you just roll the window up more and use the angle from the bottom.


I've done a LOT of scoring/coaching/watching at matches on my back, with a towel blocking the damn sun, looking up into the angle of the scope.

Regardless like a lot of things its a PITA at first but I'd never purposely buy a straight spotting scope again. Have a Zeiss straight, wished it was angled but it was a good trade for an old Kowa to get a shooter to a proper spotting scope for the game.

Angled is kind of like 2 stage AR triggers. There isn't a single stage thats great that I've ever tried, but I"ve not tried em all. 2 stage can break crisp clean and light.

Those say they can't get used to them. BULLSHIT. You ain't trying. If you can't get used to a 2 stage you may as well just quit the game. I can go from an 8 ounce single stage to 8 ounce 2 stage to a 5 pound 2 stage to a 3 pound single stage in all kinds of guns. I can go from a Glock trigger to a 1911 trigger.... you just have to apply yourself.

Same will go for spotting scopes.

Mark me up for the angled spotter. I look for key geographic features and aim the scope in a rough way before I look through it. Much easier to use and look for longer periods of time.

From the bench an angled spotter, in the field a straight has worked best for me. It really depends on the type of tripod/mount one has. Either can be a pain depending.

I have straight, and angled. The angled had more utility because the scope is adjusted to the shooter, and with a strait scope the shooter goes to the scope.
For position shooting like prone, sitting and standing, angled is way better.

That makes 3 of us.

I sure used to be of that train of thought too. FWIW. if I"m going to stand behind a spotter on a tall tripod all day I could see it. Every angled one we have has an aiming bar etc.. and they are easy to point. FWIW.

But if its working for ya, not many real reasons to change.

I prefer a straight ocular with a proper tripod. I make all the adjustments with the tripod and just have to point my spotting scope at the target. Most spotting scopes require a tripod anyways due to the higher magnification.

I thought I was a straight spotter fan. When I bought one, it showed up as a mis-shipped angled model. After using it for awhile I would never do a straight spotter again. There are a several reasons for this, all mostly stated above. When sitting and looking over larger chunks of territory for long periods, the angled is far easier than straight. Doing that now with a straight, it feels like a torture on my neck. Much easier looking downward. Next, the spotter is lower to the ground, making the tripod support more solid than several inches higher up in the air. Works well off the bench too. Never tried it much from the window mount.

The thing is if you are well used to one, why change what works? Both styles work. Using angled is kind of like getting used to operating a bolt rifle from the shoulder. Once you learn how, it's second nature.

The following link helped me adapt to the angled, a method to make a sight using cable ties. Illustrations are at the last two phages of the pdf linked at the bottom of the first post in the bird forum link.

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=166747&highlight=sight+for+angled+spotting+scope

Angled

I'm in this camp...

With the glassing I do I cannot tell you the times I've had an extra 5 seconds, or even 5 seconds total, to analyze a buck prior to disappearing which has an influence on your whole day.

I’ve owned both styles and use it when I hunt in the mountains for sheep and goats every year. Also use it for caribou and pronghorns, but not every year.
I switched to angled 10+ years ago and would never switch back to a straight. For doing lots of glassing in mountain conditions, the angled is a lot more versatile because of the ability to rotate the scope and get into comfortable viewing positions. It’s a little trickier getting on target but it’s a minor detail considering the benefits.

Straight for me.

Ups and downs for both, as repeatedly stated.

I mainly use an angled Swaro, with a peep "sight" on the side to get it close to where I want to look so I don't have to monkey around with it trying to find the critter.
I don't scan with it: just get a better look at something I spotted with binos.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is that when strapped to or in my pack, I worry a bit more about pressure being applied to the angled eyepiece due to tight compression straps. I always wonder if I am going to do damage to it. Never have, but it is usually on my mind.

I can see the advantage of the angled when glassing steep grades up or down in the mountains. But in the mountains, I'm usually on my binos. I mostly use my spotter out on the flat where further distance is involved. For me, that means a straight scope. I think it all depends on what you're looking to do.

I guess it could depend on the type of mountains and animals. Here in BC looking for Stones sheep, I use binos and the spotter for picking apart the terrain looking for bedded rams near and especially far. The spotter is good for grid searching trying to find them. I find the angled spotter allows a lot more set up options (comfort) for long glassing sessions.

Yes. Angled foks generally glass with their spotters more which is fine but that's a good way to an early eye fatigue nap. I don't glass at all or rarely with a spotter so straight it is. But I'm not a goat guide ...grin...

×10. I love my angled in the field, but it can be a bit more challenging from the truck. I've got a Swaro ATX so I may end up buying the straight eye piece just for that.

Cant stand angled, lost the opportunity on a big ram as i couldnt find him fast enough to judge. Binos are straight, Rifle scope is straight, range finder is straight..... Angled is like a fly in the ointment! Others mileage may vary........

+1 I switched to an angled last season and it’s much easier for me while glassing now. Takes a little to learn to get on target but it’s easy now.

I have had both and can use both without issue. I still have my angled spotter.

For me if I’m looking through a spotter for longer amounts of time I find it more comfortable to simply lean forward and look down into my eyepiece rather then crouch down to see through the straight. The angled as mentioned allows for a lower tripod height and most places I use my spotter get pretty windy. Straight scopes are a tad faster onto target but with the sight tube on the side of my angled Swarovski it doesn’t take much practice to get fast at getting onto target. On a window mount in the truck the straight is slightly faster and easier if looking at steep uphill or down hill angles, that said my Swarovski has the swivel and I can roll the scope sideways and have gotten used to it from the truck. At the range I also prefer my angled tube as I set it up next to me with the tube rolled to the left and the eyepiece just over the edge of the bench. After a shot I simply pick my head up off the stock, move it to the right and I’m looking into my eyepiece without much fuss.

It’s all preference but for my uses the angled benefits outweighs the negatives.

+1

Straight for me.

Once you learn to get on target quickly with an angled spotter, you'll never go back to a straight. The angled is so much more comfortable to use for long periods of time

It's actually more like 8 angled to 1 straight. It's so much so that some mfg's don't offer straight

This should help a lot. I got such a good price on this little Celestron Hummingbird that I will keep it and see how quickly I adapt to it. I do use the window mount a fair amount but think that if the angled eye piece rotates then it will work for that too. I'll see before I get a bigger scope.

Thanks Steve99.

Have both, prefer angled.

Pros for angled,

- Tripod can be lower, helps in wind.
- Comfortable looking uphill.
- Ability to pan very wide without moving tripod, or your own position.

That is kind of funny as I find the angled best w/ a window mount. My spotter rotates and I can adjust the power seat for comfy viewing. Looking for critters from a vehicle may seem lame to many but is far better than staying home on a cold day Here in Nevada looking for sheep is off season fun. Glassing is an art that I have yet to master, that and sitting still.


mike r

Most angled don’t rotate, so really not funny at all...

The good ones do

I guess I lead a sheltered life as I've never seen one that didn't rotate

Perhaps we’re talking about two different things?

Like straight for the ease of switching between binoculars and spotting scope.

Same here for me, I've owned and used both a good bit. Angled is nice for certain things, like glassing from the bottom and looking up several thousand feet, but overall I'll take straight all day, every day.

Yup, agreed. Elevation differentials are really where an angled scope shines, IMO, but otherwise I'll take straight.

I'm curious where the disconnect is here. I dont recall seeing a quality angled spotting scope that didn't rotate.

I have both angled and straight spotters and I take straight if I am caribou hunting or moose hunting but angled for sheep and goats.

You don't like anything that's straight.

Don't BS me.

Quit sexting me.

Your hormone therapy is working but not interested.

I read somewhere to install a sturdy cable tie around your ocular, orient the tag end so that it's inline with the plane of the scope's angle, and trim the end so that it's the right length to act as a front sight. Sight across the top of the eyepiece through the tip of the zip tie to line up on targets.

Angled for me, in a landslide. My scope's mount collar rotates around the scope body, allowing correction for uneven ground or flat viewing at a bench.

Too late.

Straight for me.

Have several of both, because I find both handy for various purposes. But apparently many people are just as wedded to angled or straight as they are to 8x binoculars versus 10x binoculars, or to 7mm vs. .30.

I have both and have used both. No doubt comfort goes to angled, but if it is serious, straight is the only option for me. Many times I have been there when those with angled spotters could not find the critter, period. Speed in finding critters goes to the straight by a lot.

You often do not have the time and speed is crucial to find an animal, I am used to straight.

Straight for me.

There is definately a learning curve to find game quickly with an angled spotter. I dedicated myself to learning and now have zero trouble finding game with mya angled

In the areas I hunt I like the straight because there are more times that I am looking either straight across a canyon or looking at a steep down angle. A couple years ago I was watching some elk about 1500' below me and a guy came along and pulled his angled spotter out and I have never seen anybody contort themselves to try and get lined up on those elk. I ask him if he would like to look through my spotter but he was bound and determined he was going to use his angled just to show me that his angled was better than my straight. As for pickup use I much prefer a straight. But as mentioned above it is whatever you bring to the dance is what works for you. This conversation is probably one of the most hotly debated topics on the internet, not only on the hunting forums but the birders also.

So people who use straight scopes suffer from a learning curve or lack of dedication in learning to be proficient? Copy that...

I don't know what they do or don't suffer from. I just know that I had problems at first and thought I'd made a mistake bug with a bit of practice I learned to acquire a picture quickly

On the angled Swarovskis the scope body rides inside a ring built into the base/shoe. Pull the pin (mushroom looking cap with the 4 slots shown low on the ring) and rotate the body to change the eyepiece’s clocked position. From the truck and off the bench I rotate it 90 degrees.

I can’t swear that all scopes have this feature but on every mid-level and up angled spotter I have been around has some version of rotation.

I know lots of guys with lots of experience that have gone to straight scopes. I do not know many that have gone the other way. And I do know quite a few serious guys with serious time behind glass that like angled, so I am not going to say they are wrong. For me, straight is the only way for serious stuff.

If I could afford to have more than one good quality spotter, I’d probably have a couple of each in different sizes for different uses. But if I’m only to have one, then angled is for me.

Straight.....

WOW J dub, pompous obviously but wondering if it is more from arrogance or ignorance ?????

For many years I was a guide assistant on Desert and Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep (still have never been on a Dall or Stone hunt). It was standard glassing to have 10X binos, 15X binos on a tripod and a spotter. In many glassing points using all 3. It was so counter intuitive going back and forth from the 15X binos to the angled spotter that it was an easy decision to have a straight spotter. Clients often brought angled spotters with them on their hunts, few if any left thinking it was a better choice. You can flat out spot game faster and easier with a straight

I figured if I can do others can I guess I am wrong. I didn't find it that difficult once I got past the learning curve. Kinda like welding with a mirror, not that difficult once you get past the learning curve

Apparently more can operate them properly than can't

For me, my preference for angled isn’t about spotting game faster or easier. It’s the fact that the angled allows me a whole lot more flexibility for getting comfortable behind the spotting scope, no matter if I’m looking upward angle or downward. For me getting comfortable behind a spotting scope in the mountains = better and more time glassing. This has turned out to be more important for me hunting Stone Sheep , goats, etc.

That's interesting. I prefer angled, but when looking out my car window on a mount, straight is better.

If I upgrade I will look for a spotter that has interchangeable lenses if this doesn't limit my choices too much. The compact angled one works well off a bench but still leaning towards a straight lens for a larger scope for hunting and birding.

Had this conversation with some guys this weekend.

The split seems to be between those that “glass” with a spotter and those that judge/verify with a spotter.

You that can glass with a spotter are tougher than I.

I like straight.

Just because something is popular does not mean it is best for any given operation. I find that especially true in this case. There is zero doubt angled spotters are best from the bench. Not even the first hint of a question there. For spotting game there is a question. And lots of the answers bleed over from bench experience. But as I said earlier there are lots of folks with lots of experience, obviously including you, preferring angled.

You're looking for something to be offended about if you had a problem with his post.