Recent spotting scope deal? 7-11-10

[Rigma]

I bought a "on sale" BARASKA spotting scope, and that old adage "You get what you pay for" is leaving a bruise.

I'm on a budget, need something that will give me a clear view of 100 yard targets, and the Baraska 20x60x60 came up short.

Maybe its just the POS tri-pod it came with, maybe you can recommend something better.

If you found a deal, please only let me know if it was recent and there is a possibility I might gain from your wisdom!

thanks in advance.

[Black Majik]

Give the Konuspot80 a try. I've also found the Bushnell Excursion ED to be very nice for it's price.

When it comes to optics, you do get what you pay for. For the most part, table top tripods aren't very stable so you'll end up with a bit of shake. Slik tripods are great stable tripods at an affordable price.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to spot holes in paper, but, it is definitely worth it to spend a couple hundred on a decent spotter. Just keep in mind for the most part, budget minded spotting scopes with variable power eyepieces are usually unusable past 40x, they get very dim, resolution is exponentially degraded and eye relief is almost non-existent. Larger objectives help with resolving images, but at the price of bulk and weight.

I would go to a birding store, look through a couple of spotting scopes, then set a budget after looking through a few to get a better idea what would better suit you.

Good luck

[Rigma]

Just keep in mind for the most part, budget minded spotting scopes with variable power eyepieces are usually unusable past 40x, they get very dim, resolution is exponentially degraded and eye relief is almost non-existent.

Exactly the problem I had. Thank you for the words of wisdom.

[fcr]

Konuspot 80 can be had for $179.00 at B&H photo, not in stock at this time.

[CSTactical]

Just got the Bushnell Excursions in-stock. I'll be doing a review on them in the next week or two.





Thanks,

Mike @ CST

[Ls1FALimpala]

are the big 5 ones good?

[Black Majik]

are the big 5 ones good?

Nope.

[Fred Foobar]

I was short on cash and needed something for this weekend so ended up getting a Celestron Ultima 80 (non ED) for under $115 (without tripod) via fleabay.

Normally the Ultima 80's can be had for $130-$140 shipped.

If I had the time, I would have waited for the Konuspot80 to get back in stock @ B&H. I've read nothing but good things on that one.

http://www.inlandshooters.net/index.php?contentid=112

What is your budget range and shooting distances?