Help me pick a spotting scope

[Spyguy]

I have a budget of $300, give or take. So no Swarovski or Kowa.

I've been looking at the following three, but open to consider others that are recommended:

Konus 7122: Konuspot 20-60x100



Celestron 52252: Ultima 22-66X100



Celestron 52268: C90 Mak Spotting Scope

[ExtremeX]

You can step it up a notch and get the Alpen 20-60x80mm. Thats what I use right now... I really like it.

There is a $50 rebate right now putting it in your price range @ about $325 and sports an 80mm objective.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/alpen-20-60x80mm-angled-waterproof-spotting-scope-45-eyepiece-788.html

[Spyguy]

You can step it up a notch and get the Alpen 20-60x80mm. Thats what I use right now... I really like it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did look at the Alpen 20-60x80 a couple of days ago. Besides a somewhat higher price and a smaller objective lens, I couldn't tell if there were any other differences between the Alpen and the Konus or Celestron. Then I read a particularly detailed negative review on Amazon and got a bit turned off to the Alpen.

I realize that the reviewer may have had a similar negative reaction to a Konus or Celestron as he did the Alpen (I suspect all three are made in China to comparable standards), so I'm not trying to jump on Alpen. But if the quality is similar, then it seems to make sense to go with the larger optics and/or lower price.

In any case, I'm glad you're happy with yours. Have you been able to do any side-by-side comparisons between your Alpen and a Konus or Celestron?

[ExtremeX]

That’s just one review out of many… I picked them as an alternate to Vortex, as it’s still a US company and also carries a lifetime warranty like Vortex.

Not that I do much bird watching, but those guys are pretty anal about their spotting scopes, so more than the target shooting crowd. Alpen gets a lot of good reviews on their sites and also popular with the digiscoping crowd.

My last spotting scope was a Barska… and the upgrade was a noticeable and welcome improvement on all fronts. I suspect it would be similar performance to similarly priced spotting scopes but I gave them a shot and wasn’t disappointed.

Vortex Nomad is abother option, around the same price as the Alpen, but only a 60mm objective, which is why I picked the Alpen over the Vortex. The Vortex Viper 80mm spotting scopes start at a MUCH higher price...

[Spyguy]

I understand where you're coming from. Ideally I could evaluate all the options side-by-side. I'm generally skeptical about "lifetime warranties". More often than not, they're nothing more than a sales gimmick because they only cover manufacturing defects, and typically any real manufacturing defect will present itself within 30 days of use.

[Vin63]

A long time ago, I got use my uncle's Leupold spotting scope everytime we went to the range and I loved that thing. If I could, I would purchase another one from Leupold today. The Ventana Series is moderately priced.

[23's Dad]

Don't forget to budget for a tripod!

With those 100mm scopes you'll need something pretty sturdy. Think Monfrotto...

[Spyguy]

With those 100mm scopes you'll need something pretty sturdy. Think Monfrotto...

Yep. I'm also a photographer so I already have some quality tripods by Bogen/Manfrotto and Gitzo.

[ExtremeX]

While I haven’t tried those spotting scopes you have listed, I would however take a smaller 60mm or 80mm objective scope in the same price range, if the glass is in fact better. Optical clarity and resolution trump a brighter image when it comes to spotting small holes at a distance.

If you can get your hands on those models I would be curious as to what others have to say.

[Spyguy]

Agreed. The problem is in finding which has better quality lenses without doing hands-on quantitative testing.

[1911Vince]

Sorry to hi-jack your thread but...

How is the Vortex Nomad 20-60x60 for .223 out to 300 and .308 out to 500? Is that doable or is it pushing the limits of this scope.

Thank you.

[hoss_hk]

Not sure where you're located but Scope City carries Konus and Celestron. I saw a lot of good Konus reviews (for their $200 price), but wasn't interested in their soft case. I ended up with the Alpen, which came with a hardcase. The tabletop tripods that come with the low end scopes are all junk, so you can dismiss that as a selling point anyway. The one that came with the Alpen hasn't tipped over on me, but will move a little when the wind picks up.