best scope under 300 pounds?

[HokkaidoStu]

Aplogies if this question has been asked before.....anyway I've never owned a scope before and looking on the net at all the options has given me a headache. I'll have to buy online and can't test beforehand ( no shops with scopes here in smalltown Japan! ).

What is the best scope available for under 300 pounds/US$450? ( I have no UK Pound key on this Japanese keyboard! ). I read a thread about Opticron MM2 which basically said it was ok but not perfect.

What about Delta scopes? Anyone own one? They seem pretty cheap....

Or should I just bite the bullet and resign myself to the fact you get what you pay for and splash out on a more expensive one?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[John Fleet]

I've recently bought a Delta 70 here in the UK as my first scope. I'm pretty happy with it and it cost £199 inc of the 20 - 45 zoom lens.

No doubt I'll upgrade in due course but in the meantime its relatively small, light and a revelation to use compared to my previous bins, but then I suspect this would apply to any half decent scope.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Stu,

Look out for a Kowa.
http://www.kowascope.com/
They're made in Japan, so you should be able to get them more cheaply there than you can over here. Might even be worth go knocking on the factory door.

Michael

[Andy Bright]

I was going to suggest Kowa.... they're not quite as good value as they used to be, but certainly the best priced of the more famous brands.
You have to realise that there are very few manufacturers producing scopes... many of them are produced by a single obscure Japanese company and appear in different guises across the world. That's not say that some of them aren't any good, just that most of them are closely related.

Andy

[stevo]

Hi Stu

If it`s your first scope then why not look at some of the other Opticron models.I started out with one & for the money I think the are pretty good value.

Regards Stevo.

[Michael Frankis]

One tip to check on any scope before you buy . . .

See if the scope is balanced on the tripod attachment point.

Most scopes, this point is at the centre of gravity of the scope, but some, it isn't, instead the attachment point is well off-centre. These scopes put a considerable strain on the tripod head, and will eventually break it. Avoid them!

Michael

[Charles Harper]

Stu, if you don't want to buy a scope yet, I'll give you my old Bushnell Spacemaster-- I just abandoned it for a Swarovski ATS65HD.

[Birdbrain]

Hello every one
A good scope for under £300 is a opticron is60 f-scope
With a ep le eye peice, i found this very good for short
bird trips,small and light hope this helps.

[Andy Bright]

Hi Bird Brain,
I see this is your first post on the main forums, so welcome to Birdforum.net from all the moderators and admin here.

Maybe would like to introduce yourself in the 'hello' forum so that you can get a proper BF welcome from the members. Whatever, we hope you enjoy your time here.
Regards,
Andy

[Blincodave]

Andy,

OK, I'm intrigued. Which companies' scopes are from this single obscure Japanese manufacturer?

Dave

[Geoff Brown]

Hokkaido Stu,

I have a Nikon RAIIA + of course an eyepiece for less than £300 and Iam well pleased with it. Should you be tempted to try digiscoping then Nikon also make all the attachments to connect their Coolpix 4500 and some other Nikon models directly and safely to it.

[scampo]

One of this month's birding mags reviewed the new ED version of the Delta and it did well considering its low price - standing up well against the high-priced competition.

What I can say is that some cheaper scopes do have rather small eyepieces,. There is no doubt that the larger eyepieces with long eye relief and wide field of view are a dream to use in comparison. I don't know what the Delta eyepieces are like but do compare them with others before you buy.

[John Fleet]

Steve
can you remember which birding mag carried the Delta review - I'd like to read it

John F

[pduxon]

I'd have to say the Opticron MM2 is cracking value. It has its limitations optically but is wonderfully portable and can be used hand held if needed.

[Tim Allwood]

Hiya
I'd echo comments by Michael and Andy - Look for a second hand Kowa or a Kowa on offer. In Focus were doing an offer on the 60 mm fluorite scopes last year for under 300 quid. Very light too.

[Karl J]

I'd second the MM2, although i've now got a bigger scope we do still take it out & about. Fits in your pocket, optics are ok, light and under £300.

There was a review of 'small scopes' in Sept Birdwatching mag, no Delta scope though but 7 of the 20 scopes reviewed were under £300


I'm also curious about Andy's comment ..... which obscure Japanese company is it ?

[Blincodave]

I would go with a second hand TS611/12 with a second hand TSN eyepiece. Easily the best option for a sub £300 budget. These scopes are regularly available at the specialist retailers or on E Bay.

In fact Warehouse Express is till selling them new but with the inferior TS eyepieces.

Dave

[guffers]

Originally posted by pduxon
I'd have to say the Opticron MM2 is cracking value. It has its limitations optically but is wonderfully portable and can be used hand held if needed.

I've just recently purchased my first ever scope and that was the Opticron MM2 and was in the region of about £300. Feels very light although I've hardly used it as yet. Thanks for the reassuring comments about it though.

[scampo]

Steve
can you remember which birding mag carried the Delta review - I'd like to read it

John F
I don't know why I lost this thread - sorry I didn't reply earlier.

I read it in W H Smith's about three weeks ago - can't remember which mag but your local library would have last month's copies.

It did really well in the review and, if I remember, was criticised only for its traditional rubber fold down eyepiece collar - that was all, the reviewer saying that he preferred the newer twist-up/down designs.

[gripper]

i suggest you have a look at the opticron imagic 80 i belive it can be bought for just under £300 with a fixed e/p

hope this helps

[Osprey]

Andy,

OK, I'm intrigued. Which companies' scopes are from this single obscure Japanese manufacturer?

Dave

Opticron, Mirador, Viking et al. They get there optic lenses from the same factories, well they used too. Only the high end of the market have inhouse production of lenses these days. Bit like videos and other electronic gear, if you look inside different video companies models you could well find they have parts made by Dawoo!

Bauch and Lomb sounds like German firm, owned by an American company and now made in Japan,whether their optics are inhouse is anyones guess. The cheaper ones Natureview etc probably bought in.

HTH

Osprey

[Osprey]

i suggest you have a look at the opticron imagic 80 i belive it can be bought for just under £300 with a fixed e/p

hope this helps

Well, if that's the case less than £300, I've got ripped off. This scope costs over £300 with the cheapest eyepiece. I've never seen it under £300 only without the eyepiece which range from about £50 -£150.

Osprey

[Osprey]

i suggest you have a look at the opticron imagic 80 i belive it can be bought for just under £300 with a fixed e/p

hope this helps

Oops! An apology has forthcome. You're right £299 for an Imagic 80 St. and 25 or 32xw.

I stand corrected;-)


Osprey

[gripper]

Oops! An apology has forthcome. You're right £299 for an Imagic 80 St. and 25 or 32xw.

I stand corrected;-)


Osprey

no problem osprey
:cool:

i think you can have angled if you prefer too !!!