First spotting scope (1 Viewer)

Hello,
I want to purchase my first spotting scope,but need some advice.
Firstly, scopes that I have looked through, other people's or those provided at reserves, seem very dull, even top brands. I believe this is due to the magnification ( objective lens diameter divided by the magnification gives the exit pupil diameter ). Because of this I'm looking at larger objective lenses and eyepieces with a lower magnification.... is this correct?
My thinking is, that a 20 times magnification will suffice for most of my needs, coupled with 80mm objective lens should provide me with a decent amount of light.
Any recommendations? I understand that you get what you pay for.My binoculars are Leica and I am interested in the top brands.
Thanks,
Anthony

I think you'll find x20 magnification rather limited after a short while so I suggest a x20-50/60 zoom lens. At one time, zoom lenses were distinctly inferior to fixed power one but if you're buying top notch then the trade off is minimal. All of the top brands are such good quality that the deciding factor is more often than not one of personal choice. I recently opted for a 883 Kowa partly as I dislike barrel grip focusing used by other scopes but also as a good deal inc. stay-on-case and zoom was available. I was also attracted by the fact that a power boost attachment was available if I decided I might need more power and the scope's suitability for digiscoping. If cost becomes an issue then take a close look at the Pentax range as they offer very similar performance at a generally lower price.

Hi,

Kowa 883/4 would be my choice too given an unlimited budget atm - the example of current 82mm Leica i have seen in a store did not make me want to upgrade from my old Kowa.

The 25-60 zoom will give you 3.5mm exit pupil at 25x, that's a little bit less than 8x30 bins or your eyes pupil in a grey day and together with the amount of light going through an 88mm aperture that should be bright enough unless it's really dark.

On the other hand if 60x seems limited, one could get the 1.6x extender and go up to 96x for shore or raptor watch... even then the exit pupil of 0.9mm is still useable.

Joachim

Thanks for your replies.
I was always of the understanding that zoom eyepieces were inferior to fixed ones, hence my original preference for a fixed eyepiece.If that is not the case, then I see the advantage of a zoom eyepiece.
I'm looking at Swarovski 80mm with a x20-60 zoom eyepiece. It's still the exit pupil that bothers me. It's a lot of money to spend and I want the brightest image I can get.
I will take a look at Kowa.
Thanks both.
Anthony

chiffchaff123 said:

Thanks for your replies.
I was always of the understanding that zoom eyepieces were inferior to fixed ones, hence my original preference for a fixed eyepiece.If that is not the case, then I see the advantage of a zoom eyepiece.
I'm looking at Swarovski 80mm with a x20-60 zoom eyepiece. It's still the exit pupil that bothers me. It's a lot of money to spend and I want the brightest image I can get.
I will take a look at Kowa.
Thanks both.
Anthony

Click to expand...

The swaro 20-60x zoom is a bit narrow in FOV and AFOV. Check out the 25-50x zoom also. Some say it's slightly sharper also.

Also a 80mm scope at 60x will be noticeable dimmer but still usable in good light.
If you really seek maximum brightness and performance at 60x, I would probably take the step up to Kowa 883 or ATX85.

I use the ATS65 myself and at 25x-40x (2.6-1.6 mm exit pupil) IMO it's fully usable/bright enough in most light conditions when birds are active.
At 50x image is sharp but noticeable darker, but in good light still usable.

Hi,

modern wide angle zooms like the ones in Kowa 88x and Swaro ATS 25-50 or those in the ATX EP modules correct the main drawback of zoom EPs - that is the limited field of view at low and medium magnifications by sacrificing a bit of zoom range. Often the wide angle fixed mag EPs get discontinued then as there is not really a need.

Joachim

Thanks for the additional information.
Anthony