[eddyserow]

Hi all,newbie to site so treat me gently......... looking for a good quality scope for general use such as birding, use near the sea,looking at the night sky with the kids,etc, and have a budget of max £200 maybe a little more and ideally an angled version. Been looking at opticron stuff particularly the is60/mm2 scopes and nikon scopes too. I have also spoken to sherwood photo in uk that reckon the acuter DS range and celestron ultima are pretty good too,to be honest i,m totally confused and would appreciate some guidance.
Can anybody give me some reference as to a good scope that going to give me good service for my money, with decent image quality too?
many thanks for any help
tom(Cardiff-UK)

[FrankD]

Assuming I have the pricing right.....I would suggest the scope below. You won't find a better performing spotter at that price point.

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/helio...spotter_fs.htm

[eddyserow]

Hi frank and thanks for the help,just with so many scope manufacturers about very difficult to choose one on a cost/performance ratio.
Some uk suppliers i've spoken to have suggested opticron is60's, and cley spy suggested the hawke field trek range? Are these helios of a durable make as I always thought their binoculars were of low spec?
thanks again
tom.

[dwatsonbirder]

I recommended this scope to a friend after the online reviews, and he's still talking to me! A full review can be found here http://dippedconnection.wordpress.co...-the-big-boys/

[FrankD]

Tom,

My experience with this scope isn't based specifically on the Helios Fieldmaster unit...exactly. This scope is produced by a specific Chinese manufacturer. Helios and an American company, Theron Optics, chose to utilize this scope for their lineup. I have experience with the Theron branded version of this scope. From an optical perspective you aren't going to find a better scope at this price point or even slightly above. In the US market the next step up would be something like the Celestron Regal but it is 1/3rd more the cost of the Theron/Helios and it weighs a bit more as well.

I did speak with the folks at Theron and, as of the time of our last conversation, they only had a very small number of scopes returned for whatever reason. Assuming quality control is as good with Helios as it is with Theron then that says quite a bit about overall durability and performance for the price.

[eddyserow]

hi, thanks daniel/frank, read your review daniel and it was very informative and well presented,now have to make some decisions!!! The only thing to concern me is reliability/durability in the long term with use in the field, though its interesting to note frank's comment on the returns in the USA. Any idea of the warranty on the helios scopes and the best place to purchase?
many thanks all,
tom

[FrankD]

Wish I could help you there but I have no experience with the company. I just tried googling Helios Sport Optics and only found retailer websites...nothing from the manufacturer.

[rmel66]

See here: http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/about_ovl

I think this company is the primary distributor in the UK.

rmel66.

Originally Posted by FrankD

Wish I could help you there but I have no experience with the company. I just tried googling Helios Sport Optics and only found retailer websites...nothing from the manufacturer.

[O.Reville1989]

Originally Posted by eddyserow

hi, thanks daniel/frank, read your review daniel and it was very informative and well presented,now have to make some decisions!!! The only thing to concern me is reliability/durability in the long term with use in the field, though its interesting to note frank's comment on the returns in the USA. Any idea of the warranty on the helios scopes and the best place to purchase?
many thanks all,
tom

Hi Tom,
Having written the review of the Helios I thought I would reassure you a bit and offer some pointers.
I have found build quality to be very good in the field. It does come with a case which I would use in the rain but I haven't been birding in the rain with it yet.
Optically it is superb for the money and they even do a bigger 80mm version with a 20-60x eyepiece which I'm sure is equally excellent.
I bought mine from here: http://www.scopesnskies.com/prod/Hel...terED60DS.html and I have found them excellent to deal with. Delivery was very quick and they answered a question on eyepieces I had very promptly.
For £190 I would have no hesitation buying this scope again, I'm even considering the larger version as a main scope as we speak. It really is excellent value for money.
Hope that helps
Oli

[mooreorless]

In case you didn't see this.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=193685

[eddyserow]

hi guys, thanks for all the info,I am trying to locate a dealer near to me in Cardiff,Wales, that can supply the scope and prices,as I would ideally, like to buy locally in case of future warranty issues, just like to be on the safe side as its less hassle with posting things should there be any problems.
I will be contacting a dealer in Cardiff tomorrow to see if they can supply the scope and will be pricing the 80mm version too,although it may be a touch heavy to lug around any suggestions? I have also been interested in the hawke ed65 nature trek, its a little more at around £266, (the 80 is around £370) but it does come with a cover an aluminium case and a 10 yr warranty. Any competition against the helios,any suggestions anyone?
I have read all the links and it does indeed sound a very good scope, many thanks to all concerned, for the helpful links. Does anyone know of the warranty period for these scope out of interest?
regards,
tom.

[alan_rymer]

I have just bought a Camlink CSP80 80mm scope with 20-60 zoom eyepiece as a "car" scope for when I need a scope when I have left home without my Opticron ES80GA ED
Its clear and bright at the lower zooms but gets darker at the 60x end. Build constuction seems good, focusing is quite slow. needs a lot of turns to move from close focus to infinity. I showed it to a another birder in my local hide who wanted to move up from a 60mm to 80mm. I am now ordering one for him. Mine took two days to arrive from the time I paid. A great service!

Price: 79.95 including shipping!

Its an Ebay shop but also has a high street shop and phone number:

Chris Goodhead Photographic
179 High Street
Burton On Trent
Staffordshire
DE14 1HN
01283 561894


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMLINK-CS...item2ebccc3a9f

or
http://www.chrisgoodhead.co.uk/produ...CSP80&NavPage=

[RayE]

I would recommend the Camlink CSP80. For the price it can't be beat and is a lot better than some well known branded scopes I have tried and is a LOT cheaper. You would not be dissapointed with this scope. Just a shame I can't find a stay on case for it. If anybody knows of where I can get one.

[Remote]

Hi

Have you looked at Olivion scopes - ?

http://www.camera-shop.co.uk/acatalo...ng_Scopes.html

Im looking for my first scope (got £150 to £250 to spend) and feel like Ive narrowed it down to either Helios or Olivion.

Interested to hear if anyone has experience of how these compare.

Thanks