Best scope on a £300 budget (1 Viewer)

I'm looking at getting a spotting scope but im not sure about what i want, i've been researching all the diffrent makes of scopes but the more i read the more confusing it gets.
I already have a mm1 small scope that i bough 2nd hand that is fine for taking out but i was looking at getting something better.
i have a velbon cx660 tripod that i use with my camera would i be able to mount a scope on this ?
Any experiences on buying scopes would be most helpful thanks in advance..

Hi

I've not got a scope myself but have been looking at this one by Avian on the Ace Cameras website. It's a new model and if the quality is anything like the Avian binoculars (a test report on them can be downloaded from the site) it would appear to offer good value (and it's within your budget!) Here's the link to the web page.

http://www.acecameras.co.uk/asp/web/ph/cat/prodtype/1737/prodtype.asp

Mike

Something like an opticron es80 would be good- has an 80mm extra low dispersion (ed) lens and is fully compatable with opticron eyepieces.

ed is a special coating that helps stop purple outlines you sometimes get when looking at, for example, a bird against a bright sky. ( think of looking through a ruler - thats the sort of fringing you get on non-ed scopes, just to a lesser extent) i think alan rymer is selling his opticron es80 on here with an eyepiece for 250.

Other things to think about are weight - it can hurt after a long days birding! - and field of view - the actual amount of stuff you can see when you look through your scope or bino's. this is measured in How many metres of view you can see at 1000 metres, or in an angle.

If weight is an issue, look out for a kowa ts613/4 secondhand - lightweight 60mm ed scopes with very good performance.

Also, i would consider upgrading your tripod - the cx series arent veryu sturdy when it comes to scopes - the velbon sherpa range is a good 'un

Finally, if you want to have a crack at digiscoping, you generally need ed glass - camera sensors are very sensitive to purple fringing ( this is sometimes called CA - chromatic abberation )

I'd go for a cheaper scope with a quality eye piece, then upgrade later if you feel the need. That's what I did. I started with the Opticron IS60 with HDF zoom lens (gives 15-48X with the scope), about £270, or £300 if you include the stay on case. I then upgraded to the ES80 ED. I still have the IS60 when I want to travel.

ok,thanks for the advice I think im gonna save some more and go for a scope with ed glass beacuse if i just buy a cheap one for now i will regret it in the long run plus I have still have my mighty midget1 for now..
I have allso been looking at the nikon ed50 but dont like the idea of 50mm lense if they did this scope in 70mm it would be perfect for my needs.
I have seen they do a 82mm one aswell but its little out of my budget at this time..

si654 said:

I have allso been looking at the nikon ed50 but dont like the idea of 50mm lense if they did this scope in 70mm it would be perfect for my needs i have seen they do a 82mm one aswell but its little out of my budget at this time..

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What about the 60mm Nikon Fieldscope III ED? It gets very good reviews and is a bit cheaper than the 82mm scope.

I bought an ED50 on Saturday and, while its very early days at the moment, I am extremely impressed so far. I was looking at a Song Thrush perched on top of a tree about a hundred metres away from my house at dusk tonight and was able to pick out plenty of detail. There seems to be a big jump in cost to buy just about any other ED scope and the zoom lens with my ED50 will fit the other Nikon bodies should I want something bigger later.

Ron

Hi

I can recommend the kowa ts-614. the ed glass really makes a difference, especially if combining with a zoom. If you do a google search for the 613/4 you might be able to get a 2nd hand one for your budget.

AC/DC said:

i think alan rymer is selling his opticron es80 on here with an eyepiece for 250.

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Indeed, he's selling an original ES80 with HR zoom and stay-on-case for £250, a total steal. I doubt that there is any chance of you getting a better scope for under £300 - http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=85736

Seems that one is sold now.

yea its sold that one now..
thanks anyway..
I think im gonna have to find a place where they have these kind of scopes and optics, i know the best deals are to be had online but i would like to at least try some before shelling out vast amounts of cash the problem is in manchester theres not many places that sell quality scopes .
the only place i can think of is jessops but they dont sell nikon, opticron or kowa it gonna be probally one of these brands where my scope is gonna come from leica and swaro is definetly out of my league price wise..

This just appeared on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KOWA-TS-613-s...oryZ3636QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For comparison, I saw another one with a 20-40x zoom go for £310 last Sunday.