ATS/STS 80HD

I am new here. I have done lots of research on buying a scope. I had/have one a Nikon, but it is very poor. So i have been looking at the Swarovski ATS 80HD and see good reviews here.
Question is (i suppose) is it good for Digiscoping, with Smartphone. I have Samsung Galaxy S8 and where would i get a frame to suit. Cheers.

Brought this scope couple weeks ago and we are very impressed indeed!! Upgraded from Hawke frontier ED! Not cheap but it sure is quality!!

Recently, I was able to compare the STS80 HD with 20-60x eyepiece to the Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20-60x eyepiece, Leica Apo Televid 82 with 25-50x ASPH eyepiece, Nikon EDG 85 A with 20-60x eyepiece and the Nikon ED82 with 25-56x eyepiece. The clear winner in optical performance is the STS80 HD, followed by the EDG 85. Both were sharp up to 60x!! To my eyes, the field of view was a bit smaler in the Swaro, but the view was slightly better. The worst in the test was the older Televid, becaue of some optical disorders after 40x. The new Apo Televid 82 dropped dramatically in image quality in twilight, but at daylight the wide and extremely flat field of view was impressive. I think for the Nikon ED82 the 25-56x isn't the best choice, because of the smale field of view. The image quality was really nice. My favorite is the EDG 85 because of the FSA-L2 zoom adapter for my CANON camera. If anyone is intersted in more information, no problem, questions are welcome! Regards Sebastian

As Ian stated 'It\'s main disadvantage is the helical focus ring'.... Nah, I don't buy that so it goes to show you how different each of us are on our thinking and our needs. To me, the helical design makes it real easy to achieve focus and by using a timer on my camera, the scope is solid, no wobble...

The helical design to 'me'...is so much easier to use than one where I have dual knobs to worry about. The large helical design allows me to focus with gloves on in the middle of winter...something I find almost impossible with the small dual knobs.

Again, my personal opinion but this scope is tops among all....

Combined with a 20-50WA zoom this Swarovski HD scope is superb. Bright, easy to focus, reliable and sturdy and easy to clean and wipe moisture off. This scope is simply brilliant. Obviously one has to accept that its fairly big and heavy but its lighter than many of its size. Purchasing it is somewhat expensive but right now its in the top three scopes on the market and as good as there is for all round birding including seawatching and digiscoping.

i had a good look around before parting with my cash so knew what i wanted, found the best price at the time & went for it. i wanted a light tripod so it was easy to carry, weight being my main concern and i dont stand up watching in the wind so it didnt have to be solid as a rock & weigh about the same. i went for a manfrotto 290N which works fine & fits into my back pack along with the scope so easy to get around. 20-60X zoom works great for watching birds of prey in old quarry\'s (see why i dont need a huge tripod) i had the Swarovski case which is much better than a Skau as it fits like a glove & being made for this scope you have no flaps or annoying velcro etc, i have a daylight/UV filter on protecting the lens as well as doing it\'s job. a second fixing shoe also helps & i have this on my camera so the tripod really is versitile. well worth every penny and the place i had it from will do a good deal & match or better any price http://www.waltersphotovideo.co.uk/ no i dont get commision but they are good to deal with. my bins are Leica 8-12x42 and they are a great combination. go one spend you money on the best, you only live once and there are no pockets in shrowds

Price paid is with 20x-60x zoom eyepiece. I give it an 8, there\\\'s always room for improvement. The image at 20x is stunning, I wish it would continue up to 60x (I know, dream on). I love how light it is, barely more than my old Bushnell Spacemaster. I\\\'m thinking of getting a fixed power eyepiece to take advantage of the optics. I\\\'m still grovelling to my wife though, the kit was $3150 Canadian by the time it got through my door.

I use this scope with the 20-60x eyepiece. For normal scope use then I don\'t think it can be faulted. The eyepieces give a wide field of view and it performs very well even in low light conditions.

Personally though I like to use my scope for digiscoping as well and for that I think it is less well suited than other high-end scopes. It\'s main disadvantage is the helical focus ring. In order to focus the scope you basically have to grab the scope body causing vibration in order to achieve a fine focus. Many other models on the market, in particular the Kowa 823, Zeiss Diascope and Leica have a fine focus adjustment knob which allows delicate one finger adjustment to fine focus the scope.

Whilst of the highest quality optically it is by no means the be all and end all of spotting scopes.

this is the only telescope aroung with almost perfect vueing capabilities, superb colors and
a Very well thought off design, everything is topquality, and it's the only scope ever on wich i have a good sight WITH my glasses on!
Only the prize is a bit high for the average person!

But quality has a prize!