Upgrading from Acuter (1 Viewer)

Currently using an Acuter 80mm Scope with 20x-60x which was bought on special offer from Warehouse Express for about £150. It was our first proper scope and we weren't willing to spend more at the time as we were just starting out birding.

Anyway, we are now looking to upgrade to something a bit better. Would love a Leica APO-Televid 77 with 20-60x zoom, but the cost is just too much. Our budget is about £500 (but we could stretch it a bit).

Any suggestions? Opticron? Looked at Nikon but as we often use beanbags, we need a scope with the focusing ring on the top.

We could wait and save up for a couple of years, but the Acuter is begining to annoy us - the build quality is poor (it has fallen apart a couple of times already!) and it is quite "dull" at the 60x end.

Are non-APO Leicas OK? I wouldn't be using it for digiscoping (I use Nikon D70 and Tamron 200-500mm Di for photographing). Would a non APO-Televid 77 be better than an APO-Televid 62 (if we manage to stretch the budget to that much?)

I'm in the same boat, my Acutor is starting to annoy me, mainly since I became aware of the poor edge performance, out of curiosity when you say yours has fallen apart do you mean the eyepiece connector?

Mick

The Opticron es80 is still a worthwhile purchase,I,ve had hours of pleasure from mine.{you know what I mean].....

Mickymouse said:

I'm in the same boat, my Acutor is starting to annoy me, mainly since I became aware of the poor edge performance, out of curiosity when you say yours has fallen apart do you mean the eyepiece connector?

Mick

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Indeed. And it took some messing about with to get it back together again. To be honest, when i first got it i thought it was great, but i now realise it wasn't such a good "value for money" buy - it's just pretty cheap and nasty!

Oh yes, and the eyepiece seems to be "off-centre" as well - and was a bit "wobbly" even from new - although it's a bit better now that i fixed it.

I had nothing but trouble with my Acuter (it nows sits on top of my wardrobe unused)
It fell apart 2-3 times and needs a new eyepiece. Why dont you try a good quality second hand scope( there not all bad)there are some good ones to be had out there..

Cheers for the advice. Luckily, a BF member was offering a good deal, so, from tomorrow, my girlfriend and I should be enjoying the views from behind exactly what we wanted all along. That is, she'll be enjoying the views whilst i beg for the odd glimpse! Hopefully she'll be able to spot more stuff for me to photograph.

So glad we didn't rush into buying what would have been a compromise.

rezMole said:

Cheers for the advice. Luckily, a BF member was offering a good deal, so, from tomorrow, my girlfriend and I should be enjoying the views from behind exactly what we wanted all along. That is, she'll be enjoying the views whilst i beg for the odd glimpse! Hopefully she'll be able to spot more stuff for me to photograph.

So glad we didn't rush into buying what would have been a compromise.

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glad to pass on my cherished scope to somebody who will appreciate it. happy viewing