Best Budget Scope (1 Viewer)

Sounds like u have a regular little paradise out there KSbird.
Thanks for all that great input. In a way it sounds to me as if you have quite specific needs and circumstances. Some real long distance viewing from stationary spots, where those astronomy scopes really come into their own. What about robustness: i read somewhere about mirrors needing to be adjusted from time to time?
What about mobility? What wld u take with u on a trip?
I dont worry so much about dropping a scope into water, but i do worry about our agressive, tropical, salt laden wind and weather eating into a scope.
So to me in my circumstance a rather idiotproof, weatherproof refractor design seems to make sense. Light and small enough to take with me on a trip wld be an added bonus. So far the most likely candidate i have seen is a Pentax 65PF. Simple waterproof tube accepting all the astro eyepieces. Does your collection have anything like that?

lvn600 said:

Has anyone ever tried an Alpen Scope?They offer nitrogen purged waterproof scopes with multicoated lenses and a lifetime warranty at riduculously low prices.-Too good to be true?

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Larry, I've been playing with the Alpen model 728 for a day now. My problem with giving a review is that this is the only spotting scope I have ever looked through. I have nothing to compare them to. Having said that, I am well pleased with it for the purposes I needed. I don't live near the coast so all my viewing is in my backyard or the bush and not at massive distances, but the little Alpen would probably cope well at long distances if needed.

The first thing that impressed me was how small and light this scope is. It's not much bigger than my Carson XM series 8x42 roof prism binoculars and complements these outstanding binoculars well. This is an extremely light weight scope. I've been using them for a few hours and have suffered no eye fatigue (which I have with some pairs of cheap binoculars over the years).

At dawn, I took my Carson binoculars and scope outside. My Carson binoculars excel in these low light conditions (it's like putting a spotlight on when you look through them) and the Alpen scope couldn't compete in these low light conditions. It didn't take too long though before a little more light came and the Alpen came into its own. I can't complain about their colour rendition or their clarity once there is enough light. I did find them a pain to follow a couple of little active Silvereyes that were in a tree but that would be a problem for any high power optics. Silvereyes just don't know how to stay still.

Once full daylight is up, these Alpens are very clear even at the 45 power. Most of the time though I found myself using them between 15 and 30 power simply because I didn't need any more and bird viewing was so convenient at that power. The advantage of the higher power over my Carsons came up when I looked into a nearby rainforest area. It was fairly dim and at 50 to 60 metres I looked at what I thought was moss on trees when looked at through my Carsons. The scope with its higher magnification, although giving a darker view, clearly showed that the moss in fact was a fine leafed vine.

I may one day buy a bigger more expensive scope, but the model 728 will stay with me for the times when its light weight, water proofness, and small physical size are needed. At $102, I think I got a bargain.

Alpens look very nice

I've looked through a few Alpen scopes that friends have brought to our ranch. They were very nice, about comparable with the Nikon waterproof fieldscope we use (but I don't think the Alpens we saw were waterproof). I'm not sure of the entire Alpen spotter range but $102 seems very inexpensive compared to the prices my friends have mentioned paying for their Alpen scopes. Good luck & have fun

lvn600 said:

Has anyone ever tried an Alpen Scope?They offer nitrogen purged waterproof scopes with multicoated lenses and a lifetime warranty at riduculously low prices.-Too good to be true?

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Just a bit more about the little Alpen model 728. I didn't realise that the 45 degree eyepiece is fixed and not rotatable. This does reduce its versatility a little but not a lot in my use so far.

To give you an example of what I mean, this evening I was sitting in a camp chair on a verandah when a group of six figbirds landed in a tree about 20 metres away. I have been using a very old cheap very light aluminium camera tripod, the ones where you screw to tighten the legs into place (I have a new tripod on its way to me). Some of the birds moved out of view behind a tree in the foreground. I had to move the scope to the side a little to see some of them, and by accident I started using the tripod like a monopod balancing the tripod on one leg (so I could stay in my chair - I'm at an age where comfort is prime) and found this very comfortable and easy to do with this lightweight scope lightweight tripod combination. This seemed to cancel out the fixed eyepiece disadvantage (at least when only one person is using the scope). It was easy to hold the scope this way for an indefinite lenght of time with zero shaking. The detail I could see was fantastic compared to my binoculars because of the higher magnification.

I'm basically looking for a better than nothing scope to hold me until I'm ready to shell out the big bucks for a really good scope. This looks like it will fit the bill. -thanks for the info-

As far as cheap scopes go, you just want a comfortable eye cup that gives you the kind of view you want and a comfortable feel for long viewing with your eye. Magnification past 45x is unimportant, as all are dim an not very sharp at 60x.

Mine, I fold back the eye cup and rest it just below my eyebrow, sort of.

Burris landmark

lvn600 said:

I'm basically looking for a better than nothing scope to hold me until I'm ready to shell out the big bucks for a really good scope. This looks like it will fit the bill. -thanks for the info-

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Burris Landmark 20-60x80 is also a good scope for the price...not waterproof or armored but competitive optics for 185-200$...Steven ingrahim (BVD)mentione as a worth carrying scope in an article (birding magazine ,dont remember issue)about scopes.I sold mine and bought a pentax pf65 ed ,much more compact(the burris was lightweight as well,since had no rubber armored)and versatile because uses interchangeable standard 1 1/4 astronomy eyepieces.FOR THE PRICE ALSO A GREAT VALUE1

I recently bought an Orion Short Tube 80mm scope (not the Go Scope I recently reviewed -- it wasn't good enough for anything serious). The Orion Short Tube 80 however was very well reviewed by Steve Ingraham of Better View Desired. I have read reviews by many serious amateur astronomers who love the Short Tube 80 for its compactness and rich-field viewing at such a low price. It costs $175 and comes with two very good Plossl eyepieces. One gives you 15x and the other gives you 40x. The 15x is the best wide-field view you are going to find without paying 3 times as much. The 40x is also very good but with much-diminished eye-relief.

There is absolotely nothing wrong with some astronomical scopes for birding. The Short Tube 80 is designed for both astronomy and terrestrial use. With the 45-degree prism, it provides upright and correctly facing views. The focussing is quick and smooth. It comes with a 6x26 finder scope, but at 15x I find I can aim the scope instinctively.

The Short Tube 80 is as light and compact as any other 80mm integrated scope. It is contructed alomost entirely of alloy materials. It is not, however, waterproof. Its other main drawback is chromatic aberration at 40x magnification, which is a problem shared by all achromatics scopes (which is all scopes that aren't true apochromatic scopes -- even those with ED elements). The Short Tube 80 is also not very well baffled and blackened on the inside of the tube, which reduces contrast somewhat. Tinkerers have been able to remedy this with flocking tape and flat-black paint on some of the metal parts inside. The entire scope can be easily disassembled with normal screwdrivers -- though not recommended unless you have a mechanical mind.

The Short Tube 80 takes all 1.25" eyepieces, which are thousands of different designs and makes. The next step up from the ST80 which also accepts 1.25" eyepieces are the Pentaxes -- which are great but quite a bit more expensive.

Also the front of the tube can accept a t-adapter and you can connect an SLR camera directly to the scope. Essentially it becomes a 400mm lens for the camera -- no prisms or camera lenses in the way.

If you have an interest in astronomy as well as birding and you have a limited budget, the Short Tube 80 is a good choice.

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Larry, Celestron makes some inexpensive waterproof spotting scopes. There's a 18-45x 60mm scope that I've seen for around $135. I haven't seen these scopes but they may be as good or better than the Alpens.

Larry, Celestron makes some inexpensive waterproof spotting scopes. There's a 18-45x 60mm scope that I've seen for around $135. I haven't seen these scopes but they may be as good or better than the Alpens

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I hadn't seen the celestrons but had been looking at orions.-I'll take a look at those too.-thanks-update-after having checked out the celestrons I'm finding that the 65mm refractor potting scope is water resistant but not waterproof.-they do have a mak that is waterpoof which doubles as an astronomical scope but that is 1lb heavier.

lvn600 said:

I hadn't seen the celestrons but had been looking at orions.-I'll take a look at those too.-thanks-update-after having checked out the celestrons I'm finding that the 65mm refractor potting scope is water resistant but not waterproof.-they do have a mak that is waterpoof which doubles as an astronomical scope but that is 1lb heavier.

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Just a note on the mak. I am assuming it's the c90. It's an excellnet scope and better optically than anything you can get for the money. There are two drawbacks using this scope for birding. The power you get with the eyepiece they supply is 38x -- and you can't find an eyepiece that will give you any lower power. You could get one that gives you 30x but that's basicaly as far as you can go because the focal length of the C90 is so long -- 1200mm. The good news is that 38x with the C90 on a good steady tripod is going to wipe out just about every other scope at that power except *maybe* the premium Euro scopes and the best Nikons. Chromatic aberration? It is completely taken care of because it is a reflecting scope, not a refractor. The new C90s are now fully multicoated, too.

The other drawback of the C90 is its slow focussing. It uses a helical focusing assembly that is a ring around the entire tube. And it requires a lot of rotations to go from its closest focus to the farthest away. So you won't really be able to follow moving birds with it. But if what you want is to view shorebirds and waterfowl that arelatively stationary, or perched hawks, then this scope will work perfectly.

Astronomics.com has it for $199 shipping included. Adorama.com has it for less but shipping not included.

The c90 also doubles as a really nice astronomical scope. You can use it with both a 45 degree terristrial prism where everything looks like the way we see it, or with the 90 degree prism (both are included, I think) where the image is reversed but still upright.

Wow, I think I just convinced myself that I need one of these scopes. Hmmmm.

(By the way, I visit a local astronomy shop frequently where the owner lets me try all this stuff out in front of the shop. That's where I see most of it.

I did end up getting the Alpen Spotting scope which arrived today.(15-45x60 $140 including shipping).
The main reason I wanted a scope was that I come across a lot of bogs and swampy areas that have waterfowl which I'm unable to i.d. with binoculars.
I wanted something as inexpensive as possible to serve the purpose right now until my budget will allow for something better.
My first impression was that the scope seemed to be very compact, lightweight and rugged. I tested it on a goldfinch in my yard while the sun was still out and was impressed with the sharp image. I was able to see feather detail that reminded me of some of the better digiscoped images I have seen in the birdforum photo gallery.Next I went to a bog to give it another test. By this time is was cloudy and windy. I was able to spot and I.D. a Common Goldeneye out in the distance that I was unable to identify using 8x binoculars. I had the scope set at 30x as the 45x image was murky. It was difficult to get a good read on the image quality due to the cloudy, windy conditions.
I will be looking forward to further trials on a sunny day. So far nothing too get overly excited about but I think it will serve its purpose for now. What was nice is that I found an old quick-release tripod that my wife had in the closet which is going to be sturdy enough to use so that I don't have to buy one.

I have found the much the same with my Alpens scope. I've been playing with it for a few weeks now and for $100 (and I have seen it for less on the web but only when for sale in the US) I am very happy with its performance. I see three of the main benefits to be it's lightweight, waterproofness, and its ability to complement my binoculars with its higher power. It's not going to break your back (nor your bank) carrying this little scope around and I too have matched it with a lightweight tripod with a quick release. I have found its optical qualities fine for what I wanted and I tend to be using it between 15 and 30 magnification all the time to complement my x8 binoculars. I find my lightweight tripod sometimes makes the set-up ordinary at x45 but so far I have rarely had a need for x45 in the type of birdwatching I use it for (mostly backyard viewing at this stage). I have sat using it for an hour or two at a time (alternating with my binoculars) off my verandah most days and have not noticed any eye fatigue. It seems to be giving absolutely clear images to me and I can't imagine the possibility of any clearer images (but remember I have never looked through another scope). Maybe a professional bird watcher would want something better but I bet a lot of amateurs like myself would love this scope. It seems rugged but I don't intend knocking it around. I will be going bush for a week next Tuesday and comparing to a Yukon 6-100x100 I recently bought (on a heavyweight manfrotto tripod for higher magnification). I will let you know how the Alpen performs (The Yukon was also bought new cheaply for $199).

If you are wondering why I tend to buy optics at the lower price end (eg Carson XM binoculars, Alpen scope, Yukon scope), it's because I am an amateur, and in Australia prices are generally highly inflated compared to what you pay overseas (even when the delivery cost is added). So I exhaustively search the web for the right price and reviews, buy internationally, and so long as I keep the price under a couple of hundred dollars US I don't have to pay GST or customs duties in Australia. Go over that and you are up for another 15% in GST and customs duties. I'm also finding the low priced optics fine for my needs and not quite the low quality some experts have warned about - has the quality of low priced optics improved in recent times?

downunder said:

Larry, I will let you know in a week's time. Ebinoculars.com had the model 728 15-45x60 Alpen Scope for $102 US. The price went up just after I bought it about 6 weeks ago. I've had to wait for a new shipment to arrive but the FedEx tracking indicates it will be here in a few days.

I'll give a small write-up of it when it arrives but it is my first scope and I won't have any experience of other scopes to compare it to. Alpen scopes have received good reviews on the Archery Talk forum even though they use Bak 7 prisms.

Glenn

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Do you still have that Alpen 728? How does it do. I would like to read your review please.
Jerry

I haven't used the Alpen all that much. Usually I just use binoculars. I did go out on a couple of sunny days with minimal wind and thought it gave a nice view with good detail even at 45x.-For a $100 or so its not much of a risk. I'd like to hear a further update from downunder.

jvanoyen said:

Do you still have that Alpen 728? How does it do. I would like to read your review please.
Jerry

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Jerry, my main problem in reviewing the Alpen 728 is that I haven't had experience of other scopes to compare it to. I do own a Yukon 6-100x100 scope for high magnification viewing but have not looked through any others. Having said that, I can say in blissfull ignorance that this little Alpen is a fantastic scope. There probably are better scopes out there but I doubt there are any the same value for money and this scope does everything I want it to do and have no intention of ever looking for a better scope - the image is crystal clear and it has a great depth of focus. My old eyes certainly don't suffer any fatigue when I use this scope. In the bush it is great. I have teamed it up with a relatively cheap Giottos HD334 tripod and I can carry this pair all day without worrying about the weight. It is also waterproof/fogproof (nitrogen filled) and I think from memory is shockproof. If ever there was a scope built for lightweight carry, this would have to be a contender for one of the best. As I mentioned previously, most of the viewing I do is at 15-30 power. I move it in and out of the house all the time for backyard viewing and it is so convenient to handle. The main disadvantages of the scope are the fixed position of the angled eyepiece (which in my experience has caused no problem at all) and the lack of an attachment for digiscoping (but then I am not into digiscoping). Glenn

When I look back at earlier threads, I realised I haven't told you much more than before but please feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my best to answer them. It will be interesting to see if the Alpen stands the test of time. Although it probably will because I do my best to treat my equipment gently. Glenn