Buying a Used Swarovski ATS65... (1 Viewer)

Apodidae49 said:

It was “pin sharp” at 60x under ideal conditions (bright day, short range in a garden) at 60x on a dull, misty drizzly day at 400m+ it was less so, but I could still get a hard focus on a moving avocet. Better than any scope I’ve ever had including cherished MM3 60ED at 45x.

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Well, bad seeing or heat haze is not sth ED glass is known to work against... so the HD version will be affected in the same way.

Joachim, who has not yet found a scope he wants to upgrade to from his old but nice TSN-3...

A couple of comments from my corner of the woods.

The Swaro 65 mm ATS/ATM is a slower focal ratio optical design than their 80 mm scopes. Therefore the non-HD variant performs somewhat better relatively speaking, with the increase in CA not being as severe as in faster scopes. I don't have much experience with the ATS 65, but recall having had one for testing long ago, and thinking that it was surprisingly good for a non-HD scope.

As has been said, sample variation plays a role, and if one has a sharp non-HD, "upgrade" to an HD should not be made without comparing the specific scopes first.

Thirdly, any performance upgrade from a non-HD 65 to an HD 65 will be marginal compared with benefits available from going bigger. So my advice would be to happily bird with the ATS 65 until you cannot resist the temptation of a top-tier 80-95 mm scope. Especially at shorter birding distances, the ATS 65 should be fine, and will be a great backup/lightweight alternative once/if you get a big one later.

Kimmo

Torview said:

I wholeheartedly recommend Steve at SWOptics, had many visits and purchases from his Truro store.

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Yes, Steve's a top bloke. Any future optics purchases will be made from him.