Spotter Scopes (1 Viewer)

Hello!

I am looking to buy a spotter scope, however i know very little about them, i only know a few specifications to look out e.g objective lens, Fully multi coated, ED glass, e.t.c

I am looking to spend around £150-£200 for the use of bird watching however when I am looking I really don't know what the good and bad makes are, and i'm not sure of the quality of scope I will get for the price I want to pay. I will mainly use it to watch birds of prey about 100-150 yards away and Im unsure of the magnification I will need in order to get a crisp viewing of the bird.

I have spoke to a few people about a few scopes i have in mind:

Helios Field Master ED60ED- 15-45 magnification, With 60mm obj lens, and ED glass, Fully multi coating- £190

Acuter Pro ST20- 20-60 magnification, With 80mm obj lens, NO ED glass, multi coated - £190

Practica- 25-75 magnification, with 90mm obj lens, NO ED glass, £142

I know that ED Glass is good, but im not sure whether it is better to have ED glass or a larger objective lens (which will provide the best view through the scope) I have had mixed messages about these 3 scopes:

1. Helios and Acuter are cheap makes and not worth the money and ED glass wont make that much difference go with with a larger obj lens

2. Go with larger obj lens (Acuter) more light and will be better than the helios even though the helios would beat any other scope with a 60mm obj lens for that price.

3. Go with the Helios, ED glass will give you a far better image, even though it doesn't absorb as much light.....

Soo i am really confused what to look for and would like some honest advice on a scope worth while considering for £200 and whether the Helios is a really good deal for the price or is it just a cheapy make.

Any advice would be much appreciated.. Thank you

Bump!

David,

If I were in your situation I would go for the Helios. I have used the US version, the Theron Saker, and it is an excellent scope for the price it sells for. The apparent sharpness is very good as is the color fringing control. It is usually my recommended scope in the $200-$300 US price range. An excellent buy in my opinion.

Have you considered second hand scopes? There's a good market out there and you're likely to get a lot more for your money if you'll consider it.

FrankD said:

David,

If I were in your situation I would go for the Helios. I have used the US version, the Theron Saker, and it is an excellent scope for the price it sells for. The apparent sharpness is very good as is the color fringing control. It is usually my recommended scope in the $200-$300 US price range. An excellent buy in my opinion.

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Thank you for your help! It is much appreciated...

Although I'm not a serious bird watcher, I would use it on many occasions so therefore I would prefer to spend £200 on a scope that is going to be of good quality than a scope for £100 that is not even worth the while, if at 60 magnification I found the image blurry i would be disappointed and would rather of bought a scope that only goes to say 45 magnification that does not go blurry at all, I would always go for quality not size.

The problem I have with the Helios is that I have had a couple of people say that it is a cheap make? Which put me off a little. Also if the scope is fully multi coated, although this is the best are there different types of coats that can be used?? Because I'm weary these may not be that great, so therefore the ED glass will not be affective????

I have considered a second hand scope but the only one I found on ebay was 'Hawke Nature Trek 20-60 x 80 ED' for £280 which I know is a great price but its a little out of my price range because i would need to buy a tripod and a case for it.

Thank you

stablewill said:

Have you considered second hand scopes? There's a good market out there and you're likely to get a lot more for your money if you'll consider it.

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Yes I have but the only one i found on ebay that i thought was a bargain was a 'Hawke Nature Trek 20-60 x 80 ED' for £280 but its a little to much because it has no tripod or case with it

Thank you

Could anyone recommend a better scope other than the ones I have mentioned for around £170-£200 that will perform to a better quality, so I can have a look.. any extra information would be so useful...

Thank you

David,

The Theron (US version of the Helios) was not "blurry" at highest magnification. Quite the contrary. It was satisfyingly sharp. Keep in mind that the image will be dimmer at 45x than it was at 15x. Smaller exit pupil is the culprit there but then you are going to run into that with most scopes.

Build quality is certainly acceptable as well. I think folks tend to equate weight with superior build quality. The Saker is a light 60 mm scope for its size. It is longer than some of the other 60-65 mm on the market and a bit lighter from what I remember. That lightweight feel gives folks the impression that it isn't built well.

Just some things to think about

its worth checking for secondhand items on sites like london camera exchange, cley spy focus optics, NR green ect.

LCE has a decent kowa tsn601 for £150, though there are decent deals on the other sites. My advice would be to try and test as many models as possible in field conditions.

FrankD said:

David,

The Theron (US version of the Helios) was not "blurry" at highest magnification. Quite the contrary. It was satisfyingly sharp. Keep in mind that the image will be dimmer at 45x than it was at 15x. Smaller exit pupil is the culprit there but then you are going to run into that with most scopes.

Build quality is certainly acceptable as well. I think folks tend to equate weight with superior build quality. The Saker is a light 60 mm scope for its size. It is longer than some of the other 60-65 mm on the market and a bit lighter from what I remember. That lightweight feel gives folks the impression that it isn't built well.

Just some things to think about

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Thank you very much Frank, judging from what you have said im sure the scope will be good enough for my uses and pretty much the same as the Theron... This doesn't bother me to much but it would be used for larger birds such as hawks, buzzards so how far away do you think a buzzard could be away from you so that you still get a close up view of it at 45 magnification??

Many Thanks

dwatsonbirder said:

its worth checking for secondhand items on sites like london camera exchange, cley spy focus optics, NR green ect.

LCE has a decent kowa tsn601 for £150, though there are decent deals on the other sites. My advice would be to try and test as many models as possible in field conditions.

Click to expand...

Hello,
I will have a look at these various websites, and consider the options,

Many Thanks