Buying first spotting scope setup help needed.. (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone,

Im going to buy my first spotting scope after some newbie birding with my vortex razor hd 8x42 (i won those actually). So i basically need help so that i dont do a bad buy if there is any😅 I use glasses and so does my wife. I like razors view, to my eyes it looks sharp etc. You need to understand that thats all my reference point for optics quality🤦*♂️ So iwe been looking for Opticron mm4 77ed or Kite sp82ed (you can suggest others as well). Basically im looking for best image/overall quality for ~1500e. If there is a contender thats way better im interested but not those that are over 2k price range. My wife loves taking pictures so is there a better suited scope for digiscoping? I was going to buy sirui 3213x + vh10x, is that an ok setup for the scope?

I would definitely add the Nikon Monarch 82 ED to your list. I reviewed it here:

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=377440

Thanks a lot henry, really appreciate it. When having really zero experience from these scopes im trying to gather all information i can. Have you compared those scopes since i havent found any info on those? It seems i may have a change to go look one or two of those side by side in a couple of weeks. What do you think of the tripod and head? Sorry for so many questions, i just dont want to get sold something that doesnt work.

Hi,

first of all, welcome to birdforum!

And then my usual advice - try before you buy - or have a no questions asked return policy!
And make sure you know what to look for in a spotting scope. Ergonomics aside, you want to make sure that the scope you buy has a distinct and easy to find point of best focus at its maximum magnification (usually 50 to 75x for a zoom EP).
If you cannot easily determine a point of best focus and it's more of an area of least blurriness, walk, no, run away! Unfortunately sample variation does exist and very bad examples have been found even for alpha brands.

If you want to go a bit further, you can make a tiny hole into some aluminum foil on a glass surface with a pin and tape that in front of a led flashlight as an artificial star and observe from 30m or so through the scope. Read up on star-testing telescopes - the canonical tome by Suiter is not really needed, lots of good info online, e.g.

https://www.telescope-optics.net/star_testing_telescope.htm

Regarding tripod and head, they look usable, I might still opt for the 500AH head because cheaper, a bit lighter and well known to perform - unless you get a sweet package deal.

Joachim

To be honest, I don't have much experience comparing scopes hands on directly one next to the other. What I can say from having looked around a bit myself for around the same price,a few months ago: there are good scopes to be found (from Kite, Opticron, Vortex, Kowa...), depending also on the size you want (more compact 60-65mm or bigger 80-85mm). If you're willing to take some time looking for second hand scopes,you might even find relatively recent (probably not the latest) great models of Kowa/Swarovski/Zeiss/Leica... but I would personally also check the warranty/service you could still rely on.
I do quite like Kite in general, not only because they have some good optics,but also because of their warranty/service,which is totally awesome (many many years and good), even more so here in Belgium (I can go directly to their main store/HQ and the service is great). I have a pair of Kite binoculars, but ended up with a 65mm Swarovski scope,that I wouldn't have bought new because of the steep price,but found at a good price second hand with still their great warranty (confirmed by both Swarovski and the original store selling the scope),which made me pull the trigger a bit above the budget I had originally set for myself,I have to admit. |:x| But it is an amazing 'little' scope. |=)| If it didn't have that warranty (and, partly because of that, also it keeps a good resale value in case I still would want to switch later on) I wouldn't have spent so much on it though.
And I have to admit I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have gone for a 80-85mm but of a less expensive and still very good brand (Kite, Vortex...). I don't miss any sharpness or magnification with this amazing scope. (And max. FOV, making the experience nicer and making it easier to 'find' the bird, is much more important to me personally than high max.magnification. Having a good eyepiece is crucial.) But of course you trade in a bit of brightness in the evening or for digiscoping (hoping to finally get a bit into it soon) for having something more compact and less heavy to carry...
I think that those are things to consider, in addition to testing it of course to see if it is good and if you like it!! The latter is subjective but important

HHe said:

Thanks a lot henry, really appreciate it. When having really zero experience from these scopes im trying to gather all information i can. Have you compared those scopes since i havent found any info on those? It seems i may have a change to go look one or two of those side by side in a couple of weeks. What do you think of the tripod and head? Sorry for so many questions, i just dont want to get sold something that doesnt work.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't know anything about the tripod and head. My recommendation of the Nikon Monarch is based on applying absolute standards for resolving power and freedom from aberrations rather than directly comparing it to other mid priced scopes, although I did compare it directly my wife's Brunton ICON, which I believe is optically identical to the Kite KSP-80 ED. The Monarch specimen I evaluated was so good that no other scope of the same aperture, regardless of cost, could possibly be significantly visually better in the center of the field. I've never seen another mid-priced scope and only a few specimens of "alpha" scopes as close to theoretical perfection as the particular Nikon Monarch I tested.

Henry

Just a mention of a usability issue between Kite and Nikon spotting scopes.
Kite, and many other spotting scopes, use a focus wheel - some duel speed, some single speed - but focus is manipulated by rotating a small wheel with a single finger or two.

The Nikon Monarch series focuses with a collar that requires using an entire hand. This is not necessarily a show stopper, but if there are any hand or wrist issues it’s important to be aware of the focuser mechanisms.

Best,
Jerry

I'd say there are endless options?? Especially if you purchase excellent condition off the used market...You could get something real nice and take the remainder and spend it on a vacation/adventure where you could use the new to you optic?

Probably the best all around spotter for the money on the used market is the Kowa TS 611/612/613/614 with the LER 27x eyepiece or 30W..
Light, portable, razor sharp in the HD version...great eyepieces...

the 613/614 is HD...the eyepieces are around $200....Kowa services/cleans etc....I bought a like new 613 last year for $250 on Ebay UK...I like them so well I have a couple now. Kowa also makes the digi adapters...

Just to avoid confusion: Kite has a «*SP 82 ED*» (mentioned in the first post) with a dual small focus know (similar to Leica, Kowa), and a «*KSP 80 HD*» (mentioned in replies) (which is their high end model) with a barrel/colar focussing system (similar to Swarovski, Nikon).
I haven’t had the chance to compare both, so I can’t comment on the one being much better or not than the other.
The KSP 80 HD did receive some impressively good reviews, including in a comparison test of different scopes, including ‘alpha brand’ scopes on HouseOfOutdoors.

There are lots of differences between 'glass' and 'quality' or...I should say quality control. Many scopes appear to have quality but lack quality control as they send the scope 'out the door'.... Personally I have used Kowa's, Opticrons, and Swaro's.... I easily prefer Swaro hands down. They check each scope for quality. I don't think Vortex does. Yes, they look the same, sound the same....but I am not sold on the quality of their scopes. I had a vortex set of bins that were supposedly quality but the focus wheel didn't last. It soon became clumsy, slow...not smooth. It was a good copy when I first bought it but soon had issues so am thinking why invest money into a brand that lacks quality control out the door.

But if you are going to be doing any digiscoping, get a 80mm or higher. Don't get a 65 for 'light transmission' will be weak and digiscoping needs light. Also, get ED glass. But, realize there is 'quality' in ED glass. There is no standard for what % of materials is needed to qualify as ED glass so I will see less expensive scopes which state they have ED glass and while they might, the % of materials that make up ED glass is less than a good quality scope. So do your homework. I would stick with brands such as Swarovski, Zeiss, Kowa.... Leica.

I was wondering how is the monarch when you have eyeglasses? I am looking for one that is great when you wear eyeglasses.

The Eels - I like birds