moondog
Moondog
Bushnell Spacemaster 15-45x / 25x 50 Collapsible
Just managed to acquire one of these lightweight collapsible travel scopes from Bushnell at a ridiculous price from the States even with Carriage, VAT and Import duty, I still saved a considerable sum.
What was in the box?
Metal Travel case
Vinyl Carry case
Collapsible Scope Body
15-45 Eyepiece
25x Eyepiece
Window clamp/ table stand.
Scope Case
Carry Strap
Lens Cloth
Warranty
Performance
I've been fortunate enough to test this scope quite extensively in a number of locations in different light conditions and I was really pleasantly surprised, as were a number of fellow birders with me who gave it the once over. The zoom eyepiece give a 15-45 magnification which in bright conditions delivers a bright clear image from the 50mm Objective lens from the hide. The only downside is in quite overcast conditions, x45 is dark, but not unviewable...but again that's understandable. The additional 25x eyepiece offered a bright clear image with a reasonable 110m field of view at 1000m even in cloudy early evening murk on a beach.
Both eyepieces have fold down cups offereing up to 14mm eye relief
Build Quality
Although much of this scopes' body is plastic, it still feels reasonably well built even when the body is extended. It's protective glove like case offers extra protection and the small metal briefcase is great for the boot of the car and safe storage. This scope has been lugged around in rucksacks and vehicles as well as being "tested" by small children and has stood up to quite a lot in the last fortnight without complaint.
On a lightweight travel tripod it works well, however you really wish there was more weight when the wind starts to get up as it requires a little steadying with your spare hand.
Overall
Well lets be honest it ain't going to compete with Leica, Zeiss or Swaro but you are compromising on any travel scope, size/weight and, to a certain extent, optical peformance. Opticron's Mighty Midget ED and Nikon's ED50 Fieldscope offer excellent quality travel optics but at a higher price tag. This is a budget scope that is both compact and performs surprisingly well.
I would say overall it's compromises are outweighed by it's performance and on long hikes to difficult to reach spots it's size and weight do make a difference. You could choose to take a scope afterall!
If you source your supplier well it might not cost you any more than a pair of budget bins as well.
Just managed to acquire one of these lightweight collapsible travel scopes from Bushnell at a ridiculous price from the States even with Carriage, VAT and Import duty, I still saved a considerable sum.
What was in the box?
Metal Travel case
Vinyl Carry case
Collapsible Scope Body
15-45 Eyepiece
25x Eyepiece
Window clamp/ table stand.
Scope Case
Carry Strap
Lens Cloth
Warranty
Performance
I've been fortunate enough to test this scope quite extensively in a number of locations in different light conditions and I was really pleasantly surprised, as were a number of fellow birders with me who gave it the once over. The zoom eyepiece give a 15-45 magnification which in bright conditions delivers a bright clear image from the 50mm Objective lens from the hide. The only downside is in quite overcast conditions, x45 is dark, but not unviewable...but again that's understandable. The additional 25x eyepiece offered a bright clear image with a reasonable 110m field of view at 1000m even in cloudy early evening murk on a beach.
Both eyepieces have fold down cups offereing up to 14mm eye relief
Build Quality
Although much of this scopes' body is plastic, it still feels reasonably well built even when the body is extended. It's protective glove like case offers extra protection and the small metal briefcase is great for the boot of the car and safe storage. This scope has been lugged around in rucksacks and vehicles as well as being "tested" by small children and has stood up to quite a lot in the last fortnight without complaint.
On a lightweight travel tripod it works well, however you really wish there was more weight when the wind starts to get up as it requires a little steadying with your spare hand.
Overall
Well lets be honest it ain't going to compete with Leica, Zeiss or Swaro but you are compromising on any travel scope, size/weight and, to a certain extent, optical peformance. Opticron's Mighty Midget ED and Nikon's ED50 Fieldscope offer excellent quality travel optics but at a higher price tag. This is a budget scope that is both compact and performs surprisingly well.
I would say overall it's compromises are outweighed by it's performance and on long hikes to difficult to reach spots it's size and weight do make a difference. You could choose to take a scope afterall!
If you source your supplier well it might not cost you any more than a pair of budget bins as well.
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