I own a couple of small Athlon spotting scopes but, nothing large or what I would call premium.
I will use whatever I get in Overcast skies in addition to bright Sunshine. Most ranges are going to be 300 to 500 yards though, I occasionally go to the coast and would like to do some ship spotting at a mile or more.
I have only seen Kowa's at rifle ranges and the various European brands at retail locations and from a distance while out and about. I have Leica NV, Zeiss, and Steiner binoculars with my Minox being a real sweet spot (older model with super premium glass and absolutely stunning clarity 🥰 and better than my Leica and Zeiss bins).
I am thinking the Pentax PF-85 or PF-100 would be great options at a moderate price with a great eyepiece. At 3X the cost, I wonder if a Swarovski or Zeiss would be worth the higher cost. And, there may be a brand I am not familiar with that is worth consideration. Also, I want eyepieces that are generally widely available and not "proprietary"!
TIA,
Sid
I will use whatever I get in Overcast skies in addition to bright Sunshine. Most ranges are going to be 300 to 500 yards though, I occasionally go to the coast and would like to do some ship spotting at a mile or more.
I have only seen Kowa's at rifle ranges and the various European brands at retail locations and from a distance while out and about. I have Leica NV, Zeiss, and Steiner binoculars with my Minox being a real sweet spot (older model with super premium glass and absolutely stunning clarity 🥰 and better than my Leica and Zeiss bins).
I am thinking the Pentax PF-85 or PF-100 would be great options at a moderate price with a great eyepiece. At 3X the cost, I wonder if a Swarovski or Zeiss would be worth the higher cost. And, there may be a brand I am not familiar with that is worth consideration. Also, I want eyepieces that are generally widely available and not "proprietary"!
TIA,
Sid