Recommendation please (2 Viewers)

[Linda1LovesBirds]

I would like to get a spotting scope. I won’t be birding a dusk, but I will be using it for shore birds, so conditions will often be cloudy, foggy, and windy. I don’t have to be the lightest scope on the market, but I’m a slight woman. It can’t be too heavy. I am sensitive to chromic aberration. I need a tripod too. My entire budget is about $1500 US, can anyone give a recommendation for a scope? Thanks.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Take a look at the Athlon Cronus G2 20-60x86 UHD Spotting Scope and give us a call, 516-217-1000, to discuss a tripod

 

[mskb]

Hi @Linda1LovesBirds , Does the following appear reasonable?

Scope: Opticron 60/77mm (A discussion here: Next step: I need a scope).
Eyepiece: I know people use both SDLv or the HDF versions. (A discussion here: Opticron HDF T and SDL v3 Zoom FOV)
Tripod: A basic Sirui 2 series tripod. A search in the forum will give you a list of possible model numbers that people have experience on (Search results for query: "sirui" tripod lightweight).
Head: Sirui VA-5.

Cheers!

 

[Elkhornsun]

I would like to get a spotting scope. I won’t be birding a dusk, but I will be using it for shore birds, so conditions will often be cloudy, foggy, and windy. I don’t have to be the lightest scope on the market, but I’m a slight woman. It can’t be too heavy. I am sensitive to chromic aberration. I need a tripod too. My entire budget is about $1500 US, can anyone give a recommendation for a scope? Thanks.

The 65mm size will be lighter and much less expensive than scopes with larger objectives. For a tripod be careful to buy one from a reseller that makes returns easy as many are light in weight but also flimsy and do not provide enough support for the scope.

Pentax and Vortex scopes provide a lot of value for your money. A zoom eyepiece is important but in my area the most magnification I ever use is 30x.

This scope can be bought from BH Photo for $999

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1275431-REG/vortex_rs_65a_hd_22_48x65wa_spotting_scope.html

 

[CMB]

I am also sensitive to chromatic aberration. We have both the Pentax 80mm and 65mm scopes, and the Optricron MM4 60mm scope with SDLv3 zoom (longer eye relief than HDF).

The Opticron shows CA around outside edge of the field of view, but I do not see it in the middle. I do not find the level of CA around the edge of the FOV to be distracting. I find the Opticron to be a tad brighter than the Pentax scopes at the same magnification.

The Pentax scopes (both 65 and 80mm) are CA free to me when used with Teleview fixed power eyepieces. We did try the Pentax fixed power eyepieces, but did not find them as comfortable as the Teleview eyepieces. The Teleview eyepieces are not weather/dust resistant

Overall I prefer Opticron MM4 60mm to the Pentax scopes due to the combination of zoom, overall image quality, weight, weather resistance, and price.

 

[fazalmajid]

If you were not sensitive to CA I'd recommend the Kowa TSN-501/502. Extremely light, you can pack it and not even notice it's there, surprisingly good quality for a non-ED scope. Otherwise the Opticron MM4 ED scopes are excellent. I've seen some amazing clearance deals of late on Meopta spotting scopes (Meopta is a Czech company that used to make scopes rebranded by Leica and Zeiss), if you're willing to wait that could be an option.

 

[Linda1LovesBirds]

Thanks for all of your responses. I ended up getting Ares G2 15-45X65 UHD. I haven't had a lot of time with it, but so far, I think its fantastic. There is a slight bit of chromatic aberration, but nothing I can't deal with. The sharpness is excellent, even at the highest magnification. I got the Celestron Trailseeker Tripod. The tripod looks fantastic new, but reviews indicate quality over time might be an issue. I got the scope, a tripod and a digiscoping attachment for under $850. I'm going camping with it soon, so I'll try to post a real review when I get back.