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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hauksen" data-source="post: 3581482" data-attributes="member: 142861">Hi,Personally, I prefer angled scopes.They are actually more comfortable than one might think, as it's easier to adjust your stance to match a slightly different viewing angle than with a straight scope, which tends to require minute re-adjustments if your looking a bit more up and down, if you want to stay comfortable.I'm not sure straight scopes have that much of an advantage when it comes to targeting. The higher the magnification, the more accurate you need to be, and the bulky body of a scope is not a good aiming aid regardless of type. Personally, I've tried a red dot sight on my scope and am pretty much thrilled with the results. Mounting it was a bit of a challenge, though.Another big advantage of angled scopes is that you can work with a lower and thus stiffer and lighter tripod than with a straight scope. If you're birding in a windy environment, like the North Sea coast, that's a real plus.However, straight scopes have their advantages, too. Other observers have told me they prefer it for observations from an elevated position, such as a spotting tower, where an angled scope is no longer convenient. They are usually better for spotting from hides, which often are designed with view ports at eye height, and it can be a pain to set up an angled scope to match these if conditions are just *not* right.A big field of application of straight scopes seems to be "spotting from inside the car". I talked to the guys who do regular shorebird counts, and they all prefer straight scopes for that job, which they mount on the rolled-down side panes with a bean bag or even specialized pane mount.I do actually have a straight Nikon ED50, too, but I really use this more as a hand held monocular at the lowest zoom level, sometimes zooming in on interesting birds and trying to have the most steady hand I can manage <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> It would probably work even better with a monopod, but that's something I have yet to try.So it really depends on what you intend to do with your scope ... both angled and straight scopes have their advantages, and in moth situations you can actually use either type equally well.Regards,Henning</blockquote>

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