straight vs angled scope ? (1 Viewer)

[kylie-bird]

Hi, I'm researching scopes to buy one soon and I'm confused about straight vs angled. It seems like angled is more often recommended, but it seems to me that with an angled one you have to be bent or hunched over to look through it - you'd have to bend your neck or back to look down into it, I imagine. Whereas with a straight scope you can keep your back and neck straight right? I imagine if looking at shorebirds on ground level you could set the tripod low, sit on a chair or squat and be pretty much looking straight ahead. So I imagine that if you are looking through it for a while, a straight one would be more comfortable than an angled which I assume you have to bend to look through. Is this right or am I missing something because none of the articles discuss this

 

[Nethero]

To an extent, yes what you say is accurate. However the actual bending to view an angled scope is much less than what you might think. If you are sharing a scope an angled is recommended because users of varying heights can use it easier. Set the tripod to the shortest user and everyone can use it with minimal difficulty. A straight scope makes sharing much more difficult if you have users or varying height.

I have angled scopes because I share them but prefer straight ones because they are naturally easier to get on target.

Straight scopes also require a taller tripod to bring the scope to eye level vs an angled scope allowing you to move to the eyepiece. Taller tripod might mean heavier and bulkier, more cost, etc.

Really this all comes down to preference.

 

[Bubbs]

Angled forever 😀

 

[4John]

Hi, I'm researching scopes to buy one soon and I'm confused about straight vs angled. It seems like angled is more often recommended, but it seems to me that with an angled one you have to be bent or hunched over to look through it - you'd have to bend your neck or back to look down into it, I imagine. Whereas with a straight scope you can keep your back and neck straight right? I imagine if looking at shorebirds on ground level you could set the tripod low, sit on a chair or squat and be pretty much looking straight ahead. So I imagine that if you are looking through it for a while, a straight one would be more comfortable than an angled which I assume you have to bend to look through. Is this right or am I missing something because none of the articles discuss this

The eyepieces of angled scopes are only angled at 45 degrees, so there is no neck strain or any need to hunch yourself. Most people can til their heads forward 45 degrees with no strain/fatigue whatsoever unless they have a neck injury. The reality is that straight or angled scope both need to be tilted up or down slightly combined with raising or lowering the centre column of the tripod to get on the bird. The reality is you are a long way from the bird (that's why you are using a scope) so the tilt angle is small in almost all cases. You eil find in practive you can go that with either a straight or an angled scope with no neck strain. All the advantages of an angled scope over a straight scope have been covered in Nethero's post. All I would add is that angled scopes are much more popular than straight scopes so the secondhand value of a straight scope is a little less, but I still personally prefer a straight scope. I buy scopes for me - not the next owner !

I strongly recommend you find a dealer with straight and angled scopes, or go to a "field day" (if they have those in Oz) and try them for yourself, then it will quickly make much more sense than anything I have written .

 

[wllmspd]

Angled too, using a lower tripod gives more stability too. For finding things I use the “cable tie trick”, but never seen anyone with any kind of spotting scope finders. With it I can get on target with flying birds with no issue.

Peter

 

[Richard D]

If you mostly view seated (in a hide or from a chair) then straight makes sense, if you tend to use standing then I find angled much easier to use and share as well as being more stable due to tripod height.

 

[kylie-bird]

Thanks to all!

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

I have both.

If you want to use the scope solely for yourself, get straight scope. Faster to get on your target too than angled scope. Plus if you wanted to take pictures with smartphone via phone adapter in the future, it is easier too. But if you share the scope every time during your birding walk, angled would be better.

If you want the flexibility of having straight and angled scope, get the X modular from Swarovski Optik. These are interchangeable between angled and straight eyepiece modules and also different size of the objective lens from 65mm, 85mm, 95mm and 115mm.

Don't worry about stability of taller tripod for straight scope and shorter tripod for angled scope. As long you have decent tripod made from carbon fibre and when the legs are fully extended and taller than you, it should be ok.

 

[Nethero]

I have both.

If you want to use the scope solely for yourself, get straight scope. Faster to get on your target too than angled scope. Plus if you wanted to take pictures with smartphone via phone adapter in the future, it is easier too. But if you share the scope every time during your birding walk, angled would be better.

If you want the flexibility of having straight and angled scope, get the X modular from Swarovski Optik. These are interchangeable between angled and straight eyepiece modules and also different size of the objective lens from 65mm, 85mm, 95mm and 115mm.

Don't worry about stability of taller tripod for straight scope and shorter tripod for angled scope. As long you have decent tripod made from carbon fibre and when the legs are fully extended and taller than you, it should be ok.

View attachment 1563757View attachment 1563758View attachment 1563759View attachment 1563760

Please ensure you don’t overload that gimbal head 🤣.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

Please ensure you don’t overload that gimbal head 🤣.

I have used it for years with the BTX95 scope and 300mm 2.8 lens without any problem. Safety load for the gimbal head is rated at 8kg.

 

[Nethero]

I have used it for years with the BTX95 scope and 300mm 2.8 lens without any problem. Safety load for the gimbal head is rated at 8kg.

Sometimes my humor doesn’t come across as such but I was being tongue in cheek with that comment. Gimbals can definitely hold quite the heavy load!

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

Sometimes my humor doesn’t come across as such but I was being tongue in cheek with that comment. Gimbals can definitely hold quite the heavy load!

Sorry a bit slow in the head at this moment because of fasting 😂 😂 😂

 

[chill6x6]

I had much rather have a straight scope than an angled model. I have owned both. I understand there are times when an angled model really is better(astronomy) but for birding...that's an easy choice for me.

 

[Grando]

Bear in mind that with most angled scopes there is usually a facility to twist the end of the scope so that the eyepiece points out to the side of the scope. This can be useful when scanning from a car/hide, though it's not as easy to find things at that angle than it is with a straight scope in such circumstances. But it is a useful compromise and obviously not an option that's available on a straight scope.

I'd say the key issue when deciding is trying to work out your most-frequent type of birding. If that's sitting down/scoping from a car window etc. then straight is the way to go. If you often stand seawatching on a high cliff looking downwards then straight is also good. But if you do a lot of scanning high up into trees/the sky then angled might be better. Horizontal viewing - across a mudflat etc. – then really down to personal preference... I suspect the best thing to do is to go and look through a few straight vs angled and at least decide on that as a separate decision before choosing the brand.

 

[wllmspd]

… there is the cable tie finder that can help with non straight thru viewing to get on targets fast.., even flying ones.

Peter

 

[paddyluke]

when i see these "angled v straight" scope threads it gets my goat when people say to get an angled scope because you can share with others, get whatever is best for YOU because you will be the one paying for it,let others make do with your scope if they want to use it(unless you live close to me)

 

[William Lewis]

As Paddy says above. Go for what you like and need.

I quite like angled scopes at the moment, the cable tie trick (Cable-Tie Sight for Angled-Eyepiece Birding Scopes - Latest sermon and guide) works well for birds on the wing mitigating some of the pointing accuracy lost with an angled scope.

I also use a scope quite often in hides and find it useful to be able to swing the scope off to one side and use the rotation collar so I can have a clear view in front of me and scope set up close by. It also keeps the tripod height a little lower.

I'm away at the moment and wanted to be able to have something for the stars, an angled scope is a (little) better for this than a straight one - unfortunately the cable tie trick doesn't work at night very well, hence the rdf in the photo.

Will

 

[Hermann]

I've used both straight scopes and angled scopes for more than 40 years. Straight scopes are better when you use them from a car and in some hides. In some, not in all. For everything else angled scopes work better. A lot. Use a cable tie sight: Make your own simple sight (aiming) device for telescopes: illustrated instructions.

Hermann

 

[Elkhornsun]

Straight are preferred by hunters who want to check hits at a gun range without changing their position. For a bird watcher the angled type is more difficult to aim but easier for people of varying height to look through, as was already mentioned. The hunter will tend to use binos to locate their prey and then rely on the rifle scope to zero in on their target.

Go out with any birding group and you will find that the angled type is always used and you can get a feel for it before making a purchase. You can also get an idea of how much image magnification is useful for the eyepiece.

 

[Thrupenney Bit]

I've just gone from using a straight scope to an angled.
Yes, my straight scope was easier to aim, though my angled scope has an aiming sight to aim it at the object and it works well.

My main task is to take it around a wetland to identify birds out of range of my binoculars. It's first outing on tuesday was revealing.
Instead of needing to extend all 3 legs of my tripod as I needed to do with my straight scope, I could get away with leaving one in the closed position and raise the centre column of the tripod. This was great, as I could carry the tripod in a backpack with the legs extended and simply raise the column when needed. With my straight scope I needed all legs extended all of the time.

For me, walking around the area and stopping occasionally to identify things, an angled scope is my ideal solution. It might not be for others. If I was mainly using a scope in a hide, I think I'd stick to my straight one.
If possible, try both straight and angled and what is best for you is.... best!
Good luck
Q