Spotting scope ??????

[bigbuck]

I need some advice on which size of spotting scope I need .

1. Angled or Straight ?
2. Magnification ?
3.Brand ?

I am on a poor mans budget.
I have a Nighforce scope and if I could afford it I would purchase a high end spotting scope but thats simply not going to happen at this time . So , with that said if you had a limited amount of money $60.00 to $140.00 which spoter would you start out with. So far I've been using my range finder as a spotter and it's giving me an headache . Maybe the spotter will help with this as well. Let me know what you guys would do if you was in my shoes ?

Thanks for looking ....

 

[Sully2]

I know what low funds are like partner....and not to hurt your feelings but any spotter in the $60-$140 group you find...wont be worth a damm. Save up some $$....NOT that you need some $1999 scope...but your budget wont even handle a poor one.!

 

[bigbuck]

I know what low funds are like partner....and not to hurt your feelings but any spotter in the $60-$140 group you find...wont be worth a damm. Save up some $$....NOT that you need some $1999 scope...but your budget wont even handle a poor one.!

Thanks Sully for taking the time to reply . I was hoping to find a cheap one until I could do better .

 

[mt Al]

Been there, done that and regretted it. For about $249 you can get a Minox MD50 from cameralandNY if you want a compact highly rated spotter. I'm about to pull the trigger on one of those!

As for angled or straight, it's your preference. I like straight and I use it for glassing critters. I like looking w/my naked eye and then just moving over to the eyepiece. Other people like angled because...well...they just like them. Also, angled spotters are easier to put on the top of your pack and use in a jiffy, you don't need them to be as high off the ground to use and you don't have to crane your neck back so much if you're prone.

PMing you with another option.

 

[JeffP40]

Don't do the cheap, they're garbage. Cameraland has the Vortex Nomad for $229. It would be hard to find a better one for the money. As was said, look at the Minox also. I would go angled eyepiece. I have a straight and it is more difficult to use most of the time. Don't spend less than $200, you will regret it.

 

[bigbuck]

Thanks guys for your advice , I appreciate it very much. I will check the ones out that you have mentioned.

 

[jrsolocam]

nycameraland is a great place to look. Call them and ask the same questions, they will answer your questions. Great customer service. Ebay and the classifieds on sites like this are great too. You can get a $500 scope for less than $200 if you are patient. I would recommend getting higher quality glass lightly used. Good luck.

 

[jghoghunter]

for the money that you have you could look for the old Bushnell spacemaster. They are a pretty good scope that you can get for less than $150. I bought 2 off of flea-bay for less than 130 ea. Nice scope for the money.