What features do you want in a spotting scope.

[4ked Horn]

Ok it's time to say thanks to Gonehuntingagain, STWsniper, abinok, Goodgrouper and Big 33 for giving me your input on what you like in a spotting scope.

Now an update on my search for a spotter:

I spent all day driving all over town looking at scopes and picking the brains of all the camera store employees (including 3 fine Bettys.) I tried out a number of scopes and found things like mirage and zoom power and the type of sunlight and the contrast of the thing being looked at mean alot when it comes to getting a clear image. But through it all I still feel that the Minox is going to do it for me. I was able to see the individual insulator rings extending from a large power pole at 1 mile. I could read words about the size of these on a product label in the store at about 60 feet.

I looked into price I saw on the website I found selling them and the $300 is without the eyepiece. The eyepiece is $110 so the whole thing is right about $410 and I can buy the other eyepices as I desire. It does come with a case and a camera adapter though.

As for tripods and tripod heads I will be buying a Bogen 3001 with the thumbscrew tightening joints on the lower leg sections and the multi angle adjustment on the top leg joints. $110
The head will either be a Bogen but with the pistol grip to the side or the Bogen "fluid pan". The fluid pan is a sealed grease filled bearing in both pan and tilt for a very smooth action when tracking moving things. The handle is very adjustable so it won't be hitting me in the throat all day. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif The sideways pistol is $120 if I remember right and the fluid pan is right at $100.

That will put me in fat city for spotting optics and support gear.

 

[goodgrouper]

Sounds great 4k. Are you planning to have this rig up and running for our upcoming bullet flinging session on those chucks?

 

[4ked Horn]

Yup. Besides, if I wait until after I look through your scopes I will never be able to afford what I REALLY would want then.

Actually I would like to have the scope by then but I'm not going to buy it until I find out what kind of warrantee there is with it. You wouldn't happen to know would you. I think I will go back to S.W. and ask to look at the papers. I was so excited about how well the scope was working I forgot to think about that part.

 

[Bob S.]

Good to hear that a guy that used to be behind the counter still gets excited about a new toy. It didn't have anything to do with that betty did it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

Oh yeah, that money is burning a hole in my pocket something fierce. I will actually try to buy the whole kaboodle on line since the prices are quite a bit better than the local stores but it sure makes shopping fun when the gear isn't the only thing in the store that is nice to look at. Actuallt the ladies were quite helpfull and one in particular was very knoledgable about the scopes they carried which gave me a second option if the Minox purchase falls apart some how. We looked at a Guardforce 4000 which used to be sold as Winchester. It is a 15X45 with a good high power focus, nitrogen filled (I believe) and is camera addaptable.

We will let you know how it turns out.

 

[goodgrouper]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually I would like to have the scope by then but I'm not going to buy it until I find out what kind of warrantee there is with it. You wouldn't happen to know would you

[/ QUOTE ]

I just opened the box and it carries a 5 year warranty.

 

[4ked Horn]

Hmmm? You must be at work. I remember when I worked at gart sports. It was a fun place to work. We even got employee discounts.

I wonder how much someone might want for a "used, in like new condition" Minox 62 if perhaps someone bought one and found that they didn't like it as much as they thought you would? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

While you think about that I was wondering if you knew if it had fully multicoated lenses (doubt it) or coated lenses or if it had any lens coatings at all? I can't find this info anywhere and that usually means that they don't. Just curious.

 

[goodgrouper]

I looked at the spec sheet inside and it said:

2 lens non-cemented, achromatic system with multiple layer coatings plus a hard coat for protection.

It did not say if the internal part of the lens had coatings or not, but the exterior does for sure.

 

[4ked Horn]

Cool. For the price I would expect some variety of coatings. However to get fully multi-coated optics I would expect to pay more. Thanks for looking that up for me.

I was getting "buyers remorse" and I hadn't even bought anything yet. This was brought on by the fact that I have not been able to try as many scopes in this range as I would like. So I made a spreadsheet doccumenting the features I required and those I would like and then all the extra fluff. I have spent the last 4 hours researching the scopes I was interested in and with your information that the Minox does indeed have coatings to some extent I have again concluded that I will almost certainly be getting the Minox.

I will say that the leupold Sequoia and the cabellas big sky have lifetime warrantees and the Nikons have a 25 year limited. 5 seems a little slim here but that is not a major concern since I have never sent any product back for repairs under warrantee.

 

[Bob S.]

It only takes sending it back once and the difference could be substantial. Then again you might get a lifetime of use/abuse out of it and have nary a problem.