Kenai2 HD 25-60X80mm VS GR HD 12-40x60mm

[twoftagl]

Kenai2 HD 25-60X80mm VS GR HD 12-40x60mm

Looking for your experience with one, or preferably both of these scopes to decide if the reduced obj and zoom on the GR is worth it.

I have a great opportunity to get one of these Leupolds at a price that puts me into the High-Quality spotters; Normally I'd be looking at other options, but I can't really pass up this kind of deal, so I'm really just interested in these guys.

REQUIREMENTS:
MUST see paper holes on a standard target at zero range of 200 yds, in avg lighting. If not, then it's useless to me. The further it will make out these groups, the better.

Uses:
Reality is mostly target...usually steel out to 12-1500m (painted white for strikes). Would like to use it for hunting, at least eventually. I don't have an immediate need for long-distance glassing, haven't hunted that way (yet) but eagerly want to get there, so low-light isn't top priority (yet) but I'm going HD for when that arises. It will be paired with a VX=6 HD 3-18x 44 or 50mm

Just looking to see if the Gold Ring will be optically better for my uses, even with the smaller obj and lower zoom than the Kenai 2? Will Low light capability be any less?

Thanks!
Chris

 

[el matador]

I've used the first generation Kenai a few times and have been very impressed with it. Very sharp images. You will have no problem seeing bullet holes at 200-300 yards. I can't comment on how these 2 scopes compare, other than what applies to spotting scopes in general: The 60-65mm scopes are good for all-around use because they gather a decent amount of light and remain fairly compact. Any more than 45x is useless with a 60mm objective because there is not enough light being transmitted. The 80mm scopes are definitely brighter and better for low light. The higher zoom is actually usable in average light conditions. But they are big and heavy, so they aren't great for packing around much. The Kenai is actually rather short and compact for an 80mm scope. But still a fair bit larger than most 60-65mm scopes. I would think either of these 2 spotters would serve you well - just figure out how much you'll be packing it around vs. spotting from the car or bench.