Longrange hunting spotting scope help!

[Sully2]

And regardless of what anyone wants...needs or talks of....I personally WILL NOT pay $1900-$6000 for a spotting scope...and then ..in the case of the Nikon EDG's pay $500 plus for a fixed power eyepiece for the best possible view nor pay $995.00 for an SLr camera adapter. To each their own

 

[pyroducksx3]

I have to say make sure that you look thru the scope you are thinking about buying because I hear everyone say that the razor is just as good but when you look at them side by side you can see a difference but you have to decide if the extra cost is worth it. Just saying at least to my eyes the razor is not as good

I have a hard time believing that it would be as good as well but I just hear such great things from so many different people. I have heard the razor is similar to the 80mm swaro but not the hd model. Because of my budget constraints the options for a swaro are only the 65mm so the razor is being compared to that vs the 80mm swaro. And the retailers are really letting me no down. Nobody has a razor in stock currently so being able to compare a razor to something else is impossible. But even then even finding a swaro is challenging. It seems the retailers aren't even trying to compete with online anymore. I have a friend with a swaro 65 hd and a 65 non hd. So after I get a razor I can compare to these. I will post what I find out if anyone is interested.

 

[pyroducksx3]

Well I found a store that had the vortez razor and swaro's. I compared the two and the swaro was much better. Once I looked through the swaro I tried the vortex and kept adjusting it because it seemed fuzzy. No matter what I did I couldnt get the image to get as sharp as the swaro. I thought I was comparing the razor to the swaro 65 hd but it turns out it was the swaro 80mm hd, which is just out of my price range. They had a super sale on the swaro 80mm non hd that made it only a couple hundred more than the vortex.It was too dark to go back out with the swaro nonhd and compare it to the razor but I have heard that the difference between the swaro hd and non hd is very difficult to tell. So it looks like it a swaro 80m non hd for this guy. Getting it on sale for 1649$

 

[Sully2]

Well I found a store that had the vortez razor and swaro's. I compared the two and the swaro was much better. Once I looked through the swaro I tried the vortex and kept adjusting it because it seemed fuzzy. No matter what I did I couldnt get the image to get as sharp as the swaro. I thought I was comparing the razor to the swaro 65 hd but it turns out it was the swaro 80mm hd, which is just out of my price range. They had a super sale on the swaro 80mm non hd that made it only a couple hundred more than the vortex.It was too dark to go back out with the swaro nonhd and compare it to the razor but I have heard that the difference between the swaro hd and non hd is very difficult to tell. So it looks like it a swaro 80m non hd for this guy. Getting it on sale for 1649$

Good man! Quality in optics has won out again!.

 

[pyroducksx3]

So the saga continues. The store had misunderstood what I wanted and had a swaro atm 80mm non hd and I wanted a stm 80mm non hd, so they we have to order it in from another store. This opened up some options though as Im now not limited to in stock items. They also have a swaro stm 65mm hd for 1710$ compared to the swaro 80mm stm non hd I am most likely going to purchace. Weight isnt a factor mu biggest concern is the brightest and sharpest image for longrange identification of points (mostly being able to posiitively Id a true spike elk at longrange 1000+ yards) is my best choice still the 80mm non hd? Thanks

I was able to compare the angled swaro 80mm non hd today next to a razor and it was still noticibly more sharp and bright.

 

[Sully2]

The 80mm is better if the conditions warrant its need....lower light. Mid day you wont see any appreciable difference but morning / evening you shall.

Sure wish I had those problems.......Id probably just jump for the 100mm scope and have my man "Baldwin" lug it around all the time.....

Good luck on the search.

 

[jmden]

pyro, I'll be interested to see how this turns out for you. I'm in the market for a similar scope, but due to the fact that I backpack hunt pretty much exclusively, small size and small weight are considerations. I've had my eye on the Swaro 65mm STD for next year. Making sure it's legal in WA at LR is expensive, isn't it?

Another I'm looking at is the US Optics Field Observation Scope, but there are so few that own one to comment on it compared to others. It's sleek shape is nice for packing, no doubt and the fact that it has an MOA reticle option for no extra cost could be very beneficial for spotter and shooter alike for calling shots.

http://www.usoptics.com/optics/field-spotting-scope.html

 

[pyroducksx3]

And now the curveball. I got off the phone with ziess and I can get the victory 85 TFL scope with 20-75X eyepiece for only 312$ more than the Swaro STM 80mm 20-60 non hd. I think this is the way to go, right?

 

[pyroducksx3]

I ordered the ziess! Im excited to get it and try it out.

 

[TheFishBox]

Well how about a report on your feelings on this scope compared to the others you have tried out?

 

[pyroducksx3]

Well I just got a tripod that good enough to start using this big scope so I will post some more about it in a few days when I have played with it more. Initial thoughts are that its not anything great over the swaro non hd but from what I have been learning its the different situations (such as snow) and what I wont notice that set the scope apart from the non hd models. What I mean is that under certain situations the non hd glass would have CA or other image issues that I wont notice now that I have it. Clarity side by side to a swaro is no better or worse from what I can tell. The 75x isnt as dramatic compared to 60x as I thought it would be nut it still is an advantage. All in all I like the scope and for the price I paid fell that I made a good decision still. Ill try and get together with my budy who has a non hd swaro and get some better side by side comparisions.

 

[pyroducksx3]

So I went out today and got to compare my scope to a swaro out in the field. First off the side by side testing wasnt really fair. My scope is a brand new ziess 85 T FL with the 20-75X eyepiece and his was an older Swaro 65 non HD. The conditions were overcast, raining and snowing, we were viewing distances from 400-1000 yards. The first thing we both noticed was that the ziess was brighter bujt thats expected since it was an 85 compared to a 65. We both agreed that the image was just a little sharper with the ziess as well. the best way to describe it is that at 974 the rock we were looking at had moss rings. I could see the rings with both scopes but the zeiss the rings were just a little more clear, so there wasnt anything that I couldnt see at the same power with the swaro that I would have been able to catch with the ziess it was just a little better is all. Also I had heard it mentioned while researching the two scopes but hadnt expected to notice it but the swaro has a blueish color saturation while the ziess was more yellow. I found that I prefered the yellowish of the ziess. I wouldnt but either above the other in reguards to more natural color renditions. So to wrap it up I feel there isnt anything profound that the ziess will do over the swaro. I think the swaro would have fullfilled all my needs. I feel the ziess was a little sharper, I prefer the yellowish color and the extra 15X, although the extra X didnt make the difference I thought it would compared to 60X but it is noticible and I feel the ziess is a better scope for me. I am very happy with the big spotter.

 

[sp6x6]

How would the 12-45x60 Leupold mark 4 fit in the mix. I have old style of same no Hd but size is nice, and still packable. Like the tmr reticule

 

[Sully2]

Amen pyroducksx3, amen!!
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