Praktica Highlander, Alder and Hydan?

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lostplanet

Full Member
Aug 18, 2005
2,124
243
53
Kent
Looking at these cheap/mid range price scopes. varying reviews but mostly positive.

Any members Scope pro's?

whats the difference between the 3 models?

At the moment i'm looking at the Alder 66mm as it is fairly compact and same zoom etc as the 77mm.

some mixed reports saying the hydans are not waterproof??
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I am most concerned with how long the gas seals are fit. Are those all spotting scopes? Unknown brands to me.
Internal moisture condensation going from warm to cold and back again can ruin scopes and even good shotguns.
As a result, I'm fairly careful about thermal shock. Cold (-10C) shotguns warm in their bags before opening.

I can ignore the rain = game isn't out and visibility is crap anyway = just stay dry and warm!!!

I have a Nikon Prostaff 82mm spotting scope. The big objective is a great light collector at the ends of the day.
The finder scope works really well. Main scope zoom is the usual 20X - 60X but 40X is the practical top.
That's OK for counting legs on mountain sheep less than 5 miles away at 6,000'.
I thought that $600 was a lot to pay but looking back, I have no regrets.
Flatlanders expect us to be well-equipped here.
 

lostplanet

Full Member
Aug 18, 2005
2,124
243
53
Kent
Yes all praktica models assuming they call highlander the higher spec. They say made in germany but probably with Chinese shared parts.

https://www.praktica.com/collections/spotting-scopes

Good reviews on amazon. As nice as nikon gear is i couldn't afford there prices tbh. This is really for eyeballing targets 50-60 meters away so should be good enough. I have a celestron c70 mak which is ok but focus is poor at max mag. Looking to move that on soon.
 
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Laurence Milton

Settler
Apr 7, 2016
605
170
suffolk
I remember Praktica as an East German manufacturer of SLR cameras with surprisingly good quality optics and lenses. Good solid build. Still have 2 SLRs of theirs...

(I'm talking film here, not digital :biggrin:)
 
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Clayze

Tenderfoot
Dec 28, 2018
77
27
West Sussex
:)
I remember Praktica as an East German manufacturer of SLR cameras with surprisingly good quality optics and lenses. Good solid build. Still have 2 SLRs of theirs...

(I'm talking film here, not digital :biggrin:)
I bought a Praktica BC1 thirty plus years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed using it!
Tinkering with Cokin filters too.
Happy memories:)
 
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