Spotting Scope Recommendation?

[Lynx]

I recently purchased a pair of Nikon 10x25 Sportlite Binoculars in a Jessops sale and I have to say they are a fantastic pair of binos; so crisp and clear!

Last weekend I was out and about getting close to a Red Kite and although I could see him much better than with the naked eye I needed something else to bring him even closer into view. I guess the next bit of kit I need is therefore a spotting scope maybe? Could anyone make a recommendation for something relatively cheap i.e. less than £100 and even better less than £50?

 

[Ogri the trog]

Aldi/Lidl occasionally do a spotting scope (20-60ish x 60 iirc) for about £30 - image quality isn't fantastic, but good enough, though the output image is very small at high magnification. A spotting scope would not be the first thing I went for for watching airborne birds though - maybe a more powerful pair of bino's might be better at lower magnification as the scope is a bulky item to manouvre around whilst keeping your eye at the right relief/position to see anything.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Lynx]

Aldi/Lidl occasionally do a spotting scope (20-60ish x 60 iirc) for about £30 - image quality isn't fantastic, but good enough, though the output image is very small at high magnification. A spotting scope would not be the first thing I went for for watching airborne birds though - maybe a more powerful pair of bino's might be better at lower magnification as the scope is a bulky item to manouvre around whilst keeping your eye at the right relief/position to see anything.

ATB

Ogri the trog

Thanks for that. I guess I have been looking for a small good quality pair of binos for some time as I don't like the bigger versions which I find to bulky to carry and now I have found them in the Sportlite which are wonderful. The kite I was watching was sitting in a tree and it was some distance away but the binos brought it much closer but not quite close enough given the distance. So my thought was that a spotting scope might be useful as a pocketable backup as I was sitting down and so was the kite. I'll keep an eye out for the Aldi ones as I have heard of these before.

 

[Nonsuch]

Visionary M12 (12x50) or 20 (20x50)? Get a very good rep and about £50-80. I have the M10 (10x50) and it is superb. Performance is well above its price and comes with a tripod etc. They are the size of half a binocular.


http://www.1stcameras.com/pd-visionary-m20-20x50-wp-monocular.cfm

 

[santaman2000]

Thanks for that. I guess I have been looking for a small good quality pair of binos for some time as I don't like the bigger versions which I find to bulky to carry and now I have found them in the Sportlite which are wonderful. The kite I was watching was sitting in a tree and it was some distance away but the binos brought it much closer but not quite close enough given the distance. So my thought was that a spotting scope...

Are you sure you mean "spotting" scope? They're the ones mounted on a tripod on the bench next to the shooting position at a rifle range so you can see the bullet holes on the target several hundred or more yards down range. They're very good (usually 20-60 times magnification) but far from"pocketable"; Like Ogri said they're bulky and hard to maneuver.

Some of them have adapters for camera attachments hovever, so they can be useful for wildlife photography.

 

[Lynx]

Are you sure you mean "spotting" scope? They're the ones mounted on a tripod on the bench next to the shooting position at a rifle range so you can see the bullet holes on the target several hundred or more yards down range. They're very good (usually 20-60 times magnification) but far from"pocketable"; Like Ogri said they're bulky and hard to maneuver.

Some of them have adapters for camera attachments hovever, so they can be useful for wildlife photography.

Maybe a monocular is a better description. Something pocketable that will increase the vision of an item viewed greater than my 10 x 25 binos.

 

[Lynx]

Visionary M12 (12x50) or 20 (20x50)? Get a very good rep and about £50-80. I have the M10 (10x50) and it is superb. Performance is well above its price and comes with a tripod etc. They are the size of half a binocular.


http://www.1stcameras.com/pd-visionary-m20-20x50-wp-monocular.cfm

Thanks for this; nice scope but probably a little larger than what I am looking for.

 

[santaman2000]

Maybe a monocular is a better description. Something pocketable that will increase the vision of an item viewed greater than my 10 x 25 binos.

Sorry I don't have any recommendations but now that it's clearer what you're looking for; you may get some more helpful recommendations from the thread.

 

[spartacus]

Hiya, I use high spec bins and spotting scope (Leica) and they are wonderfull, the amount of use they get justifies the expense lol. I use them on a dailly basis but the thing I'd like to say is 'practice your fieldcraft' I cannot emphasise how important this is.

Develop this skill and you will see stuff with your naked eye you never thought possible.

It's difficult but try it and I promise you will get closer and I'd even bet you have fun.

Practice, practice, practice. hehe.

Even in the garden here I practice with butterflies and bugs, the other day at a friends house I showed her how to get a wee delta winged fly to land on her hand, dragonflies too do this and hoverflies. I get a thrill when it works lol. Sad guy eh?

Gecko's and lizards stay still if you move slowly enough. As I say, practice and try to learn something about their habits.

Good luck and don't forget to have fun and dress appropriately, watch your shadow and our silouhete, sun position and wind direction. Remember all that and you are off and running hahahahaha.

 

[myotis]

I have no idea how good these are, but ...

http://www.1stoptics.com/pl/productdetail/1067?type=Telescopes&manufacturer=Opticron%20Telescopes&producttitle=Antique%2025x30%20Chrome%20Draw%20Tube%20Telescope&productdesc=25x30%20Chrome

Graham

 

[Lynx]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I like the look of those Myotis! They might just do the job. I was out again today watching three full grown hares playing around. Just beautiful to watch from a distance and close enough to have great vision with my new Nikon Binos; they really a superb buy and I cannot recommend them enough. Now for a monocular!

 

[spiritwalker]

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...C2hAfVr42_DQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFoQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers

i have this one
http://www.camera-shop.co.uk/acatalog/yukon-20-50x50-wa-wp-spotting-scope-21014wp.html
but i got it cheaper than that but cant recall where but its not as small as binos but not as big as full scopes either suits me and fits in the back pack trouble is you really need to mount it on tripods for best use but they are very good for the money

 

[ged]

Unless you have invested in equipment with image stabilization, for more than about 10X magnification you need to hold the optics more steadily than can be done by hand. That means either carrying a tripod or resting the optics on a handy rock, tree branch or whatever. It will usually be less trouble to get closer to the subject.

As the magnification increases, the image brightness decreases. So for more magnification, to get the same brightness you need bigger (or better) lenses which are more expensive. It will always be cheaper to get closer to the subject.

 

[Wayne]

In optics you often get what you pay for. The top end bins and scopes really come in to there own in poor light when their clearer brighter image makes a huge difference. Though the price tag of a really good scope will make your eyes water the investment lasts a life time and the resell value is good.

 

[Lynx]

It will always be cheaper to get closer to the subject.

I need to change my quarry then as Red Kite's have very good eyesight!

 

[Lynx]

Thanks once again for the feedback guys; I think I will start out with a low-cost monocular and see how I get on with it especially with keeping it steady in my hand etc. If all works out well I'll then consider something more expensive.

 

[Nonsuch]

Seriously - look at the Visionary range. I went for a £10 Barska etc job at first but trading up to the Visionary M-10 was a revelation.