Looking for a new Spotting Scope - advice required

SimonS

Member
Hi All,
I am looking to purchase a new spotting scope in the next couple of weeks, anyone got any advice on which is best, what they already use and could recommend, think I might have upto ?150 to spend but will need a tripod in there as well.
 
Hi,
I use a Barr & Stroud Sahara 20-60x80 Scope. good quality, waterproof and nitrogen purged, it will do everything you need as far as archery goes and comes complete with detachable cover.
Available online from camera centre for ?99.00 Barr & Stroud Sahara 20-60X80 Spotting Scope
you can get a tripod for ?50 that will suffice just about anywhere.
Hope this helps
 

SimonS

Member
Thanks Rik & Bowman1296. the Barr & Stroud is looking like a good option and will leave a bit of dosh for a nice tripod as well.
 

Simian

Supporter
Supporter
I have the Barr & Stroud, and like bowman1296 says, it does everything I need.

Simon.
 

Ar-Pe-Lo

Member
I had one of these and 1 fall on windy day and it snap in middle - it's all from plastic......

Now I have second hand Nikon field scope - bit off your budget, but you get wahat you pay for...it's lovely glass...Good and very compact one is KOWA 501....just need bit of hunting and you can get it around 100-120.....
 
I had one of these and 1 fall on windy day and it snap in middle - it's all from plastic......

Now I have second hand Nikon field scope - bit off your budget, but you get wahat you pay for...it's lovely glass...Good and very compact one is KOWA 501....just need bit of hunting and you can get it around 100-120.....

Hi,
That is why i always tie down my tripod. If you let any scope fall from 5ft in the wind you could cause damage, regardless of how much it cost!
used mine for nearly a year, including gale force winds at Dunster, and no problems.
 

Ar-Pe-Lo

Member
Yes of course, my fault......but it was fall on grass and it says a lot about construction (when you see it from inside, you will understand).....I'm pretty confident it will not happened with my Nikon or that Kowa. As I carry my scope with me all the time in backpack I preffer sturdy construction. With glass (scopes, lenses, microscopes) you always (almost) get what you pay for...

But agree, even cheap scope will be OK for archery.
 

Nightimer

New member
For the price its plenty good enough for archery.
With optics you really do get what you pay for,I once shot with a guy using a Swarovski scope.
He offered me a look through it.
I could have thrown my scope away after that,the image was astounding,bright and crisp.
At ?1200 (back in the 90's) I wasn't going to rush out and get one.
Get what you can afford and be happy with it,an expensive scope will NOT get you any more points,trust me.
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
I had one of these and 1 fall on windy day and it snap in middle - it's all from plastic......

Now I have second hand Nikon field scope - bit off your budget, but you get wahat you pay for...it's lovely glass...Good and very compact one is KOWA 501....just need bit of hunting and you can get it around 100-120.....
Doesn't have to be wind. I had a mighty midget broken on a calm day... Whoever knocked it over didn't own up.
 
M

Moose

Guest
Doesn't have to be wind. I had a mighty midget broken on a calm day... Whoever knocked it over didn't own up.
Same happened to my mighty midget and because my tripod weighs about the same a a small car it was not the wind

posted by moose on the loose
 

Ar-Pe-Lo

Member
For the price its plenty good enough for archery.
With optics you really do get what you pay for,I once shot with a guy using a Swarovski scope.
He offered me a look through it.
I could have thrown my scope away after that,the image was astounding,bright and crisp.
At ?1200 (back in the 90's) I wasn't going to rush out and get one.
Get what you can afford and be happy with it,an expensive scope will NOT get you any more points,trust me.
Yes if you want to have a bad day, look through quality scope :D
 

bimble

Well-known member
Supporter
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
AIUK Saviour
It's expensive, but boy the optics are quality.... ;)

 

Murray

Well-known member
Ironman
American Shoot
AIUK Saviour
The Sahara is decent out to 70m. Not so great beyond that as the optics are average, (don't get me wrong - they're good for the price!). There are many many other threads on here about scopes which will give you more choices. Celestron Ultima 80 is not miles away from your budget. Acuter is probably to far out, but check out second hand market... most of the Opticron stuff will be too pricy too, but again look second hand. You get what you pay for.
 

Simian

Supporter
Supporter
I guess it depends what you're looking for. With the Sahara you can tell which arrows are yours and where they are on the target @90m. Wouldn't want to try and score line cutters with it though.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

Mad Wally

New member
I just bought a used Nikon Spotting Scope Type RAIII 65A WP with a fixed 30x wide eyepiece for 65 euro. It's angled, waterproof and has a cover. Eye relief is 19.3 mm and field of view is 38m @ 1000m. I already have a good Manfrotto stand to put it on.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
This is my first proper post so hopefully it goes okay.
I do a lot of bird watching dating back to my break from archery, so I am lucky to have access to a Leica 77 APO scope. To buy the equivalent today will cost over ?2000; more than most archers archery kit. But I really don't use it on the line very much, maybe three times a year. I prefer to use a good set of compact binoculars. The Nikon Travelite EX 10x25 are fantastic value at <?100 They are good to 100yds even on a crowded boss, waterproof and lightweight.

If a scope is a must it has to be waterproof (WP) as it will fog up on misty mornings not to mention rainy days. Go for angled eye piece over straight as it is comfortable to use (straight is very difficult on the line) and can be set much lower improving stability.
Try to avoid zoom eye pieces. They are poorer quality to fixed magnification. They give a closer view but as the resolution drops away rapidly you cannot resolve any more detail. A fixed 30x eyepiece is good at 100yds and will resolve much more detail.
It is also worth checking the small print on cheaper waterproof (WP) copes as although the body of the scope maybe waterproof the zoom eyepiece is often not.

Last... heavy tripod or tie it down with a tent peg and bungy. Not so easy if you cannot leave it on the line.

 

fbirder

Member
Just a heads-up for those on a severe budget -

Aldi have their mega-bargain-basement scopes from 19th June. Just ?25 for a usable scope. LINK All you need is a cheap tripod.
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
Just a heads-up for those on a severe budget -

Aldi have their mega-bargain-basement scopes from 19th June. Just ?25 for a usable scope. LINK All you need is a cheap tripod.
That's it, just you taunt me with cheap products I can't get to... :)
 
Top