Spotting Scopes

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TimCroot

Guest
I know its winter, but what is the opinion of our knowlegable team on the subject of a scope?

The tripod must be a good solid base and the unit on top give a good picture at many distances, So what do the rest of you recommend? good and not so good points as well please.
 
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TimCroot

Guest
ooops just typed in scope to the search i see what you said now. cheers dave
 

Micky

New member
I got mine from Jessops. It was about ?175, and it does the job fantastically. I'll look for the model number when I get home if you like.

It's got a 45 degree angle on the eyepiece, a good zoom (you can get it right down to only the gold showing at 70m) and it's nice and bright, even on the cloudy days.

I batted my eyelashes and got a decent tripod with it... but they've got a good range of tripods so you could spend as much or as little as you wanted to on it.

The best thing about the scope is that it has a band around it's middle, which means that the whole body of the scope rotates so that you don't have to angle the camera head bit of the tripod. It helps maintain balance, and it doesn't move in between ends.

xx
 

Adam

Active member
Just my opinion, but I'd suggest you don't bother with zoom eyepieces: as you zoom-in to the target it becomes increasingly crucial to align your eye with the optics correctly in order to maintain a decent picture. This takes time and is, frankly, a pain in the arse.

You really don't need more than about 30x magnification, even for the longest distances. Yes, higher magnification gets you "closer" to the gold, but this is no use at all if you're not putting all of your arrows in the gold, and it can lead to a bit of an obsession with hitting the gold (rather than just making good shots) and this can be a disaster.

I think the most important thing is to buy a scope with the biggest objective lens you can afford. I use an old Kowa scope with a 77mm lens, but 80mm is commonly available now. This will keep the image bright even in low light conditions which, lets be honest, seems like most of the time in this country.

Adam
 

LineCutter

Active member
I got my scope from a camera shop - look for spotting scopes. A variable 30x zoom is plenty. My tripod was originally for my camera - works just fine.
 

morphymick

The American
Supporter
American Shoot
AIUK Saviour
Helios 20 - 60x zoom, 60mm objective lens. Nitrogen filled for clear fog-free optics and totally waterproof (essential).
http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/detail.php?id=330

Opticron tripod.
http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/detail.php?id=370

Totally agree with the 30x magnification, you'll never need more than that at 100yd, and around 20x down to 50yd.

Biggest objective lens you can get for the money.

Don't skimp on the tripod, tubular legs are more stable, and make sure it has a good pan/tilt head.

Mick
 
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Rik

Supporter
Supporter
Adam said:
Just my opinion, but I'd suggest you don't bother with zoom eyepieces: as you zoom-in to the target it becomes increasingly crucial to align your eye with the optics correctly in order to maintain a decent picture. This takes time and is, frankly, a pain in the arse.

You really don't need more than about 30x magnification, even for the longest distances. Yes, higher magnification gets you "closer" to the gold, but this is no use at all if you're not putting all of your arrows in the gold, and it can lead to a bit of an obsession with hitting the gold (rather than just making good shots) and this can be a disaster.

I think the most important thing is to buy a scope with the biggest objective lens you can afford. I use an old Kowa scope with a 77mm lens, but 80mm is commonly available now. This will keep the image bright even in low light conditions which, lets be honest, seems like most of the time in this country.

Adam
And don't forget that the quality of cheap zoom optics is s**t!
One problem in general with cheap scopes is colour rendition. It's no good if your scope is pin-sharp, but the colours are nearly unrecognisable ("hmm, is that my white spinwings and orange nocks or his yellows and red nocks in the gold..."). Another "interesting" issue is temperature stability - do you want to have to re-focus every time the sun goes in (or comes out)... Unfortunately, that and colour accuracy are hard to assess in the average shop conditions.
 
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TimCroot

Guest
Thanks for all the ideas and answers, I shall have to get down and check out some of these options.

Rik I agree the whole face needss to be seen :) I am still trying to get the 6 gold badge, mind 6 reds would be nice Ha Ha
 

jerryRTD

Well-known member
I got a cheaper one with no prisums 60x20 and although its not great it is better than wondering where the arrows are.
 
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