11-33x50 spotter vs12x50 binos

[Teaman1]

Do any of you that have tried one, feel that the 33 power spotting scope gives enough extra “zoom” to justify taking both? Or would you just take the extra weight of a bigger spotting scope?

 

[willfrye027]

Probably depends most on the distance and how picky you are. At the beginning and scouting before my last hunt, I felt the need to judge deer with a spotter at least 40x when they were 1000-3000 yards away. By the end of the trip with one tag to fill I could tell in my 10x binos from 1500 yards if we were gonna make the stalk.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Are you wanting to find animals or score an animal at extended ranges?

If glassing, I'd only use binoculars or the BTX. If I find something of interest that needs further investigation, then the spotter comes out.

 

[Teaman1]

I’m planning to do a 5 day mule deer hunt which will turn into a elk hunt in a bordering unit. I’m not picky for elk as I think any elk is a trophy. I will not shoot a mule deer unless I feel it’d be wall worthy.
Do you think the small spotter would be worth taking?
The binos I plan to take will be the razor uhd 12x50

 

[idahohikker]

People over and over sell the 11-33 Razor because it's bad at light gathering and doesn't provide a lot of value above binos. Check out the 65mm Athlon Ares spotting scope for a great packable mid range option. The little Kowa and Nikon are consistently rating favorably as well. Ditch the small Razor idea.

 

[Brian Fahs]

I do not have experience with the spotter or binoculars you speak of.

But I have compared my swaro 15x slc hd binoculars to my leica televid 62 with a 16-48x eyepiece. I compared them both on a quality tripod and head. I sold the leica spotter because it was much less comfortable to look through and was less bright. I could not see much if any better resolution at great distances over the binoculars.

The key is to put your money on the best binoculars and tripod system you can afford and learn how to use them. I own a Kowa 884 with a 25-60x WA eyepiece. It is a hell of a tool to use for evaluating stuff at great distances. However it is large and requires a solid mount to use effectively. Seldom does it leave my truck or get very far from it as it is heavy and bulky.

The best optics are the ones you have with you always. That usually means a chest rig binocular. Put your money on the best binocular you can afford first.

 

[Teaman1]

Okay. This is what I was hoping to hear. I had no experience with the smaller vortex spotter, but was tempted to try one for the weight savings

 

[svillalobos]

I had a first gen viper 65mm paired with those same 12x50 razors and hardly ever used the spotter, was bad at gathering light and made it difficult judges couse and Muleys at a distance. Just my opinion. I think it’s worth looking at the 65mm razor if your sticking with vortex. Don’t know how they compare to the Athlon

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

You have very good binoculars. Just put them on a tripod and enjoy.

 

[svillalobos]

You have very good binoculars. Just put them on a tripod and enjoy.

Couldn’t agree more your binos will find you deer all day, but if your wanting a wall worthy buck and not wanting to waste time on bucks not worthy you’ll need a spotter to judge

 

[Napperm4]

I’ve played with quite a few optics combos but haven’t jumped on the 12x fad yet.

Spotter will completely depend on your terrain and what you hope to achieve. With 10x on a tripod I get a pretty good read on the frame size of an animal from up to a mile. If I want to count inches/get a really detailed look to decide if it’s what I’m after a spotter is invaluable.

I’m always in the Rockies on a peak glassing where I can see for hundreds of miles or in the plains which is wide wide open.

I’ve always found I want more magnification.

I tried the 15x tripod combo once to see if I would miss a spotter. I did. The 15’s have they’re place but not a do all. I suspect I’d be the same with 12’s. Just picking them up in a store I can’t hand hold them.

I always run 10x42 with a spotter now.

I’ve tried the small ones as I’m a weight weinie.

The best compact for me was the leupold 15-30 x 50. Better view than the razor.

Now a days it’s worth the weight for me to pack a 65 as a minimum. The extra light gathering, field of view, magnification and better clarity offset the extra weight for my needs.

Something else to consider is that a small spotter won’t be as good as the view in your binos in low light and they all get very narrow, dim and hard to see through at max zoom.

Count on a useable magnification around 20x for most of the compact spotters in the lower price range


TLDR; Spotter will depend on terrain and your goals. In my experience bigger is better.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

Binos are for finding, spotter is for judging and getting phoneSkope video, very few exceptions. One cannot effectively replace the other. A spotting scope that maxes out at 33x is not much use for me.

 

[shedfinder7]

Binos are the way to go!

 

[OXN939]

I will not shoot a mule deer unless I feel it’d be wall worthy.

A spotter of some kind would be useful to keep this part from being an exercise in futility. I just did a review of an optic that might suit you needs nicely. There are lots of options out there.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I've been on a coues deer hunt where I was packing an 11-33x50 Razor HD and a buddy had 15x56 SLCs. Once we found a buck he was using my spotter to judge with instead of the SLCs. The spotter was also much easier to use to follow one buck we had at a little over a mile. I was glad I packed it.

The flip side is I sold that spotter the following year and went with a 65mm. I personally found the 11-33x50 Razor HD to be pretty good (the one I had at least) and worth packing even with alpha 15s in camp, which admittedly surprised me. But I still wished for a better image and upgraded when I had the money. JME.

 

[idahomuleys]

I have been packing an 11-33×50 razor and a set of 12x50 cabelas euros the last couple years. I've found that it's easier to judge animals at a distance with the binos when there is no sun out, when there is sun out the spotting scope will get pulled out and get a decent image zoomed in.

I'll glass bucks up in the morning and the spotter gives no advantage over the binos when it came to judging during the first hour and a half of shooting light. You could still judge almost as well as the binos in low light but not quite.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[Tahoe1305]

12x50 UHDs are legit IMO. You will be good with them. Use a tripod and save some weight.