80mm or 60mm spotters.

[Dinglebottoms]

Is the bigger spotter worth the weight? This will be my first spotter so I’m hoping to make the right choice the first time and not have to buy a different one later. I hunt elk and deer and am going to start applying for sheep. Any and all thoughts welcome

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I always say bigger is better. Whats the weight Dif?

 

[cmahoney]

Get the STX or ATX.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TN VOL]

Kowa 773/774

 

[Dinglebottoms]

Looks like the weight difference is about a lb on the ones I’m looking at. Seems like there is a big price difference in between the two sizes on most brands so I’m just curious if the pros on the 80mm+ size compared to the ones around the 60-65 mark

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I have the Nikon 15-45, I wish it was at leas 60 but I put in three hours fixing neighbors A/C as a barter. If I were to buy one it would be angled and likely 80. I know you can get a decent one for $500 +-. Or spend $2500. I'm the $500 kind of guy.

 

[WhatToHunt]

Had a similar dilemma and went with an 85. I figured if I would only buy one, I wanted the bigger and would deal with the weight. I think others have aptly said it depends if you want to see what you're going to chase and how well you want to be able to see that potential trophy.

 

[mfllood3800]

I had the swaro 60 and 80. I sold the 60 as the weight difference wasn't enough for me to care about. The 80 just seemed the better tool for when I did carry the spotter.

 

[Beckjhong]

If I had it to do over again, I’d hunt with binos and a tripod and take note of situations where I wish I had a spotter. Most of those times for me are at the truck or close to the road, so I’d go big. I think if you do this for a season, you’ll know what you need.

 

[mtnkid85]

Simply, yes the bigger spotter is worth the weight. If your going through the trouble of packing one then its worth taking a big-un.

 

[Dinglebottoms]

Simply, yes the bigger spotter is worth the weight. If your going through the trouble of packing one then its worth taking a big-un.

That’s kind of what I’m thinking

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Don't forget the added weight in a more rigid tripod to stabilize the heavier spotter. It's certainly worth it, in my opinion, but fyi.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Buy a Kowa 55X and Kowa 88x and don’t look back. Use whichever makes the most sense.

- From a guy with an STX 65/95 and Kowa 554.

 

[Silver]

I'm the opposite of most - I'd go with a high end, smaller scope. In my experience, the bigger glass really benefits at the first/last 15min of daylight. For me (mostly Sheep/goat hunting), they've been spotted and evaluated well before this. I'd rather have something that is easy to use/light to carry and comfortable to sit behind. I'll pay a weight penalty for bigger binos (12x or higher), since 90% of my glassing is using these.

Take all this with a grain of salt - pretty much any guide you see will be using 80mm+, and I'm guessing they know more than me with my 1-2 trips a year. I've just never felt that a bigger scope really helped me much.

 

[Beendare]

Del

 

[manitou1]

Also consider pack space. An 80-85 takes up a LOT of space.

 

[Blue72]

Might want to consider exit pupil

many people find exit pupils under 2mm uncomfortable or the image too dark….which means no more then 30x magnification for 60mm and 40x for 80mm

for me I prefer 3mm or higher Exit pupil. So at 20x I rather leave the spotting scope at home and use 15x56 or 12x42 binoculars

 

[CApighunter]

I started with the 50-65mm spotters, now I own an 88mm Kowa. There’s no going back once you get an 80mm+ alpha tier spotter. I’ll carry that brick gladly if there’s even a chance I might use it. Leaving the 15s behind this coming week, just taking 8s and the spotter.

 

[mfllood3800]

Don't forget the added weight in a more rigid tripod to stabilize the heavier spotter. It's certainly worth it, in my opinion, but fyi.

This is not true, as far as I experienced. The 60 and the 80 used the same system for me with no issues. I did not use a heavy or stout set up either. I was all about the weight staying low. I went with a pan head and tripod capable of both, yet as light as out there. Slick CF tripod, Sirui fluid head. Again the weight diff from the 60 to the 80 is minimal for all of my hunting, elk at 10,000. I only hike 3-4 miles a day and carry the spotter only on rifle hunts. During archery I only use binos. If I remember right my weight diff between the 2 was only 6-8 oz. It really boils down to what hunt and where and type of animal preferred (freezer meat or trophy mount)

 

[Hornpout]

You never said what your current optics set up is and what terrain you typically hunt. I suggest putting your money into the optic that you will use the most, which is your chest glass. If you are happy with your chest glass then a spotter or bigger binos are a next logical step. Spotters are for looking at game, and generally not for looking for game. Do you need to count points or are you just looking to find more game? If it's the latter I suggest a 15x or 18x bino as a compromise. You can stay on glass longer and find more animals. They are a more valuable tool if you are just looking to fill more tags.