Angled vs straight

Another vote for straight.

To me it comes down to my glassing style. Backcountry I’m up high near or on a ridge and looking down or straight across valleys.

Front country I’m in the truck on a window mount.

The only advantages I feel an angled scope has are less fatigue if you use your spotter for picking apart terrain and spend a lot of time looking through it instead of your binos.

Secondly is for looking up hill a lot. I do this off and on from our wall tent / base camp but I use a high enough tripod I can get the angle up or attach my phone and view through that.
 
Many shooters spend hours learning to optimize their “natural point of aim” for steady images in their rifle scopes.

But then I see them throw that all out the window when glassing hunched over with their angled spotting scope

The tripod is not the only thing that keeps the image steady or on target
 
I initially bought a straight version for many of the reasons listed above, mainly it will be easier for me to get on target.

Then one night I tried to observe a full moon. Not happening. Granted star gazing isn’t the intended use, but if hunting steep country, looking up or down is easier with an angled model. I’ve gone angled. ever since and never had a field issue.

I also enjoy birding and digiscoping and find the angled model works better for me.

Good thing there are choices.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Purely personal preference, mine is angled. I just can’t stand a straight especially if the tripod is too short putting you in an unnatural position. I’ve yet to find angled is a hinderance for me.
 
I think angled is more comfortable for viewing but i could see how straight would be less tedious when switching between binos and scope
 
I use a straight. I've used an angled one and didnt like how long it took me to get back on the area i wanted to see. When I see something too far for my binos, I am much faster swapping and getting on target with my straight.

I made my own tripod adapter plates at a custom height, so both my binos and spotter sit at the exact same height. If I'm careful I can lock the tripod, swap to my spotter and I'm already right on what I was looking at with my binos. You can't do that with angled.
 
I made my own tripod adapter plates at a custom height

You can't do that with angled.

Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute... that don't make no sense.

Sure you can. If you're going to all the trouble of making custom plates, why not get the geometry right and mill out a plate for the binos that matches the drop on the spotter?

(I have no dog in this race - pick the one that flips your skirt up.)
 
Last edited:
Well for me personally my point of view changes drastically. My head (and body) is not going to be in the same position. You cant really switch from binos to an angled spotter without moving the tripod, or yourself to match the angle. Unless your neck is much more flexible than mine.
 
You will find that is the general consensus around here. The only place where a straight scope beats the angled is from a window mount.

This is how I feel. I have an angle and my friend has a straight. We sat and glassed side by side switching back and forth. I never was able to feel comfortable looking through the straight.

But I do have a harder time trying to glass different areas while sitting in the truck. It wasn't so bad until I switched my window mount though.
 
Straight all day, in case you get in a steep angle, and seems to fit in packs better and to top it all off if you want to mount 2 together you gotta have straight
 
I think it depends on the hunting and model of scope.

For example if you want the kowa 55 series where the collar doesn’t rotate, id get straight. That spotter clearly best for swapping out with binos on a tripod to confirm stuff (small FOV, etc), this would likely want to be a quicker maneuver and shorter (less than a mile or so) range.

if I’m looking at something further away and have a rotating collar model then I personally think I have time to adjust and get a good setup behind an angled.

my 2 cents. Straight 554 is legit btw.
 
I wish I could trade my angled Vanguard for a straight. No love at all. Spotter works fine but I dislike angled.
 
I struggled with my recent purchase also. I bought a straight razor after a lot of research. It works as it should and have never used an angled eye piece. I’m happy with it and prob wouldn’t change it as we use binoculars with adapters and switch to a spotter on the same Tripod when necessary
 
Spotting downhill the straight spotter has a huge advantage. From the truck the straight spotter is much easier to use. I see no advantage to an angled spotter. Target acquisition is much faster and easier through a straight spotter which is the key to me..
I agree with this downhill and truck completely, I bought angled but wish I had bought straight. The only niche situation I find the angled is good is is you are tall (I'm 6'-5") and glassing uphill (standing) and can't get your tripod + straight spotter high enough to glass without leaning forward and then bending your head back, so for this the angled is good. This applies to uphill spotting while sitting too, keeps your tripod lower. If I was rich I'd have both and pack the correct one where I plan to glass...
 
Back
Top