Best backcountry spotting scope

Bringing this back again, this time with an alternative to the Celestron Hummingbird. The SVBony 410 is a near-clone of the Hummingbird for $180. SVBony is more widely known for producing cheap optics that fall firmly in the get-what-you-pay-for realm, with a few notable exceptions. I picked this up to see if it was one of the exceptions, seeing as it's one of their only scopes to use ED glass (or at least claim it), and since I like the scope it's a clone of.

Weight comes in at 20.8oz (identical to the Hummingbird), slightly above the advertised 19.4oz. Dimensions are almost identical to the Celestron, excepting the eyepiece being slightly shorter resulting in a marginally smaller length and overall height. The eyepiece is different in that it does not have the secondary focus ring that the Celestron does; I personally never really used this, as it was only marginally finer than the main focus ring but I know many birders prefer to use it since the Hummingbird can be entirely handheld. Since I use a tripod 99% of the time, the second ring doesn't see much use.

Set up side-by-side I'm seeing almost the same amounts of chromatic aberration between the two, so it's very likely that it's got ED glass as claimed. While it is advertised as being waterproof, I do not know if it is nitrogen purged so I suppose I'll have to see if it fogs up on me. The eye relief is very very short, which again I'll attribute to having a different eyepiece than the Celestron.

Build wise, it feels decent. The zoom ring rotates very easily, the focus ring is a little stiff, no separation of the rubberized coating, no cosmetic markings or misaligned writing, no burrs or flaps from moulded plastic components.

I'll be using it exclusively this season in place of the Hummingbird, so we'll see how it goes. I'm expecting that it'll either crap out 3 trips out, or it'll surprise me and go the distance
 
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Nikon ED50, I carry the fixed 16x wide eyepiece for searching and the 13x40 variable to get a better look once finding an animal.
 
Another vote for the Leica Televid 62 APO if you can find one.
Also the older magnesium Swarovski 65 HD
 
I'll always pack an 80mm, regardless of the weight penalty. That extra light at daybreak/nightfall is worth it; if it's 10 mins morning and night, over a 5 day hunt that's 1hr 40mins of prime glassing time.
 
Leica APO Televid 65mm angled for me! Light and great glass. I think you only lose about 5-7 minutes to the 80mm in terms of light and glassing time. Could be significant, but you can still glass well before and after legal light with a 65mm depending on the range.

Fun to look back on these old threads and see what I’ve changed or kept. Running the Kowa 554 now instead of the Leica APO 65mm and love it for a backcountry scope for non once in a lifetime type hunts. I’d suck up the weight and carry an 85mm on a sheep or certain mule deer tags though.


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Magnesium ATM Swarovski HD 65mm or the Nikon 50 ED with 13-40x eyepiece. Have both and switch back and fourth.
 
If space is an issue my favorite spotter is the Meopta TGA 75 20-60x75. It is a collapsible draw tube design with a 75mm objective that collapses shorter than many 65mm scopes. Excellent glass and super bright image. Since it is a draw tube design it is easy to lay it across a pack or brace it against a tree or rock if you need to glass something quickly and don't have time to set up your tripod.
 
Just want to throw TRACT Optics into the mix. Quality glass at a reasonable price because we're direct to consumer. If you have any questions, you can give us a call and one of the two founders (Jon LaCorte or Jon Allen) will answer any of your questions. Regardless, there are a bunch of great brands out there. Good luck in your search!
 
Haha, things have changed since this thread began. That small Leica was pretty popular in 2016. Now there is a lot of support for the Kowa. I have a 553, and it is as good as it gets. A great spotting scope period. But exceptionally great when you have to carry it into the backcountry.
 
I've only used it at the house, by my 28 oz 553 is tiny. Going to pair well with my 10x NL's this year.

I have a hunt in Sep with 3k elevation gain off trail as soon as I leave the truck! Like you I’m bringing my NL (12) and a 554 for this one! Leaving the heavy stuff at home!


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I had the Kowa 553 and Nikon ED 50 at the same time and for the weight,cost and performance, I sold the Kowa 553.
 
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