Best Spotting Scope Under $700

[Jjustus16]

Okay, just read this whole thread and now I’m intrigued about the Fieldscope.

I own a Gen 1 razor 85mm and 50mm and I’ve actually been very impressed. 85 is Currently only $750 at sportsmen’s if anyone is interested.

Perhaps a 60mm class scope is in my future. The 50 is too small and I’m moving on from that size. Does anyone have experience with both the ed60 or 82 and the razor 65 or 85 next to each other or extensive experience with both on their own?

I run 15x meoptas on a tripod of most of my glassing so a 20x fixed on the 60mm field scope isn’t that appealing. I’d be more interested in a zoom eye piece

From my understanding, zooming in blows up the image but does not create better resolution, and that’s why you may see shitty results at the top end of your magnification range.

 

[OspreyZB]

I’m definitely no expert but most guys (other than @OspreyZB) are saying that the fixed eyepieces are what really make this scope shine.

I said the zooms are a good tool to have in the tool box. I use the fixed 24/30x wide DS, and the 30/38x wide MC 95% of the time.

 

[Banded_spooney]

I said the zooms are a good tool to have in the tool box. I use the fixed 24/30x wide DS, and the 30/38x wide MC 95% of the time.

So how does the Ed60 with 30x compare to razor gen1?

 

[Hunt30]

So how does the Ed60 with 30x compare to razor gen1?

I think y’all are overthinking this. IMO, the Nikon ED fieldscopes are in a completely different class than any Vortex spotter. The wide angle eyepieces are much more comfortable to look through l, but these scopes are still fantastic with the zoom eyepieces. And on top of that, they can be had for 1/3 of the price of scopes that are in their same class. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal to buy one, try it out for a bit and form your own opinion, and if it’s not for you, you can probably resell it for pretty much what you’re into it.

 

[4th_point]

One downside to the EDIII is that it is rear heavy.

 

[Banded_spooney]

One downside to the EDIII is that it is rear heavy.

Is it worth the $200 extra to get the ed3 vs the older Ed models?

 

[4th_point]

Is it worth the $200 extra to get the ed3 vs the older Ed models?

I believe that was covered in post #51.

 

[Banded_spooney]

I believe that was covered in post #51.

No, it doesn’t. a list of features does not tell me which is a better value.

One is cheaper, one costs more and has more bells and whistles. My question was do the bells and whistles justify the additional expense.

 

[4th_point]

No, it doesn’t. a list of features does not tell me which is a better value.

One is cheaper, one costs more and has more bells and whistles. My question was do the bells and whistles justify the additional expense.

Sorry, not my call to tell you which is better for you in terms of value.

Enough information has been freely shared for one to take the ball and run with it, whichever way seems best for their situation. Determine what matters to you, and do some searches on it. The information is out there if you take the time to look.


Good luck!