Compact Spotting Scopes

[RB1]

Going on a mule deer hunt in Nebraska in a few weeks and was wondering if anyone had any experience with compact spotting scopes?

I have been looking at these models:
1. Leupold GR 15-30x50mm Compact
2. Vortex Razor HD 11-33x55mm
3. Kowa TSN 501 or 502; with the Kowa, I honestly do not know much about them at all, but have seen a lot of positive talk of them on Rokslide.

As I said, this is for a mule deer hunt in Nebraska, but 99.99% of my use will be in Southern IL. The furthest I could even glass around here is maybe 1000 yards. I just didn't know if these would still be adequate for a western hunt every few years or not? I am open to suggestions of other brands or models as well.

Also, through my work, I can get these all at a pretty decent discount, so any other suggestions I would like to keep under the 500-600 range. If you all think it would be better to just hold off and buy a better piece of glass in a year or two, please let me know! Thank you all!

 

[RussGS]

A while back I was looking at compact spotters. Through recommendations on RS, I went with the Nikon ED 50, with the MC II (13-40) eyepiece. This eyepiece is a higher grade than the stock 13-30 eyepiece. It has lots of positive reviews. If I remember correctly, Matt Cashell spoke favorably about it. Also from a RS suggestion, I bought the body on Amazon Japan, and the eyepiece on ebay. I can't remember my total price, I think it was $550ish.

I am really happy with it. I feel like it is better at the top end of the magnification than the compact Vortex Razor I owned for about 6 months. The Razor has the best focus mechanism, but the top end is not great for clarity.

The Razor is good, but for the price, I thought it was too close to the Minox MD 50. I regret selling the minox I owned. If you can find one used for under $200, that may be a good option.

I will say that if you go with the Nikon, they also make a higher grade fixed 27 power wide angle eyepiece, that has lots of good reviews. I have wondered about that option. I like the one I have, but the bird forums seem to be most in love with this one.

Good luck.

 

[RB1]

A while back I was looking at compact spotters. Through recommendations on RS, I went with the Nikon ED 50, with the MC II (13-40) eyepiece. This eyepiece is a higher grade than the stock 13-30 eyepiece. It has lots of positive reviews. If I remember correctly, Matt Cashell spoke favorably about it. Also from a RS suggestion, I bought the body on Amazon Japan, and the eyepiece on ebay. I can't remember my total price, I think it was $550ish.

I am really happy with it. I feel like it is better at the top end of the magnification than the compact Vortex Razor I owned for about 6 months. The Razor has the best focus mechanism, but the top end is not great for clarity.

The Razor is good, but for the price, I thought it was too close to the Minox MD 50. I regret selling the minox I owned. If you can find one used for under $200, that may be a good option.

I will say that if you go with the Nikon, they also make a higher grade fixed 27 power wide angle eyepiece, that has lots of good reviews. I have wondered about that option. I like the one I have, but the bird forums seem to be most in love with this one.

Good luck.

I appreciate the feedback. I have actually never heard of Minox, but am definitely going to take a look! Thank you!

 

[TheGDog]

I'll sell you my barely used Vortex 11-33x50mm Razor. For the places I go I've found that 15x binos are more my thing. To make the sale go quick... how about $500 + whatever the shipping charges are? via PayPal. (Also it'll help me get a G29 sidearm for the backcountry)

 

[Block]

I had the mini KOWA and for $1600 or whatever it costs,, I just didn’t think it was that great. The field of view was SO TINY it made the thing absolutely miserable to search with.. it was “ok” for animal ID once you had something glassed up.,,, but really doesn’t give you much more reach than 15x SLCs.. sold mine.. I would just go with a minimum 65mm spotter if I were you

 

[ChrisAU]

IMO when the goal is light and you are already sacrificing all the positives of a big spotter for a 50mm one, the Kowa 501/502 is the ticket. It doesn't hurt the wallet and it is by far the lightest of any of them. That way when you are complaining about the FOV and the tight eye box you can at least tell yourself it was only $300 and doesn't even weigh a pound.

 

[DoubleDown]

Celestron Hummingbird 9-27x56mm ED

 

[elkguide]

Confession here..... Swarovski fanboy!!!!!!
That being revealed, I use a Nikon spotter. Without a doubt, the best bang for the buck.

 

[darcytribe]

I went with the Nikon little guy and the MC II eyepiece also. Very pleased as a reasonably priced backpack scope.

 

[MuleyFever]

I would also check out the Hawke options from Cameraland. They will give you a good price. Tell them Rokslide sent you.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

#311002 Cronus 12-36x50 ED Spotting Scope reduced from $699.99 to only $499.99
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[CApighunter]

Kowa 502 fan here. Right at 16 oz with an arca plate and lens caps. Nice to have when you want to take a closer look at something, but it just disappears in your pack when not needed.

 

[RB1]

I would also check out the Hawke options from Cameraland. They will give you a good price. Tell them Rokslide sent you.

I may have to check that out. I bought a camera from them a few weeks back and they are top-notch folks to work with.

 

[Matt G.]

Even though you are not using the scope for long range scouting, the size of the objective is going to reduce the lowlight usage. I would bump to the 60 mm or 65 mm but it will be a weight penalty. I took the weight penalty for the extra time past sunset.

 

[Dos Perros]

For Nebraska, are you really trying to score bucks from range necessitating a scope? You'll probably shoot the first buck that gives you the feels.

I hunt western Kansas a lot and I almost exclusively carry a larger spotting scope because it's always day hunting and I'm not carrying much else in my pack. You don't have to be that tough to carry a larger spotting scope on days hunts and of course it's more useful from the truck (or at the gun range). I do have the Kowa 553 and it is much nicer than anything on your list but I just don't use it that much on day hunts. Maybe if I'm after a buck I know and I just need to quick confirm it's him at distance and move. I don't think the compact spotters or spotters in general are great for searching, they're useful for getting a better look at an animal you've spotted with your binos.

If you think you absolutely need a spotter for this hunt you might consider renting a nice one instead of buying something with a very limited use.

 

[RB1]

For Nebraska, are you really trying to score bucks from range necessitating a scope? You'll probably shoot the first buck that gives you the feels.

I hunt western Kansas a lot and I almost exclusively carry a larger spotting scope because it's always day hunting and I'm not carrying much else in my pack. You don't have to be that tough to carry a larger spotting scope on days hunts and of course it's more useful from the truck (or at the gun range). I do have the Kowa 553 and it is much nicer than anything on your list but I just don't use it that much on day hunts. Maybe if I'm after a buck I know and I just need to quick confirm it's him at distance and move. I don't think the compact spotters or spotters in general are great for searching, they're useful for getting a better look at an animal you've spotted with your binos.

If you think you absolutely need a spotter for this hunt you might consider renting a nice one instead of buying something with a very limited use.

This is the direction I am starting to lean. I have seen a few different services here that offer rentals and such. Since this will be my first mule deer hunt, I likely won't need anything to try and pick apart an animal inch by inch. I have a general idea of what my baseline is for size, but it is one of those deals I will know instantly if it is a deer I am going to go after or not. I may hold off until I know I will be able to go more consistently each year and then invest in a higher power, higher quality scope. Thanks for the input!

 

[MThuntr]

you missed a screaming deal on the Athlon Cronus 20-60 spotter from Cameraland yesterday if you're doubling back to a larger spotter.

I agree if you're not carrying it long distances then go big or go home...admitting quality is also necessary

 

[kcm2]

I bought a used 13s30 Nikon ED spotter....darn good glass, $400 in perfect shape. One other option, if you need a spotter. For most of what we do, good 8z or 10x binos cover things quite well

 

[RB1]

I appreciate all of the input from everyone on this thread. I can pick up a Leupold SX-2 Alpine HD 20-60x80 for about $350, SX-4 Pro-Guide HD 15-45x65 for about $575. I'm not partial to Leupold or anything like that, but just trying to check out what I have access to at the best prices. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on those?

 

[pc3]

My daughter has the little angled Kowa.....weighs next to nothing and surprisingly clear. Due to it being so light you can opt for a pretty compact and light tripod to go with it. I think if weight is the primary concern you get pretty good optics and a feather weight package with this one.

Really convenient in comparison to my sons Hawke and my Meopta relative to weight.