Is downsizing to better glass worth it?

[powds]

I’m thinking about upgrading my spotter glass from a gen 1 vortex razor 65mm to a swaro or Kowa but prices are wild these days so toying with the idea of going to a mini either the Kowa 55 or swaro ATC. I know the glass would be better but wondering if I’d be giving up a lot more in terms of zoom and FOV going smaller or if the upgrade in glass quality itself is worth it. I use it backpacking for the weight savings is nice and am looking to judge mule deer and identify goats, not necessarily looking to age sheep with it anytime soon

 

[nm.otter]

For me, 55mm spotter < 56mm binoculars. A lot.

 

[Macintosh]

I went from a vortex razor hd gen 2 85mm spotter, to an stc. At 17x the stc is WAY clearer than the vortex, but at 45x it might be a wash. For sure though I was not bringing the spotter at all due to the size, so I think this will be a lot more useable just by virtue of having it with me. Theres a thread I started here on exactly this topic that might help you:

M

Thread 'You traded in a big spotter for a compact…your feedback please'

Sep 27, 2025

I just sold my razor hd 27-60x85 spotter, which is my benchmark. I use it at the range to spot bullet holes on paper out to a couple hundred yards, and I only occasionally use it hunting. I just don’t live in an area where spotting scopes are relevant, so it’s only every other year or so on a western hunt that it even gets considered. This one is just too big, too heavy, so I’m not using it even when I travel. I would like to get into a compact, lightweight spotter that maximizes value, i.e. best optics for the money. My goal is to be able to see deer antlers in a general sense out to...

• Macintosh
• Replies: 50
• Forum: Optics

 

[powds]

I went from a vortex razor hd gen 2 85mm spotter, to an stc. At 17x the stc is WAY clearer than the vortex, but at 45x it might be a wash. For sure though I was not bringing the spotter at all due to the size, so I think this will be a lot more useable just by virtue of having it with me. Theres a thread I started here on exactly this topic that might help you:

M

Thread 'You traded in a big spotter for a compact…your feedback please'

Sep 27, 2025

I just sold my razor hd 27-60x85 spotter, which is my benchmark. I use it at the range to spot bullet holes on paper out to a couple hundred yards, and I only occasionally use it hunting. I just don’t live in an area where spotting scopes are relevant, so it’s only every other year or so on a western hunt that it even gets considered. This one is just too big, too heavy, so I’m not using it even when I travel. I would like to get into a compact, lightweight spotter that maximizes value, i.e. best optics for the money. My goal is to be able to see deer antlers in a general sense out to...

• Macintosh
• Replies: 50
• Forum: Optics

oh thanks that's kind of what I'm looking for. I seem to never carry the 65 so was thinking having a smaller scope with me is better than not.

 

[Corkboard753]

Have you looked at the Razor HD 13-39x56? This seems like a pretty nice sweet spot for backcountry stuff.

 

[powds]

Have you looked at the Razor HD 13-39x56? This seems like a pretty nice sweet spot for backcountry stuff.

I had a razor 65mm already and It was ok but edge to edge was bad and picture quality was really poor when zoomed in. I want to upgrade glass so wondering if a higher end mini (swaro/kowa) would outperform my razor 65.

 

[Beendare]

I've had the chance to compare a lot of these scopes and binos side by side on hunts.

The small 50mm and 55mm scopes seem like a good idea for packing around...but after using a couple and comparing them next to 60mm, 77mm and 85mm- the small ones are a throwaway. The smallest I would go is 60mm.

IMO, You lose much of the advantages of a spotter with the small spotting scopes. It's not just less light gathering but worse eye relief, smaller field of view [at least it seems like it]- essentially it's harder to find critters. Sure there is ownership bias on the Internet forums, guys that own them that will justify their purchase. I have no dog in this fight- just an honest comparison.

Yes, optic quality matters A LOT on a scope. I wouldn't waste my $$ on a lesser Vortex or off brand spotter.

Ebay is your friend....Leica, Zeiss, Swaro top quality spotters for decent pricing. The reality of spotters is many are lightly used.

50mm binos like Zeiss and Swaro- are a whole different animal- fantastic but a little big and heavy to be packing around everywhere.

 

[sodaksooner]

I have the same spotter and am pretty happy with it. For as often as I use it, it is fine and I spent a lot of time on it a couple of years ago. However as a representative example, My brother has the 8.5 power Swarovski EL's and they are magnitudes better and clearer than my 10x Leupolds. Mine are 20+ years old now though.

 

[powds]

I've had the chance to compare a lot of these scopes and binos side by side on hunts.

The small 50mm and 55mm scopes seem like a good idea for packing around...but after using a couple and comparing them next to 60mm, 77mm and 85mm- the small ones are a throwaway. The smallest I would go is 60mm.

IMO, You lose much of the advantages of a spotter with the small spotting scopes. It's not just less light gathering but worse eye relief, smaller field of view [at least it seems like it]- essentially it's harder to find critters. Sure there is ownership bias on the Internet forums, guys that own them that will justify their purchase. I have no dog in this fight- just an honest comparison.

Yes, optic quality matters A LOT on a scope. I wouldn't waste my $$ on a lesser Vortex or off brand spotter.

Ebay is your friend....Leica, Zeiss, Swaro top quality spotters for decent pricing. The reality of spotters is many are lightly used.

50mm binos like Zeiss and Swaro- are a whole different animal- fantastic but a little big and heavy to be packing around everywhere.

Nice…good info thanks.

 

[twall13]

I had one of the older Kowa 553's and compared it side by side with my dad's Gen 1 Razor 65mm. I felt like the image quality was better in the Kowa and the 3x zoom difference was indistinguishable between the two. That said, the field of view was much narrower on the Kowa and in my mind was the only downside. The size and weight difference was huge. If all you use the scope for is to get a closer look at something you've spotted with your binos it makes a lot of sense.

The newer Kowa I believe has a wider field of view than the Gen 1 Razor, or at least comparable. It does drop down to 40x zoom on the max so that might play into things a bit where I didn't feel the previous versions 45x zoom was different enough to matter.

I think you'll find yourself taking it more often than you did with the Razor, but it really comes down to how you are using it. Once I got a Kowa 883 I enjoyed looking through it enough that I packed that a lot more than the little Kowa and ended up selling the smaller scope, but I like to spend more time behind the scope in some of the areas I hunt. If you want to spend a lot of time scanning behind the spotter I think the bigger scopes are worth the weight. If you only pull it out for a close look now and then, that's where the small scopes shine as they are small enough that you don't mind packing them just in case.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[powds]

I had one of the older Kowa 553's and compared it side by side with my dad's Gen 1 Razor 65mm. I felt like the image quality was better in the Kowa and the 3x zoom difference was indistinguishable between the two. That said, the field of view was much narrower on the Kowa and in my mind was the only downside. The size and weight difference was huge. If all you use the scope for is to get a closer look at something you've spotted with your binos it makes a lot of sense.

The newer Kowa I believe has a wider field of view than the Gen 1 Razor, or at least comparable. It does drop down to 40x zoom on the max so that might play into things a bit where I didn't feel the previous versions 45x zoom was different enough to matter.

I think you'll find yourself taking it more often than you did with the Razor, but it really comes down to how you are using it. Once I got a Kowa 883 I enjoyed looking through it enough that I packed that a lot more than the little Kowa and ended up selling the smaller scope, but I like to spend more time behind the scope in some of the areas I hunt. If you want to spend a lot of time scanning behind the spotter I think the bigger scopes are worth the weight. If you only pull it out for a close look now and then, that's where the small scopes shine as they are small enough that you don't mind packing them just in case.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro using Tapatalk

Yeah I basically sit behind my swaro EL 10x42s and then pull out a spotter to take a closer look when I find something. Typically mule deer and Goats. Not counting rings on a sheep just yet.