Matt compares two great spotters

[Ryan Avery]

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-09-42/optics

 

[Hardstalk]

BB,
Great read. I may have to step up to the big leagues and get a 85, been contemplating for a while. The advantages of big lenses are starting to outweigh the extra weight compared to a 65. Thank you for the article.

 

[Ozz08]

Another awesome article! Great work!

 

[dotman]

Now if vortex would only come out with 65mm contender, great article BB.

 

[luke moffat]

Nice work Matt!!! Love my Zeiss 85mm since I got it this spring. I'm hoping my buddy picks up a Razor HD so I can get a better look at it though. For nearly 1/2 the price that Vortex seems like a heck of a bargain. Though you won't see me giving up the 75X and time soon.

 

[Juan_ID]

That was a great write up, a lot of things I hadn't thought about were expressed in the article. What I'd like to know is how does the Swaro 80HD stak up next to the Zeiss? I just sold my Swaro 65 when I got offered a great deal on the 80HD so I couldn't pass it up and just curious what your thoughts were on those 2?

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Like always, good work Matt!

 

[GrantMan]

BB,

A couple of years ago I was researching spotters and bought the Razor based on one of your reviews in an optics forum. It is interesting to see the Razor holding its own still with some of the newer high priced stuff. 75x magnifications is nice but I think if I had to buy again I would still be with the Razor because of price.

 

[Gman]

Nice review Matt. My favorite part was the final two lines. Instead of dancing around you sum up the review in two sentences. And you're clear and concise and honest. So many times I read reviews and when finished scratch my head with "huh?". Really liked it. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

[Mckinnon]

Well done, thanks for giving a clear and seemingly unbiased review. Great info, thank you

 

[trdhunter]

Great review. Any idea on how these compare to Kowa? Still think Vortex is the one I will end up with as money is an issue.

 

[Yellowknife]

Hey Matt,

Do you think the main advance in the Zeiss was the eyepeice? i.e. if I screwed one onto my older painted 85mm Diascope, would I see similar improvements?

You are correct about the older 20-60x eyepiece have some very slight fuzziness around the edges and a slight yellow bias, but I really can't see it unless I've been using a Swaro or other top end spotting scope beside it. Not something that effects my actual ability to view animals. On the other hand, I can certainly see the advantage to a sharp 75x.

Yk

 

[Matt Cashell]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I was out chasing elk.

dotman,

I also think a Razor HD 65mm spotter would be a great addition to the Vortex line.

Juan_ID,

I have seen the Swaro 80HD many times next to the Vortex. In my opinion, it optically performs very similarly to the Vortex. It has one big advantage however: it is the lightest 80mm class premium spotter available. It is also really slim and fits well in a pack. It compares to the Zeiss the same way the Vortex does. The eyepiece is better corrected for distortion and edge CA, but it is narrower on the low end, and less powerful on the high end. It is another great spotter. I am very curious to see the new ATX series spotters from Swarovski.

Rock 2.0,

Thanks for the comment. The "seemingly" had me scratching my head, but I will do my best to convince you in the future!

trdhunter,

Optically, the Kowa 88 Prominar has the best corrected 20-60 image on the market, IMO. My concerns for hunting are the pure flourite crystal objective (could be fragile), and Kowa does not currently offer a super-high mag eyepiece. It also has an entirely unarmored magnesium body, which begs for a field case, and is cold to the touch when in the field.

yellowknife,

During my evaluation, I actually used both eyepieces with the new Diascope. I took the spotter to my friend's house (huntingbigsky on rokslide forums), and put it side to side with his older Diascope 65 tFL. We put both eyepieces on both scope bodies. The yellow bias and edge blurring was definitely a result of the older style eyepiece. The new eyepiece would certainly show a good improvement on your scope, and it will mount right up. However, it will not lock, as your scope body doesn't have a receiver for the pin. Improvements to the new Diascopes didn't end with the eyepiece, though. Zeiss claimed an increase in flare and glare control when glassing into the sun, and huntingbigsky and I looked at that also by glassing some tree boughs right in the path of the Montana setting sun. The new Diascope had a noticeable advantage over the older version, regardless of which eyepiece was mounted.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Stay tuned Roksliders,

It seems I will soon have the new Meopta S2 82mm spotter in hand for evaluation. Meopta seems to be poised to please everybody with their zoom offerings: a 30-60 wide angle (60x wide angle? Sweet) and a 20-70 super zoom. Unfortunately, I am not sure which eyepiece (or both?) I will have to evaluate. I will also be checking out the Meopix iscoping adapter.

I have been curious about this spotter since it was announced, and I am really excited to see it.

 

[Beastmode]

Now if vortex would only come out with 65mm contender, great article BB.

I have discussed this with Vortex and they have got a lot of feedback from people to build a 65 Razor. They need more though. All you guys need to call or shoot an email their way and let them know there is a market for one.

 

[Hardstalk]

I have spoke with a few folks at vortex about the 50. Although the eyepieces on the viper already have a 50mm setting one person there has said they have tried and have not had enough luck to follow thru with it. And others said that they have no intention of having a 50mm contender.

 

[Rizzy]

Great article, these are 2 of the 3 spotters I'm looking at currently, the third being the S2. The problem with the razor is it seems to be a pound heavier than the others based on specs. Is this right? I can't tell if the manufacturers are listing weights with or with out the eyepieces.

I am really looking forward to your Meopta S2 review. This scope is quickly becoming my favorite. It is light weight, a good price and has a high power zoom. It just may replace the Razor as the "best bang for the buck". I will be interested to hear how it compares to the Zeiss and Vortex.

 

[dotman]

I wrote and talked with vortex about the need to fill the 50mm nich market. It would be awesome if they came out with a 50 & 65 razor, I would buy both and still probably have less into the investment the a swaro, Zeiss or lecia. But who knows if they see the need or think there is any room for profit. I'm glad I haven't made up my mind and only have the little minox md50, now I can wait for more reviews from BB . The Meopta has my interest.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Good article and information!

 

[Yellowknife]

yellowknife,

During my evaluation, I actually used both eyepieces with the new Diascope. I took the spotter to my friend's house (huntingbigsky on rokslide forums), and put it side to side with his older Diascope 65 tFL. We put both eyepieces on both scope bodies. The yellow bias and edge blurring was definitely a result of the older style eyepiece. The new eyepiece would certainly show a good improvement on your scope, and it will mount right up. However, it will not lock, as your scope body doesn't have a receiver for the pin. Improvements to the new Diascopes didn't end with the eyepiece, though. Zeiss claimed an increase in flare and glare control when glassing into the sun, and huntingbigsky and I looked at that also by glassing some tree boughs right in the path of the Montana setting sun. The new Diascope had a noticeable advantage over the older version, regardless of which eyepiece was mounted.

Thanks Matt, that's helpful.

Yk