Need Budget Spotting Scope Recommendations

[cowboyarcher]

Hi all,

I just drew a Utah dedicated hunter deer license and want to learn to glass more. I've always been a spot and stock or calling elk hunter, so this is new to me. I have an old Nikon prostaff spotting scope, but thought it might be time to upgrade.

I'm not opposed to used, so what would you recommend say for around $500? I am seeing the little Nikon Ed50 and the compact Razor scopes in that price range.

What about in the $700-$800 range?

Should I be looking at 15x binos instead?

Thanks for any insights!

 

[gr8fuldoug]

There's a few excellent options from a few different brands.
As a long standing supporting vendor here it's always our pleasure to assist the members here. Please feel free to give us a call, 516-217-1000, so we can assist you personally with different available options and special opportunities .

 

[BLJ]

I’ve been more than satisfied with my Nikon ED3.
Well worth $300.

 

[Firehawk]

If you are wanting to stay compact, the Maven S2 is a good little spotter that you can find here in the classifieds and on the local (big News Station) classified regularly in the $600 range. I have one and it has a great view. It is limited due to its magnification and size, but the Flourite glass in them makes the image stellar.

I also have a Maven CS.1S 15-45x66 that I am going to let go now that I have a new 80mm scope. For a scope of that magnification, it is really small and trim. The Athlon Ares is another excellent scope in that price range that is small and easy to pack. I found both the Maven CS1 and Athlon better than the Razor when I was doing side by side comparisons.

I am in Northern Utah and you are welcome to come look through mine if you would like.

FH

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Do recommend giving Doug a call if you are set on buying something now. Otherwise I would strongly recommend that you consider renting quality optics for this hunt.

As far as glassing is concerned, there are few folks that can effectively glass with a spotting scope despite what they may claim. The rest of the population is significantly better served with binoculars on a tripod.

Quality does matter for glassing. Lower-tier glass won't provide the required detail nor allow you to stay in the glass as you'll likely get eye strain and/or headaches.

Do put your current optics on a tripod and go learn how to glass. It takes time in the glass to learn how to glass.

 

[Tullis94]

I would look into 15s. I use my 15s probably 99% more than my spotting scope. Basically the spotting scope only comes out when I've found something with the 15s that is big enough to get a closer look or to video. Whatever you decide I would look at Athlon for your budget.

 

[fmyth]

Gen 1 Vortex Razor on sale at Midway for $599. Occasionally you can find them on sale under $500. For your hunt I'd probably go with a set of 15x binos on a tripod.

 

[Schmo]

Hi all,

I just drew a Utah dedicated hunter deer license and want to learn to glass more. I've always been a spot and stock or calling elk hunter, so this is new to me. I have an old Nikon prostaff spotting scope, but thought it might be time to upgrade.

I'm not opposed to used, so what would you recommend say for around $500? I am seeing the little Nikon Ed50 and the compact Razor scopes in that price range.

What about in the $700-$800 range?

Should I be looking at 15x binos instead?

Thanks for any insights!

Look at the Vortex Razor 13-39 spotter. @Travis Bertrand did a review of it, and it compared super well to the compact Swaro. $999 brand new, nice used ones as low as $750.

Since you can only afford one option, get the spotter over the 15x for now. @robby denning will back me up on that.

 

[180ls1]

Gen 1 Vortex Razor on sale at Midway for $599. Occasionally you can find them on sale under $500. For your hunt I'd probably go with a set of 15x binos on a tripod.
View attachment 883246

Thanks for posting.

I just saw the gen 1 11-33 or 13-39 for $399 somewhere as well.

 

[alexnelon]

Nikon ED2/ED3 performance is untouchable at its price point.

Vortex warranty has some value to some people, but for $600 I’d rather buy 2 Nikons and have a backup in the truck vs a gen1 razor with a warranty.

 

[fmyth]

Thanks for posting.

I just saw the gen 1 11-33 or 13-39 for $399 somewhere as well.

MidwayUSA has the Vortex Gen1 11-33 50mm for $419 right now. Sierra has the Kaibab 18x56 Binos for $699. I bought my 16-48 65mm from Sierra.com for around $400 a couple years ago. They get a shipment of them once a year or so. I've also seen them on sale at Sportsmans warehouse for under $500 recently.

 

[Ckat]

Not sure if they make them any more… my wife and I love our Leupold Gold Ring Compact 15-30x50s. Very packable and tough. Easy to deploy and clear/strong enough to save yourself lots of hiking. They can be found used for around $300-350.

 

[Sako300]

I have a Nikon ED 50 I purchased for $400 with the wide ocular variable eyepiece (imperative). I also owned a Kowa 554 at the same time and compared them a full season. Ended up selling the Kowa. The Nikon ED 50 with the MC wide from lens is underrated!

 

[cowboyarcher]

If you are wanting to stay compact, the Maven S2 is a good little spotter that you can find here in the classifieds and on the local (big News Station) classified regularly in the $600 range. I have one and it has a great view. It is limited due to its magnification and size, but the Flourite glass in them makes the image stellar.

I also have a Maven CS.1S 15-45x66 that I am going to let go now that I have a new 80mm scope. For a scope of that magnification, it is really small and trim. The Athlon Ares is another excellent scope in that price range that is small and easy to pack. I found both the Maven CS1 and Athlon better than the Razor when I was doing side by side comparisons.

I am in Northern Utah and you are welcome to come look through mine if you would like.

FH

Thanks for your input here! Between the Maven CS1 and the Athlon Ares, what would be your preference?

 

[Firehawk]

Thanks for your input here! Between the Maven CS1 and the Athlon Ares, what would be your preference?

I wish I had had them at the same time, but I didn't. So I never put them up against each other. My buddy still has a rebranded Athlon (Cabelas branded Krotos scope) and it is sharp. Not sure I can really tell the difference., but sharpness was a strong point in the Athlon. Brightness was a strong point of the Maven. I really liked the Athlon, but I am a huge fan of Maven. They offer a lot of punch for the money. With Maven being based in Wyoming they feel "local" to me. Their customer service is stellar and they are very responsive to any questions I have asked.

Don't get me wrong, the CS.1 is not an elite level scope, but it is better than others in that price range. Having owned a Kowa 77, it isn't in the same class. That said, I felt both the Maven and the Athlon were better than the Gen 1 Razor 65 I had. I was NOT a fan of the Gen 1 50mm Razor spotter. I hear the new 56mm Razor is ALOT better. But I haven't looked through the new Razor so I can't say for sure.

FH

 

[cowboyarcher]

I wish I had had them at the same time, but I didn't. So I never put them up against each other. My buddy still has a rebranded Athlon (Cabelas branded Krotos scope) and it is sharp. Not sure I can really tell the difference., but sharpness was a strong point in the Athlon. Brightness was a strong point of the Maven. I really liked the Athlon, but I am a huge fan of Maven. They offer a lot of punch for the money. With Maven being based in Wyoming they feel "local" to me. Their customer service is stellar and they are very responsive to any questions I have asked.

Don't get me wrong, the CS.1 is not an elite level scope, but it is better than others in that price range. Having owned a Kowa 77, it isn't in the same class. That said, I felt both the Maven and the Athlon were better than the Gen 1 Razor 65 I had. I was NOT a fan of the Gen 1 50mm Razor spotter. I hear the new 56mm Razor is ALOT better. But I haven't looked through the new Razor so I can't say for sure.

FH

Good intel, thanks again!

 

[kcm2]

Used Nikon 13-30 HD. I bought mine for $400 about 8 years ago. Very good optics. Light. Damn good glass.

 

[ghostrider272]

I've found the Bushnell Elite 20-60x80 spotter was way above its price point for glass/image quality. Also allows for multiple eyepieces if you can find them.

 

[Hydra6]

I shoot PRS a lot more than I hunt but I spend a lot of time behind glass watching for impacts from 400 to 1100+. I have great service from Bushnell 15x56 binoculars and a Vortex 15x50 monocular (use it for its mil reticle to measure targets - no longer in production). I see much more 15x binos used for spotting versus spotting scopes. Again, competition vs hunting but if I go out West I am taking my 15x binoculars for spotting and my 10x with LRF binos for general use.

 

[4th_point]

I have an old Nikon prostaff spotting scope, but thought it might be time to upgrade.

Depending on the quality of your existing scope, and the magnification range you need, you may not gain much by buying a newer budget scope.

I'd consider renting from Coop at

Rent Outdoor Gear – Rent Outdoor Gear

rentoutdoorgear.com

They are/were a sponsor at this forum.

If you still want to buy something instead, the older Nikons mentioned above can be really good. That would be the ED50, EDIII, and ED82. Be careful shopping though, as the EDII and ED78 are not weather sealed.

I'd suggest going to your local shops and see what's available. Go check them out in person, and bring your ProStaff for comparison. You're just getting a baseline to see what's available, compared to what you got now.

Sample variation is an issue with all brands, but maybe worse with budget optics, so no matter what you buy, test drive first if possible, or make sure the return policy and return shipping are reasonable.

I've tried various budget scopes, and most fail to achieve sharp focus at max magnification. It's a symptom of poor design or poor assembly.

Some models intentionally limit the max zoom, which can hide those issues, so keep that in mind.

One budget scope that impressed me was the Leupo SX2 20-60x60mm. It's heavy for a 60mm but the sample I tried came to sharp focus at 60x and appeared to be optically well corrected. I've seen those for $300 on sale.

Good luck!