Need help picking a mid range spotter

[Vic vinegar]

Greetings, I was hoping to get some input on picking out a mid tier spotter. I’m wanting to keep it under $1000 and get the best bang for my buck as I can. I sure would like some alpha glass, but it’s not in the budget. I know these things don’t hold their resale value like big dogs but I’m willing to live with that.

I’m wanting an 80-85 objective and found a few I may bite on. I’m wondering if anyone can give some input and have been able to compare these to each other or other things in this optic tier. This is my first spotter and I don’t have a lot of time behind one myself.

CRONUS G2 UHD DUAL FOCUS 20-60x86 - 45 DEGREE - Athlon Optics

The ultimate spotting scope for extreme clarity and color definition. Extra-low dispersion glass eliminates chromatic aberration.

athlonoptics.com

Endurance ED 25-75x85 Spotting Scope

Endurance ED spotting scopes provide the performance to get close to the action and the durability you demand. All magnifications are constructed with ED glass reducing the potential for chromatic aberration. ED glass controls colour fringing and allows an improvement in clarity and crispness of...

us.hawkeoptics.com

Ares 20-60x85 G2 UHD Spotting Scope from Athlon Optics

The lens in the Ares G2 20-60x85 UHD Spotting Scopes are treated externally with our XPL coating to withstand dirt, oil and grime of constant use.

athlonoptics.com

Those are the ones that caught my eye and that fit my price range and other parameters for size. If there are any others, I’m all ears. I arranged the items from most expensive to least from top to bottom.

Thanks!

 

[Sawdust145]

I have the Athlon Cronus G2 Dual Focus. It is a great spotter for the $$, there is a YouTube video, I cant remember the name of the video but some guys set up 18 or 19 spotter ranging from $ to $$$ and they broke them down by price. The Athlon I believe was in the mid price one however it actually ranked something like #3 in the top end glass. I have put it up beside a Razor and a Viper spotter and everyone with me agreed it was better than the Razor and Viper. I really like it however it is on the heavy side.

 

[Vic vinegar]

I have the Athlon Cronus G2 Dual Focus. It is a great spotter for the $$, there is a YouTube video, I cant remember the name of the video but some guys set up 18 or 19 spotter ranging from $ to $$$ and they broke them down by price. The Athlon I believe was in the mid price one however it actually ranked something like #3 in the top end glass. I have put it up beside a Razor and a Viper spotter and everyone with me agreed it was better than the Razor and Viper. I really like it however it is on the heavy side.

It’s definitely a little hefty but I guess that’s one trade off. I definitely thing the best quality would be the Cronus. I am wondering how much of a drop off the Ares is to the Cronus.

 

[Schaaf]

In that price range I’d take a long look at the Celestron offerings.

 

[Vic vinegar]

In that price range I’d take a long look at the Celestron offerings.

I’ll have to check them out. Thanks

 

[Schaaf]

I’ll have to check them out. Thanks

Sorry, big brain fart. I meant Opticron mm4 spotters.

 

[BLJ]

I’ve been satisfied with my Nikon ED3 Fieldscope.
It’s a 60mm objective, but I believe they made an 80, 82, or 85.
No new models available so finding one may be a challenge.

 

[Vic vinegar]

I’m leaning toward the Cronus. I am local to athlon and can get a pretty smokin deal on them. I’ll just deal with the weight penalty

 

[Vic vinegar]

I also just learned that maven offers a “try before you buy” program so I may give that a spin and try and get it next to the Cronus

DEMO OPTICS

Try before you buy: it makes sense to us. Find out more about the Maven demo program and select the demo optics you want to test out in the field.

mavenbuilt.com

 

[Alpine4x4]

Cronus for me. I have the non dual focus model and like it. I do wish it was the dual focus model from time to time. It is heavy and does have a narrow FOV, but its unbeatable at the price. I have the smaller Ares and its no slouch either, but does have a bit more noticeable CA compared to the Cronus.

 

[SUD1988]

Cronus for me. I have the non dual focus model and like it. I do wish it was the dual focus model from time to time. It is heavy and does have a narrow FOV, but its unbeatable at the price. I have the smaller Ares and its no slouch either, but does have a bit more noticeable CA compared to the Cronus.

View attachment 910709View attachment 910710

Is the glass in the Cronus a noticeable upgrade over the Ares? I have the Ares 15-45 and I am considering the dual focus Cronus.

 

[Vic vinegar]

I ended up ordering the Cronus and the maven (through their try before you buy program) and plan on setting both up to see which one I like better, then return the other.

I keep hearing about the narrow FOV and weight in the Cronus so we’ll see. I’m not an optic aficionado so who knows if I will even be able to tell…classic you don’t know what you don’t know situation.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ve been satisfied with my Nikon ED3 Fieldscope.
It’s a 60mm objective, but I believe they made an 80, 82, or 85.
No new models available so finding one may be a challenge.

I agree the ed fieldscopes are one of the best values out there. A Fieldscope on a solid tripod will see better than a Swaro on a cheap tripod.

 

[BLJ]

I agree the ed fieldscopes are one of the best values out there. A Fieldscope on a solid tripod will see better than a Swaro on a cheap tripod.

I picked up my ED3 with the factory padded case, variable eyepiece and the box for $300 shipped to me.

Almost felt guilty the first time I looked through it.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I'd think some 15x or 18x's would get a lot more use?

 

[TaperPin]

I picked up my ED3 with the factory padded case, variable eyepiece and the box for $300 shipped to me.

Almost felt guilty the first time I looked through it.

I have to chuckle at the new spotters that come out every year and the advertising makes it sound like a big improvement over anything made previously.

From what I can dig up, when the ED3 came out it was $750ish new with a zoom eye piece and the ed2 at the same period was $650. At the time I can remember thinking they were spendy, but here we are all these years later and the design has held up well. In actual use my ED3 is neck and neck with a Gold Ring spotter of similar age.

This list was interesting of when they were introduced, but I have no idea when they stopped production of the different models.

 

[hereinaz]

IMO, a used Kowa 553 or 554 is a better option. That glass is on par with Swaro of the same vintage.

With spotters especially, clarity trumps objective size and total magnification. Dropping to 60-65 can make a big difference in total clarity. The top 1/3 to 1/4 of magnification is almost unusable in the quality tier you are looking. Also, with many conditions max power makes the image unusable because it magnifies the bad conditions.

Regardless of the spotter, especially in the budget tiers, I am rarely in conditions good enough to use the top end. So the max magnification numbers mean little to me.

When mirage or other conditions are bad, only clarity of glass makes a difference. Everything can look good with bright light. Add mirage to less than clear glass and the image sucks.

A used Vortex UHD is a solid option. I have a 65mm Gen 1 Vortex that is pretty good, and I use it at the range for digiscoping. I paid like $450 for it.