Spotter Advice needed

[Daubsnu1]

Looking for an angled potter, prefer used, but new is an option. Budget is right around $1,200.

Primary use will be hunting Sandhills of Nebraska, with trips to Wyoming/Colorado in future. Range as well. Want to digiscope.

I'm running Zeiss Conquest 10x42 HD binos, and Leica LRF 800 Rangefinder.

Not too worried about size and weight, as I mainly day hunt and rarely get more than 5 miles from the truck.

Spotters I'm considering:

Meopta MeoPro 20-60x80 HD: Good reviews. Not many on the used market. Price new $1,349 @ B&H.
Zeiss Diascope 65 T* FL: seen a few used in my price range. Thoughts?
Zeiss Conquest Gavia 85: a few out there used. Thoughts?
Vortex Razors: quite a few first and second gen Razors out there, both 65 and 85's. When getting binos, compared the Razors to Conquest...the Zeiss were much better to my eyes.
Kowa: read really good things about the TSN 550 Series 55mm Prominar, but not being able to rotate takes it out of the running. How do their other spotters stack up?

Other suggestions?

Thanks, Daubs

 

[h20fowler]

I just picked up a new Zeiss Diascope 65 few months ago. Very happy with it so far, just takes a while to figure out the dual-speed focus wheel.

 

[dotman]

I would go with the Kowa 550 series over all the others. While I do wish I could rotate mine it hasn’t been an issue that makes me regret selling my Swaro Ats 80 HD. To me optical quality far outweighs the ability to rotate but that is your biggest hangup a straight kind of solves this. I guess what I’m saying is why give up the part we pay for and truly makes an optic great for a small add on option.

 

[Daubsnu1]

I just picked up a new Zeiss Diascope 65 few months ago. Very happy with it so far, just takes a while to figure out the dual-speed focus wheel.

How much did you pay for the Diascope 65? And can you digiscope with it?

 

[Daubsnu1]

Found a 2004 version of Zeiss Diascope 65 T* FL, guy wants $1,000 for it (craigslist). Unsure of the eyepiece, e-mailed asking.

Worth that price? Or better off sticking with something newer?

 

[snakelk]

I know you said budget was right around $1200, but I'd consider holding out for a used Meopta Meostar S2 or Cabelas Instinct Euro HD (rebranded Meostar, same except has a fixed eyepiece). If you're patient, one can usually be found for around $1500.

Of the scopes you listed I've only compared the Vortex Razor 85 mm side by side with the Meopta Meostar S2. I preferred the Meopta by a wide margin. If you don't mind a big, heavy, 82 mm spotter and the necessary tripod and head to pair with it, IMO it's hard to beat the Meopta S2 for the money.

 

[Daubsnu1]

Wondering how the Meopro 80mm stacks up vs the Meopta Meostar S2 or Cabelas Instinct Euro HD?

Reviewers said pretty close...

 

[h20fowler]

How much did you pay for the Diascope 65? And can you digiscope with it?

Sent you a PM.

 

[DRMULEYAZ28]

Wondering how the Meopro 80mm stacks up vs the Meopta Meostar S2 or Cabelas Instinct Euro HD?

Reviewers said pretty close...

I heard it’s close also, the difference is that the meostar has a 2 part objective lens element as well as the objective being 2mm bigger and a removable eyepiece. I’ve yet to compare side by side though.

 

[Daubsnu1]

Read another post on this forum on the Krotos at Cabela's, and was going to order up a bunch of scopes to compare. But they didn't have the 65mm on-line. So called my local Cabela's and they had one. So I headed down after work.

Wanted to get a few more to compare, so talked to the Optics guys. Here is what I brought home, and initial thoughts after setting them side by side on the roof of my car, and scoping house numbers down the street. Weighed them on scale here at the house:

Cabela's Krotos HD 15-45x65mm, $342, 2.89 lbs: Performed surprisingly well for this price range. Solid feel, very small compared to the others. Love the size.

Vortex Razor 22-48x65mm, 1,199, 3.61 lbs: Disappointed. Didn't seem as sharp as the rest, even the Krotos. Eye piece was wonky getting on and off.

Swarovski ATS 20-60x65mm, $2,268, 3.11 lbs: this is a demo model from the floor. Had to swap out eye pieces with another Swaro in the case because it had a blemish we couldn't get cleaned off. Super sharp image. Impressive and very light weight.

Cabela's Instinct® Euro HD 20-70x82mm, $2,399, 4.21 lbs: Bigger, but surprisingly not as huge as I thought. It's basically the Meopta Meostar S2. Even has "Meopta" stamped on the base plate. Very impressive so far! I really like this scope.

I will get some time with them outdoors tomorrow. More feedback to come.

 

[flinginairos]

Following


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[Daubsnu1]

I'm not too worried about my credit card. I plan to have the spotters I don't select back at Cabela's tomorrow. Three days shouldn't cause me any problems.

Had a chance to line them up side by side and do some comparisons. It was 11 AM, bright and sunny day. Glassing across town to one of the few tall buildings, and then closer to some signage. The building was 3 miles away, the signage was 250 yards. In the bright sun, differences were slight, but there were some difference. Remember, the Cabela's Instinct Euro HD is essentially the Meopta MeoStar S1.

I did all my testing with all spotters set at 45x. Here is how I would rank them...

Eye relief:
1. Meopta / Swaro, virtually the same
3. Razor, just a tad less...
4. Krotos, almost bothersome, needs a bit more.

Field of view @ 45x:
1. Meopta
2. Krotos
3. Razor, but very close to the Krotos
4. Swaro, surprise here. Quite a bit narrower than the other scopes at the same 45x power.

Color contrast: They were all very similar, just minor differences...ranked them based on my preference.
1. Meopta
2. Swaro
3. Krotos
4. Razor

Image: viewing antennas on the building 3 miles away...
1. Meopta best image here, but remember, this is an 82mm spotter.
2. Swaro, a very close second here...
3. Razor, surprisingly just a little better than the Krotos. No where near the top two.
4. Krotos, acceptable.

Focusing:
1. Krotos, smooth, and easy to turn the focus dial. But as it ages, it might loosen up.
2. Meopta, tighter and not as smooth, but still good.
3. Swaro, thought it would be better
4. Razor, almost too tight.

Edge to Edge clarity:
1. Meopta, best to my eyes.
2. Swaro, second place...still excellent, but not as good as the Meopta.
3. Krotos, surprising third place finish aheads of the much pricier Razor.
4. Razor

Internals: shined flashlight into the objective, here is what I saw...
1. Swaro, clean, no smudges, excellent build quality, excellent design, rounded corners, you can tell this is well engineered.
2. Razor, clean, no smudges, good build, well engineered.
3. Meopta, clean, a few minor marks on the non-optic areas, doesn't look as refined inside, clearly spent resources on the glass.
4. Krotos, glass was clear and clean, and no metal shavings in side the scope. But non optic surfaces had what looked like smudges, finger prints, etc. Probably due to manufacturing standards.

Eye piece removal:
1. Meopta / Swaro, quality.
3. Krotos...non-removable eye piece...
4. Razor, didn't want to lock in place, difficult to remove. Surprising.

Feel:
1. Razor, rubber armored, very nice feel.
2. Swaro, this just screams quality! But the exterior coating wasn't as pleasing to me as the Razor.
3. Meopta, excellent.
4. Krotos, Not bad, a mix of metal and rubber armored.

Size & weight:
1. Krotos, just a little lighter than the Swaro, but much smaller
2. Swaro, about same size as Razor, but 11 ounces lighter
3. Razor, surprisingly heavy for it's size.
4. Meopta = beast!

Price / Value:
1. Krotos, this is a no-brainer here. @ $350 this is a hell of a scope for the price. Light, compact and good optics.
2. Meopta, while it is the priciest and biggest spotter in the bunch, performance was above the Swaro to my eyes.
3. Swaro, quality, tradition, warranty, it's all there...but still pricey.
4. Razor, disappointed.

I am going to get them side by side tonight at dusk to make a few more comparisons.

Right now the Krotos is leading the pack. It's not up to the Meopta and Swaro optically, but for the price...will be very hard to beat!

More to come...Daubs

 

[Halfslam]

Looks like you threw out your budget price of $1,200. That being said you should be comparing Kowa also.
Just my 2 cents...