Spotters that are “easier” to look through

[Spiral Horn]

Since you mentioned both Kowa and eye fatigue (something material but often overlooked), this is one area that IME Kowa Spotters shine. I can use any of my Kowa spotters for extended periods with very little eye fatigue. After directly comparing the Kowa 88mm to Swarovski and other major brands = Meopta S2 (also underrated), Vortex, etc. the Kowa was the one that ended up going home with me. The dual focus mechanism of the Kowa is also superior.

If weight/size is an issue the new Kowa 66A is only a slight step from the performance of the 88mm.

 

[TexasHTR]

I had 20/40 in my right eye and 20/70 in my left eye. So my eyes weren’t terrible either honestly. The doctor actually gave me a hard time even wanting lasik lol.

Now I’m 20/15 in right eye and 20/30 in left eye. My right eye is like laser vision lol.

This is why I haven’t gone lasik yet. With glasses/contacts I’m 20/10 in both eyes. I find noticeably more animals than my partners. But glasses do suck hunting. I keep a glasses strap/tether in my harness to use only while hunting so I don’t set them on the ground and destroy them.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ve had a Gen 1 razor 85, currently have the new mini razor 56. They both work just fine but I struggle to look through them for any amount of time especially with eye glasses

From the little time I’ve spent looking through the ATC/STC, they seem to have a bit more forgiveness with the eye relief.

What are some of the easiest spotters to sit behind with glasses?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As a long time glasses wearer I completely get your issue. Eye relief helps a lot - maybe why I’ve stayed with old Leupold Gold Ring spotters. The simple reason most spotters don’t have great eye relief is it reduces field of view a little and everything is bought off of spec sheets today and all the companies want to show the best field of view numbers. My fixed 30x has a great field of view and eye relief compared to variable scopes - I have no idea how universal that is, but I’m personally sold on this for the type of spotting that’s common in western wyo.

Not all glasses are created equal. A good fit and frame that is close to the eyes is important - if I barely push on mine eye lashes are scraping the lenses. This matters as much as the scope for me. The most clear image for me is not looking through glasses at all, but adjusting the spotter and resting glasses on my forehead, but I understand not everyone can do that. It’s not as fast when switching between binos and the scope a lot so for many things I keep glasses on, but for long sessions I push them up. They push up effortlessly and stay there or this would be a hassle. That’s only possible if the arms don’t have a hook around the back of the ears, like one of the Oakley frames. Once I found a frame that worked really well I carry two pairs, one completely clear and one with fairly dark lenses. Transition lenses are a mistake any year I’ve had them - it takes away your control. Even if they seem scratch free, new lenses before the season are always easier to glass through. Little microscopic scratches slowly make any lenses cloudy.


Anyway, good luck sorting it out - you’ll have to try different options to figure out what works for you.

 

[ljalberta]

I barely look with my eyes through spotters these days. If I have the spotter out, that means I’m taking my time, and slapping on a digiscoping system. I’ve used a number, but the Kapture system this year on a Kowa 66 was unbelievable. Add in the optical zoom on the iPhone pro, and I was blown away how usable (outside of mirage) the high level zooms were. Getting up to 300x feels like a cheat code at times for studying animals. Plus the iPhone optical zoom (maybe due to digital adjustments) seems far better than any optical doubler you might put on by Kowa or Swaro.

My uses were mostly looking at sheep, then also bears and mule deer for age and quality, but not for finding game.