Spotting Scope Recommendations

[johnnyw027]

Looking for some 65mm spotting scope recommendations in the 500-800 range. I have seen a lot of good things about the Athlon Ares on both forums and breakdowns, but am curious if anyone has had bad experiences with it or if they have had good results from a different one in this range. Thanks for any advice or experiences!

 

[gr8fuldoug]

The Best Choice in a Mid Sized Affordable Spotting Scope​

 

[Wyo_hntr]

I have owned or used redfield rampage, athlon ares, kowa 664, vortex razor 50mm, and kowa 774. Kowa 774 was head and shoulders better and worth the 1700ish bucks.

Save up some more money. I would suggest saving up for a kowa 66, Swarovski 65mm, etc. It will be cheaper in the long run, been there, done that. You're halfway there, save up the rest.

 

[nobody]

Athlon ares and the Vortex Razor Gen1 (dual focus model) are the sweethearts of that price range. I would also add the Maven Cs1 to the list, any of the 3 would be awesome. I personally prefer the vortex simply because of the dual focus knob design, but it’s really personal preference.

 

[Honyock]

I've used the Ares G2 UHD for a couple of years and have no complaints other than the weight. It's not alpha glass but IMO for the price it's hard to beat. I've compared it to the Maven CS1 and my eyes showed the Ares to have better edge to edge clarity and less chromatic aberration. Not a deal breaker with the Maven but my eyes preferred the Ares.