Swarovski spotter questions

[mcseal2]

I have been considering buying a 65mm spotter to take on some of my hunts. I have a Nikon ED50, Swaro ATS 20-60x80 HD, and Swaro 15x56 binos. I also got an Outdoorsmans compact medium tripod to glass with. I haven't drawn many tags in the last several years so I've been building points and buying glass. While I love the 15x binos and big spotter for much of my hunting I don't always want to pack them. Also some of my packs I like for dayhunts like the Eberlestock X1A2 have 65mm size spotter pockets. I should add I always wear my Leica 10x42 binos, so I have good binos even when not taking the 15x.

So down to the questions:

What can anyone tell me good or bad about the Swarovski STM series? I have seen several used ones priced pretty reasonable compared to even the non HD STS versions. I couldn't find much reviewing them online that was negative.

Would my eyepiece from the ATS 80mm spotter be right for use with a new straight HD 65mm body? Any disadvantage or problem buying a new body and just switching the eyepiece between them depending on the hunt?

I'd appreciate any advice on which route to go anyone has. Thank you for your help.

 

[WRO]

You're carrying to much stuff, dump the 15's and the 10's and get a set of 12x50 EL's, dump the Nikon 50 and the STS and get an X series with a 65mm and 95mm lense.

You should be near a wash in funds and better on weight. I used to carry 8's and 15's, I have gone to just the 12's with a tripod adapter. I also pack around an 85mm X series spotter, I wouldn't have it any other way, I've cut my total pack weight 15 oz and have the best optics IMHO..

 

[Broomd]

I don't know what you hunt...If it's coues, etc. the 15's are worth keeping, if not, I'd sell them and everything else. Keep the Leica 10X42s if you like them and they work for you--great glass.
If you plan on carrying the spotter the Swaro 65mm sts or stm HD is a fine eyeball. Your eyepiece would work fine, although the 25-50 wide angle is stellar, I have both.

You likely won't find a negative for the STM/ATM HD 65MM (or 80mm) Great glass, no downside other than simply finding one now. They have been discontinued for about four-five years. Given they are magnesium, they are a few ounces lighter but basically the same as the ATS/STS.

WRO,
The 95mm ATX is absolutely the best in the world imho, but I wouldn't use one with the hunting I do. It's just too much of a good thing to carry!

 

[280AI]

I agree, after packing the big binos and spotter, I have found that I am just as effective with a pair of 10 x 42 SLC's and a good 65 mm spotter with half the weight.

 

[WRO]

Broom'd, Having used the 12's and 15's side by side on a couple big country mule deer hunts. I prefer the 12's the do detail better than the 15;s which seems to compensate well for the 3 power deficiency.

I pack an 85 x series which is the best of both worlds IMHO, the 95 rocks but it is heavy.

Just by switching to the 12's, your down 35 oz in the binoc department, if you go to an X series in a 65, your down 7 oz over your current 2 spotter set up, in an 85 mm your net equal on both you spotters, and you'd add 12 oz if you want to pack big bertha around.

 

[Broomd]

I'm a minimalist...only use what's needed to carry. But...I also realize that an alpha spotter is extremely important, especially when legality is on the line with full-curl regs etc. Hey, it beats climbing 2 miles to a dead end, illegal ram.
...shave every unneeded ounce short of carrying 8x20 or 10X25 bincs. Although a pair of 10X30 SLCs miht be the ticket.

I do carry my Geovid 10x42 HDs for the HD glass and integrated RF.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks for the replies.

I did not mean to sound like I carry all that glass on hunts, I never do that. The only thing I carry all the time is my Leica 10x42 Geovid HD-B binos. They really work great for my eyes and have the rangefinder built in. I agree that if I wanted to pack a separate rangefinder I would have the Swaro 12x50's and eliminate the 15x Swaros, but I really like having the rangefinder/bino combo I do. These binos work great for my eyes and the rangefinder is exceptional. The problem with them is putting them on a tripod easily, but I have a Nikon mount with a strap that works well enough for 10x binos.

The ED50 doesn't get packed that much, but is handy to tell if a bull is broke up or not before pursuing him in the area I elk hunt. I don't seem to have trouble finding bulls with the binos, but checking for broken points the little spotter is handy. I don't even pack my good tripod on those hunts just a cheap slikk and the ED50 gets the job done at 2lbs combined weight.

The big Swaro spotter pretty much stays in or near the vehicle. I use it extensively scouting and patterning whitetail before the early muzzle loader season around home and on through the fall. I use them to identify and judge what deer are on or near our ranch and develop a plan to hunt them It and the 15x binos get a lot of use around home where I either glass off a window mount or take a hike in the evening and glass off the hills. I like to pattern deer at long range so I can scout with a real low impact on their movement. The neighboring ranches see a lot of pressure and this has been a good tactic for me, not going near their bedding areas unless things are just right then trying to catch them slipping back into or out of them them. In September there isn't much daylight activity and what occurs is usually darn close to the bedding area.

Those big binos and spotter also get used on antelope and mule deer day hunts in the sage country where the weight isn't all that important. I hunt with a guy who has an STS spotter so he usually packs it and I pack the 15x binos, I find more deer and he picks them apart.

I agree the STX series Swaro spotter with a 65mm and 95mm objective would be ideal, but man are they expensive! Even if I sell my ED50 and ATS 20-60x80 for a combined $2500 or so I'm still looking at around $2850 difference to get into one of them. Even if I also sold my 15x binos I'd still have to pony up almost what a non-HD STM series Swaro brings on Ebay. I'm not sure I want to get rid of all that instead of just adding a separate 65mm spotter. It would mostly replace the ED50 for my use, but the ED50 won't sell for that much so I'd likely just keep it. Even if I only use it occasionally it might we worth hanging on to.

 

[Blockcaver]

You sound like an optics lover. Buy the Swaro 65mm HD and use your existing 20-60x eye piece. I find it to be the perfect backpack sheep hunting scope (mine is angled, magnesium, 2011 vintage) paired with EL 10x42 Swarovision binos. Like you, I have a Nikon ED50. It get a bit of use when I don't want the weight of the Swaro 65mm. Decent scope for the size and weight but not enough for sheep where we have the full curl or 8 yr old minimum on Stone sheep.