What is your BTX glassing setup?

[Fowl Play]

Already planning for next year where I am going to cash in my elk and deer points on some hunts above treeline. Was able to scout out the location this year and found some good glassing spots that are within 1.5 miles of the truck or trail. Can easily glass some huge country between 1-3miles. Seems like the BTX will be perfect for combing that country to spot animals, but at the longer ranges that fixed 30-35x zoom may prove problematic for judging animals. You guys who use the BTX, what are you doing in this case? Are you packing an extender or a spotter eyepiece and swapping it in the field to judge? Is digiscoping enough to zoom in to judge an animal at that distance (even if blurry?). Also would be interested in what tripod setup you guys are using for say a BTX with 115mm.

 

[kota]

Have not been that impressed with the 1.7x extender. Usually if it’s far enough that the 30x fixed doesn’t cut it, there is enough mirage that it’s hard to see clearly anyway. It also adds length and weight to your setup, which makes it super sensitive to the wiggles. I’m also a little undersized with a slik 624 and va-5 head, which is part of the problem as well.

I still use the extender on occasion, but at 30x I can usually tell if I want a closer look or not and just use that most of the time.

 

[AZxp]

I have the 95mm with 1.7x and ATS eyepiece. I still haven't found a ton of use for the magnifier because its the same effort to swap to an ATS and get a clearer picture. However if I'm spending a lot of time scoring a coues deer, the magnifier has proven quite valuable to have both eyes open at medium distances. Magnifier is cheap and not a terrible place to start but perfect world, spotter eyepiece FTW.
I have had a few friends get the 115 and I dont know anyone who kept it. 95mm is good enough and the 115 is enormous. At that bulk and weight, I think a set of STC or 65mm STS big eyes would be better.

 

[Fowl Play]

Is the BTX dark with the 95? Have heard to either go 115 or 85, as the 85 knocks the magnification to 30x which helps make it brighter, but of course I have no real world experience with it (other than looking through them under mid day great conditions).

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I’m running the 95 and the ATS, I wouldn’t really consider not having the spotting scope. I also picked up the 60mm, it’s pretty cheap and if I’m tight for space or weight that’s really helpful. I’ll often just go 12x binos on the chest and then the smaller spotter if the country isn’t conducive to the BTX

 

[Ahren1111]

Awesome

 

[chicoredneck]

I run an 85mm and 115mm BTX. I have the doubler and an ATX eye piece as well. I did have a 95mm and sold it as it was not as nice as the 115mm and was heavier than the 85mm. If I could only have one, however, and wanted an option to pack, I would go with the 95mm.

I use the 115mm with the BTX the most. For glassing miles of country near the truck, it’s an amazing tool. I don’t use the 1.7x extender often, but when I have it’s been useful.

The 85mm is almost always set up with the ATX module and I use it when I’m packing almost exclusively to save weight. It’s great, but having both eyes open while glassing is better.

 

[chicoredneck]

I run the BTX on a carbon fiber Artcise tripod with a bowl head mount. It’s more stable and doubles as a shooting tripod.

 

[Fowl Play]

I run an 85mm and 115mm BTX. I have the doubler and an ATX eye piece as well. I did have a 95mm and sold it as it was not as nice as the 115mm and was heavier than the 85mm. If I could only have one, however, and wanted an option to pack, I would go with the 95mm.

I use the 115mm with the BTX the most. For glassing miles of country near the truck, it’s an amazing tool. I don’t use the 1.7x extender often, but when I have it’s been useful.

The 85mm is almost always set up with the ATX module and I use it when I’m packing almost exclusively to save weight. It’s great, but having both eyes open while glassing is better.

Any chance you compared the BTX with 85mm vs 95mm while you had it? Wondering if the 95mm with 35x zoom or 85mm with 30x zoom is brighter/more useable early and late? I may just bite the bullet and get the 115mm but the 85 or 95 would get more use being packed in with the ATX like you mentioned.

 

[chicoredneck]

I did not compare the 85mm to the 95mm. I didn’t have them at the same time. The 85mm should be slightly brighter as it would have a .1mm larger exit pupil. I will say the 115mm is noticeably brighter than the 95mm was in low light.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I had the 85 and now the 95 but again paired with the 65

 

[Muckyduck]

I don’t have any experience between the two using the 85mm vs the 95mm other then in store (owned an STS 80mm for a bit but wasn’t a huge fan beyond when lighting was perfect) however just in my personal experience with hunting and 95% of my glassing being done with just 15’s, I constantly find myself wishing I had more light and clarity to peek into some of those darker spots under trees or in cut outs on the mountains as opposed to having more zoom, just my two cents in the topic. Looking to get a pair of 85mm or 95mm myself (I’ll decide more after better research) after hearing your guys input on them