You traded in a big spotter for a compact…your feedback please

[Tahoe1305]

@Tahoe1305 Where are you finding atc’s for $2k? Or is that a used price? Im seeing msrp of 2999 listed everywhere.

Used price on here. $1900-2200 is what I’m seeing in last 6 months.

 

[tracker12]

I switched from a 65 to a Kowa 554 this year and for my application which is similar to yours it's perfect. They do seem to be hard to find these days.

 

[BLJ]

That eyepiece is called the MCII. It's 13-40x on the 50mm ED50, 20-60x on the 60mm ED-III, and 25-75x on the 82mm ED82.

So one eyepiece, but different zoom range depending on which scope body it's used with.

If you want to know what the difference is between 13x vs 20x vs 25x, Nikon has that on their website for min and max zoom for FOV. Might be in their archives.

You’re right. I had read that before and either forgot or never really made the decision.
I have the same eyepiece in my ED III. Just in a 60mm body. Thanks.

 

[BLJ]

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-razor-hd-13-39x56mm-angled-spotting-scope-w-neoprene-case-lens-covers-len

Looks like the baby Razor is $850 right now.
Angled is in stock. Straight is available for back order.

 

[4th_point]

You’re right. I had read that before and either forgot or never really made the decision.
I have the same eyepiece in my ED III. Just in a 60mm body. Thanks.

That 60mm ED-III is an excellent scope. I've owned a few and they were optically well corrected. And 60x on the top end will spoil you, if you can use it.

 

[BLJ]

I agree.

I had it cranked up a couple weeks ago and I believe my tripod and head were failing me.
I need to get something to set it on that’s better than what I have.

 

[6.5x284]

Are you saying that the STC does better than the bigger scopes with smoke and haze, or just that you can't take advantage of the higher mag on the big scopes?

The reason I ask is because some people in the astro world believe that smaller scopes do better than bigger scopes with junk in the air. I've seen it myself once, where a 60mm was clearly better than an 82mm side by side with forest fire smoke.

No I was stating I can’t take advantage of the higher mag on the big spotter so it’s a wash until low light. If that makes sense.


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[Buglebrush]

I'm very happy with the Razor 13x39x56. Perfect for what you're wanting IMO.

 

[NealMustard]

I've only been on a couple hunts where we had both a compact (Leupold Gold ring 12-40x60) and a full size spotter (Leica Televid 20-60x77). Those were moose hunts in cooler weather so we were rarely looking more than 2 miles. Most of the viewing was trying to confirm size of animals at less than a mile. Both spotters were able to accurately gauge the size of the moose, including accurate brow tine counts. We were more confident in our sizing and counting when using the full size spotter, but we never got it wrong with the compact.

Swapping tripods from my old Sirui to an Aziak ridgeline was a more significant upgrade than swapping from a compact to a large objective.

Bigger, heavier spotters require bigger heavier tripods to keep them stable. Trying to use a 5# spotter on an ultralight tripod in wind makes for a bad time.

Bigger spotters are better at marginal light and at definition, thats not up for debate. The real consideration is how much of the time is that improved glass usable?

Often times the limiting factor for my compact spotter is the quality of the air. Haze, and thermals often wreck the air bad enough that no amount of glass is going to make up the difference. On bad days I can't age a sheep at 500 yards because the upslope thermals wreck the air. On good days I can find sheep at over 5 miles and confirm that they're rams worth getting a closer look at.

Having had the experiences I've had as a backpack hunter I don't think I'll ever find myself swapping up for a larger objective spotter. I'd rather spend the weight on a heavier tripod, or more food to walk on the days that the air doesn't cooperate.

 

[packgoatguy]

I went from the kowa 553/4 to the swaro stc. The Swarovski has a much wider field of view and is much easier on my eyes to sit behind for long periods. But the 554 glass and clarity is just as good IMO. I also prefer the form factor of the stc... nice and sleek, takes up less space than the 554. I'm not a fan of the objective end cap though. I just wish it didn't weigh 5oz more than the 554...

I made a video showing several of my compact spotters... with digiscoping footage from each at 100 and 760 yards to try and do an apples to apples comparison... but the phone camera never quite shows the same image as what my eye sees.

Sorry its pretty boring and amateur. I'm new to making videos.

 

[elsb0048]

I went from the kowa 553/4 to the swaro stc. The Swarovski has a much wider field of view and is much easier on my eyes to sit behind for long periods. But the 554 glass and clarity is just as good IMO. I also prefer the form factor of the stc... nice and sleek, takes up less space than the 554. I'm not a fan of the objective end cap though. I just wish it didn't weigh 5oz more than the 554...

I made a video showing several of my compact spotters... with digiscoping footage from each at 100 and 760 yards to try and do an apples to apples comparison... but the phone camera never quite shows the same image as what my eye sees.

Sorry its pretty boring and amateur. I'm new to making videos.

Nice comparison thanks for sharing. Kind of illuminating looking at the difference in the kowa 50 vs the 55/stc in the range photos. One of the better illustrations of actual glass image quality differences I've seen