Zen Ray and Nikon field scope spotters

[ams]

Both of these are now under $900 around the web and I'm wondering if they are a good buy or should I step it up to a Vortex for 700 more? Anyone have experience with the Zen Ray? I'm referring to the 80-85mm but also wondering if the 65mm Vortex will beat out the Zen Ray and Nikon.

 

[dotman]

Pm elknut, I think your $700 diff for vortex with shrink a bunch.

 

[blb078]

Have their Prime HD bincos and love them, never used the spotter, but I've seen some posts by BB on one of the optics forums stating the ED2 spotter is pretty good. Can also check ebay, I was just given an offer on a new Viper HD Spotter 65mm from an optics store on there for $545 shipped which I don't know if anyone can beat that but I know it's a great deal. Can probably find something similar for the Razor on there.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Actually,

I haven't seen the Zen Ray spotter personally, but people who's opinion I respect said it was pretty good. My personal experience with both the 65mm and 85mm Razor HD spotters has been VERY good.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Actually,

I haven't seen the Zen Ray spotter personally, but I did stay at a holiday inn last night and I think they are good. My personal experience with both the 65mm and 85mm Razor HD spotters has been VERY good.

Fixed it for ya bb.

I believe sk1 has the ed2 spotter. Might wanna pm him. I hear they are VERY similar to the razor hd.

 

[ams]

I've been going between a 65 or an 80 and a 50 combo. It seems for the price of the Vortex 80 I could snag the Zen Ray and the smaller 50 Vortex. Thanks for the heads up Dr! I'll see if I can hit sk1 up for some info.

 

[sk1]

I've been going between a 65 or an 80 and a 50 combo. It seems for the price of the Vortex 80 I could snag the Zen Ray and the smaller 50 Vortex. Thanks for the heads up Dr! I'll see if I can hit sk1 up for some info.

pm responded to

like i said in the message, i haven't seen it side by side with the razor but decided to go with opinions of some of the guys on birdforum.net that have compared them...but have no idea personally how they compare. same warranty but vortex has the track record of being fast and reliable with theirs.


edit: i just looked at my other tab, says your inbox is full and my message did not go through.

 

[ams]

Whoops, thanks for the heads up. Cleared it out if you can resend the message.

 

[flyinsquirel]

I have the ED2, but have never laid hands on a Nikon other than the ED50. I have tested my ED2 side by side with a Swaro STM 65 non ED. To myself and my bud who owned the Swaro, the ED2 was better. Not by much though, and it could have been attributed to the larger diametere lens. The ED2 did make better use of the higher magnification levels, 45 or so and up.

The ED2 is a very good optic that, for the price, especially today's price, is a great value. Personally I much prefer the 2 stage focus knob to a single stage. Being able to fine tune the focus is a huge benefit. The camera adapters for the Vortex will fit the ED2. I have taken some really nice photos using my Canon SLR and the ED2.

I have had to utilize the warranty after dropping mine on asphalt. The two halves of the body came apart at the rotation ring, not completely, but it was no longer sealed. While Zen Ray did fix it, I was without a scope for a little over 3 months. From what I hear vortex customer service is much faster so that may be a consideration for you.

 

[sk1]

I have the ED2, but have never laid hands on a Nikon other than the ED50. Not sure what size Nikon you are referring to but I'm guessing the midsize given the price. I have tested my ED2 side by side with a Swaro STM 65 non ED. To myself and my bud who owned the Swaro, the ED2 was better. Not by much though, and it could have been attributed to the larger diametere lens. The ED2 did make better use of the higher magnification levels, 45 or so and up.

The ED2 is a very good optic that, for the price, especially today's price, is a great value. Personally I much prefer the 2 stage focus knob to a single stage. Being able to fine tune the focus is a huge benefit. The camera adapters for the Vortex will fit the ED2. I have taken some really nice photos using my Canon SLR and the ED2.

I have had to utilize the warranty after dropping mine on asphalt. The two halves of the body came apart at the rotation ring, not completely, but it was no longer sealed. While Zen Ray did fix it, I was without a scope for a little over 3 months. From what I hear vortex customer service is much faster so that may be a consideration for you.

such is the downside of zen-ray.....while i believe they will honor their warranty, you just don't know if it will be 6 days, 6 weeks, or 6 months

 

[flyinsquirel]

such is the downside of zen-ray.....while i believe they will honor their warranty, you just don't know if it will be 6 days, 6 weeks, or 6 months

Absolutely right, but I don't think it hurts the value. You are getting performance at a level far above it's price point, but there is no free lunch. Zen Ray has to skimp somewhere to bring you this level of optic at these prices. To get this level of performance from a company with stellar warranty you have to spend significantly more. Let's face it, if you're poor you can't afford to be hard on your equipment. With that in mind I think the Zen stuff is plenty durable for normal field use and offers an excellent value. If Zen comes out with a 50mm spotter under $500, you'll see it in my pack.

I like the idea of the Zen & a 50mm Vortex. Let us know what you end up with.