Spotting scope advice would be appreciated

bogman

Hi all, been thinking about one of these for an age and I wonder if I could get a few pointers here, my requirements are

*80-85mm lens.
*Angled
*ED glass, good optics
*Capable of being rotated 90 degrees
*Good in low light
*Waterproof
*Can be used for digiscoping
Any advice on a suitable model
Im presuming that it is too expensive to buy in Ireland compared to the UK that is?
Thanks and a happy Christmas to one and all....

gzoladz

Budget is they key question

Opticrons are good value, those specs will cost you around eur1k. Then you have the alphas (eur 3k approx) but they are best in class, and many in between.

In UK what you find are better second hand options. Re price, it largely depends on the eur/gbp fluctuations. I bought my scope and binocs in Conns as their price was competitive to that of other reputable sellers online, and find their cs very good. But always compare!

bogman

Looking at these two scopes, the former is difficult to source in Europe but looks like it's a great performer.

Vortex Razor HD 20-60×85 Angled Spotting Scope

Hawke Endurance ED 20-60x85 Angled Spotting Scope

The latter looks great value for money, I wonder how they would compare, thanks for replying by the way...

bogman

It would appear the Vortex Razor HD 20-60×85 is not the latest model, the latest has a 27-60 eyepiece and some other changes, has anyone used either of these scopes?

bogman

Sorted, one of the mods might close the thread.

WildIreland

You won't beat the Meopta Meostar S2 82mm HD scope for value. It's not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination, but I've had mine side-by-side with top tier scopes from Swaro, Leica and Zeiss and if I had to choose I'd walk away with the Meopta.

I've been using one since I reviewed it when it was released in 2012 for Ireland's Wildlife. Absolutely top-drawer scope.

You get alpha optical and build quality all the way, but at GB£1,800 (I think that's the price now) for a kit with body/eyepiece you get a fairly hefty saving with no compromise on performance. The 30-60x wide eyepiece is unreal, but there's also a 20-70x if you want that bit of extra reach.

Well worth considering.

WildIreland

bogman wrote: »

Sorted, one of the mods might close the thread.

What did you go for in the end?

bogman

Went for the newer Vortex Razor HD 27-60X85 angled scope, got it from the London Camera Exchange, had previous dealings with them, difficult decision but when they dropped its price by £229 in the end of year sale that did it, the Meopta Meostar S2 82mm HD scope didn't show in any of the reviews that I read, and I read a good few, id have compared yours had I known about it, very happy with my purchase, just watching garden birds with the weather being so bad but hope to get out tomorrow, should see you in west Cork, regularly frequent the Timoleague, Rosscarbery, Owenahincha, Clonakilty areas, we can do a direct comparison but im hedging my bets that there wont be much in it....was hoping to get some help & advice here on this forum but it wasn't to be with the exception of gzoladz.

Stock image....must investigate digiscoping or hooking it up to my full frame Canon camera

WildIreland

Nice looking scope. I haven't tried Vortex scopes, but their top end bins are up there in terms of optical performance.

Would be an interesting comparison to put the new Razor head to head with the S2 on Rosscarbery estuary one day. Sounds like we may well bump into each other at some point if you're in the area regularly.

Look forward to it.

All the best,

Calvin!

WildIreland

bogman wrote: »

the Meopta Meostar S2 82mm HD scope didn't show in any of the reviews that I read....was hoping to get some help & advice here on this forum but it wasn't to be with the exception of gzoladz.

My Meopta Review is here (and as you sort of asked for it I hope I'm OK to post it here).

Another good, objective review here on the Roklide site (I know it's hunting based, but a lot of high end scope reviews come from the hunting fraternity, particularly in the US).

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner -- I only saw your post yesterday -- not on Boards as often as I like... dip in and out when I get time.