Spotting Scopes

[PeterLester]

When it comes to Optics, specifically Spotting Scopes here is something a bit different to consider. I picked up a new 80mm Olivon spotting scope for about $450 CAD. Before that I had my eye on the 80mm Vortex Diamondback which retails for about $750.

I have some previous background in Astronomy.... long story. Based on that background, knowing enough about optics to know what to avoid and what is over-priced I checked out All-Star Astronomy in Didsbury where I finally ordered the Olivon from their Vancouver dealership for Skywatcher Canada. Skywatcher telescopes have an extremely good rating amongst North America's astronomers.

All-Star is only interested in Astronomy yet I convinced them to acquire the OT800 (Olivon) Spotting Scope c/w tripod.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to do a direct comparison between the 80mm Diamondback and the 80mm Olivon. And I can't tell the difference at 20 thru 60 power at 300 yards..... I can see 223 bullet holes on white target background just fine.

CONS: While the optics are equally good from my perspective, the Diamondback has a much cleaner finished look in black + khaki green and is a bit shorter. It costs a lot of money to shorten scope optics BTW. The Olivon when first opened up smelled like an old tire factory and is entirely rubberized in black versus the Vortex two tone. Both are nitrogen filled to prevent moisture, condensation and have excellent guarantees.

If you are like me and want to reserve the big $ for rifle scopes and better rifle equipment..... here is a way to save some dollars. Chinese Optics are at par these days with the best scopes yet at much lower prices.

[Smokinyotes]

I had a vortex diamondback spotting scope- for a couple weeks. The glass was terrible i took it back and bought a razor.

[PeterLester]

Good choice.....and Olivon makes an HD equivalent with razor sharp imaging up to 66 power...using Florite.....about $800 CAD.

Just more than i need so far.

[elkhunter11]

I have yet to see any Chinese optics that are as good as the top end Kowa, Swarovski, Leica or Zeiss scopes. And I haven't seen a Vortex equivalent either. In the lower to mid range optics some other brands are comparable.

[harv3589]

I just picked up a new Razor HD 27-60x85 and I'm really impressed with it. It's better than the Leupold HD, Leica or Zeiss I've had

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by harv3589

I just picked up a new Razor HD 27-60x85 and I'm really impressed with it. It's better than the Leupold HD, Leica or Zeiss I've had

Leupold has nothing that comes close the current top end European spotting scopes. Spotting scopes and binoculars are two areas where Leupold has never been competive. As for Leica and Zeiss, they make top end optics, but they also make mid range products that are not nearly as good. As well optics as a whole have increased in quality in recent years, so a person needs to compare current offerings against current offerings.

[harv3589]

The reviews I read on the birder forums found the Razor to beasically on par with the zeiss scope in a similar model. The Swarovski was clearly better but the price was significantly more as well, so it should be better.

I wish I had money to burn on Swarovski but for the amount I use a spotter it's a waste. I think they r the clear leader in optics

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by harv3589

The reviews I read on the birder forums found the Razor to beasically on par with the zeiss scope in a similar model. The Swarovski was clearly better but the price was significantly more as well, so it should be better.

Yes better usually costs more, although Kowa has had the top rated scope in some reviews, even though they are a little cheaper than Swarovski. I purchased my Kowa for that reason. But contrary to what some people believe, the Chinese don't produce scopes that match the top end scopes from other countries.

[qwert]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Yes better usually costs more, although Kowa has had the top rated scope in some reviews, even though they are a little cheaper than Swarovski. I purchased my Kowa for that reason. But contrary to what some people believe, the Chinese don't produce scopes that match the top end scopes from other countries.

This is another situation where ‘size matters’, but is not the only factor.

An 88mm solid fluorite crystal objective will likely outperform an 80mm fluorite coated.
A current Swaro 95mm will likely outperform an older design Kowa 88mm.
IMHO, both are fine scopes, and FAR better than anything from China or similar.

The Swaro ATX made a radical design change by placing the prism in the eyepiece module rather than the objective.
This permitted the magnification control to be placed adjacent to the objective focus ring, (which enables full control using only one hand)
and not on the eyepiece where it will be obstructed under a camera adapter, and this is a great benefit for ‘digiscoping’.
It also moved the cost of the prism to the eyepiece module, and substantially lowered the cost of the objective modules.
It makes buying both a small and large objective much more affordable.

Alpha glass is not cheap, but then neither is quality control or its high rejection rate.
(Does anyone really think that the rejected glass is not then used in cheaper lines or brands?)
Quality-performance / price is a bell curve, at the top small improvements cost a lot more money.

Good Luck, YMMV.