I have been looking at spotting scopes for a while. I didn't want to spend a lot of money but wanted a FFP Mil reticle. I like to spend money on my rifle, scope, and bullets. I wrote this up in hopes to help anyone look for a good spotting scope that doesn't break the bank.
Latitude 20-60x80 XD Tactical Spotting Scope from Sightmark
The Latitude 20-60x80 XD Spotting Scope from Sightmark is an excellent spotting scope with an excellent price point. When I was first looking for a spotting scope, I knew I needed three things, a first focal plane reticle in Mils, high-quality glass, and a reasonable price point. A Google search quickly left me disappointed with pricing. The spotting scopes I found were amazing, but I can't afford to drop $1800. I had to use my Google Fu and do some digging. It didn't take long to find some spotting scopes in my price range, but unfortunately, they did not have a reticle, and for me, that is a must. I finally came across the Latitude 20-60x80 spotting scope from Sightmark. Let's take a look at the features of this scope.
Features and Specs
- First focal plane mil-radian reticle
- Extra-low dispersion glass
- Fully multi-coated optics
- Dielectric mirror coatings
- Folded light path
- Rubber armored housing
- Straight eyepiece design
- Picatinny accessory rails
- Twist-up eyecup
- Built-in double tripod adaptors
- Waterproof and fog-proof
Magnifying Range - 20-60 power
Objective Lens - 80mm
Lens Coating - Fully multi-coated
Focus System, Cent/Ind/Fix - Central
Diameter, Exit Pupil - 4.1-1.3
Eye Relief - 1.06-1.02 / 27-26
Field of View, degree - 2.5-.84
Field of View (ft/1,000yds) - 131.1-43.5
What's In The Box
The Latitude 20-60x80 XD Tactical Spotting Scope comes with a very nice soft shell protective carrying case. The case is designed not only to protect the spotting scope during travel but also during use. The case folds open, exposing the objective and ocular Lens, allowing you to easily adjust the focus and magnification rings. The opening on the bottom of the case makes attaching the scope to a tripod a breeze.
The Latitude also comes with 2 Picatinny accessory rails. The small 4-slot rail on top is for the use of a red dot to have faster target acquisition. The second is a long ten-slot rail located at the bottom of the spotting scope. The bottom rail also incorporates the standard fitting ¼-20 inch thread size (1/4- 0 UNC). This allows you to attach the spotting scope to any tripod for maximum stability.
Also included with the Latitude are the objective and ocular lens caps, a lens cleaning cloth, and the manual.
First Impressions
I had to limit myself to 60 minutes to get a first impression because I liked this scope so much. I knew I wouldn't have started writing this immediately if I hadn't restricted myself. I wanted the first impression fresh on my mind. Right out of the box, I was impressed. The first thing I noticed right away was the weight. It was nice and hefty at just over 4 lb. It's built like a tank with a rubberized outer shell. This gives me the confidence that if I accidentally dropped it, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. So, a bumpy ride on back roads to get to the range and everyday use won't be a problem for this scope.
The controls are in perfect arrangement; eye cup, diopter adjustment, focus adjustment, and magnification adjustment. The focus dial has a very fine adjustment and aids in getting the perfect sight picture. I could focus from 25 yards out to about 3000 plus yards. After 3000 yards, my laser range finder would no longer capture distance. However, I could range a water tower at about eight miles using GPS and bring it into focus. The controls easily turn and are nice and smooth throughout the minimum and maximum ranges.
The glass clarity overall is extremely impressive and is very bright and crisp. After later testing, spending about 4-5 hours on and off the spotting scope, I noticed no eye fatigue. The glass is very easy on the eye. It felt relieving to my eye when looking through the spotting scope vs. the rifle scope. I was quickly able to spot impacts at 400 yards with 22LR.
The reticle is just about perfect for what I'm looking for. It has everything I need and nothing I don't. The reticle is a perfect size with just the right thickness. Not too thin, making it hard to see with older eyes, and not too thick to cover the target or impede seeing impacts.
Glass Quality
I'm not a glass expert, so I had to do some research. After my research, I have a little bit better understanding. However, some manufacturers will call the same technology by two or more different names, and some will call two different technologies by the same name. (e.g. HD glass - High Definition or High Density. ED and XD - Extra-low Dispersion glass, also sometimes referred to as high density or HD glass. That should clear things up. (sarcasm)
XD glass is a high-quality glass that increases light transmission, decreases light dispersion, and minimizes chromatic aberration, the rainbow effect you see around objects when viewed in high-contrast situations.
The glass quality of the Latitude is excellent. The targets were very clear, even at 60x. You can get clarity issues at maximum magnification with some spotting scopes, but this was not a problem. I did notice a little drop in light transmissions when zoomed in to 60x but not enough to stop you from getting the job done. After spending several hours on the scope over a few range trips looking through the Latitude spotting scope was like putting on a pair of glasses I didn't know I needed. I could clearly see the bullets' impact and accurately call a corrective shot. The wide field of view combined with the XD glass made reading mirage simple and aided in an accurate wind call. It also helped to see the bullet trace. I must say, I never get tired of seeing the bullet trace. Everyone's eyes are different, so what I see looking through a scope may appear different than what you see. So, the best way for me to describe the glass is that the image was very bright, sharp, and clear. I mostly used the scope between 20x - 40x on the range at 520 yards but did run it up to its maximum magnification of 60x.
I did some bird-watching to test the Latitude in a different application. For this, I used 60x, and the color of the birds was very crisp and clear. I spotted some cows at 1,053 yards and a herd of cows over a mile away. The image was still very impressive. I was even able to read the brand on the cows. The picture below was taken with an iPhone 12 without a camera mount, so it's not the best picture. This picture does not do the Latitude justice and is a little blurry due to the mirage.
Reticle
The reticle is my favorite feature of the Latitude 20-60x80 XD Tactical Spotting Scope by Sightmark. It's a first focal plane Mil reticle with some excellent features. A First Focal Plane reticle means I can make accurate calls at any magnification. The sub-tensions stay true at 20x - 60x. Therefore, if I call a 1 Mil hold, the magnification doesn't matter. This is an absolute must-have feature for me and many other shooters and spotters. This unique reticle features hash marks every half Mil (.5 Mil) on the bottom and right side of the reticle for more accurate calls. Every other full Mil hash mark is numbered, making getting lost within the reticle impossible. On the top and left side of the reticle, there are hash marks every full Mil (1 Mil). In a spotter role, this gives me options to call the direction of fire when engaging multiple targets, and speed is necessary. (e.g., target 2, 10 mils left four mils down) In total, the reticle is 20 Mils x 20 Mils. Another excellent feature is the IPSC ranging capability with this spotting scope. In the bottom 1/3 of the scope are numbered horizontal milling marks to range IPSC targets quickly. To use this feature, match the milling marks to fit across the chest from shoulder to shoulder. The milling mark is numbered in hundreds of yards, from 300 to 1000 yards. This works perfectly for rapid target engagement when shooting competition or just a day at the range.
In The Field
Setting up the Latitude spotting scope is very easy. You can use the supplied Picatinny rail or the standard 1/4x20 threaded screw slot. I chose just to set it into my Dethgrip tripod and clamp it from the outside. For me, this was just fast and easy and worked very well. As soon as I got the Latitude home, I started looking around my nabourhood. I was looking at power lines, birds, and squirrels. I was even able to clearly see nails in a house that was over 300 yards away. I mention this to explain just how small of an object I can see so you can understand how clear the glass is. Once I arrived at the gun range, I could look around at extreme distances to test out the glass. I was pleasantly surprised at how clear the glass was and how far I could see. It was just incredible.
I set up two targets at 520 yards, 11" and 6". I started by testing the spotting scope on 20x and worked up to 60x. At 20x and slightly out of focus, it was very easy to see the mirage. I recommend focusing about 100 yards or so in front of the target to see the mirage. Everything was bright and clear, and I could precisely see the bullets' impact. Watching the bullet "explode" on target through the view of the spotting scope was something I was not used to seeing so clearly. I could see the bullet particles fill the air around the target before hearing the beautiful thud of a bullet on steel.
While my shooter was taking shots, I was zooming in every few shots to get a better picture of what the glass in the Latitude is capable of. I found 20x to 40x ideal as I can see bullet splash on a missed shot. Seeing impacts from the small .22LR at a distance was also effortless.
I like the straight eyepiece design over an angled eyepiece. With an angled design, any moisture, like rain or snow, would be caught in the eyepiece, leaving you with a blurry image. The eyecup is also a twist-out design helping to block out the rain or sun. I found the best position of the eye cup to be halfway out, with my brow just slightly touching. This gave me a good sight picture and sight aliment that was repeatable when getting back on the scope.
Overall
The Latitude 20-60x80 XD Tactical Spotting Scope by Sightmark, with its heavy-duty rubber coating, gives me the confidence of protection from the elements. This beautiful spotting scope is also waterproof, dustproof, and fog proof. The first focal plane reticle is easy to see and use. The glass quality is quite impressive. But the best part is the price. $699. This fits within my and most budgets, so what more could you ask for?
Performance - 4/5 The 20 - 60 magnification range gives you more than you need (better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it), excellent clarity, very good glass, and a well-thought-out first focal plane milliradian reticle. It is a bit heavy compared to others, but I like the weight as I feel it keeps it more stable in windy conditions.
Value - 5/5 Available for less than half the price of high-end, name-brand spotting scopes with the same features makes this very affordable, especially with its first focal plane reticle.
Durability - 5/5 The tuff heavy-duty rubber coating offers good protection, and by being waterproof, dustproof, and fog proof, this spotting scope should give you life-long use.
Availability - 5/5 Available from Sightmark, Academy, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's warehouse, and more.
