Looking for a little help with the Swarovski STR 80

[gpowers]

I'm looking at picking one of these up and I'm having a tough time finding good reviews and information on these. Specifically how does the glass compare with other Swarovski spotters? The Hensoldt Spotter 60 is the only other high end spotter that I'm aware of with a reticle, if anyone has had hands on with both how do they compare? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

[Quickshot]

I just got an STR80 last week. It has the 20-60 eyepiece and tunnels until ~25x. The 25-50 eyepiece does not tunnel; but, costs more. The STR80 does not have Swarovski's best glass. The STR80 has HD optics. The newer scopes,have Swarovision; but, no reticles. You can see Swarovski's marketing info here.

http://www.swarovskioptik.com/about_swarovski/innovations

In bright light the STR80 has the best glass I have looked through. It seems to have better contrast than the Lecia, Zeiss, Kowa, Leupold, Vortex and Nikon scopes I have looked through. I did notice that my copy has a circular shadow at high magnification when glassing at dusk. I can't see it during daylight hours.

I looked through many different scopes at matches until I convinced myself the Swarovski was worth the money. Next weekend I'm gonna do side by side comparisons with my copy next to Spotter45, Spotter60, Nikon 82mm ED, and Leupold Mark4 scopes. Only the Nikon does not have a reticle.

Cheers,

 

[northern50]

I love mine. Have been out shooting a couple times since I got it, absolutely fantastic. I got mine from Natchez, they had them listed as "demo" units for a significant savings over everyone else's price. Looking through this thing make you want to be the spotter, fun to watch bullets go down range with it. The reticle is straight up awesome.

 

[gpowers]

Thank you for your responses, that is what I was hoping to hear from those that have them. I'm wanting to make this the last spotter I buy.

 

[afv338]

i love mine i also have a lupy their is no comparison. the best feature i like is that you can shut the retical off when you dont need it, what i dont like is the size, the glass is great also i cant seem to find a protective leave on cover for it. would i buy it over yes.

 

[gpowers]

I have used the Leupold in the past. I thought it was more than usable, good to know how it compares with it. Thanks for your input.

 

[Nemain]

I had an STR80 and it has excellent glass and is easy to use with an excellent reticle. The ability to turn the reticle on and off is a nice feature but some people do not like an illuminated only reticle. Personally, I like the Hensoldt Spotter 60 better, it's more compact, rugged, has excellent glass, simple/easy reticle that can be used with or without illumination.