Max magnification for a spotter?

P

Pester

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Nov 20, 2012
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#1
My Leupold Mk 4 12-40 is fine for all my shooting needs at this point. Recently I looked through a 20-60x for general glassing and it seemed fine. So my question is what is the max magnification that can be toted around where environmental factors dont degrade the image so much its not valuable. Is this about the max?Swarovski ATX 30-70x95mm Modular Spotting Scope - Spotting Scopes at Spotting Scopes

I would like to get a non reticle spotter to glass and I would use a tripod.

Thanks
 
#3
I think you've gone right to the very top of the spotting scope tree and if the money is there go for it as i would . I do however feel that the rewards in this spotter are aimed at the Bird watchers rather than shooters ( IMHO ) Conditions play such a massive role in what you can see through the zoom band as what you can see clear at 40x on one day will look awful on another , and past 40x all spotters start to show weakness in general conditions .
I have a Swarovski HD80 with a fixed 20x W and its simply the best scope i've looked through to date but when i'm shooting i use an Opticron GA52 with both 18x & 24x fixed eyepieces for spotting as its smaller and gets knocked about , everything i need to see for shooting can be seen with the cheaper opticron again IMHO .

PS. I'd still go for the ATX with both 65mm & 95mm objectives if i could !
 
#4
The rule of thumb is 1x per 1mm of aperture should the conditions allow.

I have the Pentax PF100ED spotter with the 100mm of aperture. If the conditions are great (very crisp, clear day with cloud cover to prevent mirage), I can pop in my XW7 eyepiece and get a nice usable 90x out of it. However, if the big noon sun is out during summer, I have to drop my magnification back significantly down to 31x (XW20 eyepiece) to get usable images.

In optics, bigger aperture is better (assuming the glass, prism, and baffling of the scope are great).
 
#5
my 82mm ZEN ED2 spotter can push all the way to 60x during a cool, clear day. Once temperature rises up, the heat wave in the environment gets magnified too. So 45-50x is more of a common range
 
#6
Thanks folks. I am pretty happy with my Leupold in that magnification so my question was what is the top magnification before distortion(environmental factors) start to limit viewability. Its not likely I will be able to afford a Swarovski so that was more of a bench mark.

Maybe something will come up here on the Hide that is a non reticled higher powered reasonably portable option.
 
#7
Pester: Good option might be Nikon Fieldscope ED82 with straight body and interchangeable eyepieces (wide angle 30x for general spotting or when dealing with mirage, and 75x eyepiece when environmental conditions allow). Since the arrival of the new (and expensive) EDG model, the 'old' ED82 can be often found at bargain pricing.

I went through several spotting scopes, comparing them to everything that was available and what other shooters used, finally settled on Nikon couple years ago, and then last year replaced my ED82 with Zeiss Diascope (25-75x variable, with adapter also using Nikon's 30x WideAngle which gives larger field of view than Zeiss's 25x). New Swaro and Kowa might be just a tiny bit better in resolution than Zeiss, but for overall portability (lugging it around and dealing with harsh environmental conditions) I am very happy with the Zeiss. When atmosphere allows, at 75x I can see bullet holes at 1km, but of course when you start to deal with mirage, you won't see anything no matter the objective diameter or price.

If you are looking for something smaller/lighter/cheaper, the Nikon ED50 is a very good alternative, feedback on it from various birding forums is very good (though for us the resolution/ability to see bullet impacts or holes is more important than natural color rendering and other attributes preferred by birdwatchers), but I was pleasantly surprised what this little fella is capable of (comparing it right next to Hensoldt's military spotting scope it wasn't that far behind).

Good luck and shoot safe,

Gun_Slinger
 
#8
I have the Swaro 30-70x95 and it works VERY well. However, on warm days, I do have to dial it back. While somewhat overkill on the magnification, it is always nice to have. For just shooting, and not digiscoping or birding, there are cheaper options that will work just fine.
 
#11
I'm surprised not very many people are commenting on the leupold mark 4 20-60x80.
This one is different from the less powerful model because this one has their HD glass. I would think this model would be a superb combination with the longer range and first focal plane reticle over the whole magnification range.
Would anyone out with one of these please comment on your experience with them?
 
#15
7GRT said:
This is a recent review of spotting scopes and the Leupold is amongest those tested .


Head to Head Review: Best Spotting Scopes of 2013 - Petersen's Hunting
Click to expand...
Thanks for the Petersen link. I have the Meopta Meostar and couldn't be happier, it being half the price of next highest rating for the Swovarski. I have absolutely no issues with this scope.
As far as toting the scope around on a mountain hunt, that's what horses, mules, atvs and utvs are for, not my 66 year old body. I doubt that any 82+ mm objective scope is going to qualify in the trekking department already loaded down with tripod, rifle, water, food and gear, unless you're a young flat belly just coming off a deployment to Afghanistan.
Skip
 
#16
The meopta seems to be a great scope and to be bettered only by the ATX considering the price difference is amazing . Over this side of the pond in the UK top end scopes seem to be mainly used by Bird watchers and whilst there is a big outlay on the Swarovski , Leica's & other top shelf brands they seem to hold good second hand values where i think you would struggle to sell a Meopta for decent money which is a shame because it must be a great optic . I think the last brand to get top shelf status here in the UK was Kowa !
 
#17
macfly said:
I'm surprised not very many people are commenting on the leupold mark 4 20-60x80.
This one is different from the less powerful model because this one has their HD glass. I would think this model would be a superb combination with the longer range and first focal plane reticle over the whole magnification range.
Would anyone out with one of these please comment on your experience with them?
Click to expand...

If I am not mistaken, the Mark 4 spotters with reticle do not have the HD glass. I believe the HD models can have a reticle added by the Leupold custom shop.

Tim
 
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#19
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#22
Lol. Well, strike one in getting to the bottom of this...
Had tried to email tech from their website and got back an enlightening response:
"All proprietary info.."
Great. Hoping to hear back from someone with a bit more info
 
#23
In my experience, a good number of the "value" spotters become really shitty when you start to zoom. The more expensive, quality spotters don't have this problem as much, so I think it's important to think of what magnification you expect to use most, then pick a spotter that has that magnification somewhere near the middle of it's range. And that's assuming you're trying to save some cash. Also, if you regularly shoot in warm, humid climates, expect mirage to be a major factor in limiting your magnification range.
 
#24
Hmmm.
From the B&H Photo website description....
"The Mark 4 20-60x80 Tactical Spotting Scope from Leupold embodies the full range of Leupold's advanced optical technologies and packs them into an armored magnesium alloy body that is both lightweight and easy to handle. Leupold outfitted this Mark 4 series scope with their Xtended Twilight Lens System, which combines High-Definition (HD) glass and several specially engineered optical coatings to improve twilight performance. This model also has a TMR (Tactical Milling Reticle) reticle that can help the spotter calculate their target range or size at any of the scope's magnification settings.
Leupold's HD lenses are made of high-transmission, calcium-fluoride glass elements that produce saturated colors and clarity that is superior to that of standard optical glass. Additionally, HD elements are lead-free, and they weigh less than comparably-sized standard glass elements. The Mark 4 optical path is enhanced by phase-corrected BAK4 prism glass and index matched lens coatings. Each lens surface is multicoated with an index matched coating that is optimized to suit the refractive index, function and placement of the lens. Leupold also employs their Multicoat 4 anti-reflective lens coating to maximize the light gathering ability of the lenses. The resulting images are detail-rich, with luminous and color faithful views.
Complementing its high-definition optical system, the Mark 4 Tactical scope has handling features that deliver a user-friendly glassing experience. Rubberized ridges on the zoom wheel and a textured focus dial provide tactile feedback that is especially useful when making field of view adjustments in wet conditions or while wearing gloves. The scope's eyepiece has a fold-up/down rubber eyecup and 30mm eye relief that provides a comfortable viewing distance even for eyeglass wearers. This Mark 4 scope is compatible with an optional digiscoping adapter that allows the viewer to capture the transmitted image using their digital camera.
The Mark 4 Tactical also comes with a ballistic nylon protective case designed to stay on the scope yet permit fast access to the scope's eyepiece, zoom and focus controls. This stay-on case includes a shoulder strap, and the case features zippered access with quick-access panels that fold out to provide unobstructed access to the eyepiece.
In addition to being lightweight and easy to handle, its nitrogen-filled housing makes the Mark 4 ready to endure heavy rain and extreme humidity. A folded light path gives this scope a remarkably compact footprint—especially for a large-objective optic. This combination of functionality, build quality and image quality make the Mark 4 Tactical lineup ready for almost any long-range targeting and viewing task."
 
#25
"Actually the current Mark 4's aren't using their HD glass either. I looked at the website and noticed it wasn't marked as their HD glass. Upon speaking with a friend who works there he said that they tried to make the Mark 4 spotters with the HD glass but they found that the HD coatings were causing issues when the scopes are used with night vision devices and thus they've had to stay away from the HD glass in their tactical line of spotters.

~Brett"

macfly,

This was the post I referenced earlier. I am not sure which is correct. I find it odd that your contact wouldn't clear this up. This leads me to believe the Mark 4 tactical spotters do not have HD glass. Thanks for the research.

Tim
 
#26
Yes, its a bit odd that they wont say. But in the end I guess its all how the image looks.
Has anyone here looked through one? i can't find anything on the web about this larger mark 4 at all!
Guess I will see next week but had hoped i coukd get some ideas on how this scope compares to others
 
#27
Just got another email from the phone tech support fellow:

"Per the brand manager for our spotting scopes, the Mark 4 20-60x80mm uses the same HD lenses as the Gold Ring 20-60x80mm B&C HD."
 
#29
He confirmed that the 12-40 does NOT use the same HD glass because of the issues with lasers or nightvision with the coatings(?)
Wish there was a leupold rep on this forum who coukd chine in
 
#31
Pester said:
My Leupold Mk 4 12-40 is fine for all my shooting needs at this point. Recently I looked through a 20-60x for general glassing and it seemed fine. So my question is what is the max magnification that can be toted around where environmental factors dont degrade the image so much its not valuable. Is this about the max?Swarovski ATX 30-70x95mm Modular Spotting Scope - Spotting Scopes at Spotting Scopes

I would like to get a non reticle spotter to glass and I would use a tripod.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The new Swaro ATX/STX System is amazing and is going to redefine how spotters are designed. Well worth the coin.
Swarovski ATX / STX Modular Spotting Scopes | Spotting Scopes at Discount Sale Price | SportOptics
Swarovski Spotting Scope ATX / STX HD Complete Outfits- Swarovski Spotting Scopes
 
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