Optolyth spotting scopes any good?

[ken226]

I've been shopping for a reticle equipped spotting scope for several years. I finally found the funding and motivation to get one, an bought a Bushnell T series.
I wasn't satisfied with the glass clarity or focus mechanism, so I put it on eBay and recovered most of the price paid, the started shopping again.
I ended up buying an Optolyth from a German ebay seller but am surprised to see that Optolyth seems to be shunned here on Snipershide. I've compared mine side-by-side to some good scopes, and performance is quite good.

In the​​​ Liberty Optics Kowa 55mm thread. Rommel500 indicated that for not much more money I could have got a Spotter 45/60. I've searched for some Hensoldt Spotter 45s and 60s, and am having trouble finding the specific version he's referring to.
every variant I've found is in the $4000.00 + range. That's almost 4X what the Optolyths are selling for from German retailers.

I paid 900.00 for the scope body

ended auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OPTOLYTH-Spo...72.m2749.l2649



and 400.00 for the eyepiece.

ended auction:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Optolyth-Ocu...72.m2749.l2649

Obviously some risk buying from an overseas ebay seller. But, its my money, right!

Besides, both products showed up, as advertised, new in box!

Rommel500 stated that they aren't popular in the US for good reason.
Honestly, I'm seeking information here in the most polite way I can, so help me out, what is the reason?

I looked at some German and English birdwatching forums before ordering, and Optolyth seems to be pretty well regarded in Europe, and have been so for a long time. What is it that we in the US know about optics, that the Germans and English haven't figured out?

Some of the reviews I reviewed before I ordered:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=34450


http://www.forum.popastro.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17101

http://static.birds.cornell.edu/Publ...scopeswi98.htm

Duetsche Optik Optilyth halfway down the page:
https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/s...int.php?id=313

And a spottinug scope video on youtube. I have no idea who this guy is, could be a hack for all I know. But the info seems kinda well reasoned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzj_VJuJ3Cg




Or is there something else going on here that I'm clueless about. They donate to the Brady Campaign or something?

If there's a source for a Hendoldt spotter for 1300.00, then help your fellow snipershide members out and post it! I'll relist my Optolyth on Ebay immediately and order the Hensoldt. My credit card is standing by.

 

[Wyzrd]

Tagged in for any info on these Optolyth spotters.

 

[J!m]

Based on description alone, I have to say this is a high-end piece. Very few manufacturers use Florite glass. One reason the Canon "L" lenses are so prized (and for good reason) is the (Canon grown) Florite crystals for their lenses. Color and sharpness corner to corner are (in my opinion) the best in the world. Once I saw that, I knew this wasn't some "rebranded" piece from god-knows-where.

But, as I am also in need of a spotting scope, I am tuning in to see if this, or other suggestions, are economical serviceable options for a spotting scope.

 

[fdkay]

They are sold here in the states by bear basin. The prices aren't terrific, but I've bought from them before and the service was good.
https://www.bearbasin.net/category_s/1851.htm

 

[Wiley Coyyote]

I have a 100 mm TMB Optolyth Spotter 20-60X that I have had for 18 years. Made in Germany and uses Schott flourite glass. Side by side with the top of the line Swaro its a toss up. I heard that Frank had a bad experience with one but mine is solid, and I would not part with it. Especially since I paid less than $1000 a long time ago.

 

[ken226]

Optolyths website, translated from German claims that they only buy raw glass and metal. They claim to manufacture everything in-house. They mill, grind polish and coat their Schott glass blanks in house.

Best I can tell from searching here, elsewhere, and reading up on Optolyth, they are well regard

Their US importer, Valdada, maybe not so much. I'd hate to hold Valdada's shortcomings against Optolyth, so I bought direct from Germany.

So far, it's a solid piece of equipment. The reticle eyepiece has plenty of eye relief, about the same as my friends Kowa. My eyepiece has a noticably bigger eyebox, and my 30x WW/S reticle eyepiece has the same field of view as his Kowa 30x wide angle eyepiece.

My Optolyth has standard non HD glass, and is a little brighter than his flourite Kowa. My resolution is also as good as his Kowa. Where his Kowa bests my Optolyth is in contrast and color rendition. I'm sure that's because of his flourite lens.

I also made an angled riser block so I can mount the Optolyth upside down. Just a matter of opinion, but I like the idea of having my head below the level of the objective lens.
[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/z1ku1Fk.jpg"}[/IMG2]

 

[scudzuki]

I had an Optolyth 80mm HD spotter and it was terrible, especially for what I paid for it, which was over $1500.
I really wanted to like it, made in Germany by a company thet had been in the optics biz for a long time.
It had a significant yellow cast to the image, relatively poor light transmission, and side by side with an old Zeiss Diascope 85 FL, the image at full magnification (60x) looked smaller than the Zeiss at 40x with less visible detail (resolution).
I tried to contact Optolyth in Germany for 2 months via email because I was sure it could be fixed, based on good reviews I'd seen elsewhere, but they never responded to me. The importer (Val) insisted I had to go through them. I finally gave it away on eBay.

I wouldn't stop to pick one up if it were on the ground in front of me.

 

[ken226]

If you don't mind me asking, what happened when you tried to return it for repair through Val? Obviously you didn't get it resolved, what happened?

 

[scudzuki]

If you don't mind me asking, what happened when you tried to return it for repair through Val? Obviously you didn't get it resolved, what happened?

Val insisted I had to contact Optolyth directly.
I did not buy the unit from him, but I believe he is the importer, so I think he should have helped me.

 

[ken226]

Performance seems good on mine. Hopefully I don't have any issues, as I'd not likely be able to get it fixed based on your experience.

 

[KataKenM]

I hate to bring up an old thread.... but I just did.

I purchased the Optolyth 100mm TGS spotter from Val and I have had no issues at all. Ths 100mm Optolyth is absolutely amazing! Words cannot describe how amazing the glass is. Spotting out to 1,500 yards I can easily see bullet splash and target correctly as a spotter for my shooters. I purchased the digital camera mount as well and have gotten some pretty good images of Jupiter and its four moons. I can't believe I purchased three other spotters in the past, none of them had Schott glass, and the step-up in image quality is absolutely amazing! I additionally purchased the soft case, reticle lens (came with 30-60mm), and also purchased from Val my Valdada Recon G2 4.8-30×56 optic (also flippin amazing), the Valdada Anvil bipod (stable as all h€ll), my 40mm scope rings, scope caps (pricy for cap, $115.00), additional mount for optic...and a tripod with pistol grip head. In getting all this from Valdada in one purchase, I was cut a ridiculous deal. Just my two cents!

 

[ken226]

Not long after I posted this thread, I bought a 2nd Optolyth TBG80 for 300$ on eBay. The 2nd one is an HD Flourite model.

I've been using them for 3 years and so far, no problems whatsoever. They're pretty big, but well made and have very good glass. I have 2 of the 20-60 zoom eyepieces and a 30x reticle eyepiece.

I'd imagine, that 100mm you bought is Yuge!!

Stay on covers are non-existent. I bought a sewing machine from a goodwill store for 20$ and learned to use it from some housewifes videos on YouTube. What can I say, I got a thing for cougars!

I made a riser block attached to an arca rail, and mount the spotter upside down. The rotating reticle eyepiece makes it useable in any orientation.



The 30x eyepiece has a decent reticle

 

[KataKenM]

Thats great that you are having positive feedback after three years on your Optolyth's. I've had mine for over a year and love it. I just bought a Pelican 1600 case and have Kaizen foam outlined ready for the scalpel. The TBS 100 is in its own class, size is pretty big. I don't think that there is any other 100mm out there. I purchased the soft cover for my TBS and never really use it. I'm toying with selling the cover since I have the case now. I have a pretty pricy pair of binoculars from Leupold that my girl bought me a year ago for me b-day, and I have a Sig Kilo 2000 rangefinder that I might cut into that case if I can fit it. Great work on the sewing of your cover!! Are the videos of the Optolyth 80mm on youtube showing the zoom ratio, are they from you?

 

[ken226]

Thats great that you are having positive feedback after three years on your Optolyth's. I've had mine for over a year and love it. I just bought a Pelican 1600 case and have Kaizen foam outlined ready for the scalpel. The TBS 100 is in its own class, size is pretty big. I don't think that there is any other 100mm out there. I purchased the soft cover for my TBS and never really use it. I'm toying with selling the cover since I have the case now. I have a pretty pricy pair of binoculars from Leupold that my girl bought me a year ago for me b-day, and I have a Sig Kilo 2000 rangefinder that I might cut into that case if I can fit it. Great work on the sewing of your cover!! Are the videos of the Optolyth 80mm on youtube showing the zoom ratio, are they from you?

No, not me. I'll check that video out though.

 

[KataKenM]

I'm also looking for a second used reticle eye piece. I plan on getteing an 80mm for my son. I don't want to pay full price.

 

[ken226]

I'm also looking for a second used reticle eye piece. I plan on getteing an 80mm for my son. I don't want to pay full price.

I've searched eBay about once a week for the past three years for Optolyth eyepieces. I see plenty of 20x, 30x and 20-60 zoom eyepieces, but never, not once, have I seen a used reticle eyepiece listed. And very rarely have I seen new ones pop up.

But, you can get a new one from this place for 400$

You should probably email them ahead of time to make sure they'll still ship from Germany. This is who I bought my first Optolyth and reticle eyepiece from. Back then, they were fine with shipping to WA state.

404

Pulsar, Dörr, Fotostudio, Zielfernrohr, Nikon, Kowa, Bresser, Fujinon, Falke, Bushnell, Vanguard, Yukon, Laserluchs, NightLux, Hawke, Optholyth, , Meopta,

www.martinair007.de

 

[snowmanjoe]

Hi all. I found this thread when researching my new Optolyth TBS 80 22-60 spotting scope. I just bought it second hand having never owned one before. On 22x I am quite impressed, very clear optics. However when I zoom the image just seems to get bigger, it doesn't 'seem' like it is 'zooming', just blowing up an image which means you have to squash eye up against the lens, literally nearly touching eyeball!! Is that normal?

Another question I have which I hope someone can answer (I am new to this stuff!)....

Hypothetically speaking... would a FIXED mag (say 60x if one existed) eyepiece produce a better clearer picture than my zoom eyepiece zoomed to 60x? I would think so, but really have no idea about these things. If so, I might sell my zoom eyepiece and go for a 20x, 30, and maybe a 70x for moon/star gazing and looking out to sea. I suspect the fixed mag eyepieces will be brighter/clearer than the zoom eyepiece I have, which really isn't very nice to use beyond 30x anyway.
Thanks for any comments

 

[snowmanjoe]

PS - Also the rubber lip on the eyepiece which should flip up/down, mine has broken off. Does anyone know if those are replaceable?

 

[ken226]

Eye relief is reduced as magnification increases, that is normal and a function of the physics involved.

The magnification is a function of the focal lengths ratio between the objective lens focal and eyepiece lens set focal.

A shorter eyepiece focal length typically equates to shorter eye relief, for a given objective focal length. Though optics with a short objective focal length, can have much longer eyepiece focal lengths for a given magnification setting. Rifle scopes are a an example.



Eyepieces do exist that have additional lens sets, to allow both long eye relief and high magnifications (short EP focal length). You would probably need to get a 1.25" eyepiece adapter and an aftermarket eyepiece from a company like Baader. For example, this LER hyperion eyepiece has 20mm of eye relief, but a 13mm focal length. Using the formula below, you can see that it would give you 34x magnification.

https://optcorp.com/collections/baa...pieces/products/baader-13mm-hyperion-eyepiece

Or this one, which also has 20mm of eye relief, but 5mm focal length. This one would give a magnification of 89x.

Baader 5mm Hyperion Modular Eyepiece - 1.25" & 2" | OPT Telescopes

The Baader Planetarium Hyperion Telescope 5mm Eyepiece delivers a true 68 field of view with 20mm of eye relief.

optcorp.com

Either of those Baader eyepieces would require Optolyths 1.25" eyepiece adapter.

A zoom eyepiece is simply an eyepiece with an adjustable focal length. The simple formula is F/f=M. Where F is the objective focal length, f is the eyepiece focal length and M is the magnification.

For example, your TBS80 has an objective focal length of 445mm. So, with the eyepiece set to 20x, the eyepiece has a focal length of 22.25mm. with the mag set to 45x, the eyepiece focal length is 9.89mm, hence the much shorter eye relief.

As for the rubber eyecup, you may be SOL. Try contacting Optolyth directly or emailing that German dealer linked above. Though a used Optolyth for a couple hundred bucks on eBay gives a lot of performance for the price, the downside is that you may be SOL for warranty stuff.

 

[snowmanjoe]

hahahaha, a few hundred bucks? I am in UK. Try £400-500 (thats $7-800)!!! They don't call it rip off britain for nothing

Very interesting info thank you, way over my head though. You seem to suggest that's just how they work, but how come I have seen others where the field of view stays the same size (circle) but the picture inside it zooms in?

 

[ken226]

I may be misunderstanding your question, but I'll try.

So, your saying on the lower end of the magnification range, the entire image gets smaller, leaving lots of black around the outside of the image? Like looking through a tunnel?

Then as you increase the magnification, the entire image expands until the black around the outside disappears? After which, the image continues to expand, just without any of the black around the outside?

Like this?

 

[snowmanjoe]

Yes you described it perfectly. At min zoom 22x i have a nice circle with picture inside. As I zoom the image grows and swallows up the black and keeps growing to the point that if I don't move my eye closer I do see closer (blown up) what was in the middle on lower zoom, but if i move my eye very close (touching) the eyepiece glass then I can sort of look up and down and left and right, no black, just huge blown up image. Maybe that's normal, but other cheaper/more modern scopes I have used kept the same size circle of black but the image inside zoomed in, it didn't get bigger or swallow up any black

 

[ken226]

Yes you described it perfectly. At min zoom 22x i have a nice circle with picture inside. As I zoom the image grows and swallows up the black and keeps growing to the point that if I don't move my eye closer I do see closer (blown up) what was in the middle on lower zoom, but if i move my eye very close (touching) the eyepiece glass then I can sort of look up and down and left and right, no black, just huge blown up image. Maybe that's normal, but other cheaper/more modern scopes I have used kept the same size circle of black but the image inside zoomed in, it didn't get bigger or swallow up any black

That lower magnification tunneling is common on these removable eyepiece scopes. It's due to the large zoom range of the eyepiece.

It tends to not be there, on smaller diameter scopes with a narrower zoom range. On a 60mm spotter with @ 15x, it wouldn't be as noticeable as @20x on an 80mm spotter.

I hear ya on the eye relief. Its pretty close on most spotters once you get up near 60x. I rarely use my spotter above 30x.

I recently got too try my spotter side-by-side next to a Swarovski STR80, and @ 60x, the Swaro had the same uber-shorteye relief. I think the only way to get long eye relief @ 60x would be with one of those Baader fixed LER eyepieces. To get 60x, you'd need a LER eyepiece with a 7.5mm focal length .

8mm is the closest I see, which would put it at 56x:

Baader Hyperion 8mm Modular Telescope Eyepiece - 1.25" & 2" | OPT Telescopes

The Baader Hyperion 8mm Telescope Eyepiece delivers a true 68 field of view with 20mm of eye relief and fits into almost any telescope. Get yours at OPT today!

optcorp.com

This is the astro eyepiece adapter:

Optolyth Astroadapter f. eyepieces

The universe within reach! You can expand your Optolyth spotting scope using the Astro adapter with conventional Astro lenses for optimum star gazing.Similar to illustration....

www.optics-pro.com

 

[snowmanjoe]

wow, didn't know you could get adapters to make it better for stars and stuff! Thats very nice thanks!

Do you know if a fixed mag eyepiece would be clearer than the zoom one i have? so for example a 40x eyepiecee versus mine set at 40x zoom, am i righgt in thinking the fixed mag one would be clearer/better/brighter?

 

[ken226]

wow, didn't know you could get adapters to make it better for stars and stuff! Thats very nice thanks!

Do you know if a fixed mag eyepiece would be clearer than the zoom one i have? so for example a 40x eyepiecee versus mine set at 40x zoom, am i righgt in thinking the fixed mag one would be clearer/better/brighter?

So, that's a hard question to answer realistically. Technically, it's an easy answer, but there are so many other variables involved.

No lens is perfectly 100% transparent. Each lens absorbs and/or scatters a percentage of the light that falls on it. So, technically, all-else equal, fewer lenses would allow more light through. Fixed eyepieces have fewer lenses.

But all-else is never equal. The eyepiece with more lenses may have better quality lenses, or coatings, or different refractive indexes, or any combination of those. Or, they may be worse, depending on other variables.

But, in my experience, yes. When I compare my zoom eyeiece set @ 30x to my fixed 30x WA eyepiece, the fixed eyepiece has a better field of view, less eye relief and a slightly better image.

 

[KataKenM]

I have the Optolyth TGS 100mm spotter and I am amazed at the 100mm size, the HD/APO glass... it is awesome! I have the 30-60 zoom eyepiece. I got mine from Val at valdada.com. Great guy.

 

[snowmanjoe]

thanks very much Ken, perfectly explained

 

[njohn890]

A few years ago I sold my Kowa TSN and picked up an Optolyth Flouride coated TBS 80. Been very happy with the Optolyth for HP shooting and a little precision stuff Ive tried. Have both a 20x wide angle and a 22-60x eyepiece.

There is a mil scale eyepiece available as well. For HP and prone shooting the fact that it is waterproof is important to me, but I concede that is not related to clarity....that is until you get caught in a downpour which I did with the Kowa and it fogged up immediately.

I find the Optolyth has excellent clarity for mirage, picking up trace and spotting bullet splash. It might be a little dated compared to some of the newer offerings but it works perfect for my purposes.

 

[snowmanjoe]

Thanks both. Yes, I decided to keep this, I have spent a few days testing it against various others from an Opticron (nice, probably better value for money, but not quite as clear or nice to use as the TBS80) to a Celestron 100mm off Amazon. nice, but so much bulk for hardly any more brightness, a smidgen maybe.

I would love to buy fixed eyepieces to replace the zoom one, but I would need several and they cost a fortune. No matter. One thing I did wonder if someone might know.... my rubber eyepiece is broken (where it should fold). Is it piossible to get an aftermarket rubber for this, must be a standard size? I did some googling but didn't come up with anyything. I emailed Optolyth but they said I wont get a reply for a few weeks

 

[Paul Le Taupe]

Thanks both. Yes, I decided to keep this, I have spent a few days testing it against various others from an Opticron (nice, probably better value for money, but not quite as clear or nice to use as the TBS80) to a Celestron 100mm off Amazon. nice, but so much bulk for hardly any more brightness, a smidgen maybe.

I would love to buy fixed eyepieces to replace the zoom one, but I would need several and they cost a fortune. No matter. One thing I did wonder if someone might know.... my rubber eyepiece is broken (where it should fold). Is it piossible to get an aftermarket rubber for this, must be a standard size? I did some googling but didn't come up with anyything. I emailed Optolyth but they said I wont get a reply for a few weeks

Last week I bought a second hand Optolyth TBS 100 APO with fluorite glass off an 81 yo ornithologist who wanted to finally get a Swarovski. The old man was in a very generous mood so I got scope and eyepiece for just € 200,- Although its probably pretty old it still felt like an extreme bargain. It’s in very good condition, except for the eyecup. My eyepiece is the fixed 20ww (60/80) 30ww (100), which requires the 42mm eyecup.
I ordered a new one here:

Miscellaneous < Accessories < Spotting scopes < Nature Observation | ASTROSHOP

www.astroshop.eu

In that list you can also see the zoom eyecup, which is probably the one you need.

Must say that my first impression of this scope is very good, and especially in low light. It’s my first scope, so my opinion is of little value i guess, but in low light it feels like it even adds light to whatever you observe, rather than just bring it closer...

EDIT
Got my 42mm eyecup today so no complaints about astroshop.eu