Bino's & Spotting Scope ?'s

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Howdy all!

I'm thinking of up grading my cheap bino's . . .

I'm wondering what is the Plus & Minus of each type?

Do you generally get a wider field of view with binos of the same power? Is it easier to get higher power with a scope?

I'm thinking around $400 . . . I know that this won't be top of the line, but better than my cheapies . . .

I'm looking for something to scan from a distance to determine if it is time to shoot, hide, run or welcome them for dinner!

I currently have a compact Barska 16X32 w/188'@1000 yards, and an old pair from my Father, a Columbia 7X35 Extra wide angle 578'@1000 yards. They both work, but I want something with a bit more power, and clear to be able to id what I'm looking at.

[smilie=s:

[44mag1]

Howdy all!

I'm thinking of up grading my cheap bino's . . .

I'm wondering what is the Plus & Minus of each type?

Do you generally get a wider field of view with binos of the same power? Is it easier to get higher power with a scope?

I'm thinking around $400 . . . I know that this won't be top of the line, but better than my cheapies . . .

I'm looking for something to scan from a distance to determine if it is time to shoot, hide, run or welcome them for dinner!

I currently have a compact Barska 16X32 w/188'@1000 yards, and an old pair from my Father, a Columbia 7X35 Extra wide angle 578'@1000 yards. They both work, but I want something with a bit more power, and clear to be able to id what I'm looking at.

[smilie=s:

Ive looked through alot of optics and my opinion is that nikon is the best for the money your looking to spend.

[P.K.]

I wasn't going to comment untill I saw that you have a Barska. I have one of their spoting scopes and it's a winner in my book. It's a 30X90X90 and was a deal at $80.00. It's a bit bulky but I only use it for range work. Since my neck o' the woods is a bit tight I rely on a pair of Simmons compact 10X25's and they work just fine.

[oldhickory]

Several years ago I bought a pair of mid-price Steiners, (9X42 full size) from Midway for just over $300.00. Fantastic binoculers! Much better than my brother's more expensive Leoplod 10X40somethings).

[sagamore-one]

I purchased a Konus spotting scope three years ago on the reccomendation of another shooter. It is the 20-60- power by 100mm. It is a fantastic value! I have taken it to numerous events where fellow shooters also looked at and through it. Everyone who looked at it loved it. It is simple, robust , and amazingly clear.
Midway has this and the 80mm on sale currently for $299 and $219. Optics Planet also carries them.
You may want to check this one out.

[winelover]

Several years ago I bought a pair of mid-price Steiners, (9X42 full size) from Midway for just over $300.00. Fantastic binoculers! Much better than my brother's more expensive Leoplod 10X40somethings).

+1 on the Steiners--have 2 pair of the 8 X 30's ("Hunting" & "Firebird II")

Winelover

[waksupi]

I have some Kerns, made in Switzerland, that are the best I have owned or looked through. I don't know how available they are in this country.
I had some Steiners. There was a problem with them, and the company would not stand up to their warranty.

[Trey45]

+1 on Konus optics, I currently have 3 of their scopes and plan on buying more.

[KCSO]

I have Steiners and am well satisfied with them , nice and clear and sharp. But I also have a pair of 8x50 Bushnell's that i have had for over 30 years and they are still pretty good. They were their top of the line bino's in 1977.

Ny spotting scope is a little diferent as I am a muzzleloader and I found a French telescope of about 18 power many years ago. I made a wooden tripod and mounted it and have used it every since.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm asking more along the lines of what are the advantages and disadvantages of binoculars over a spotting scope, or the other way around.

Interesting the feedback on the various brands . . . but wondering if I should buy a higher quality set of binoculars, or get a spotting scope?

[jcwit]

Spotting scope if you have any problem shaking and at higher power we all do.

[oldhickory]

What do you want to use it for exactly?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

What do you want to use it for exactly?

First post . . .



I'm looking for something to scan from a distance to determine if it is time to shoot, hide, run or welcome them for dinner!

[smilie=s:

Let me explain in more detail . . .

"IF" there were ever a economic collapse, and we were left to fend for ourselves for our food and safety . . . it would be nice to be able to identify people from a distance to figure out which of the above is the best plan . . .

[Char-Gar]

After several pairs of cheap binos I bought a pair of 8X30 Zeiss in 1983. Today they are worth several times what i paid for them and have given me 27 years of service and will last until I die and them my heirs can use them.

After messing with cheapo spotting scopes, I bought an early 50s vintage Argus with Freeland stand on Ebay for $80.00. While a little fuzzy around the edges, it is chrystal clear in the center and spots holes in targets as good as a $1,000 new one.

If I needed a another spotting scope I would hunt up a good quality used Unertl, Bausch and Lomb, Argus or maybe a Swift.

[SlowLeadBullets]

I spent months agonizing over what to buy and eventually settled on the Swift 820ED several years ago. Never regretted it.

[Doc Highwall]

I wear glasses and for a spotting scope I have the Kowa with the 27x long eye relief and for binoculars I have the Leupold Pinnacles with long eye relief, no use having good optics and seeing only half the field of view. For looking and hunting binoculars would be more practical 7x-8x min to 10x max because of shaking. A spotting scope of high power is no better then the stand that it is mounted on, the vibrations make it hard to see to even being useless.

[oldhickory]

First post . . .



Let me explain in more detail . . .

"IF" there were ever a economic collapse, and we were left to fend for ourselves for our food and safety . . . it would be nice to be able to identify people from a distance to figure out which of the above is the best plan . . .

Depends on the situation, a spotting scope would be o.k. for a static position and allow you to i.d. people at longer distances. In most situations though, a GOOD pair of binos, (9,10,12X) with a generous field of view will out perform any spotting scope for glassing the area. I have a Pentax 20X spotter that is a pita even at the range, my Steiner 9X40s get MUCH more use. I wouldn't even dream of taking the spotter to the field unless I knew I had time for ste-up on a specific target.

[frankenfab]

In my book, Bino's and spotting scopes are 2 very different tools.

The more you I have looked through optics, the more I see the difference in economy VS quiality.

As Chargar said, Ziess bino's can actuall be an investment. I had a small pair of Diafuns, and they were awesome, the best one's I've ever looked through.

I have a Kowa TS-611 spotting scope. It is a wonderful unit, but since I have had it a long time, and have no plans to get rid of it, I wish now I'd spent even more and gotten the top of the line Kowa.

A big problem with cheaper glass is that it just is not as clear, and you don't notice it until you spend an extended time looking through it. Your eyes start working hard to make up for the lesser performance, inducing much more eye strain than more expensive stuff would.

Dan Lilja has a good article on his site about spotting scopes and range finders, and talks about making a pair of super bino's out of 2 spotting scopes.

It's on page 2:

http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/longrange_shooting/shooting_hunting.htm

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got baush and lomb nikon steiners and luepold binoculars and i rate them opticaly in that order. I do like the steiners though and use them the most but the other two just have better glass in them. Spotting scopes ive got a leupold and a simmons and you know which of them is better. My buddy has an old baush and lomb and it puts my leupold to shame though. To be honest ive had little experience with glass more expensive then these as there all i can afford but id bet there is much better on the market if you want to pay for it.