npaden
Well-known member
So who is going to be the first one on the forum to pick up one of the new Swarovski AT or ST Balance spotting scopes?
I'm actually tempted. I've been looking at picking up an ATC for a while and just can't seem to pull the trigger. About the only negatives I see are price (really only about at 30% premium over the standard non stabilized versions) and weight. But you might be able to make up for the weight by skimping on your tripod.
I've watched most of the YouTube videos but it seems like those are very slanted and that Swarovski actually gave them guidelines on what they could and couldn't show in their reviews. (I think one reviewer said that Swarovski actually stated that they didn't want them to show any footage of them actually on a tripod).
Anyone actually had their hands on one? In some ways it seems gimmicky because who in the world would use a spotting scope hand held, but in other ways it seems like it would be pretty cool. Sounds like the biggest advantage would be the speed that you could identify whether it is a good animal once you spotted it. Save the time to pull the tripod out and get it all setup.
Don't think it would change anything sitting and glassing when you are looking for something, I think that would be a drag using the handheld for that. It could be nice for a windy day.
Batteries are supposed to last 12 hours. Might have to buy a spare to take on a long hunt.
Oak needs to get some of these out on some raffles to raise some money for the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society!
I'm actually tempted. I've been looking at picking up an ATC for a while and just can't seem to pull the trigger. About the only negatives I see are price (really only about at 30% premium over the standard non stabilized versions) and weight. But you might be able to make up for the weight by skimping on your tripod.
I've watched most of the YouTube videos but it seems like those are very slanted and that Swarovski actually gave them guidelines on what they could and couldn't show in their reviews. (I think one reviewer said that Swarovski actually stated that they didn't want them to show any footage of them actually on a tripod).
Anyone actually had their hands on one? In some ways it seems gimmicky because who in the world would use a spotting scope hand held, but in other ways it seems like it would be pretty cool. Sounds like the biggest advantage would be the speed that you could identify whether it is a good animal once you spotted it. Save the time to pull the tripod out and get it all setup.
Don't think it would change anything sitting and glassing when you are looking for something, I think that would be a drag using the handheld for that. It could be nice for a windy day.
Batteries are supposed to last 12 hours. Might have to buy a spare to take on a long hunt.
Oak needs to get some of these out on some raffles to raise some money for the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society!
