Spotter Debate

[MinnesotaHunter]

After seeing DustinF's post I was just looking on Promotive, and I can pick up Leupold 12-40x60mm HD for $850.

I had been saving for a Swaro or Zeiss, but am thinking this might be hard to pass up.

My feeling is the Zeiss or Swaro might be a little little better glass, but not sure I will be able to tell the difference.

My other thought is the more compact leupold would end my search for a ED50.

 

[mhungerford]

I am sorry but there is nothing like a Swaro...... Have had a lot of different glass and nothing comes close to touching them.....

 

[Oak]

I am sorry but there is nothing like a Swaro...... Have had a lot of different glass and nothing comes close to touching them.....

Ummm, Zeiss and Leica. I put all three on tripods side by side and looked through them for a long time before buying. Hard to find much difference, but I eventually decided that the Zeiss looked the best to me. Hard to go wrong with any of them, though.

The Leupold is a great spotter, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I won't go as far as to say there's no noticable difference between it and the European makes. I don't know that I would spend the extra money on the Euro's if I were only going to use it a couple of weeks a year, though. I would stick with the 60mm over the 50mm.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Oak-

I have that concern, being I only really get to use my spotter 2-3 weeks a year (they aren't a whole lot of use in MN). Even with the deal I can get on a Zeiss on Promotive (1425 body / 525 eyepiece), it is still over double what I could get the Leupold for. I like my Vortex Skyline 20-60x80mm, but it is a big scope to lug around.

I guess I have some thinking to do.

Thanks for the insight

 

[mhungerford]

Well Oak of course Lecia and Zeiss are great i just love my Swaro that's all.....

 

[StrutNut]

I would look at it as not how much per year I would use the optic but how much per hunt. If you are going to be scanning a hillside hours on end I would get the very best glass I can afford. The cheaper stuff may look as clear for short periods of time but can also strain your vision after a while making it uncomfortable to look through the glass. There is a reason that most hunters out there that sit for hours looking at the same mountainside use high end optics. You would likely be better off buying used high end then new mid level. You know your budget and how you will use them, make the best decision based on that, not how many times a year you will use them.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

Ummm, Zeiss and Leica. I put all three on tripods side by side and looked through them for a long time before buying. Hard to find much difference, but I eventually decided that the Zeiss looked the best to me. Hard to go wrong with any of them, though.

The Leupold is a great spotter, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I won't go as far as to say there's no noticable difference between it and the European makes. I don't know that I would spend the extra money on the Euro's if I were only going to use it a couple of weeks a year, though. I would stick with the 60mm over the 50mm.

I have to agree with Oak...Any of the German/Aust. optics you cant go wrong..I use Zeiss and to me there tops.... dont get me wrong Leupold makes a great scope as well and Oak is wright you will not be disappointed....it all depends how much you hunt,your budget(Zeiss or Swarovski are not cheap)IMO go with the best you can afford and go a little past that....

 

[hawaii5hoe]

I had the same dilemma and was looking at ultimately buying Swarovski but a great deal came by on a Zeiss that put me together with a spotting scope months or maybe years before I would have been able to purchase the Swaros I wanted. I figured I could continue to save for the Swaros and sell the Zeiss scope to break even or better when I had the rest of the money saved for the Swaros. That being said the new MODULAR Swaro's look real nice!

http://swarovskioptik.com/en_us/products/spotting-scopes

 

[danr55]

I've always found Leica to be superior in very low light conditions. They seem to gather light better than the rest.

 

[naturebob]

Being from AZ. and hunting at distnces I can tell You High end is the only way to go. Ive used the $300, the $8-900 stuff and You get no detail at long range. Don't waste the money.I don't even own one any more. If I can't aford the Swaro HD I dont want none of em. All My hunting partners have Swaro or Leica so I can normally get their help when hunting. Even High$ swaro's don't give eneugh detail far out.. You need the HD to get way out. I glass with 15 power Minox (binos) and can find any thing any one else can find with their Swaros. the difference is low light situations.Other than that they are great. I won't buy another spotter till I can afford A brand in the HD. Just an experienced opinion From ME . Good luck.....BOB!

 

[DIY HUNTER]

I think that if you buy a cheaper one you will end up wanting a higher end one later on and end up spending more $ than if you waited to buy the higher end spotter. I used my buddies leupold spotter for a couple years and finally bought a swarovski this year and it is sharper and clearer than the leupold. To be specific I was shooting at 500 yards last weekend and could see the 7mm mag bullet holes on the paper target I was shooting at...I thought that was pretty darn good. You may be putting in hours spotting so the clearer the better!

 

[schmalts]

It all depends on the make, model, price, and objective size. Buying euro will get you great glass but you CAN get just as sharp of an image with the higher priced small brands. If packing is not a huge factor go with the larget objective.
On my deer hunt with Mtmiller we looked at some mountain goats 5 miles away with his Ziess 60mm and the Theron Mag82. Guess what one was sharper? Now all things considered the objectives were different but in the end one was half the price of the other and was sharper but also larger and heavier.

 

[schmalts]

Sagebrush... I deleted your post. Fat fingers on a small phone and i typed over you post as a moderator. Please repost your reply.....

 

[JGRaider]

Dang.......the euro stuff is great no doubt, but have you guys ever looked through a Kowa Prominar 883/884, 774, or 663/664? The 883/884 is the best on the planet.

 

[jlmatthew]

Oak-

I have that concern, being I only really get to use my spotter 2-3 weeks a year (they aren't a whole lot of use in MN). Even with the deal I can get on a Zeiss on Promotive (1425 body / 525 eyepiece), it is still over double what I could get the Leupold for. I like my Vortex Skyline 20-60x80mm, but it is a big scope to lug around.

I guess I have some thinking to do.

Thanks for the insight

I thought we were supposed to never mention the prices in Promotive

I did get my Zeiss Conquest HD bino's through Promotive for a pretty amazing price