Spotting scope!

LAST EDITED ON Dec-27-14 AT 09:57PM (MST)[p]Hi all,

I currently have two spotting scopes. My problem is they are both heavy. So my question is if you were starting from scratch and buying a scope for high country back pack hunting and money was no problem but you were concerned with quality warranty and weight what scope would you go with?

Edit:
Also same question for tri pod. Preferably one that can be used for rifle/muzzy as well as spotting?

What type of game and are you going to just "looking" for animals or sizing them up in inches, looking for quality?

>What type of game and are
>you going to just "looking"
>for animals or sizing them
>up in inches, looking for
>quality?


Elk, mule deer, bear are what I hunt mostly. I am not an "inches" person as to say. Just like to be able to tell if they are decent size and mature.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-29-14 AT 07:14AM (MST)[p]I would take a look at Vortex. Best bang for the buck, IMO. There is better glass out there for a LOT more but, for your applications, I think you would be very happy with the Vortex. Get a 65mm objective. 80 adds more weight and doesn't really add enough function to justify the weight on a backpack hunt. Angled or straight is personal preference. I've had both but now use straight. Some guys swear by angled though. It's really what you're most comfortable with.
What brand are your current scopes?

Thanks for you for your reply. I currently have the cabelas 27-80x80 HD and than I have an older ziess 65mm. I have packed both of these spotters but I am trying to get light weight and smaller. I have been looking at the vortex diamondback or the leupold compact or even the luepold 12-40x60GR. Just trying to get a feel for other people's opinions/setups or recommendations.

I was packing around my 85 razor hd everywhere I went then I discovered the best thing in the world.... The 50mm razor hd spotter!!! Best purchase I have made in years!! Goes with me everywhere now and the 85 stays in the truck or really close to it! They are suppose to be making more eyepieces for it to!

STX/ATX series with the 65mm lense.

Any of the high end 65mm scopes (Zeiss, Leica, S series Swaro)

15x56 SLD HD binocs.

I started out with a compact leupold by now carry swaro 65. It's only a few ounces heavier.

Not sure how heavy your older Zeiss is but Zeiss generally makes good glass. I would get away from the 80mm scope if you're looking to trim weight. You might be able to see more in the wee hours of daylight but for the extra 10 min of light gathering, I just haven't found the extra weight worth it. I had the Leupold 12-40x60 that you're considering but I didn't really like it. A lot of guys do though. The pricepoint on it is ok but I think the Vortex is probably a little better. Some will probably disagree with me. Ultimately, I ended up selling both my Swaro 80mm and my Leupold 12-40x60 and just going with a Swaro 65. The weight isn't much different than the Leupold and it's a much better scope. It's also pricier though and if you're not an "inch-counter" may be overkill for you applications.

If you want a really light weight scope, the Nikon ED 50 provides a great image with little weight and size. You will sacrifice some light gathering power for the smaller objective.

Well, you don't need internet opinions to figure this out.

If you look at the weights on scopes??.

Zeiss 65mm 39 oz. 85mm 52 oz.
Leica 65mm 40 oz. 82mm 48 oz.
Kowa 77mm 46 oz.
Swarovski 65mm 55oz 85mm 67oz

For the guys who want to throw in vortex, they are as heavy as the swarovski.

You want light weight and quality. with no budget limitations, throw out the vortex and swarovski.

My personal opinion would be that the best choice all around would be the Leica Televid 82mm APO. Second choice would be the Kowa Prominar TSN 773.

If you wanted to save a bit more space and weight, I would switch the Kowa into first place.

If you wanted to save weight and go with a cheaper scope?

Nikon prostaff 5 82mm 33oz. 60mm 26 oz.

Yes, its not going to have the same quality as the Leica or the Kowa. But they are less expensive and very light.

The question becomes, can you get by with the lower quality level?

Meopta meostar makes a fairly light weight scope, that is mid budget, that delivers a higher quality level than optics like the vortex razor.
The 82mm scope is 50 oz without the eyepiece.
Puts it in a weight class similar to the swaro and the vortex, but the price is cheaper than the swaro, and the quality is higher than the vortex.

If you want to save weight and space in the pack, going to the 65mm scopes might be for you.
The Ziess and the Leica would be my choice in the smaller sizes.

When I need to save space and don't want to pack the weight, I leave my high dollar scope at home and take a very inexpensive scope.
It weighs only 5.9 oz at 65mm and does very well.

The quality at high magnification is not as good as my other scope, but when you are trying to save space and weight, you have to make some sacrifices.

? What is wrong with the Zeiss you have? 65mm? Might wt a bit more than new ones,but they make good glass.
Get a good solid LIGHT wt tripod and you should be good to go. You don't need a tripod that withstands hurricanes and holds a howitzer....
IMHO If you can't carry a few extra ounces hunting and insist on micro wt trip in & during how do you expect to carry an animal out?