Can you folks help me out with a spotting scope recommendation?

**Hawk** · April 1st, 2015, 11:22 AM

Konus Konuspot 20-60x80mm Spotting Scope w/ Tripod -- $225

-or for a little brighter scope-

Konus 7122 20x-60x100mm Spotting Scope with Case --$325

Best scope at this price point. Many of us use one or the other for CMP and NRA High Power. I've had mine (20-60x80mm) for 5 years and it's served me well. I can read mirages and see .223 bullets holes in the black at 200 yards.

After market stand is needed for the 20-60x100 model.

I've looked through my buddies Kowa and it's slightly clearer, but the Konus beats it on magnification.

**adamhoward** · January 17th, 2018, 05:03 AM

"You can take Swarovski STS-80 HD 20-60x Spotting Scope.
For nearly 30 years, I used a Swift 15-60x scope (my first scope), primarily, but not solely, for birding. There was a even some astronomy thrown in for good measure. It was a good scope at the time, and more than adequate but, in the past few years and particularly when I had a chance to use it side-by-side with the 'top end' scopes, it paled in comparison. Therefore, I have some experience with Swarovski, Nikon, and other excellent spotting scopes, having had the chance to use them at the same time. My Swift scope dropped off of what I found out to be a faulty tripod bracket last year and broke, so it made it easier to justify looking for a new scope. I researched scopes for many weeks prior to purchasing this one and had a chance to try out several. In the end, it was obvious that the scope that so many top birders used was the best choice for me, and for good reason. This is not a small amount of money to part with on a whim so the research was fully warranted. This is a beautifully made instrument. It's tight and well finished with excellent attention to detail. The optics are just about as good as they come and its ergonomics are excellent, that is, it's very easy to use. Everything is in what feels to be the right place to make use in the field a pleasure. The image is bright and crisp, and the field is wide, even when zoomed in at 60x. And using it with glasses is absolutely fine. There is really no loss of field due to excellent eye relief with the 20-60x zoom lens. This scope is top-of-the-line in all ways. An excellent instrument to make an enjoyable pastime even better."

**STBear** · January 17th, 2018, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by adamhoward

"You can take Swarovski STS-80 HD 20-60x Spotting Scope.
For nearly 30 years, I used a Swift 15-60x scope (my first scope), primarily, but not solely, for birding. There was a even some astronomy thrown in for good measure. It was a good scope at the time, and more than adequate but, in the past few years and particularly when I had a chance to use it side-by-side with the 'top end' scopes, it paled in comparison. Therefore, I have some experience with Swarovski, Nikon, and other excellent spotting scopes, having had the chance to use them at the same time. My Swift scope dropped off of what I found out to be a faulty tripod bracket last year and broke, so it made it easier to justify looking for a new scope. I researched scopes for many weeks prior to purchasing this one and had a chance to try out several. In the end, it was obvious that the scope that so many top birders used was the best choice for me, and for good reason. This is not a small amount of money to part with on a whim so the research was fully warranted. This is a beautifully made instrument. It's tight and well finished with excellent attention to detail. The optics are just about as good as they come and its ergonomics are excellent, that is, it's very easy to use. Everything is in what feels to be the right place to make use in the field a pleasure. The image is bright and crisp, and the field is wide, even when zoomed in at 60x. And using it with glasses is absolutely fine. There is really no loss of field due to excellent eye relief with the 20-60x zoom lens. This scope is top-of-the-line in all ways. An excellent instrument to make an enjoyable pastime even better."

Welcome. Being new, you might want to check dates on the posts before replying to old threads. This one is almost 3 years old. OP probably has a scope by now.