And at nearly $4,000, most of us arent willing to subject the Harpia to the indignities and dings of the field. Darling of our best spotting scopes test is the new compact CS.1 from Maven, but we also like a couple of nicely priced full-sized spotters. If you want to take your photography game to the next level, particularly if photographing animals you dont want to disturb or things that are dangerous to get to close to, a spotting scope with a digiscoping setup can make all the difference. Nikon is one of the most well known optics brands in the world. While the use and need of a good spotting scope extends well beyond those needs, it still is hard to bump it up the priority list, hence the need for affordable alternatives to the exceptional high end spotters available on the market that cost well over $2000 USD. If youre a hobbyist photographer who doesnt care about squeezing the maximum amount of performance possible from a scope, give the Celestron Regal a look. Athlon Optics Spotting Scopes. This series comes in three sizes: 11-33x50mm, 22-48x65mm, and 27-60x85mm. Click to play video. ArmorTek Technology: The build quality is as expected top-notch. Maven has a few great spotting scope options (all of which are customizable if you order through their website). Brands that might introduce a new binocular or riflescope every year are on a 2- or even 3-year cycle with spotting scope introductions. The first two, in the above case 20-60, are the zoom. Rifle Scopes Athlon Argos vs Vortex Diamondback. The Argos HD 20-60x85mm falls into the perfect category of spotting scopes for high power use. Vortex diamondback vs viper. You can buy it here. Optically, its a solid performer, but its image is like the rest of the spotter, sort of middling. Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25X56 - Best for Long Range. If you cant spend over a hundred dollars, your options are limited to discount providers. Weighing a full pound less than its similarly sized peers, the Endurance ED would be a good choice for a backcountry hunter who insists on carrying a larger spotter. But it could be perfect scope if you are setting it up on your back porch to stargaze with. I've checked the specs and features of both and there are things I like about each. They are quick and easy to use when you are based out of your vehicle. $399.99. Check the classifieds on here for something in the next tier up. The Athlon warranty is every bit equal to the warranty provided by Leupold and Vortex, which is saying something. The optic with the highest Price/Value score wins our Great Buy award. Scopes are generally sold either with a straight body or with the eyepiece angled up 45 degrees. Andrew McKean is Outdoor Lifes hunting and conservation editor, drilling into issues that affect wildlife, wildlands, and the people who care about them. You wont be counting antler tines on a bull three miles away with this thing, but it will at least get you closer than your naked eye. We've rarely seen this much glass and optical horsepower for under $400. The build boosts the durability of this spotter and gives it a stiffer and more sure-footed feel. They sell their products directly to consumers similarly to Upland Optics, but they are at the higher end of the price/quality spectrum. Because our test doesnt intentionally punish submissions until they break, the durability question is necessarily unanswered. Built on a composite-carbon chassis, the Vanguard VEO HD runs lighter than its peers, which makes this 80mm spotter a good choice for backcountry hunting. A nice feature it has that I wish more scopes would include (especially angled scopes) is a sighting line to help you line up with what youre trying to look at. However, astronomers might consider this as one of their primary things to look for given their viewing happens always in low light conditions. The spotter with the highest overall score wins our Editors Choice awardthis year it went to Mavens CS.1. We bought and tested binoculars from Vortex, Athlon, Nikon, Leica, Swarovski, and others to help you find the best. Thats because the glass and controls of the Argos HD are slightly disappointing. This is probably unsurprising given their name. Many consumers are understandably confused about the designations that optics companies use to describe the quality of glass in their products, but the Athlon spotters are useful to differentiate between HD and UHD glass. With a straight-body spotting scope, youd have to trade places with your buddy in order for them to see the deer. Thread starter Wrencoforge; Start date Jan 20, 2020; Forums. Full Member. While this is likely the first spotter that a hunter or shooter may buyowing to the approachable priceit wont be the last. Budget is a very firm $500 or preferably less. And you might be a little disappointed at how dark and grainy it gets above about 38-power. Easier to switch between binos and spotting scope. Vortex Razor HD G2 VS. Leupold Mark 5 HD. Athlon over the years has been talked fairly highly with budget long range rifle builds and I see they have a really price friendly spotter with the entry model Talos. If you like shooting, ESPECIALLY at distance, you really need a decent Spotting Scope. Very few other manufacturers give you that kind of choice with their high end scope options. This durable one-piece design keeps dust out of the innards but also prevents users from trading out the variable-power eyepiece for a different zoom range or a fixed-power alternative. This pricey, indulgent, magnum-sized optic is the last spotting scope youll own, and it parses details like no other spotter in this category. Dispersion is an effect in glass that causes distortion as light travels through it, or actually with any kind of waves. Once you look through Zeisss Harpia spotter, no other scope will quite satisfy you. They have come to dominate those segments of the market. A spotting scope helps you get crystal clear, up close views of birds, and can also help you take pictures of them. They are young, and seem hungry to make a dent in the industry. SKU: 214063. Spotting scopes come in a very wide selection of sizes, more so than any other kind of optic. The redesigned Diamondback HD spotting scopes have all the horsepower the long-distance hunter needs, and they excel in lowlightright when you need it most. There is a massive difference between HD and regular definition television, and everyone has seen it. Purpose-built as an aid to precision rifle shooters, the integrated reticle in the LMSS2 allows spotters to effectively call shots for their teammates on rifle. Thats because any object you can see at 60x will only darken at 70x, so the additional magnification might not be worth the degradation in image. Far less expensive than the other scopes on this list, it doesnt offer the same kind of glass or build quality as the more expensive scopes. Maven RS.4 5-30x56 FFP - Best Under $2000. Athlon Optics Ares ETR UHD 4.5-3056 First Focal Plane Riflescopes Not everyone prefers the same type of reticle. They are well known for supplying many of the high end scopes used by military snipers and special operations units. That would mean that the scope has an adjustable zoom range of 20 to 60. I'm looking at 6-24 versions and they seem similar. Weve seen this design before, most recently from Celestron (with its similarly sized Hummingbird). Vortex Optics Diamondback Spotting Scopes - Top Pick. Most of the above options will work just as well for any kind of wildlife viewing, but here are a few more options just in case you want them: Vortexs least expensive spotter series, the Diamondback is a top seller with great reviews. Has anyone out there got first hand experience with this scope? I am looking at the ballistic reticle scopes in the 3-9x40 and 4/4.5-12x40/42 range in both product lines. xugz0212 New Member. But of course all else isnt equal, and there is a trade off. Hunters dont want to have to haul around the most massive scope, but it needs to be substantially more powerful than their binoculars. Is it going to be aimed permanently at the stars? We later measure the scopes optical resolution, or how finely they render details. Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-2450 FFP EBR-2C MOA reticle diagram. These seamless connections will give you crystal clear images. They especially are a good choice for astronomy if you need your optics to be compact and/or you want to use them for more than just stargazing. They have many scopes under 500$ that comes in both straight and angled version. The point is..if you buy a Vortex, you have to check if the reticles are wire or not. QUICK LIST: Best First Focal Plane Scopes in 2022. But I have had several of the midway BSAs, one primary arms, they all tracked well. But for scouting use its perfect, or for spotting from the road. Having to go down and check your target every few shots means you can only get in so many practice shots per round. Illuminated reticle probably isn't critical for your application. So for a brief period of time, I had both the Athlon Talos 20x60x80 and this Athlon Argos 20x60x85 side by side for a detailed comparison. This family of rifle scopes featuring FFP and SFP models, True Precision Zero Stop, Fully Multi-coated Lenses, Direct Dial Elevation & Windage Turrets (Capped in 1-8x24), Illuminated Reticle, 30mm Tube. They even have a spotting scope eyepiece that functions as a binocular, with two eyepieces! By Max Mutter and Benjamin Hickok. Athlon sells their own rings and mounts, which obviously mesh well when used in tandem with their scope . The Harpia 95 has a little sister, the Harpia 85, thats a little more portable and only slightly more affordable. I haven't had a chance to mount and shoot it yet, but construction feels solid. You can check the price here. Still, if you use this scope in daylight and dont max out its magnification, its a worthy companion for most hunting situations or first-time buyers. Lastly, full-sized spotters are designed to be mounted on a tripod, so consider the mounting hardware. Specifications. $249.99. If youre sitting beside a buddy, you can frame a distant deer, and by simply rotating the barrel, turn the eyepiece to your buddy so they can view the deer. Another great option that is even more affordable, this scope from Vanguard will give you everything you need as a target shooter. I will test and be able to give better feedback as soon as I get to the range. The second number is the size of the objective lens in millimeters. Find Athlon Optics Cronus Gen II 20-60x86mm UHD Spotting Scopes-311004 with New Product and 20% Off today at Rangefinders.com +1-800-504-5995 Live Chat Contact Us Check Order Status. Did a quick sight in using a snow bank ( makes things so quick and easy being able to see impact as it happens), and was able to start hitting some targets. The size of that beam of light is directly derived from two of the factors mentioned above: zoom and objective lens size. At about 40 ounces, it isnt the lightest scope, but it gives you an excellent performance to portability ratio. Since some of the most prime hunting hours are during low light dawn/dusk conditions, it can be tempting to get a scope with a larger exit pupil. The Ultima is a fairly affordable but still massive and powerful scope that works great for astronomy and stargazing. The SX-2 Alpine HD spotting scope is a must have for all serious hunters or shooters who are looking to add HD performance to their optics kit. Along with size, price varies dramatically. Most importantly, they have a solid warranty and a great reputation for taking care of their customers. They just work as advertised. I have both and would buy another Athlon. Their Ultima is a great scope for bird watchers. The best brightness and image quality will be at 20X, but the image will be smallest at that magnification. Athlon Optics Argos BTR and Helos BTR scopes - Made in China to Athlon specifications. There are only dangerous men." I would highly avoid getting a true budget scope (one that costs less than $200). https://athlonoptics.com/product/rifle-scope-argos-6-24x50/, Looking for the best budget optic for my sniper rifle. Apr 23, 2018 #13 M. . Brands make a big deal out of the upper end of the magnification range for their spotters, but that doesnt mean those higher powers are very useful. Athlon Optics . However, it can be hard to get your scope on target with an angled eyepiece because the 45-degree angle means the eyepiece isnt pointing at your target, like a straight-body spotter, so target acquisition occurs much faster. Only a few optics brands have new models, and those that are new for the year are product-line extensions, essentially new magnifications and sizes for an existing model. Its a pattern weve seen play out over two decades of the Outdoor Life optics test. F FlatCat Member If you are buying a lower-mid range scope, the odds of it coming from Bushnell in one form or another are very high. 2.1 Choosing the Best Spotting . From reviews and videos I've seen it tracks well. Put it on a 40-50 MOA base and you can dial a .22 out past 500 yards. I honestly would be fine with a 65mm but they only offer this one. . Eye relief is the range of distances from the lens within which you wont get any black rings and missed images from your scope. I shoot spring airgun and 22LR, and Hawke is on ALL of them. Or look at even smaller scopes, like the 9-2756 Hawke in this years test. Its a solid scope that is large and powerful, is available in angled and straight body options, and will get the job done. Half felt it implied a lack of durability. All three sizes can also be had in either an angled or straight body. And the 27-55-power zoom range covers most hunting scenarios, while the 80mm objective lensmade with extra-low dispersion glasslets in plenty of light. At 40 to 55x, the scope has enough magnification to enable users to count points on a distant buck without making the image maddeningly dark. One example is hitting the coldbore shots on steel often out to 1122Y. No one buys a spotting scope just because it looked cool in a store. much better than the Athlon and Vortex and on a close out sale now. The Ultima 80 is the definition of the intersection between quality and affordability. I didnt think the turrets, lack of zero-stop, and mediocre glass would bother me. Athlon Ares Spotting Scope VS. Vortex Razor Spotting Scope Review 73,201 views Mar 13, 2016 263 Dislike Share Save Backcountry Brotherhood 8.15K subscribers Watch as we review the new. Leupolds flagship spotting scope delivers a quality image at pretty much every magnification. 1:24 . As expected, the Nikon 5 8x42 is clearer and brighter than the under $200 non-ED glass Vortex Diamondback. This year that nod goes to Athlons Argos HD. The more powerful it is, the narrower the field of view. So a 20-6080 spotter has a 20- to 60-power eyepiece and an 80mm objective lens. A cheerful little spotter that splits the difference between a binocular and a full-sized scope, this optic fits in a coat pocket and would make a great travel companion. Thx, Colice "There are no dangerous weapons. We rate the tightness and precision of their controls, how comfortably the scopes fit our hands and eyes, and then assess their style, versatility, and durability. A smaller company than some others on this list, Athlon continually impresses me with their quality mid range products. Vanguard is a smaller, more specialized company than many on this list, and they deserve your consideration for their quality products. (130) Compare Product. thanks! At middle distances, like 50 to 400 yards, you can usually zoom in to see precise details of your target. Its affordable and the glass is super high quality. . I would leave the range with headaches from it. Their scopes are very high quality and Id definitely recommend them. Doug asked me to review two Athlon scopes for him. in your price range I would look at this. There is no such standard in the world of sporting optics, and the term is essentially meaningless. That brings us to the Vortex Diamondback 20-60x80mm straight eyepiece spotting . A handsome, versatile, and rugged spotting scope, the OSCAR8 has a sensibly restrained magnification range that zooms from 27 to 55-power. In short: IGNORE THE TERM HD. Thats our opinion of how much of a bargain or a rip-off each binocular is. The straight-style tactical spotter is built like a tank, with double-tough armor and attachment points for Picatinny rails, so you can add accessories like thermals or lights to the optic. But if you made me choose, I would have to pick the Athlon Argos 20-60x85mm. The focus, magnification ring, and retractable sunshade all move with silky precision. The controls are tight, and we especially liked the two-speed focus and the fingertip sensitivity of the fine-focus knob. Wednesday December 7, 2022. Free shipping for many products! Check its price right now by clicking here. Length, weight, eye relief, and FOV are similar. Maven RS.1 2.5-15X44 - Best FFP Scope for Hunting. They are one of the largest and most popular companies in this space. The 10MIL locking turrets on the Match Pro alone make it worth going to the top end of your budget range. Athlon Cronus is up to 60 power but still have a reasonable size. Its angled body, with rotating tripod ring, allows for infinite adjustment, and the Arca-Swiss compatible tripod system mates up with any number of mounting options. They produce quality optics that are simple and straightforward, and they stand by them 100% with their lifetime warranty. Dec 12, 2019. brushandbay. Spotting scopes are measured with two numbers. While they have specialized in cameras, all of the knowledge theyve accumulated in building camera optics has transferred over into some incredible sporting optics. The 5 Best Binoculars of 2023. Learn more about their long, family owned history here. The Ares G2 placed second in our low-light rankings and turned in very good resolution scores. If you want to be counting antler points on mule deer from a few miles away youre going to have to have perfect conditions and a very high end scope, regardless of the zoom power. We may receive a sales commission if you purchase any products after using one of our links. You can read more about them here. Dont let the fact that its cheaper than the Viper and Razor deter you, this thing provides stellar optics and is backed by their excellent lifetime warranty program.