Your guys thoughts

[Big Bucks]

What brand or what kind of spotting scope do you think is the best for hunting?

[Tack]

Hi,
Conventional wisdom has it that the more you spend on optics of any kind the better performance you will get. This is certainly true with binoculars but a good spotting scope is easier to make than a pair of binos.

I would go for a good scope with variable eye peices from one of the "secondary" makers such as Minox. The quality of the optics are up there with the best and the unit is well protected.
Tack

[srupp]

Leupold Gold ring 12-40 x 65 ..High definition..

steven

[blaker_99]

Well we have a Leica spotting scope that is the most amazing set of optics i have ever laid eyes on, but we also have our Swarovski binos with a doubler which is a really in expensive way of saving a bit of cash untill it's time to splerge for a nice spotting scope. I find it very easy to use the doubler and they are really really clear and have a large field of view.

[Mr. Dean]

What brand or what kind of spotting scope do you think is the best for hunting?

That's not a fair question. You have peramitters that need to be factored in. It's like asking what the best car is to drive... 1000 people will have 1000 different answers.

[Alpine85]

Mr. Dean is right, what kind of hunting do you plan on doing and how often will the scope be used is a question you should figure out? Some people use there spotters a couple days a year, others use there spotting scopes for 50+ days a year.

[Gun Dog]

Out of curiosity, does anyone make a spotting scope with a single objective and a binocular eyepiece? Why binocular? No eye strain. It's a common feature on better microscopes.

[Big Bucks]

Yes I,ve tried the Leupold 12-45 hd for about 2 monthes and i loved it until the guy took it back so i had to go out and get another spotting scope so when i was in Alberta i went to wholesale Sports and got the Swaro 65 hd and i was blown away at the difference , i mean don't get me wrong the leupold scope was a good scope but when you put them side by side it is amazing how much better the swaro is , i guess the price showes . Thats a good point the one of you made about how often do you use the scope. For me i'm always up in the alpine so i use it alot hunting sheep and deer , it's good to here your guys views .

[Mik]

Out of curiosity, does anyone make a spotting scope with a single objective and a binocular eyepiece? Why binocular? No eye strain. It's a common feature on better microscopes.
Try leupolds new Golden ring with switch power technology....http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/binoculars/golden-ring-with-switch-power-technology/golden-ring-1017x42mm-with-switch-power-technology/ ..hope the link works, as for eye strain,try the leupold gold ring spotting scope- it's advertised as having a 1" viewer.

[BCrams]

Give me any good reputable spotting scope and you can just call me Ziess, Swaro or Lieca. :)

But if you really want to know ... I use the Leupold gold ring 12x40x65 quite effectively.

I've spent alot of time behind a spotting scope and that is the difference, not the brand.

[wsm]

a loaded question. "opinions" if you have that kind of money im with bc rams

[Wildfoot]

is celestron a good brand of spotting scope?

[Big Bucks]

I think the best way to do it is go to wholesale sports ask the guys there if you can go out to the parking lot set the different brands up and look through them your self , it's alot easier to see the difference in the scopes . Make sure you look through them for some time because you can get eye strain quick from the cheaper scopes , then make your choice . When i went there i was fortunate to beee there on a slow day for them so they didn't have any problem with it , just tell them your going to be spending alot of money there and they will let you do anything <almost> .

[Gun Dog]

Celestron is a maker of budget telescopes that's branched into spotting scopes. They make some reflector (i.e. mirror) scopes but they're heavy and have fixed or high magnification (50x - 150x) eyepieces that are interchangeable. They're not waterproof either.

This spotting scope review (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/gear/scopes/sc_review) ranks tham pretty low.