20 Best Vortex Spotting Scope (2022 Updated)

I am an avid birder and have been using an amazing pair of Nikon Venturer LX 8X42 binoculars for the past 16 years and wanted a good pair of 10X42s (I have the Zeiss Terra ED 10X32, which I do not like at all).

I was willing to spend about $1000 so my decision came down to either the Nikon Monarch HG or the Vortex Razor HD. I could not see a huge difference when I compared the two in a store so I decided on the latter in the 10X50 format to get a brighter image.

Right out of the box, the diopter had to be adjusted completely to one side to get even bilateral focus (see photo). I wear glasses when I use binoculars so I have never had to manipulate diopter adjustment and this was clearly a factory defect.

What I have heard about Vortex is that many of their products come out of their overseas factory with flaws and defects and the best course of action is to take advantage of their amazing warrantee (the main reason I chose them over Nikon) and send them to the corporate headquarters in the US where they will adjust everything to design specifications.

However, while I continued to test them out in the field, I noticed that the rubber armor coating on the left barrel was not flush and the Vortex emblem looked like it was about to fall off. Overall, I was not happy with the performance of the binoculars as there were many occasions when I felt that I couldn’t get the focus just right and I returned them to B&H for a refund (no problems there).

While preparing to ship them back, I noticed that there was dust on some of the internal elements. Three significant factory defects is unacceptable for binoculars in this price range. In my same order for these binoculars, I bought a pair of Vortex 8X42 Crossfire HD for a ridiculously low price just have in the trunk of my car when I don’t have my Nikons.

I will be writing a very positive review for them but I just wanted to mention here that there is NOTHING wrong with my Crossfire HDs and I am very happy with them so I can attest that Vortex is capable of producing good products at a low price (maybe just not great products at a high price).

I’m surprised there is just two reviews for this bino as of this writing, because this is a high quality stunning pair of binoculars. I own many binos, some cheapos I’ve inherited and about 4 or 5 premium pairs for terrestrial and astronomy.

I am a stickler on image quality & eye-relief. I just cant use cheap binoculars any more. Kind of like once you’ve had great coffee, you can’t go back to the cheap brew anymore. So I’ve had my Vortex for a few days and I’m replacing a larger pair of 10×42 Fujis which are great but too heavy on hikes and on my bike.

These 8×32 Vortex are really the ticket. They are light, optically stunning and just the right size around my neck or in a backpack. They’re small enough to fit in one of my bike frame packs. I’ve done some bird watching, animal watching, and taken in a baseball game before writing this review.

I also compared these to a few other brands in the same size class. These are quickly going to become my go-to pair when I leave the house. There is one small complaint and that is the eye-relief is average (some binos are totally unusable wearing glasses, and some have such great eye-relief over 20mm that you can see everything with glasses and not be right on top the eyepiece).

The thing is eye-relief seems to be a problem with almost every binocular brand in the 28-30mm range. This Vortex is adequate, you can use it with glasses, but you have to press in a bit to see the whole field of view.

If you don’t press in you can still see ok, just not the full black circle. Some may not like that. Trouble is there isnt much else in this size and price range that is better, maybe the Nikon Prostaff 10×30.

(if you are looking for great eye-relief, start looking at binos in the 40mm objective lens and larger, then check the specifications, anything over 18mm is good eye-relief and over 20mm is really good).

The other small issue is the right ocular ring is a bit tight. It moves, but it’s not super easy. If you are familiar with binoculars the theory is once you set the binos up, you aren’t supposed to need to move the right ocular focus again, you use the center focus from here on out because it’s not adjusted to your eyes.

I’ve found this is usually true with a couple exceptions (one being if you share the binos with a family member). But I’m not sure why Vortex makes it so tight (I have a cheap pair of Celestron Outland 10×42 I’ve given to my son with as his first pair of binos, they also have a tight right focus ring and that sucker has never ever loosened up).

The provided case is the nicest small binocular case I have ever seen, it’s durably thick yet lightweight, with a nice latch and inside pocket, it also has a belt opening on the back if you wanna mount it on your hip.

These are lightweight, optically nearly as good as binos costing $1000 (yes, I tested against those side by side), and usable for eye-glass wearers. They are superb. With Vortex amazing warranty and quality I’m not sure how you go wrong with these.

There is a big difference in view between the 8 power and 10 power in case anyone is wondering, and the 10 power are pretty easy for most people to hand-hold without camera shake, all this and about 15 ounces.

If you wanna be just a little closer, go with the 10 power. There is also a tripod mounting hole on these. Great glasses, I’d certainly buy again.

I sought counsel from seasoned hunters and marksmen, as I am a novice when it comes to “glass”. the term often used from folks who know about scopes and binoculars. I am so glad I did! A list of 4 outstanding “entry level” binocular companies was made.

I say “entry level” because my previous pair of binoculars, bought 16 years ago, was a $50 pair of Tasco’s. I thought they were good, but I didn’t seek more info then and this was just before the internet so I went to a big box store and bought a pair.

NOW I have these Vortex Diamondback HD 10×50!! Right out of the box here is what I noticed and like! 1. I can instantly see clearly through them. No moving them around to get rid of that black areas I saw through my Tascos.

2. Love the one-piece eye glass protectors. easier to keep track of then the individual cups the Tasco’s had 3. Love the built-on large glass protectors. Again, I won’t forget to put these back on or loose them in my truck.

4. The pouch they come with is incredibly comfortable! 5. The rubberized feel is great to handle. very secure. I seriously had no idea binoculars could be so comfortable, focused and easy to use until I bought these.

Yes, to me, $250 bucks is a large sum of money but I already love them enough to say the money spent was WELL WORTH IT! I expect to use these till the end of my career. and then some. Thank you Vortex for making a quality product and Academy Sports for quick secure shipping!.

Purchased these for wildlife viewing and have had a chance to use them for awhile now. Love, love, love them. This is about as large as you can get without requiring a tripod due to vibration while using high magnification.

With that noted I highly recommend these to anyone looking for a well designed, built, rugged optics package for viewing, hunting, etc. A couple things to add 1. Would like to see this product with a bit larger ends to let in more light but still, the 18X really brings in a high level of detail.

2. Price is pretty high for the average person. At about $1600 it isnt for everyones budget but if you can afford it, this is a great optics package. 3. Still not getting the rigid case provided with the top not hinged but tethered with stretch cord and the case is shallower than the bino’s so cant really close the case.

Could be I am missing something but its pretty straight forward.

I have several sets of binoculars and enjoy these very much. They are large compared to smaller binoculars yet that is what you expect just like a large scope. Bigger is always better yet, if you must carry it up hills, it will be heavier.

That said if you want to see better you have no choice. I can look into the trees and see animals earlier and later with these 12×50 UHD’s. I also have a set of 18X Canons which are stabilized and have good glass and fairly sharp but are too heavy to carry while hunting unless you are setting and glassing.

These at 12 power are almost as good because they are so clear I don’t want to carry a tripod and without stabilization you just can’t scan with anything over 12x all day. I can use these all day out to 300+ yards and see crisp detail without feeling eye strain.

Just finished up with a high country Utah mule deer trip and my experience using the 10×50’s was a positive one. Glass was clean and crisp and made the time spent scanning for deer enjoyable. They fit very well in the hands and aren’t bulky.

Only complaint I have is they definitely are on the heavy side. I carried them in my chest pouch when we hiked and for sure knew they were there. I had a buddy with the new 12×42 NL Pure’s with me and the weight comparison isn’t even close, but neither is the price tag lol.

Overall, I think they are a nice piece of glass that will serve its purpose and perform well when tri-pod mounted, although I’m not sure I will have them on my chest during long archery hikes.

I got this scope for birding and have been very impressed with the optics. The focus is smooth and the eye piece is comfortable with or without glasses. The Vortex warranty was also a huge selling point for me.

I don’t have to worry about taking the scope out in the elements or traveling with it since I know it is durable and if something crazy does happen, it will be covered. One thing to note is it does come with an Arca-Swiss base.

make sure it works with your tripod, otherwise you will need an adapter!.

I debated between spending over twice as much and getting a Swarovski or getting the Vortex. I went with the Vortex because my first scope was a Vortex and they have the best warranty available. With the savings I plan on buying a high end pair of binoculars.

My first Vortex spotting scope was the beginner Nomad scope that claimed to have 20X60 magnification. In reality only 20X – 30X is usable on a basic scope. With the Razor HD the entire 27X – 85X is usable but after 60X the additional magnification is minimal.

The Vortex Razor HD is a great scope and you will not be disappointed. Very easy to use and quickly locate your subject.

Happy pleased and impressed. I just got back from a deer hunt in Idaho where I got to use my Vortex Razor HD 27 X 60 X 85 angled spotting scope. I have hardly any experience using a spotting scope. I had to read the instructions – not because I couldn’t figure it out on my own but this is an expensive fine instrument and I didn’t want to screw it up somehow because I was too stubborn to read the directions.

So at first light I had it set up on a really nice Vanguard Alta 2330 tripod. This is not a very expensive tripod but it is well made and served as a steady base for my scope in 15-20 mile winds. It took me a little practice getting on a spot and zooming in.

Everything I looked at came in very clear/sharp. The big test came when we moved and were driving down a dirt road and we spotted deer about 10000 yards away. I jumped out of the truck and put the spotting scope on the hood and tried to find the deer in the scope.

I had a hard time finding the deer that I could see with my naked eye. That’s me, but the wind was whipping hard and jiggling the truck and my brother was bouncing around in the seat. Finally I foud an eye ball in the brush of a different deer than I was trying to look at.

I finally got on them and could see all four were does, so that saved us a long stock up a pretty steep hill side which we would have done because my 8X40 binoculars were not good enough to positively identify these deer in the very thick brush.

Later that day we spotted more deer in a similar situation but this time I took the time to set up the stand and I was able to get on the deer quickly. Again they were all does but I picked out more deer in the brush than we initially spotted with the binoculars.

I definitely recommend the vortex angled spotting scope. I found it quite comfortable sitting down looking through the angle scope – no neck strain like I had experienced with the straight scopes. A person needs to practice finding objects at distance and zooming in and focus because a minute can make a big difference during a hunt.

I have owned this for around a year now. There is a lot I like about it. First of all, let me say that the optical performance is truly excellent for this price range and would still be very very good if it were in a higher price bracket.

The sharpness is maintained across a very high percentage of the viewing area with vey little fall off in sharpness at the edges. It does lose sharpness if you zoom past 50 on the eyepiece. At 50 however sharpness is still very very good for viewing small birds at considerable distances.

At full zoom the image is less sharp and half a stop darker. Colours are clean with no apparent aberrations. How well it performs does depend a bit on the user. Understanding how to place your eye in the correct spot on any scope is an essential skill that is essential for use of any scope.

The eye relief is fine for my eyes and glasses. The eyepiece does have a very good twist out mechanism for use if you don’t wear glasses. Focus does shift as you zoom in on a subject and the focusing control does require quite a lot of turning from maximum to minimum.

That said, it is an easy enough scope to focus if your distance is close to the correct one. It is a little slow if you need to make a major change in the distance you are looking at. There some things I am not impressed by with this scope.

The front lens cap is difficult to remove and replace. The shade is tricky to use with the protective cover accessory. The biggest issue is finding a decent bag to carry it in. I eventually found a really good bag from a different brand.

Vortex should make a decent carry bag for this scope. It does deserve a good sold tripod and mount. I do see surprisingly expensive scopes on flimsy cheap and unsuitable tripods from time to time. If you are looking for a scope for bird watching, the Vortex Viper HD 20-60×85 is an excellent choice.

(4. 5 stars, if you cannot find a bag to suit it).

I got this for birding, and selected over the cheaper Diamondback 20-60X60 model. The reviews on that one seemed to indicate that it got darker/fuzzier at higher magnification, so I figured what’s the point in having the extra magnification if it doesn’t work great.

It also seemed this would be more clear at the edges of the image. I gave it a test run in the yard tonight and I’m extremely pleased. It’s easier to acquire the target and get it focused than I anticipated.

I was able to zero in on some birds at relatively close and far distances without difficulty. The various knobs and controls are all easy to use and grip. My only complaints that were after putting it in the included neoprene protector, it wasn’t as easy to access some of the knobs, so I took it off.

I’d maybe prefer to just have some sort of carrying case. I considered getting one of the digiscoping mounts to take pictures with my phone or camera, but thought I’d try doing it by hand first. Had difficulty with the phone getting the camera over the image, but the camera was a big success, better than I hoped for.

I’m using a point and shoot zoom camera, Sony RX100 M7, and luckily the end of the lens housing fits right over the scope eyepiece without touching the lenses together. So I can place it flush on there and it takes a really clear image.

I’ll attach some photos – camera with no zoom at 28MM, camera with full zoom at 200mm equivalent, and shooting through the scope, with the scope at 45X and camera not zoomed in at all. Note that the bird picture is clearer and sharper than it appears, I just shrunk it for upload purposes.

I tried this spotting scope on my carbon fiber tripod. The built in mount works fine with my ball head. The scope was pretty good up to about 45x. After that, it gets a bit shaky even on a solid tripod.

Also at 60x my eye had to be almost against the rear lens (eye cups retracted) to be able to see the full view. Both the clarity and the light transmission are similar to a low end binocular when zoomed to 60x.

I think this scope will be fine for my intended purpose of checking targets at a distance. Basically it is a somewhat inexpensive scope and you get what you pay for. It is made in China. I used both this and my high end Swarovski 15×56 SLC binocs (which cost almost 4x this scope) to look at a mountain range in the distance.

Obviously the binocs were not as powerful, but they offered a much more detailed and illuminated view than the scope. The scope does come with a neoprene cover that can be left on while using it, but needs to be pulled back in order to extend the sun shade, which is built into the front of the scope.

I chose the straight version of this scope and am glad I did as aiming it is more intuitive. The only reason I could see for buying the angled version is for looking at stars or maybe birds in high trees (angled scopes help when looking up at things, and straight is better for everything else.

I’m guessing that any 60x scope really needs a larger lens than 85mm in order to allow in enough light. Would I buy again – Probably. Because it serves my purpose of checking targets, plus it is kinda fun to be able to zoom in on mountains, birds, cactus etc.

Absolutely amazed at the clarity and low light performance even at max 60X !!! I bought this to replace an aging spotting scope I had for 20 years. My focus was Elk Hunting (definite low light) and range use.

I received the Diamondback HD scope today. The quality, construction, and workmanship is superb. The design is well thought out and engineered. Now for the initial test, glass , and performance. This was a low light afternoon, thunderstorms and rain (crummy conditions to test any scope).

I used a mountain saddle 4 miles away for a testing gauge. I started low and worked from 20 to 60X stopping to check clarity, operation, and light gathering. All the way from 20-60 crystal clear, no chromic or other abortions, and no fringe distortion!! Amazing.

!! I could pick out and clearly see individual pinion pine branches and greenery. Tested at 3 and 1 mile as well. Even better results. I would definitely see deer or elk. I have not had the Diamondback at the range yet (another write up to follow), but based on the initial performance I’m sure scope will work well at 100 or 1000 yds plus.

I shoot PRS out past 1000 yds (wanted optics to support). Features: Besides great engineering, the design, removable eye piece, rubber scope caps, extendable eye piece and sun shade, and neoprene cover (all included), make this the “Bange for your Buck” and top performer!!! I have diamond back binoculars as well (awesome).

Vortex is “spot on” w/ price, value, construction, and performance. Great job Vortex!!!.

First I will say I am not an expert marksman or competitive shooter. I am an avid shooter, with countless hours of range time extending over 41 years. I shoot everything from 22lr to 7mm Remington Mag.

I shoot at the range, shoot in the woods and I hunt. This is the best optic I’ve used at this price point, period. Can you get better – sure, but not without dropping at least $2K. The optical clarity on this thing is magnificent at any range I’ve used it, from sighting in rifles to glassing while scouting.

It’s easy to use – can be mounted as shown or sideways for bench shooting solo. The zoom works quickly and is smooth, the fine adjustment makes it easy to get a crisp clear picture. The adjustments hold, even when rocked by magnum rifles on the shared bench.

If you have the $$ to jump into this class of optic – do it, you won’t be disappointed.

The glass is great and the focus adjustment works very well. I have only used it shooting out to 100 yds to date but I could see the bullet holes very clearly on paper. I have glassed out much further and everything is crisp and clear.

I think this focusing system works better than the later model. It is well built with removable eye piece and lens covers. It is essential that you mount it on a quality tripod or other mount. Overall, this was a very good product purchase at an attractive price.

I would recommend it very highly. I have no negatives to report. I would plan to budget for the tripod and a good carry/storage case.

After about 22x the image really starts to degrade severely in sharpness. Skip this and get some alpha glass 15x binos. Needs a little more eye-relief for Eyeglass wearers. At 33x your glasses will have to be touching its glass.

The rubber lip around the eyepiece (which I must fold down for my glasses) became weather-checked VERY rapidly. And cracked off. And with as little as I’ve actually used it in field conditions while hunting, that’s just sad.

I’m more impressed with the image sharpness off my newly purchased used alpha-tier-glass binos than that of this spotting scope. It’s great for firing or archery range though. But I’m already researching replacing it with like a 14-45x 65mm or possibly one similar to this one that goes up to 45x thats made with the flourite glass.

But. that having been said as long as you’re not trying to perceive whether or not a spike buck happens to have just enough of a nub on his antler to hang a ring off of it at 250yds+. and you’re specifically looking for something for backpack hunting.

it’s possible you might like this one. I’d use high quality 15’s before I’d bother with this though, honestly.

I got this as a gift from my wife for Christmas. I have had it for about two weeks now and find my self using it more than I thought I would. As a firearm enthusiast I thought I would use when I go out shooting as a quick spotting option to my Vortex 12×50 binos and spotting scope (I forget the brand but it s an inexpensive one from Cabelas).

I find myself using this monocular fairly often in my truck to look at or read things that are distant. Its small and its easily obscured by my hand so I dont draw attention to myself. And no I’m not some weirdo, but I have used to look at birds, helicopters, and other objects I was curious about and to read signs at a distance (never while the truck is moving!).

Anyway, again at this price range, the glass is really good and the focus ring works well. My only complaint might be that the focus ring is too close to the eyepiece and that makes it a little difficult to focus in on things while I’m looking through it.

I have several Vortex products and this one also does not disappoint. I have dropped it once when I opened my truck door from about 5 feet and it was fine. It seems to be very ruggedly built and the outer shell is very grippy.

As far as cons I go, aside form the focus ring issue i mentioned above which isn’t a big deal, I wish it had a tripod mount on the bottom. I’m not sure if any of the larger versions have it but my 10×25 does not.

I get thats its small but still would have been nice to be able to able to use it on a more stable platform like a tripod or mono pod even. Last thing is I wish it came with is lens covers to protect the glass.

The included case is decent but lens caps would have been a nice add to protect the glass when the monocular is not in the case. All said and done, at this price point for Vortex quality its a smokin’ deal!.

It’s a great product overall. I hesitantly give it four stars instead of a perfect score because when I look through my regular Vortex binos versus these, this pair suffers a slight image degradation issue, especially in low light.

Other than that, the ability to range-find, change reading brightness, select units, etc. is fabulous. I love not having to switch from binos to rangefinder. Made the difference between bagging the last beautiful buck in the freezer.

I am a big Vortex fan, i have a pair of Razor Bino’s and a Razor Spotting Scope. However in my opinion they missed the mark on the Fury HD 5000s (at least at this price point). I picked these up few weeks ago, after using in the field it was apparent that the glass used is not of the same quality and precision of the Razor HD or Viper HD Lineup.

Needless to say I returned these to Cabelas for a refund. I would also like to add these wear very heavy. If you are to purchase be sure to have a good harness because you will need it for all day hunts.

They do come with a vortex harness, but i found it to be uncomfortable and difficult to adjust. Pros: Outstanding Warranty & Customer Service, Range Finder Works Well Cons: Glass is Mediocre at best, Heavy & Bulky.

This is a good quality binoculars build with a modern design with over all excellent package. I did try in person multiple binoculars with in the price range 200-300 before tax and this was the best overall binoculars.

Other brands were not able to stack up when it comes to construction and optical quality for this price. Optically in between the 3 models in the series this was the best. The color was true to life, contrast was excellent and it had chromatic abberation.

The 10×42 was good but it looked a bit dark when side by side with 8×42 and the 10×50 showed some chromatic abberation. One thing regarding buying a binoculars are like shoes unless you try them on you don’t know how it will fit.

So don’t take my word for it and go to the store and try them on one by one. If they don’t fit or you get black shadows they will not work for you.

I bought it for a trip for wildlife viewing. Online reviews were all very good. The image quality is quite poor in my opinion. There is only minimal peripheral distortion but there is way too much chromatic aberration.

I had my Nikon M7 Monarch 8×42 at the same time and after viewing through the Vortex a couple of times and the Nikon right after, I put them down for good. The focus wheel is also somewhat coarse and difficult to adjust with one finger precisely (again I’m spoilt by the super smooth Nikons).

Yes, it is a relatively cheap bino for what it offers, I got it over the Diamondback version as that had so so reviews, but for me, I need crisp images without the distracting color fringing. Would be spending more and get a Nikon M5 instead.

I have already returned the Vortex thanks to an excellent return policy by B&H.

I bought the Crossfire HD 8X42 binoculars about a week ago and I’m pretty impressed overall. For one thing they compare pretty well optically in clarity and depth of field with my Cabela’s Intensity 8X42 binocs, which themselves are a very good buy for the money.

One con of the Crossfire is that the eyecup adjustment doesn’t stay in place very well, especially when using the eyepiece dustcaps. The pupil distance also doesn’t adjust quite narrow enough for my eyes but with the right eyecup adjustment it’s still comfortable.

The exit pupil is nothing short of massive which gives the impression it will allow lots of light through and take advantage of your dilated pupils when you’re in low light. The eyecup adjustment range is outstanding and allows just the right eye relief no matter what glasses you wear or if you don’t wear eyeglasses.

The lens covers are durable and very effective for keeping the lenses clean when you’re not looking through them. The shoulder strap is outstanding and makes the optics feel lighter than they actually are, especially when hiking off trail when it’s rough.

I’ve not tried the shoulder harness included with the carry case because it makes it very difficult to change or share binoculars. The carry case is outstanding however and gives lots of peace of mind when not using them.

I would say you could do a lot worse for the money with these binoculars, especially if you are on a budget like me. The warranty is also outstanding. I will not hesitate to take them hunting or birding, two very optic intensive hobbies.

I usually research a product before I buy. With this one I didn’t. I should have. I bought this one over the counter at Cabela’s. As so many have said in the 4,3,2, and 1 star reviews, at max magnification the image is blurry.

I couldn’t tell in the store. That defeats the purpose of a spotting scope doesn’t it? I took a new rifle to the range to sight in. The rifle is very accurate, to the point that I was making clover leaf bullet holes at 100yrds.

But I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t tell and thought I was missing the target completely. Once I walked up to the target I realized that the scope was inadequate. This at 100yds. I thought maybe I had a defective unit.

I mean 100 yds isn’t extreme. I shoot iron sights at that distance. I set the scope up at home and tried spotting some birds at approx. 50 – 70 yards. I could see them ok, but there was no way I could focus clearly on them.

I purchased this a couple of months ago so I doubt I’d get a return / refund / exchange. :(.

I purchased this scope for use at the range to sight in a rifle without having to walk halfway to the target every three shots to make adjustments. I didn’t have great expectations because of the low price, but then I didn’t have great needs either.

I was pleasantly surprised at the clarity and distance it provided. It was crystal clear at 100 yards and functional out to 300 yards easily for spotting holes in paper. I suspect (but did not try it) that you wouldn’t have any trouble doubling that distance with the neon colored reactive targets.

Good: It is exactly what it looks like in the picture plus lens caps and wipe cloth. It comes in a small box that fits in a shooting bag with no problem (I hot glued some thin foam inside the box for a little padding.

The tripod mount works, stay on target, and keeps the picture steady on the target. It adjusts easily. I have never used a spotting scope and I still haven’t read the directions on this one. Nice clear lenses, rubberized coating on the body and cheaper than filing up the car.

I love the thing. Bad: My only complaint is that the lens caps won’t stay on it. I added a rubber band to hold them on and pulled over the top of the lens cap and around the body of the scope. Problem solved (although it looks a little hillbilly).

It is also a little wobbly if you bump it, but you can tell that from the picture. Obviously, you need a bench to set it on unless you are lying prone but the tripod screws in and I’m sure you could adapt a taller tripod if desired.

Its barely usable. The stand is its weakest point; very easy to jar and adjusting it to a target at 50 yards was challenging. The optics are not the clearest and fine adjustment is not fine. I was never able to get it into good clear focus.

I was able to use to site in my rifle, but it was aggravating. I can only recommend this to my ex-wife and nobody else.

I’ll start by saying this is a very nice scope and every bit worth the selling price. The optics are very easy to adjust, it has a nice solid body and protective coating and the lenses are very clear.

I like it VERY much and it even comes with a carry bag with shoulder strap. I would buy it again, if I hadn’t bought it already. The only downside is the tripod. It is basically a POS. There is a VERY weak cross section of material where the scope mount base plate transitions into the hinge.

If you look at the picture of the scope on tripod, you can see that area just in front of the hinge pin cap. You guessed it. It snapped far too easily from just trying to adjust the scope to a level position.

This is not really important to me as I will be using a camera tripod anyway. I like having the option of placing it either on a range table or setting it up on the floor, which requires extendable legs.

Basically, don’t be afraid to buy this scope, it is well worth the money. Then go ahead a buy a used camera tripod for a very versatile set up. Used tripods sell all day long for under $20!.

Like most people mention the tri pod isn’t great but it’s alright for what the package costs. The scope is a definite value, from almost 5 miles away I could spot a bull elk from a cow elk against the snow couldn’t count points but damn that’s a long ways away.

Could count points on deer from almost 1 mile away against the snow. For around $100 this is a real deal.

I haven’t used many spotting scopes. But where many options are hundreds of dollars and I’m thrifty I wanted something sub $100. This seemed to have the best reviews under $100 so I gave it a try. I got done with my 1st range day with it and I’m happy to report it’s well worth the money.

It’s extremely clear and bright and the magnification is plenty. I got an adapter to put my phone on the eyepiece. Zoomed in to 60x looking at a target at 100 yards the paper fills most of the view and you can clearly see the holes and fine details.

The tripod it comes with is much smaller/shorter than it looks in the photos but I suppose it would work. I used a normal camera tripod I had laying around since the scope takes a normal 1/4″ tripod stud.