A spotting scope is sort of a low-power telescope, while also offering better magnification than a set of binoculars. Spotting Scope Accessories Thermal Imaging Thermal Imaging Monoculars . We glass near and far targets in all light conditions. They rapidly expanded into a full suite of optics products spanning the entirety of the price ranges, which they still are today, though they mostly focus on the lower/mid range. In this test, we mount all scopes on tripods, set their magnification to 20-power, and then measure how long they can see into the dark, averaging the results to assess performance. Ive been using spotting scopes for years and have used dozens of them in testing and in the field. You'll find a spotting scope useful for outdoors activities such as. Vortex is a well-known manufacturer of optical material such as binoculars, spotting scopes and rifle scopes. Learn more about it here. Should the spotter ever fail, its fully backed by SIGs excellent five-year warranty. The Ultima is a fairly affordable but still massive and powerful scope that works great for astronomy and stargazing. Maven has a few great spotting scope options (all of which are customizable if you order through their website). 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. I'm curious about the eye box / eye relief difference in these scopes. But if you want to make it easy, the winner from all this testing and analysis (as of March 2023) is the Athlon Argos HD 20-60x85mm the best scope for most uses. QUICK LIST: Best First Focal Plane Scopes in 2022. Bino Expert is a member of the Amazon Associates affiliate program. And if youre shooting at really long ranges, an afternoon trip to the range can feel more like a lengthy hike. 1.5 #5) Leupold SX-2 Alpine HD 20-60x60mm. At about 40 ounces, it isnt the lightest scope, but it gives you an excellent performance to portability ratio. Vortex Optics Diamondback HD Spotting Scopes. Put it on a 40-50 MOA base and you can dial a .22 out past 500 yards. The Diamondback HD spotter makes an accessible, extremely usable optic for any number of well-lighted conditions. Show More. They just offer the absolute best performance you can possibly get out of a tube filled with glass. Since you're talking 22LR and not sure if you'll shoot competitive, I'm going to throw out Hawke here. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links . It is worth a trip to your local sporting goods store to look through some scopes and make sure that your glasses do not interfere with the normal eye relief on models you are considering. The 45-degree angled eyepiece is also a nice touch, as it allows for users to use it in a number of different stances. Its on the larger side for a hunting scope, and you may not want to pack it in if youve already got a heavy pack and are going in deep. I honestly would be fine with a 65mm but they only offer this one. Vortex got mentioned above a lot, and there are good reasons. Oftentimes they dont even end up helping you see better at long distances. There is a massive difference between HD and regular definition television, and everyone has seen it. In a category with multiple $1,500-and-higher submissions, the Vanguard VEO HD costs less than $400 but will deliver years of service. If you have the budget, Celestrons Regal is a huge optical upgrade over the Ultima. Delivery. All these attributes make it an ideal budget option for hunters. Usually works better from a vehicle window mount. Thats too bad, because its durable and well-balanced for just about any tripod work. I'm not going to claim that they track perfectly, and I did have reposition the parallax knob on 6-24, but for sub-$200, even sub-$150, they are the best thing I've run across and the glass smokes vortex crossfire. 20-60x. 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 optical quality, overall . Minuteman. 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. The Ares G2 placed second in our low-light rankings and turned in very good resolution scores. Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56mm . Maven RS.1 2.5-15X44 - Best FFP Scope for Hunting. So much so that it won our Great Buy award as the best bargain spotting scope. Is it going to be aimed permanently at the stars? I built a 6.5 Creedmoor for my son in law.he wanted the mid level Athlon. athlon leupold spotting scope vortex Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum Become a supporting member. Still, the new spotters for 2022 offer plenty of choice and talent for hunters, shooters, and anyone who likes to see wildlife up close. If you got sick of reading about scopes (or, lets be honest, you saw there was video and skipped ahead! W. Wrencoforge Sergeant of the Hide. When budget isnt a limitation, I tend to recommend Swarovski. 1.6 #6) BARSKA 30-90100 WP Gladiator Spotting Scope. Again thanks for everyones input, truthfully I had been leaning towards the Diamondback but the Athlon supporters swayed my decision. And you might be a little disappointed at how dark and grainy it gets above about 38-power. Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A. Scopes are generally sold either with a straight body or with the eyepiece angled up 45 degrees. The eyecups and sunshade move with snappy precision. We found the usable magnification range extended to about 54-power, which is higher than many of its peers. But for scouting use its perfect, or for spotting from the road. 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. Anything you point this scope at, youre going to get a clear view of. Full-sized spotting scopes can cost well over $2,000. Shop Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Side Focus Rifle Scope | 4.4 Star Rating on 92 Reviews for Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Side Focus Rifle Scope + Free Shipping over $49. If you hold any kind of magnified optic up to a light source and at least a foot away from your eyes, you will see a white dot in the middle of the lens. The Harpia 95 has a little sister, the Harpia 85, thats a little more portable and only slightly more affordable. The Gosky 20-6060 HD Spotting Scope is a top seller in that price range, and gets decent reviews from its many users. The Athlon HELOS uses what appears to be ARGOS GLASS if that matters to you at all. Athlon submitted two full-sized spotters for this year's test, but the Argos HD version (as opposed to the Argos G2 UHD) version represents the best combination of price and performance. JavaScript is disabled. The first spotter from this direct-to-consumer is a versatile powerhouse. How versatile do you want your scope to be? Learn more about their long, family owned history here. I had a Diamondback FFP and I sold it immediately. . There are only dangerous men." The importance of the exit pupil diameter directly relates to how our eyes function. They have many scopes under 500$ that comes in both straight and angled version. A big, serious spotter with very good glass and responsive controls, the Ares UHD is the big brother to Athlons excellent 65mm Argos introduced a couple of years ago. This is a list of rifle scopes with at least 24X magnification that cost less than $750. Likewise, the triply more expensive Vortex Viper is optically superior to the Vortex Diamondback. The UHDit stands for ultra-high-definitionglass also boosts its performance. Dec 9, 2019 123 56. Most are designed to be held directly up near your eyes and therefore have a short eye relief, and this works perfectly for most situations. Hes also OLs optics editor, helping readers to make informed buying decisions. Check the classifieds on here for something in the next tier up. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. The Athlon Talos 20-60x80 Spotting Scope is a long-range spotting scope with a 45-degree eyepiece angle. $329.99 - $399.99. Models that have both designs typically have identical glass, magnification ranges, and components, so theyll likely deliver an identical image. A handsome, versatile, and rugged spotting scope, the OSCAR8 has a sensibly restrained magnification range that zooms from 27 to 55-power. You can check the price here. Springers abuse the crap out of scopes. Spotting scopes come in a very wide selection of sizes, more so than any other kind of optic. These coatings help the scope transmit and gather light better, thus increasing the quality and clarity of the image it delivers. The point is..if you buy a Vortex, you have to check if the reticles are wire or not. However in dark conditions, your pupil will open to allow more light in, and can get up to 7mm in diameter. The Mavens eyepiece is fixed, which means you wont be able to swap out eyepieces for different magnifications. That would mean that the scope has an adjustable zoom range of 20 to 60. A full-size spotter that retails for under $400 should get wide attention, and careful handling. Maven RS.4 5-30x56 FFP - Best Under $2000. Another great option that is even more affordable, this scope from Vanguard will give you everything you need as a target shooter. But most commonly, you will see ED (Extra-low Dispersion) used, and that is what you want. Athlon Cronus is up to 60 power but still have a reasonable size. They even have a spotting scope eyepiece that functions as a binocular, with two eyepieces! athlon ares rifle scope tract optics Product Description ARGOS BTR GEN2 For those of you that are just getting started in the PRS or are looking to start, take a close look at the Argos BTR GEN2 family of scopes. And the wide-angle eyepiece provides a constant 66-degree field of view throughout the entire magnification range. Dispersion is an effect in glass that causes distortion as light travels through it, or actually with any kind of waves. Its glass is protected by double-walled armor that resists scratching. This scope gives some of the crispest images around. As youll see in the two Athlon scopes in this years test, better-quality glass can double the price of a spotter. You can read more about them here. But for someone on a budget, it will do the job. Its their higher end scope offering, but is still affordable. But generally, the sweet spot between magnification and image quality is somewhere in the middle of the power range. The CS.1 is a great option for a hunter looking for a scope they can take into the backcountry. They have come to dominate those segments of the market. There is no easy answer on which is best as there are tradeoffs. The Diamondback Tactical2 has much better glass than the ARGOS/HELOS at a cheaper price but the MIDAS has a slight overall edge in clarity image quality overall. Perhaps the highest end brand in the optics world, Swarovski caters to those who want the absolute clearest glass and the best quality images. A 15-4565 unit has 15- to 45-power magnification behind a 65mm objective lens. I have had both and still have the Athlon. Length, weight, eye relief, and FOV are similar. $249.99. Their Ultima is a great scope for bird watchers. Free Shipping & Free Returns* FREE SHIPPING on Over 250,000 Products. In normal bright conditions, your pupil will usually be open about 2mm. . Anyone know the low end focus on the Argos? 45 Angled Viewing. 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. Get as much zoom power as you need, but keep in mind the more you zoom in, especially with a cheap scope, the more clarity you will lose. . In fact, those factors increase substantially as you go up in objective sizes. Athlon Optics / RIFLE SCOPES / ARGOS BTR GEN2 / ARGOS BTR GEN2 6-2450 APMR FFP IR MIL. Not sure how good it is but the cronus rifle scope line has a good reputation. 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. If youve got a little more money to spend, its hard not to recommend the Vortex Razor series for you. But even more approachable scopes will set you back around $1,000. The downside is that in order to do so, you will have to either sacrifice zoom power, or get much larger objective lenses (and therefore increase weight). We measure and record the optical attributesfield of view, eye relief, weight, and other specificationsand mount every submission on a tripod suitable for that particular size and weight. What about 600 or even futher? These fit with the maxim 'you get . The bigger the objective lens, the more light will be allowed into the scope. Many buyers are looking for a scope to take to the range to verify hits on distant targets, whether paper bullseyes or steel plates. Apart from its compact design, it is also ergonomic. The question for the market: Is this spotter twice as good as the Argos HD, and is it worth double the cost? While this Argos was very well built (and very similar in style and quality to the Vortex Diamondback which is a much higher-priced scope I've used in the past), I found the optical quality to not be as good . 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. The other half appreciated the Endurance EDs talents for a backcountry spotter. 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. This pricey, indulgent, magnum-sized optic is the last spotting scope youll own, and it parses details like no other spotter in this category. The spotter with the highest overall score wins our Editors Choice awardthis year it went to Mavens CS.1. Hunters may have a bit of a trade off here. Testers had some concerns over durability based on how the controls loosened over our testing. 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. They're both fairly equal when comparing in the same price range, but I will support Vortex always for their customer service and unmatched warranty. Click to play video. The Athlon reticle does offer a more dynamic design with a crosshair that has tons of hash marks for range and windage estimation. Other labels you might see that all communicate the same thing are LD (low dispersion), SLD (special low dispersion), ELD (extraordinary low dispersion), and ULD (ultra-low dispersion). (Argos 6-24x50, Talos 4-14x44) Last weekend I mounted both of these . A product-line extension following Meoptas successful angled MeoStar S2, this 82mm spotter has the optical horsepower for just about any hunting situation, and the straight-barrel design makes it easy to slide into a backpack sleeve. If the former, you might consider investing in models with excellent glass and mirage-taming coatings. The two-speed focus control allows you to riff from close-in to far-distant targets with a single revolution, and then feather the focus for precision. I think youade the right choice. Nikons Monarch Fieldscope 82ED-A W/MEP-20-60, Fully Multicoated, Excellent Image Quality, Field of view: 108 to 60 feet @ 1,000 yards. An exception might occur if you are going to be looking through glasses first and then your spotter. Field of view is a measurement of how wide of a picture you will see when you are looking through a scope. Its eyecup turns as though on ball bearings, and instead of locking into pre-determined detents, it is infinitely adjustable. The 65mm size is just about right for most backpack pockets, and it pairs nicely with mid-sized tripods. Rifle Scopes Athlon Argos vs Vortex Diamondback. The viper has better glass, but I am able to see .22 holes in paper In the shade at 350yds with the Argos. F FlatCat Member Vortex Optics Diamondback Spotting Scopes - Top Pick. You can learn about them at Leupold.com. Hi, looking for a new scope for my 22lr. Thx, Colice "There are no dangerous weapons. They also have several subsidiaries underneath them, including names you might recognize like Tasco, Browning Sport Optics, and Simmons. Apr 23, 2018 #13 M. . But the magnification range, zooming from 9x up to 27x, gives this little unit more range and a surprisingly nice image. The Athlon warranty is every bit equal to the warranty provided by Leupold and Vortex, which is saying something. They are one of the largest and most popular companies in this space. While theres no shortage of angled-body spotting scopes, its rare to find a premium straight-body-design like the MeoStar S2, and its ability to trade out eyepieces makes it extremely versatile. While the best binoculars for hunting have close focus of about 6 to 8 feet, spotting scopes can only focus to about 12 feet. We did notice a fair amount of slop in the threaded eyepiece adapter and would rather see a bayonet mount rather than the threaded ring. I just believe you get what you pay for. With televisions, High Definition has a technical definition that sets a standard of pixels a display has to have in order to earn the HD distinction. . With a straight-body spotting scope, youd have to trade places with your buddy in order for them to see the deer. 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. They offer a wide range of sporting optics, and I use their 85mm spotting scope as my go to when Im not packing in too deep. The Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 & the Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50. I have a Hawke Vantage 3-9x40 on a Diana 240, and a Hawke Vantage SF 6-24x44 on a Savage Mark 2 22LR. Youll definitely want something sturdy though, and weight will again be a factor if you are carrying it on your back. We were able to arrive at a consensus on the optical talents of this spotter. Youll notice the images starts to get dark and grainy at about 45-power, and our low-light test confirmed that, compared with its UHD brother, the Argos HD will wink out several minutes before its peers. They offer solid products at affordable prices, as well as higher end options. 3 reviews. But for hunters who aspire to own the best optics on the planet, this line of Zeiss spotters justifies the significant investment. The best brightness and image quality will be at 20X, but the image will be smallest at that magnification. And while their telescopes are awesome for picking out constellations, their spotting scopes give you some flexibility to use in different situations. The Maven has especially good manners. Learn More . Pros. They are heavy to carry into the field, but the work is worth it if it can save you from stalking an animal that you dont want to harvest thanks to being able to identify it from so far away. 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. ), then I'd go vortex. 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. You can learn more about them here. This scope is perfect for someone: Who is looking for an all-in budget build of under $1,000 (gun and scope) A beginner long-range shooter who wants to stretch into those longer distances, but doesn't want to stretch their wallet Now, don't get me wrong, this scope is a high-quality scope It is dramatically more affordable than the other optics were recommending here for bird watchers. So should you avoid scopes labeled as HD? The unit defaults to a 20-70x eyepiece, which you have to purchase separately from the body, but the wide-angle 30-60x eyepiece may have even more utility. Optically, its a solid performer, but its image is like the rest of the spotter, sort of middling. I would highly avoid getting a true budget scope (one that costs less than $200). Show Out of Stock Items. Because our test doesnt intentionally punish submissions until they break, the durability question is necessarily unanswered. At lower powers, you can get by without a stabilizing tripod. You can check the price today and see if its the right fit for you. There is a range of designations that manufacturers use, and unfortunately there isnt much standardization. This year that nod goes to Athlons Argos HD. They are going to stop rifle optics but Nikon isnt going anywhere. And we conclude that the priceyou should be able to find this retailing for around $650was fair for the performance. https://athlonoptics.com/product/rifle-scope-argos-6-24x50/, Looking for the best budget optic for my sniper rifle. I'm an optics snob and all my rifles sport Vortex Razors, AMG, Nightforce NSX, Swarovski and Zeiss. We may receive a sales commission if you purchase any products after using one of our links. Makes sense. This means that objects will appear between 20 and 60 times closer than they actually are, depending on how you have it set. You can get monsters with objective lenses over 100mm designed for leaving in place, or get something portable. We later measure the scopes optical resolution, or how finely they render details. By Max Mutter and Benjamin Hickok. They are known to provide some of the best mid-range optics. Here are some good picks: You dont necessarily need a scope youre going to use for target shooting to be portable, so you may as well get something with a beefy objective lens. In that price range, you're not getting something that is top tier. High end manufacturers like Swarovski and Zeiss charge thousands of dollars for their scopes, and will give you crystal clear images that are hard to beat. The image delivered by the 23-70-power eyepiece is stunning, and the amount of light delivered to the eye through the 95mm objective lens makes even low-light glassing a pleasure. He already had a high end Vortex ($1,000). You shouldnt overlook a scope just because it doesnt have that name, or give extra consideration to one that does. Here are some excellent scopes for that purpose: Zeiss makes premium optics, and this scope is no exception. 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. We've also streamlined the exterior for a sleeker, snag-free profile, building in a helical focus wheel. 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. What this means is that if you look at a hill that is 1000 yards away, you will see an image that is between 48 and 102 feet wide based on how zoomed in you are. 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 is not a particularly exciting year for spotting scopes. For this particular, how does it perform? I personally used it this last year when hunting pronghorn in Idaho extensively, and it helped me pick out minute details on horns from absurdly far away! 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. Meopta is said to be on higher tier than vortex razor. Note that the price varies widely on these different models of Razors, with the smallest scope costing half as much as the biggest.
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athlon argos vs vortex diamondback spotting scope
