By Robin Owens 16 days ago, Binoculars
Top-rated spotting scopes for the money.
A spotting scope is essentially the same thing as a telescope but smaller. Still, a spotting scope is significantly different from an astronomical one.
While an astronomical telescope offers an upside-down image, spotting scopes present an upright image. They are often used for bird and fauna observation. Unlike telescopes, they are often waterproof and fog-resistant.
You can use the spotting scopes for hunting as well as birding, shooting, and other similar activities. It is a great way to diversify your leisure and get new experience.
Spotting scopes feature special optics and allow you to focus more clearly. Unlike standard telescopes and binoculars, they provide a large field of view.
Magnification: 20x | Objective diameter: 82mm | Field of view at 1000m: 111ft | Closest focusing distance: 19ft | Eye relief: 16mm | Weight: 2400g
⊕ Clear image
⊕ Great field of view
⊕ Flip-down lens covers
⊖ A bit heavy
⊖ High-priced
The Monarch 20-60x82 ED is a powerful spotting scope that comes at an affordable price. Despite its high optical performance and reliability, the model costs less than similar high-priced devices.
From its very name, you can understand that this product is released by Nikon, which is known for producing high-quality binoculars, as well as scopes, rangefinders, etc.
The Optimal Focus System allows you to quickly and accurately adjust focus. It provides two focusing speeds in one focus ring - fine tuning for distant subjects and coarser for near subjects. The body of the Monarch spotting scope is durable and reliable, making it ideal for outdoor use.
Magnification: 45x | Objective diameter: 65mm | Field of view at 1000m: 131ft | Closest focusing distance: 11ft | Eye relief: 17.6mm | Weight: 1757g
⊕ Waterproof and fog-resistant
⊕ 45x magnification
⊕ Huge lens
⊖ Bulky and heavy
The Leupold SX-4 Pro Guide 15-45x65 HD is the best hunting spotting scope due to its robust construction and high functionality. You can easily take it with you on a hiking or hunting trip in any weather, as it is resistant to fog and completely waterproof.
Plus, the scope lenses are scratch-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about damage in case of them being dropped. The Twilight Max HD lighting control system brings users an unforgettable sighting experience. This system adds up to 30 minutes of additional shooting light and ensures edge-to-edge accuracy.
Compared to the analogs, the Leupold SX-4 Pro Guide 15-45x65 HD eliminates 90% more stray light. With this best spotting scope for the money, you can track big game at any distance.
Magnification: 60x | Objective diameter: 80mm | Field of view at 1000m: 108ft | Closest focusing distance: 8metres | Eye relief: 17mm | Weight: 1638g
⊕ Great resolution
⊕ High color accuracy
⊕ No aberration
⊖ Costly
⊖ Seems to be heavier than analogs
If you are looking for the best spotting scopes of premium class, then the Swarovski ATS 80 HD is your choice. The model works in all weather and lighting conditions. The only drawback is a 20-60x eyepiece, which makes the spotting scope quite heavy.
The eyepiece goes with the scope itself and offers a wide field of view with generous eye relief. You can easily attach and detach the eyepiece, thus there is no problem with transportation. You don’t have to worry about possible damage because its body is filled with nitrogen and is O-ring sealed.
Besides, the rubber armoring protects it against water and fog.
Magnification: 60x | Objective diameter: 60mm | Field of view at 1000m: 34.7metres | Closest focusing distance: 6.1metres | Eye relief: 17.0mm | Weight: 958g
⊕ Affordable
⊕ Light
⊕ Small-sized
⊖ It’s not an angled spotting scope
Despite its small lens, the Vortex Diamondback 20-60x60 presents bright and accurate images thanks to the special anti-reflective coating Vortex XR.
It is used on all glass surfaces of this high power spotting scope to reduce light loss, while the ArmorTek coating protects the model from scratches. Due to the Porro prisms dielectric coating, the spotting scope delivers accurate color reproduction. Such coatings have a high level of reflection and lose up to 1% of light.
Compared to roof prisms, Porro prisms offer better depth of view. Thanks to the high-end coatings and prisms, the Diamondback Spotting Scope provides you with accurate and vibrant colors.
Magnification: 45x | Objective diameter: 65mm | Field of view at 1000m: 40metres | Closest focusing distance: 10.0metres | Eye relief: 19.0mm | Weight: 1195g
⊕ Compact
⊕ Convenient to use
⊕ Rugged armored housing
⊕ Durable build
⊖ Can’t be used for digiscoping
⊖ Slight fringing at the edges
The Dialyt 18-45x65 from ZEISS is a compact and lightweight spotting scope that was originally produced for European Alpine hunters to use it in various climate conditions.
This is the best value spotting scope both for hunters and tourists. It is straight, rubber-armored, and has a variable eyepiece. Compared to draw-tube scopes, this model is ready to use right away. Besides, it is completely waterproof, fog- and dust-resistant.
Thanks to precise focusing and alignment sights on the objective lens, you quickly and easily focus on your target.
Magnification: 48x | Objective diameter: 65mm | Field of view at 1000m: 40.0metres | Closest focusing distance: 5.0metres| Eye relief: 20.0mm | Weight: 1327g
⊕ ED glass
⊕ BAK4 roof prisms
⊕ Light body
⊕ Rotating tripod mount
⊖ High-priced
The Celestron M2 65ED is an angled spotting scope that features a high-transmission optical path and magnesium covered body. The body is filled with nitrogen to deliver good visibility in low light regardless of weather conditions.
The model offers fully multi-coated optics, BAK4 prisms and an extra-low dispersion (ED) glass lens. This lens reduces chromatic aberration and increases light collection. Each lens is coated with an XLT layer patented by Celestron, this coating retains brightness and transmits a colorful image to the eyepiece.
Due to a movable sunshade, sighting aid and dual focusing mechanism, the Regal M2 is considered to be the best value spotting scope.
Magnification: 60x | Objective diameter: 85mm | Field of view at 1000m: 117ft | Closest focusing distance: 19ft | Eye relief: 20mm | Weight: 1905g
⊕ HD and apochromatic lens
⊕ Die-cast magnesium housing
⊕ Angled eyepiece and tripod mount
⊕ Great focusing
⊖ Unavailable directly from Burris
With this high magnification spotting scope, you can easily track an object from a distance using the 20-60x zoom range. It is also suitable for hunting in the field thanks to its HD lenses and apochromatic lens system, which eliminates colorful edges and provides wide resolution regardless of magnification.
This model comes with the Burris FastFire red dot sight, which is easy to attach. It will help you quickly focus on the desired target.
Magnification: 60x | Objective diameter: 80mm | Field of view at 1000m: 131.1ft | Closest focusing distance: 12ft | Eye relief: 1.06mm | Weight: 1919g
⊕ First focal plane
⊕ Extra-low dispersion glass
⊕ Rubber coating
⊕ Water-resistant, anti-dust and anti-fog
⊖ No case
The Sightmark Latitude 20-60x80 is the best spotting scope for the money, as it is suitable for all kinds of activities, such as hunting, shooting, bird watching or just hiking. This spotting scope offers good magnification and a large lens.
You get an easy-to-read mil scale on all axes due to the modified mil-rad ranging crosshair reticle. This will help you accurately define ballistic drop to increase the accuracy of the shot, as well as calculate the distance to the object and estimate its size.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nikon Monarch Fieldscope
Our Choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
Leupold SX-4 Pro Guide
Professional |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
Swarovski Optik HD-ATS-80
Budget |
CHECK PRICE → |
I have prepared this article to help you choose the best hunting spotting scopes, as well as the best birding and hiking scopes. As a rule, spotting scopes are multifunctional, but more often people use them when they need better magnification than binoculars can offer for hunting, shooting or watching wildlife. They are also great for nature observation. You can capture a photo of a beautiful animal or bird from a distance by attaching the spotting scope to the camera. Plus, you won’t disturb the animal. Hunters can use them with their guns for better focusing on the target. These devices are also great for target shooting, as they allow you to see the target at a distance.
There are two main types of spotting scopes, with an angled and straight body. Both types perform equally well in most cases, but under certain conditions, one of them may work better. A spotting scope with an angled body is more often used to observe the target from the bottom up or straight across the flat surface. It is also more comfortable to use when you sit in your car. A spotting scope with a straight body is more often used for viewing from top to bottom, for example, while standing on a mountain to capture the entire valley.
Not surprisingly, the optimal variant for a spotting scope is a high-end objective lens made from thick glass. If you are choosing between lens size and quality, I recommend opting for a good quality lens, as a high-end small lens offers better performance than a big, mediocre-quality one. Only if they feature the same quality, the large objective lens will deliver better performance. The price of a spotting scope depends directly on the size of the objective lens, so be ready that a model with a larger objective lens will be more expensive.
A high magnification spotting scope is a real finding for those who miss the functionality of binoculars. In most cases, spotting scopes deliver a magnification of 30x-40x. The higher the quality of the lens is, the better the image quality is. At high magnification, some of the quality will still be lost, but you can always buy a high-end scope.
Most spotting devices come with prisms that flip the image from left to right and top to bottom. Two common types of lenses that are used in spotting scopes are roof prisms and Porro prisms. A spotting scope with a roof prism is compact but does not have interchangeable eyepieces. Such spotting scopes are great for trips. A Porro prism model is the best value spotting scope as it is affordable and efficient.
Additional features that protect your equipment are water-resistance and anti-fogging. Although they are not crucial, they allow using spotting scopes in different conditions without damaging them. The seals that protect scopes against moisture can keep them clean by preventing dirt and dust as well. This way your spotting scope will serve you longer and look neat.
Although the market offers a large choice of various spotting scopes, not all of them have the same functionality and build quality. I have prepared this article to help those new to birding and other similar activities better understand in what situations they might need the best mid range spotting scope. You can choose the most suitable option based on the price and features it comes with. If you need to use it for digiscoping, make sure that the chosen model supports this option. I hope that this review will help you choose a decent spotting scope for your needs.
A spotting scope is unnecessary if you have hunting or birding binoculars. It’s better to use binoculars than a cheap spotting scope that will not deliver high-quality performance.
The Vivitar TV 20-60x60 is the best spotting scope for the money due to its price. It has a 20-60x magnification, coated optics and high-end Porro prisms.
Straight spotting scopes are great for the target range and hunting, especially when you need to look downward. They are easy to use as well. Angled spotting scopes are perfect for birding, as they allow you to look higher.
The Meopta MeoPro 20-60X80 HD is a great option for 500 yards. That is enough for users to see all necessary objects while hunting at a distance of up to 600 yards.
