How to Select a
Spotting Scope

The human eye is a marvel, but has its limitation. If you’re a hunter, target shooter, or wildlife observer, learning to select a quality spotting scope can give you a great advantage in exceeding the natural limitations of your vision. Spotting scopes represent a step up from binoculars, and have myriad options designed to fit a wide variety of uses. The magnification, ability to zoom in or out, viewing angles, weight and style of mount are all things to consider before you purchase one.

The Benefits of a Spotting Scope

Sitting on the top of a hill, slowly working a spotting scope across the terrain below you is one of the joys of the outdoors. You don’t have to be hunting elk or deer, you might just be trying to catch a glimpse of a rare woodpecker, or possibly wolverine or Rocky Mountain goat grazing on a sheer cliff. No matter the usage, a quality spotting scope is an absolute necessity for the serious outdoors enthusiast.

In the heavy eastern forests, or the dark black timber of the northwest, spotting scopes aren’t that effective, but on the vast expanses of the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, or the American Southwest they’re incredibly useful. The distances in these regions of the country make it difficult to spot game or other objects with the naked eye. A spotting scope cuts that distance into view, making it easier to determine if that buck, bull or ram is worth pursuing.

If you’re nature watching, the increased magnification a scope is a benefit. Spotting scopes allow you to move in so close you can accurately identify animals by determining feather patterns and other subtle details of a bird’s plumage or an animal’s coat.

Straight or Angled Eyepiece

Spotting scopes are available in two different eyepiece configurations, straight and angled. In a straight scope, the eyepiece and the lens are in line with each other. In an angled scope, the eyepiece is offset at either 45 or 90 degrees from the lens, allowing you to view from above the scope rather than in line with it.

Users claim it is easier to follow a target with a straight scope, but an angled scope will provide a more comfortable viewing experience on extended sessions.

When sharing a spotting scope with other people, it is easier to use an angled scope. The added height of the eyepiece allows users of different heights to comfortably use the spotting scope. Although angled scopes are not as intuitive to use, most people get comfortable with them after using them a few times.

Understand Magnification and Eyepieces

The eyepiece on a spotting scope determines the magnification. In early models, changing the eyepiece increased or decreased the magnification. That is now taken care of internally with precision optics controlled by the zoom knob.

A scope’s size is determined by the eye piece and the objective. The numbers associated with a scope represent two very different things. For example, let’s say you have a 20-60x by 80 spotting scope. The first two numbers represent the zoom, or magnification potential, meaning the scope can enlarge your view by 20 to 60 times. The second number is the size of the objective lens in millimeters. The larger the second number, the objective lens size, the greater the light gathering potential. Think of the lens on a pair of basic binoculars compared to an 80 inch diameter telescope lens: the telescope will gather far more light thanks to the larger diameter.

Greater magnification isn’t always better. It is harder to control a more powerful lens. At extreme magnification the steadiest hand won’t be able to keep the image in view. At maximum magnification you’ll need a stationary mount for your spotting scope, so you can use it hands free, just looking through the lens once you’ve found your target.

The higher the magnification, the tighter the target naturally. Optics is an amazing science, but the intricacies of it can be maddening if you don’t find ways to compensate how you use a spotting scope. In general maximum power is useful for determining the number of points on a distant bull elk, the number of chicks in an eagle’s nest or whether that black spot on the hillside is just a dark bush, or perhaps a sleeping grizzly. Lesser magnification is good for scanning a hillside for birds or game. If you spot something interesting, it’s an easy process to turn the knob and crank up the zoom to see what it is.

Fixed or Variable

It’s difficult to avoid comparing spotting scopes to SLR camera lenses, but in the category of fixed versus zoom scopes, the comparisons are valid. Few people use a fixed lens on their camera, preferring the control of a variable zoom. The same is true of spotting scopes.

A fix power spotting scope can be handy if you’re viewing an object from the same distance every time, but those examples of usage are rare. Variable power, or zoom scopes give you the capacity to scan a side area at relatively low power, then increase magnification, and zoon in to identify something interesting.

A fixed power spotting scope is simple to use since it has no moving parts, but that simplicity comes at a cost, you can’t range in or out with a fixed power scope, limiting your use.

Eye Relief

If you wear glasses eye relief can be a problem. Scopes with longer eye relief will direct the image’s focal point farther back from the eyepiece. This allows glasses wearers to clearly see the scope’s complete image if they choose not to use the adjustment ring on the eyepiece.

If you adjust the eyepiece correctly, you can compensate for most vision problems right on the scope, and not need to wear glasses at all. This creates a problem if you’re sharing a spotting scope, since the next user will probably not have the same prescription you do and the scope will be out of focus for them. Rubber eye cups that block peripheral light, and allow the scope to fit securely on your cheek are nice additions to a spotting scope too.

Understand Lens Options and Construction

Bigger is better when it comes to the objective lens on a spotting scope. A larger lens gathers more light, creates higher quality images, and works better in the long light conditions of early morning and late afternoon.

But before you run off to buy one and refuse to consider smaller objective lenses in a spotting scope consider how far you’re likely to pack this heavier scope. If you’re after pronghorn or spotting and stalking on broken ground, the larger lens weight doesn’t make much of a difference, but if you’re hiking high in the mountains after elk, sheep or goats, that extra weight in your pack magnifies exponentially as you increase in altitude.

Before you settle for lesser quality, consider how much weight you can realistically carry over a long distance, and evaluate the largest objective lens scope you can handle. If you’re setting up before dawn, hoping to catch game as they graze in the early morning light, a larger objective lens on a spotting scope will gather much more light, creating clearer images.

Lens Construction

The biggest difference between an inexpensive spotting scope, and a top of the line scope is inside the tube, in the construction of the scope and the quality of the glass used. To reduce glare and improve image quality, special coatings are applied to the lenses of spotting scopes. Special coatings on the glass can drastically improve image quality in varied light conditions that might not be perfect for viewing, but clear glass remains hard to beat.

Types of lens coatings:

• Coated - A single layer of coating on at least one lens.
• Fully-Coated - A single layer of coating on all air-to-glass surfaces of all lenses.
• Multi-Coated - Multiple layers of coating on at least one lens. All surfaces are coated at least once.
• Fully Multi-Coated - Multiple layers of coating on all air-to-glass surfaces.

Ordinary glass blocks certain of spectrums of visible light. This can create lower-quality images and poor visibility when used in a spotting scope.

Extra-low dispersion glass (ED), Flourite (FL), and High Density (HD) glass are often included with traditional glass lenses inside the spotting scope tube. These types of glass make it possible to view all the wavelengths of visible light and focus it near a singular point. The result is a crisp, sharp image with fantastic detail. Some scopes may come with ED/FL/HD glass and non-ED/FL/HD glass options.

Discount priced spotting scopes are often made entirely of standard glass, but you can tell the difference between them and those that employ ED, Fl or HD glass. Often the higher quality imagery is worth the extra price.

Consider Extra Features and Functionalities

Aside from magnification and lenses, many spotting scopes come with additional features, functions, and add-ons. Let’s take a closer look at these options.

Digiscoping

Many newer models of spotting scopes are designed with mounts that accept digital SLR cameras. Adapters for cell phones are increasing in popularity too. This allows the user to take a photograph of the exact image that the scope is seeing. If you are nature watching rather than hunting, this can be a very useful feature.

Tripods

Conventional wisdom is that a tripod is a tripod, but that’s not true. A quality tripod, that offers solid support to the spotting scope and has easily adjustable legs that fit uneven terrain can enhance viewing tremendously.

In the vastness of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains a howling wind is often a companion on your scouting expeditions. A tripod sturdy enough to handle winds of 30 mph or higher makes these poor conditions a little more palatable.

Window Mounts

For the road warrior, a window mount can greatly increase your viewing from the seat of your pickup truck. Roll the window down, lock the mount in place, connect the spotting scope and begin viewing. At extreme range you’ll need to turn off the engine since the vibrations from an idling vehicle with rattle the image too much, making it impossible to focus clearly on the target.

Focusing Knobs and Close Focusing

Most spotting scopes will have one or two focusing rings on the barrel of the scope. On single ring scopes, moving the focusing ring will adjust internal mechanisms to create a clearer picture. On those with two-step focusing, one knob will shift the focus, and the other will make ultra-fine adjustments for minute corrections. Neither types are objectively better, it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Close-focusing is also an important aspect of a spotting scope. Instead of seeing images that are far away, you may want to focus on an animal within a short-range. This is especially important for nature watchers who may need to discern subtle details of a nearby bird’s plumage.

Conclusion

Spotting scopes begin at less than $100 and can increase to several thousands of dollars in high end models.

The value of a spotting scope is in how you use it. The size of the objective lens is a key component to consider, but it comes with a caveat. The larger the lens, the heavier the scope. Balancing the weight with the quality of the spotting scope must be considered before you venture out into the vastness of the wilderness on foot.

A spotting scope will bring an entire world of wildlife viewing into view if you choose the right one.