SwarovskiCoues Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Im looking for a really good spotting scope. I have used vortex razor hd in the field (junk) has horrible eye relief an brings in hardly any light i used a Nikon ED scope today to glass bighorns an it was nice but very touchy on the focus and really messed my eyes up i was dizzy for a bit. Has anybody had hands on experience with a Leica Televid or Zeiss Diascope?? i have also used a swaro 65mm non hd an was not impressed... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elitegt500 Report post Posted March 19, 2014 I've spent some time behind a Zeiss. Best scope I've put my eye to yet. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creed Report post Posted March 19, 2014 I own a Zeiss. Like most scopes I have used the upper range magnification has issues with heat and crud in the air. Up to 40x it is crystal clear. Before I bought it I compared it to the Swaro's and thought the Zeiss was better but that is just me. I haven't tried any of the new HD versions of spotters so I couldn't comment on them. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues79 Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Kowa. Higher end scopes. The best. Diascope is very nice as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rcdinaz Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Much of the bird watching world considers Kowa the bast across the specturm of what they feel a super high end spotter should do. A few big differences for hunters are weight, how the focus works, and the warranty. Vortex has probably the best warranty on the planet Lieca and Swaro are known for going above and beyond customer expectations even is an issue is the users fault Zeiss seems to bounce around on this issue and I have read a number of stories where they would only make repairs if paid for. Kowa, I have not seen enough comments on this so you would need to research it a bit. A lot of your decision is just going to be personal preference. I went with Swaro. I own half a dozen of their products and have always been very happy with everything about their products. I have the large HD spotter and it is a great item. But I will say I spend 90%-95% of my time behind 15's or 12's. I do use the spotter for long range target shooting where everything is pretty static and it is fantastic. The only item I still have even a slight hesitation about is the range finder. A little bulky and light on features compared to the Leica but it is extremely clear and works at extremely far distances. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwarovskiCoues Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Much of the bird watching world considers Kowa the bast across the specturm of what they feel a super high end spotter should do. A few big differences for hunters are weight, how the focus works, and the warranty. Vortex has probably the best warranty on the planet Lieca and Swaro are known for going above and beyond customer expectations even is an issue is the users fault Zeiss seems to bounce around on this issue and I have read a number of stories where they would only make repairs if paid for. Kowa, I have not seen enough comments on this so you would need to research it a bit. A lot of your decision is just going to be personal preference. I went with Swaro. I own half a dozen of their products and have always been very happy with everything about their products. I have the large HD spotter and it is a great item. But I will say I spend 90%-95% of my time behind 15's or 12's. I do use the spotter for long range target shooting where everything is pretty static and it is fantastic. The only item I still have even a slight hesitation about is the range finder. A little bulky and light on features compared to the Leica but it is extremely clear and works at extremely far distances. yeah im all about glassing with 15s then pulling out a spotter. i have never seen a Leica or Zeiss in the field an really want to ! ill check into kowa thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PatrickJr Report post Posted March 19, 2014 which vortex razor hd did you use? we have a 20-60x and we love it..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwarovskiCoues Report post Posted March 19, 2014 which vortex razor hd did you use? we have a 20-60x and we love it..... i had the 85mm an my friend had 65mm. i could hardly see after taking my eye out of it. headache like no other. i dont like vortex at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PatrickJr Report post Posted March 19, 2014 Really? like I said we have the 85mm and we love it......just personal preference I guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwarovskiCoues Report post Posted March 19, 2014 I've spent some time behind a Zeiss. Best scope I've put my eye to yet. better than the Kowa Adam? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted March 19, 2014 I don't have much experience with various scopes, other than.....the first scope I bought was a Nikon Prostaff. Waste of money. Then I bought a lightly used Zeiss 65mm Diascope with the florite coatings...night and day. I wanted 65mm due to smaller size/weight for packing. I am impressed with the image quality. All glass at high mag will be affected by heat mirage and junk in the air. How bad depends on the glass coatings. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwarovskiCoues Report post Posted March 19, 2014 I don't have much experience with various scopes, other than.....the first scope I bought was a Nikon Prostaff. Waste of money. Then I bought a lightly used Zeiss 65mm Diascope with the florite coatings...night and day. I wanted 65mm due to smaller size/weight for packing. I am impressed with the image quality. All glass at high mag will be affected by heat mirage and junk in the air. How bad depends on the glass coatings. thanks for the input and yea i hear alot of great things about the diascope from zeiss and im with you on the size Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Report post Posted April 3, 2014 I'm with Adam, Zeiss over Kowa any day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArizonaWildernessHunter Report post Posted April 4, 2014 Try looking through the new Swarovski ATX or STX 85mm. Recently got a STX 85mm and it is simply amazing. The 65mm was quite impressive during the day but was concerned about light gathering. Did not want the 95mm since it would decrease the field of view with the min power of 30x. Was able to glass up some mule deer at 11 pm with a 95% light moon at over a mile away from the house the day the spotting scope arrived. I compared this spotting scope with Leica new and old, older Swarovski hd and non-hd, brand new Kowa at Outdoorsman, new Zeiss, and new Leupold. The STX/ATX was way better in every aspect except weight and size. The ocular lenses being larger and the rubber armor makes it a little heavier than some of the other spotting scopes. The field of view is huge with the ATX/STX and the ocular lens is larger so it is easier on your eyes to look through. The large focus ring makes adjustment really nice and the focus stays in place while in your pack if you buy the stay on case to go with the spotting scope. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted April 4, 2014 I recently bought a used ATX 80 HD. It's Awesome! I've looked thru a lot of spotting scopes and not one of them compared to the Swarovski. If you have the money buy a Swarovski. The reason most bird watchers use Kowa is because of the eye relief. Kowa has the best eye relief on the market. Almost 100% of long range competitive shooters use Kowa scopes due to the eye relief. I'm not a fan of the clarity. If you want to come to the East side of the valley we can go glass some sheep so you can see if you like the scope. Adam 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
