Lightweight Spotting Scope

[tomengineer]

Looking for input on selection of a lightweight spotting scope for backpack hunting. I have a pair of Vortex Viper 10x42’s I’m happy with for general use. I have been looking at the Maven Lightweight Spotter, Nikon ED50, Minnox MD50. I previously owned the Vortex Razor 11-33’s and thought they were too big and heavy for what they were. The Maven’s looked good at a trade show I recently attended but that was inside with good lighting. Some have said the low light performance is lacking. This would be for Idaho mule deer in the fall. I’m thinking I’ll be using the binoculars most of the time and I’m not trying to pick out drop tines or anything of that nature. Just looking for opinions, thanks.

 

[6mm Remington]

15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring compact spotting scope! Sure like mine.

 

[Finngo]

15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring compact spotting scope! Sure like mine.

+1

 

[tomengineer]

15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring compact spotting scope! Sure like mine.

Yes I forgot I’d seen this model in this category as well. Glad to see others give it the thumbs up.

 

[Hatchie Dawg]

Nikon ED 50 is solid glass and an ultralight. I originally went with the Minox MD 50 and I regretted it. Not in the class of the Nikon. For what it’s worth I now have a Leupold HD 60 which cost more than twice as much as what I paid the Nikon. It’s great glass but not a lot of difference than my ED 50.
HD

 

[tomengineer]

Nikon ED 50 is solid glass and an ultralight. I originally went with the Minox MD 50 and I regretted it. Not in the class of the Nikon. For what it’s worth I now have a Leupold HD 60 which cost more than twice as much as what I paid the Nikon. It’s great glass but not a lot of difference than my ED 50.
HD

Ok thanks for the input. A lot of people seem to like the Nikon for this type of use.

 

[mtmuley]

Every time I research spotting scopes, I land on Kowa. Don't have one, but will one day. mtmuley

 

[tomengineer]

Every time I research spotting scopes, I land on Kowa. Don't have one, but will one day. mtmuley

Yes same. Then I Google the price and I’m back to the usual suspects. I’m not sure I could be trusted with an optic at that level. Especially flying with it and climbing around the mountains.

 

[mtmuley]

Yes same. Then I Google the price and I’m back to the usual suspects. I’m not sure I could be trusted with an optic at that level. Especially flying with it and climbing around the mountains.

Kowa seems to be Alpha glass performance at sub Alpha cost. Look to some birding forums. mtmuley

 

[wyoboypt]

You would be much happier with the 12-40x60 over the 15-30 if you’re going Leupold golden ring. I ran the 12-40 HD for a long time and was very disappointed when I looked through the 50mm. THE 60mm is still “lightweight” and awesome for packing. IMO

 

[tomengineer]

You would be much happier with the 12-40x60 over the 15-30 if you’re going Leupold golden ring. I ran the 12-40 HD for a long time and was very disappointed when I looked through the 50mm. THE 60mm is still “lightweight” and awesome for packing. IMO

Ok thanks. I’ll take a look for myself but what’s the size difference between the two? Holy damn I bet I’d be happier at 300% the cost of the 50mm.

 

[HandgunHunter]

Leupold 15-30 compact and a carbon fiber tripod.....perfect combo!

 

[tomengineer]

Leupold 15-30 compact and a carbon fiber tripod.....perfect combo!

Thanks that’s what I’m thinking. Looking at SLIK tripods

 

[lastlight]

I just got the Kowa 554. Good clear glass at 28 ounces. I did research for a few months between the smaller Leica and Swaro vs the Kowa 550 series and went with kowa.

 

[ida homer]

Most of the glass mentioned above is simply not in the same class as the kowa or Ed 50. I’ve used both and they’re both great, lightweight glass.

The Razor 11-33x was too bulky and heavy?

 

[tomengineer]

Most of the glass mentioned above is simply not in the same class as the kowa or Ed 50. I’ve used both and they’re both great, lightweight glass.

The Razor 11-33x was too bulky and heavy?

Yeah I guess I should qualify that statement about the Razor. It was notably larger than the Maven I just looked at. Not necessarily in weight but in overall dimension. After seeing the Razor compared to the ED50 and the MD50 I'm seeing that that's as small as they get for the most part. I'm just not really well rounded with spotters. I just got back from the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg where I got to see them all.

 

[std7mag]

After looking long and hard, reading reviews, and saving up, i finally had $500 to spend on upgrading my spotting scope the other year.

After all the reading, and going back & forth, i ended up with a Celestron C70 Mini Mak.

Love this thing! Good light gathering! (I don't know how it compares with the Vortex Razor, way out of my price range! I'd be willing to try though!)
Short length, but fat, about 1/2 the weight of other spotters i could afford.
Has worked well for me!
Standard telescope eyepiece, so filters and different magnifiers just screw on.

 

[schmalts]

After looking long and hard, reading reviews, and saving up, i finally had $500 to spend on upgrading my spotting scope the other year.

After all the reading, and going back & forth, i ended up with a Celestron C70 Mini Mak.

Love this thing! Good light gathering! (I don't know how it compares with the Vortex Razor, way out of my price range! I'd be willing to try though!)
Short length, but fat, about 1/2 the weight of other spotters i could afford.
Has worked well for me!
Standard telescope eyepiece, so filters and different magnifiers just screw on.

Interesting choice. Light gathering should beat any of the competition because of the design but it comes at a cost. Color and sharpness will probably be low quality compared to the other. That optical design never stuck as a daytime spotting scope. Let us know if you get a chance to do any side by side comparisons

 

[rjthehunter]

Interesting choice. Light gathering should beat any of the competition because of the design but it comes at a cost. Color and sharpness will probably be low quality compared to the other. That optical design never stuck as a daytime spotting scope. Let us know if you get a chance to do any side by side comparisons

I've heard of these. For the price, I'm tempted to buy one and try it out for a bit. If it's not up to par, just return it.

 

[std7mag]

I'd love to!
So far spotting deer and such has really impressed me.
My first F-Open match is in April. Hopefully compare with some of the people there.