Question for Swarovski spotting scope users

[Paul in Idaho]

Thanks everyone for the information and sample photos. The scopes I own have done well for me for their price.

The areas I'm hunting now make it more important to get a clear view from further away. The terrain is steep and access is difficult. Getting to a spot could take a few hours of hiking, and I want to have a better view of what's there before making the decision to go. It sounds like Swarovski can make that possible.

I'll start saving money.

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

You should be able to see Jupiter's moons too when the timing is right.

For what it's worth, I sold my Swaro HD and bought a Kowa 883. When compared side-by-side at Antelope Island watching deer one night, the other guys Kowa was better than my Swaro... so I made the switch. I still have Swaro binos and rifle scopes, but Kowa won the spotting scope battle in my opinion.

To answer the initial question, no scope can correct for atmospheric error. If the light or air is bad, it's just what it is. It's rare to be on max power in the middle of a hot day in my experience.

What Swaro HD were you comparing vs. the Kowa 883?

 

[ida homer]

It sounds like Swarovski can make that possible.

I'll start saving money.

You won’t regret it. And if you do, you can sell it for every penny you paid w/ decent timing. No one touches Swaro’s re-sale value, not Zeiss, not kowa, not Leica, not vortex, etc.

 

[grizzly_]

What Swaro HD were you comparing vs. the Kowa 883?

ATS 85 HD. I haven't been able to compare the ATX in a head-to-head under real-life low-light conditions while looking at animals, but I, as well as the guy with me, both bought Kowa's after that night looking through somebody else's Kowa compared to my Swaro.

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

ATS 85 HD. I haven't been able to compare the ATX in a head-to-head under real-life low-light conditions while looking at animals, but I, as well as the guy with me, both bought Kowa's after that night looking through somebody else's Kowa compared to my Swaro.

Gotcha. Thank you for the response. Hope your Kowa's spotted a ton of game this year! I know a couple of people that have them and love them.

 

[shrapnel]

It amazes me that people who hunt don’t know how to find outdoor gear. If you hunt like you buy scopes, you would be hanging around trailheads and other obvious places that everyone else goes.

Rarely do I buy new optics. I just bought a Leica Televid APO 20-60X77 for $1200.00 from an ad on Craigslist in Phoenix and I live in Montana. I would buy any of the so-called “Alpha” scopes (Leica, Swarovski, Zeiss) without preference when I could find any in that price range.

All brands are compared to those makes because they are that good. You will always see “just as good as” or “almost as good as” in reference to the Alpha scopes.

The other factor in these kind of optics is simply “if you can’t see the difference, buy the cheaper scope”.

My guess is that if all spotting scopes were the same price, you would see nothing but Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica scopes in 4X4 trucks across America.