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2009 e-book downloadable pdf
Midpriced
Scopes
Review
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All rights reserved.
From the May/June 2009 Issue, Volume 31, Number 5
MID-PRICED
With the economic downturn, and
with the price of top-end spotting
scopes heading north of $3,000,
many birders are looking for something that fits a modest budget.
This article reports our testing of
12 scopes priced under $900. They
fall into three major groups, based
on objective lens size: five subcompact 50mm scopes; four compacts of 60 to 70mm; and three
full-sized 80mm scopes.
W
We mounted the scopes outdoors on tripods, at a midrange distance of 75 feet from the target. The
target was a standard USAF 1951
Resolution Test Pattern composed
of a series of progressively tinier
groups of lines, each with an identifying number for quantifying the
results. We set all the zoom eyepieces to 30x magnification, for a
fair comparison. We also measured
resolution at 60x where appropriate. We tested at various times of
day and under various lighting con-
MICHAEL PORTER (2)
How We Tested
46
MICHAEL
AND
ditions. This was easy, since we
live in the Midwest, where it’s said,
“If you don’t like the weather, just
wait an hour.”
We set up a high-end reference
scope, a Zeiss Diascope
20–60x80, that tested at the top in
previous reviews. As we took resolution readings on a scope, we
could check back with the Zeiss to
make sure we were looking at the
limits of the test scope, not the
limits of our eyesight. The results
of the 30x and 60x resolution tests
appear in the chart on pages 56 –
57, mapped so that the Zeiss reference scope would score 5.
We invited local birders for a
test day. They rated the scopes on
image quality, focus knob, and
ergonomics and made detailed
comments on each scope. Their
scores are averaged in the accompanying chart, and many of their
comments appear in the individual
reviews.
Group Test Day
DIANE PORTER
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
EVALUATING MID-PRICED
BIRDING SCOPES
REVIEW
SCOPES
Subcompact scopes with 50mm objective lenses
Nikon Fieldscope ED50
30x resolution score: 4.4
Overall score: 4.42
ED50
Nikon Fieldscope
Not only was the tiny Nikon
Fieldscope the winner in the 50mm
subcompact category, it also rated
4.42 overall, besting even the fullsize scopes. Its 30x resolution score
was a 4.4, with the 80mm Alpen
coming in close behind at 4.3.
Small scopes like this one fill a
need. Although full-sized scopes
can deliver a bright 60x image, they
sometimes get left at home because
of their size and weight.
“This is a gem!” wrote one of
our testers of the ED50. Weighing
just 20.1 oz. including the eyepiece,
it was the lightest, shortest scope in
our trials. Paired with a carbon fiber
tripod like the Gitzo 1550 Traveler,
and the small Gitzo G2180 fluid
head, it makes a complete outfit
weighing under 4.5 pounds that
when disassembled would slip into
a handbag or briefcase and go anywhere in the world with you. Diane
took an identical outfit to
Guatemala last summer and carried
it around full-time for days, easily
and gleefully trekking up the sides
of volcanoes with it.
Our judges found the 50mm
Fieldscope astonishingly sharp,
bright, and free from chromatic
aberration. It also afforded the best
close focus (9.8 ft.) and the second
widest field of view of any scope in
the survey. The single focus knob is
smooth, accurate, and nicely
geared—a pleasure to use. The
scope’s tripod mount does not allow
it to rotate, but that may not be much
of an issue with such a tiny scope.
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
47
It comes with a 13–30x zoom
eyepiece, a good match for a 50mm
scope. The stated eye relief is only
12.9mm but we wondered about
that since it seemed to work OK
even with Michael’s aviator-style
glasses. Several judges remarked
that they would have preferred a
twist-up rather than fold-down rubber eyecup. The Fieldscope
includes the Nikon Vue-Thru case,
eyepiece travel pouch, and
adjustable carry straps. Nikon’s 25Year Limited Warranty covers manufacturer’s defects and is not transferrable. The scope also carries
Nikon’s No Fault repair and
replacement policy: the company
will repair or service the scope—
even accidental damage caused by
the user—for $10 plus return shipping and handling.
Kudos to Nikon for creating a
top-quality scope small enough to
fit in a cargo pocket.
Leupold Golden Ring
15–30x50 Kit
30x resolution score: 3.6
Overall score: 3.45
The only straight-through scope
in our survey, the Leupold did well.
It placed second among the 50mm
gang, bested only by the costlier
Nikon Fieldscope. This is a sharp
little scope. The testers praised its
brightness and contrast. However,
our judges found the focus knob
stiff and hard to turn and com48
plained that it was hard to focus
without disturbing the image. They
also noted that the focus knob is on
the right side, where it can be
accessed only by the right hand.
15–30x50 Kit
Leupold Golden Ring
The scope is available in
straight-through version only. The
kit includes a tabletop tripod, a special adapter that lets it mount on a
tripod, a quick-detaching shoulder
strap, padded belt case, and hardside carrying case. The price shown
on the chart is for the complete kit.
Without the extras, the scope alone
costs about $100 less.
Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee covers manufacturer’s defects
and damage incurred in the normal
use of the product. The warranty is
transferable, and no warranty card is
required.
Bushnell Legend
Ultra-HD 12–36x50
30x resolution score: 3.2
Overall score: 3.41
In 2009 Bushnell introduced its
new Legend Ultra-HD scopes,
which improve on and replace the
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
previous Bushnell Legend scopes.
For this test Bushnell sent us preproduction samples of both the
50mm and 80mm scopes.
Ultra-HD 12–36x50
Bushnell Legend
to the side by means of a rotating
tripod mounting ring. The 50mm
scope includes a compact tripod
and a soft case with molded
insert. It’s also available in a
straight-through model, for about
$20 less. The warranty covers
manufacturer’s defects only and
is not transferable.
Yukon Firefall
12–36x50 KIT
The 50mm is a sturdy, thickly
armored little scope. It has the
widest field of view of all the
scopes in the test, two focus
knobs with a nice light feel, and
19mm of eye relief. Resolution
was not bad, but not as good as
the Nikon or Leupold. The Legend Ultra-HDs have fluorite glass
(ED Prime Extra-Low Dispersion) which helps keep chromatic
aberration to a minimum and
boosts resolution.
The Legend Ultra-HDs feature
Bushnell’s Rainguard® HD waterrepellent lens coating. Applied to
the exterior of the objective lens
and eyepiece, the Rainguard coating makes raindrops bead up into
small, tight droplets, reducing
light scatter and improving clarity
and brightness.
The 12–36x zoom eyepiece
comes with the scope and is not
interchangeable. It has a smooth
twist-up eyecup. The scope turns
30x resolution score: 3.0
Overall score: 3.22
12–36x50 Kit
Yukon Firefall
At $80, Yukon’s 50mm Firefall
scope kit was the least expensive
entrant in our survey, but it held its
own! On the resolution tests it
edged out the Minox, which costs
more than four times as much.
The judges penalized the Firefall somewhat because it doesn’t
have a rotating tripod mount.
However, they found its focus
knob superb, bested in the subcompact category only by the
Nikon 50ED. They also praised its
good eye relief and hand-friendly
rubberized skin. The little Yukon
has remarkable build quality for
such an inexpensive scope.
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
49
The 50mm Firefall comes in an
angled version only. It has a builtin 12–36x zoom eyepiece and
includes a tabletop tripod and
nylon case. It carries the manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty.
Minox MD 50 W
30x resolution score: 2.9;
Overall score: 2.90
Minox MD 50 W
At a mere 21.7 oz., the Minox 50
W is a trim and tiny scope. The eyepiece twists up neatly, with indents.
It comes with a built-in 16–30x
zoom eyepiece, and it includes a
nylon ever-ready case and a tethered
objective lens cover. A tripod attachment collar allows the scope to
rotate to the side.
A major flaw in the Minox is the
focusing ring that circles the lens
barrel. It’s stiff and hard to turn—so
stiff that some of the judges said they
could hardly focus because the turning effort disturbed the image. It also
got the lowest image score, 2.9, of
any scope in the test.
This Minox is available in both
angled and straight versions. Fiveyear, non-transferable warranty covers manufacturer’s defects in materials or workmanship.
Compact scopes with 60 to 70mm objective lenses
Pentax PF 65 EDA II
20–60x65
30x resolution score: 3.7
60x resolution score: 2.8
Overall score: 3.87
Pentax scored overall highest of
the compacts. Its 30x resolution
score of 3.7 led its category, and its
subjective image quality score of
3.6 significantly exceeded the other
three scopes. Although the scope
50
20–60x65
Pentax PF 65 EDA II
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
does evidence chromatic aberration at maximum magnification,
the predominant impression is of a
bright, clear image with excellent
contrast.
Generally we prefer a dual
focus knob, and the Pentax PF 65
has only a single focus knob. But
it’s good! It offers perfect resistance to the touch, allowing for
precise focusing. This single focus
knob proves that one good knob is
better than two that are sloppy or
too hard or too soft.
Of all the scopes in the survey,
our judges gave the highest marks
on ergonomics to the Pentax. It
rotates in its tripod-mount collar.
The large, 20–60x zoom eyepiece is
easy to look through, with a big,
easy-to-turn, knurled ring. Although
the eye relief stated in Pentax’s literature is 15–11mm, we found it adequate even for glasses wearers. At
37.7 oz., this Pentax weighs considerably less than the full-sized
scopes, while providing magnification up to 60 power. Although with
only a 65mm objective lens it wasn’t quite as sharp at 60x as the
80mm Alpen or 80mm Bushnell, it
actually scored better at 60x than the
80mm Vortex Skyline (2.8 vs. 2.6).
The Pentax PF 65 EDA II is
most economically purchased as a
kit, including the eyepiece, but
body and eyepieces are also sold
separately. You can also get an
8–24x zoom for it, with 18–22mm
eye relief. The scope is available in
both angled and straight-through
design. The Pentax Worry-Free
Warranty provides for repair or
replacement to the original purchaser (even if damaged by fault)
for a charge of $19.95.
Vortex Stokes
Sandpiper 15–45x65
30x resolution score: 3.5
Overall score: 3.49
15–45x65
Vortex Stokes Sandpiper
Second place in the compact category went to the Vortex Stokes
Sandpiper. Only the much more
expensive Pentax 65 ED beat it
among the compacts for resolution
or overall scores. The Stokes Sandpiper provided bright images and
showed only the slightest chromatic
aberration.
It has a rotating collar tripod
attachment. Judges noted the accuracy of the passive sighting tube. It
comes with a twist-up 15–45x zoom
eyepiece. It includes a view-through
carry case that can stay on while the
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
51
scope is in use. It is available only in
the angled eyepiece design. The Vortex VIP Lifetime Warranty covers
accidental damage as well as manufacturer’s defects. It’s transferable,
and there is no time limit.
Yukon Firefall
15–45x60 AE KIT
30x resolution score: 3.3
Overall score: 3.35
Yukon
Firefall
15–45x60 AE Kit
This is the big brother to the
Yukon Firefall 50mm, identical in
design. Pay $20 more than the
50mm, and your resolution score
rises from 3.0 to 3.3.
The 60mm Firefall comes in
both angled and straight versions,
which include a tabletop tripod,
nylon carrying case, and tactical
hard case. Considering that this
Yukon Firefall has decent optical
quality and costs only $100, there’s
no reason for any birder to be without a spotting scope.
52
Vortex Impact RA Scope
30x resolution score: 3.3
60x resolution score: 2.3
Overall score: 3.34
Vortex Impact RA Scope
The Vortex Impact RA is unique
because it focuses its image with a
mirror instead of an objective lens. It’s
a reflector rather than a refractor. This
gives it two advantages. It folds the
light path so the scope can be shorter
than a refracting scope of the same
focal length. And it avoids, to a large
extent, the problem of chromatic aberration, because the light bounces off
the surface of a curved mirror instead
of passing through glass.
The built-in zoom’s range is
25–75x, and although the resolution
drops off considerably at highest magnifications, it’s sharp at 25x. The eye
relief is an outstanding 18–15mm
throughout its zoom range. It’s fog
proof and waterproof, and its handfriendly armoring attests to its sturdy
build quality. The focus knob, on top
of the scope, is recessed for protection.
Included with the scope are the
25–75x zoom eyepiece, padded
carry case, and tabletop tripod. The
Vortex VIP Lifetime Warranty covers accidental damage as well as
manufacturer’s defects. It’s transferable, and there is no time limit.
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
Full-sized scopes with 80mm objective lenses
Alpen #788 20–60x80
30x resolution score: 4.3
60x resolution score: 3.3
Overall score: 4.27
20–60x80
Alpen 788
We got a big surprise when we
lined up three big scopes and compared their resolving power. The
Alpen smoked the other two! Even
though its price is the lowest of the
three and it alone doesn’t tout ED or
HD glass elements, it easily bested
their resolutions. The image was
beautifully clear, with good contrast. It also stood out among its
competitors for its extremely low
degree of chromatic aberration.
The scope also won the top score
(4.3) in the full-sized ergonomics
category, for its ease of handling.
The focus knob is perfect. Although
a single rather than dual knob, it
works smoothly and offers just
enough resistance for precise focus-
ing. The eyepiece twists up and provides good eye relief throughout the
20–60x zoom range. The scope
rotates in its tripod mount ring.
You get extras, too. Besides the
zoom eyepiece, it comes with a
tabletop tripod and nylon padded
carrying case. We tested the angled
model (#788), but it’s also available
in a straight model (#786).
Alpen products carry a lifetime
warranty against defects and workmanship. Customers are encouraged
to call if they have any problem with
a product. Although the warranty is
technically not transferable, Alpen
does not require a sales receipt.
Bushnell Legend
Ultra-HD 20–60x80
30x resolution score: 3.7
60x resolution score: 2.9
Overall score: 3.64
This is the full-sized version of
the 50mm Bushnell Legend
Ultra-HD described in the subcompact section above, but the
80mm is available only with the
angled eyepiece. It took second
place in resolution in the fullsized category.
Some testers complained that
the fine-focus knob didn’t offer
enough resistance. However, this
is a pre-production sample, and
some changes may be made by the
time the product ships. Generally a
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
53
Vortex Skyline
20–60x80 ED
30x resolution score: 3.6
60x resolution score: 2.6
Overall score: 3.58
20–60x80mm
Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD
dual focus knob helps makes
focusing both fast and accurate,
but it seems to be something manufacturers have to work hard at to
get right.
The zoom eyepiece is big—
easy to grab and change the magnification. The scope rotates in its
tripod mount ring. The 20–60x
zoom eyepiece comes with the
scope and is not interchangeable.
A soft case is included. The Legend Ultra-HDs feature Bushnell’s
Rainguard® HD water-repellent
lens coating.
Bushnell products carry a limited lifetime warranty covering
manufacturer’s defects, but the
warranty is good only for the original owner. It does not cover damages caused by misuse, improper
handling, installation, or maintenance provided by someone other
than a Bushnell Authorized Service Department.
54
The Vortex Skyline comes with a
20–60x zoom eyepiece. Eye relief is
excellent, allowing glasses wearers
to enjoy the full field of view even
at maximum magnification. The
scope features a dual focus knob;
our judges varied considerably on
how they evaluated the fast focus
knob. Some had trouble focusing,
while one praised its precision and
declared it his favorite dual focus
knob of all the scopes in the test.
20–60x80 ED
Vortex Skyline
The scope rotates in its tripod
mount ring. A view-through carry
case comes with the scope and can
stay on while the scope is in use. If
you’ve ever lost a lens cap in the
field, you’ll appreciate the tethered
objective lens cover—a nice touch.
The scope comes in angled and
straight-through models. The Vortex VIP Lifetime Warranty covers
accidental damage as well as manufacturer’s defects. It’s transferable,
and there is no time limit.
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
Our fearless field testers brave the cold to sample our lineup of
spotting scopes.
We learned a lot. The Nikon
Fieldscope showed us that small
really is beautiful. The Alpen
showed us that there are some
surprisingly good values out
there. The Pentax showed us you
can get a good 60x image even in
a 65mm scope. And the Yukons
showed us that for $100 or less,
MICHAEL PORTER
What Did We Learn?
you can get a solid birding scope.
All this reinforces what we
already knew about birding gear:
Even a small investment can return
a priceless amount of fun. a
Michael and Diane Porter are
avid bird watchers who operate
the website birdwatching.com.
Chromatic Aberration
The inability of a lens to focus all the colors of light at the same
point is called chromatic aberration. When you see a glass prism
spread a beam of sunlight into a rainbow of colors, you see the root
cause of the problem. Each color in a beam of light bends and
disperses slightly differently when it passes at an angle through
glass. Chromatic aberration shows up as color fringing at the edges
of high-contrast objects and causes blurry images.
Objective lens designers try to correct for this by using special
“low-dispersion” glass, often referred to as ED or HD glass, that
spreads color less. Another solution is to use more than one kind of
glass to form a compound lens in which the different dispersion
characteristics work together to cancel out the problem.
It’s easy to compare the degree of chromatic aberration in scopes
by testing them on high-contrast images with sharp edges, like the
black lines and rectangles in resolution test patterns. —D.P.
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
55
Objective
(mm)
Eyecup
Style
FOV in ft.
@ 1000 yds.
Close Focus
(ft.)
Fieldscope ED50
50
13–30x 12.9
Fold
157
9.8 20.1
Leupold
Golden Ring 15–30x50 Kit
50
15–30x
17.5
Fold
136
13.5 21.5
Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD 12–36x50
50
12–36x
17.0
Twist 179
15.0 36.3
Weight (oz.)
Name of
Scope
Nikon
SUBCOMPACT 50MM SCOPES
Maximum
Eye Relief
(mm)
Manufacturer
Eyepiece
Zoom Range
Mid-Priced Scopes
Yukon
Firefall 12–36x50 Kit
50
12–36x
19.0
Fold
150
17.0 21.0
Minox
MD 50 W
50
16–30x
15.0
Twist 142
16.4 21.7
Pentax
PF 65 EDA II 20–60x65
65
20–60x
15.0
Twist 111
16.4 37.7
Vortex Stokes Sandpiper 15–45x65 65
15–45x
18.0
Twist 144
25.0 38.0
Yukon
Firefall 15–45x60 AE Kit
60
15–45x
17.9
Fold
131
17.0 27.0
Vortex
Impact RA Scope
FULL-SIZE 80MM SCOPES
70
25–75x
18.0
Fold
89
33.0 37.4
Alpen
Model #788 20–60x80
80
20–60x
19.0
Twist 113
24.0 56.0
80
20–60x
18.0
Twist 110
35.0 80.1
80
20–60x
19.0
Twist 113
26.0 68.0
COMPACT 60-70MM SCOPES
Bushnell Legend Ultra-HD 20–60x80
Vortex
Skyline 20–60x80 ED
LEGEND
FOR
SCOPES
CHART
56
EYECUP STYLE:
Fold = Fold-down
eyecup
Twist = Twist-up eyecup
SPECIAL GLASS:
Yes = Has special lowdispersion glass
COATINGS:
FMC = Fully multi coated on both surfaces of
all glass elements
MC = Multi coated on
some surfaces of glass
elements
birdwatchersdigest.com • MAY/JUNE ’09 • BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST
Special Glass
Coatings
Street Price
Resolution
Score @30X
Resolution
Score @60X
Image Quality
Score
Focus Knob
Score
Ergonomic
Score
8.1
Yes
FMC
$700
4.4
-
4.8
4.6
4.2
4.42
11.0
-
MC
$500
3.6
-
3.7
2.4
2.7
3.45
9.8
Yes
FMC
$340
3.2
-
4.0
3.8
4.0
3.41
10.5
-
FMC
$80
3.0
-
2.9
4.4
4.0
3.22
8.4
-
FMC
$349
2.9
-
3.4
1.6
3.6
2.90
10.6
Yes
FMC
$899
3.7
2.8
3.6
4.6
4.5
3.87
14.0
-
FMC
$330
3.5
-
3.1
3.9
3.2
3.49
11.9
-
MC
$100
3.3
-
3.1
3.8
3.4
3.35
10.2
-
FMC
$200
3.3
2.3
3.0
3.7
3.4
3.34
16.0
-
FMC
$434
4.3
3.3
4.1
4.4
4.3
4.27
16.5
Yes
FMC
$500
3.7
2.9
3.7
3.2
3.2
3.64
17.7
Yes
FMC
$750
3.6
2.6
3.6
3.2
3.5
3.58
SCORES FOR IMAGE
QUALITY, FOCUS KNOB,
AND ERGONOMICS:
5 is best. 1 is worst.
RESOLUTION SCORES
AT 30X AND 60X:
5 is best. 1 is worst.
5 represents the
resolution score of the
reference scope.
Overall
Score
Length (in.)
VALUATING MID-PRICED
Review EBIRDING
SCOPES
OVERALL SCORE:
Composite score, taking into
account all the other scores,
weighted for resolution at
30x.
BIRD WATCHER’S DIGEST • MAY/JUNE ’09 • birdwatchersdigest.com
57
P.O. Box 110 • 149 Acme Street • Marietta, Ohio 45750
740-373-5285 • 800-879-2473 • fax 740-373-8443
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