Comparison between under and over 75 mm scopes

Guest202 · Guest

Hello,

I was thinking of upgrading to a premium (though not necessarily absolute best) full size scope (over 75 mm), however, I am having second thoughts. I am now wondering if I would not be better off with a smaller scope. I realize that a smaller scope simply cannot let in as much light and will thus not be as bright as its larger sibling, but how much of a sacrifice is it in practical terms? Will it make that much difference for birding?

What are the top under 70 mm scopes? I suspect Swarovski (not willing to spend that much), Leica, Zeiss are at or very close to the top, but what about Pentax PF 65 and Nikon Tactical-Fieldscope-7399? Are there other scopes out there that are high quality, yet more affordable (under $1400 with eyepiece) than the ultra premium scopes?

Thanks,

Frank

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5402

Hi

I switched to a 65mm size scope, years ago, after carrying 80mm class, premium scopes, and I regard it as a good move. No, you won't get quite the performance with the smaller scopes, but as long as you are talking a quality scope, the loss, even at 60x is negligible. What you gain in ease of carry and use is well worth it, in my opinion, if you are going to be carrying your scope a lot. On the other hand, if you are mostly birding out of the trunk of a vehicle and setting up at a marsh, go with the larger scope.

The Pentax 65 is a great little scope - with the right eyepiece. Forget the XF zoom that is packaged with it and go with a fixed power eyepiece, such as a Pentax XW. This little scope does a great job with the right eyepiece.

I vastly prefer a zoom eyepiece for my birding, though. The 60mm Nikon ED is a great scope, but forget the tactical version. The eyepiece packaged with the Tactical is the old zoom - poor eye relief and optics. Go with the standard version, now packaged with the 7467 (20-60) zoom. Much better.

If budget is an issue, any of the Kowa 600 series, amtched with a Z9B zoom are great choices. I currently use a Kowa 663 and love it.
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