Ultima 65 vs Alpen 728 vs Bushnell Trophy

Hi, I'm looking for a low-priced spotting scope that I could use for spotting birds and boats from my apartment window as well as take to Yellowstone this winter for wildlife observation. I'm looking at models under $200; specifically I've been looking at the Bushnell Trophy 20-60x65, the Tasco 20-60X80 World Class, the Celestron Ultima 65, and the Alpen 15-45x60mm. I'd also be willing to consider the Ultima 80, but my problem is that I'm trying to keep my expenses under $200 total, including the tripod. I'd like to buy a tripod like the Nikon 848 in the future but currently I lack the space and money to do so, and would like to get an inexpensive tabletop tripod for apartment-use. The Bushnell, Tasco, and Alpen all look like they come with a small tripod while the Ultima models don't. Ultimately I want the most bang for my buck scope wise and would be fine using a cheap tripod for the time being. Any advice or recommendations you have would be fantastic.

Go with the Trophy and try to step up to Ultima 80. Price is the best indicator of quality and performance is a spotting scope. Table tops are marginal, at best, as far as performance is concerned. Try the Velbon Mini

Thanks for your quick response, is the Ultima 80 in this package deal the same as the Ultima 80 selling for $175?

http://www.opticsplanet.net/celestron-u ... potti.html

Sorry, and to clarify you'd recommend that over the Bushnell Trophy?

Yes, same scope, just special pricing from Celestron on an OP exclusive. Yes, the larger scope will offer more performance.