Spotting Scope or Telescope ?

jack@rudolph.netSpotting · Guest

I have a lake house overlooking the lake from a high advange point. I want ot view boats, birds, people, etc. In the range of 1 to 3 1/2 miles.
Would view on a tripod from a deck of the house.'
What are the pro's and con's on a good spotting scope versus a telescope' of some kind?? I have viewed a number of spotting scopes including a couple of Ziess spotting scopes on your Web site.
Maybe I really need a telescope ??

Thanks,
Jack

sales@opticsplanet.com · Guest

Hi

This is one of our most common questions and the answer is not a simple one.

Although "telescopes" (scopes designed to be used at night for astronomy) are capable of higher magnification tahn spotting scopes (telescopes designed for day use) due mainly to the use of interchangeable eyepieces and larger aperture in astronomical telescopes, an astro scope is not necessarily the best choice for daytime viewing for several reasons.

One is Mother Nature. Heat waves, dust, humidity and wind all degrade image quality and going to a higher magnification only makes it worse. There will be times when image quality cannot be maintained over 30x, but there will also be times when image quality can be maintained at 60x or more, though this will be a rare occurrence in most locations. Thus most spotting scopes top out at 60x for magnification. Also, the more atmosphere you look through, the more this becomes a problem. In short, no telescope, even one that can magnify at 200x with good image quality, can get past the atmosphere on a poor day.

Another problem with high magnification is the mounting system. A top notch photo tripod will work up to about 100x, but over that, you will need a high quality astronomical mount. This will not be cheap or lightweight, nor will they be easy to use.

Also, some telescope types such as reflectors always produce an upside down image and no accessory can correct this.

A good comprimise to all of this is a spotting scope that can use interchangeable telescope eyepieces. This givers you more versatility and makes magnifications up to 100x or so practical when Nature allows. Good examples of these crossover instruments are the fabulous Televue scopes, and the Celestron and Meade Maks.

Your personal optics expert
Joanie K

sales@opticsplanet.com
http://www.OpticsPlanet.com
Phone: (888) 263-0356