Lots to like and respect. lenses are not as good as the specterdr 1x4 or the spectertr 1x3x9. - Elcan SpecterDR Dual Role 1.5-6 x 42mm Rifle Scope

My overall rating of the Elcan SpecteDR 1.5 x 6 is 4.5/5 stars.

I compared the Elcan to a variety of past optics I’ve owned, and directly compared it to a Trijicon TA11 and the Elcan SpectreTR 1x3x9. The past optics I’ve owned include the ElcanDR 1x4, Trijicon 4x32, 1.5x ?, Leupold VHD-6, Leupold 3-18x50, Leupold 3-18x44, Primary Arms GLx 4-16x, and Vortex PST 6x24.

Before buying the Elcan SpecteDR 1.5x6, I did a lot of research, sniper’s hide, etc, and found two very useful video evaluations done by SmallArmsSolutions (review of Scar17) at "FN SCAR 17S - MK17 PART 1" and also by
Iraqveteran8888 ELCAN Specter DR: Overview and Long Range Shooting.

Both reviews praised the Elcan with few, if any, reservations.

With that information, I took delivery of the Elcan, which I had intended to mount on my Scar17s. Again, for direct comparison, over the course of several days--morning, noon, and evening, I took out the optic, sat on the porch with a range finder, and looked between the Elcan 1.5x6, the Elcan 1x3x9, and the Trijicon TA11.

My general conclusions are these:
- The Elcan 1.5 x 6 is a beautiful optic. I just love the aesthetics of it.
- The Elcan 1.5x6 is a middle-weight. It’s a typical weight of most 6x optics, with perhaps 2oz more than the median weight of similar quality optics.
- The 1.5x power was not as useful as a 1x--I found the extra magnification to be disappointing compared to the Elcan 1x4 that I’ve used in the past. The 1.5x would just slow me down.
- On overcast days, the Elcan performed nearly as well as the TA11 in clarity; But in late evenings, or bright sunny days, the TA11 was noticeably clearer and brighter.
- I found the Elcan to be far less fog-resistant than the Trijicon. One morning, I went from an air-conditioned house to a hot muggy morning. Both optics fogged immediately. The Trijicon’s fogged lens cleared in 10 seconds, the Elcan had still not cleared for 5 minutes.
- The brightness and clarity of the Elcan 1.5x6, using 6x, was a half-step to a full step down from the TA11. Within 30 yards, the Elcan made the bark on a palm tree look like a blur, at 150 yards it made air cooling towers look indistinct, telephone polls less clear for the Elcan than the Trijicon at 5oo yards. It wasn’t until I ranged out to 800yards that the Elcan was marginally preferable (recall that the TA11 is a 3.5x optic).
- The Elcan 1.5x6 also fell short on lens clarity compared to the Elcan 1x3x9. The Elcan 1x3x9 lens quality was on par with the Trijicon TA11 (albeit the TA11 was brighter).
I also recall, from memory, that the Elcan 1x4 was on par with the TA11 (though not as bright as the TA11, however just as clear).
- In the end, I just found that the Elcan 1.5x6 was a step down in lens quality when compared to the Trijicon TA11 (which cost half as much but has but one power and not two).
Do I think one would go *wrong* with the ElcanDR 1.5x6? No. It’s a high-quality optic, with gorgeous design, two powers, and 100% rugged. Does it fit what I want for a Scar17s? No. I want lighter, brighter, clearer.