First spotting scope, mostly birdwatching - Hawke Sport Optics Endurance ED 25-75x85mm Spotting Scope

There are not a lot of reviews online for this model, so I figure I will add my experience. This is the only spotting scope I have looked through, so I can't compare much but I have some Vortex Diamondback HD binos and have looked through Swarovski binos for reference. Everything I read suggested maxing out your budget for a scope, otherwise you will be looking for another as soon as the cheap one you bought arrives. This model was at the top of my price range so I figured I would try it. I use it mostly for birding and other wildlife viewing. I am definitely pleased with the image quality. Very little chromatic aberration unless there is very high contrast (like the moon against night sky) but even then the image quality is nice and CA is minimal. I took it to the lake and could identify bald eagles, ospreys, and herons at 400+ yards easily and had a wonderful image of them which was exactly what I was looking for. I was even able to watch a raccoon crawl out of the woods to the lake shore at 1000 yards around 8 p.m. with low light.

At 25x, the apparent fov in the scope is at the smallest but the image is at its brightest and you have the most eye relief. As you zoom in you lose eye relief but then gain some back as you get closer to 75x and you have the widest apparent fov at 75x. I assume this is how most spotting scopes work. At 75x, you can make it work if you have a sturdy tripod, but to get a great image at full zoom you need good sunlight as there is a noticeable dimness as you zoom in. However the image quality is still great with good lighting. The dimness is also less of a concern at closer ranges as you have less atmospheric effects. Having fine and coarse zoom is also great and I think a must have for a scope with such high magnification.

The stay-on case is quite nice and very easy to access the parts of the scope you need while providing some extra protection. The lens covers seems to stay on nicely as well but the stay-on case should keep them on no matter what during transport/storage. Really the only complaint I have is that the twist up eye cup only has one setting. If you twist it down a bit (you need to as you zoom in) then the eye cup will eventually twist down all the way. This is not really a huge issue for use and does not stop me from comfortable viewing at any zoom level, but seems like it could be designed better. I have not tried using this scope wearing eyeglasses but I think it could be difficult to get adequate eye relief at the intermediate zoom ranges (but should be fine at 25x and at 75x).

After using this scope for several weekends, I notice much more chromatic aberration in my Diamondback HD 10x50s that I did not see previously. I think that shows the glass is quite a bit nicer in this scope. I would absolutely recommend this scope to anyone with a budget of under $1000. It is great for wildlife viewing and is solidly made. I do not think you would get better performance unless you triple your budget and get something with a larger diameter lens and that is simply due to the increased light you would capture. Item was listed as in stock when I purchased and arrived in just over a week.