Affordable - Hawke Sport Optics Nature Trek 16-48x65mm Spotting Scope

I use this for birding. I put it atop a manfrotto 055 tripod with a manfrotto 128rc fluid pan head. This set up is very solid. This is my first spotting scope. I have been birding with binos for years and finally decided to get a spotting scope, but with limited resources I knew had my work cut out researching, and the question for me is always used vs new, and what are the diminishing returns. First things first, I knew I wanted a mid size scope because it's just easier to carry around. Of course I wanted the best optics that I could purchase within my tight budget. I also wanted a well built scope. I expect my equipment to last without having to baby it. For the money the scope exceeds expectations. Image is bright and crisp. As expected, at higher magnification the image softens at the edge, and also there is minor color fringing. I could not find this scope locally to check it out, but I did find some entry level scopes by well known makers, with comparable optics, multi coated, BAK4 prism etc., to see what I could reasonably expect. All had to some extent a softer edge and color fringing, but were priced higher. What stands apart about this scope is the fabulous build quality. It's a tank. The zoom, and focus are super smooth. The included stay on cover is well made too.