Clear-sharp-easy to use - Vanguard Endeavor 20-60x82mm HD 82A Spotting Scope

After reading hundreds of reviews on many similar products, we settled on the Vanguard. Our main purpose is to look at the wildlife on the neighboring farmland. Our typical distance is 500 to 1000 yards. Having owned "cheap" scopes in the past, I was hoping for a better picture with the Vanguard. At 500 yards we can almost count the number of hairs in a turkey beard. Can't wait until the deer start growing antlers.

I'm not an optics person; however, at low to medium power, the field of view is crisp and clear. The focus knobs work very well in harmony with each other. My wife and I both wear glasses; however we prefer to use the scope without them. The eye relief is excellent and much better than my hunting scope. As others have stated, at maximum power, the clarity under certain conditions is a little fuzzy. On a cold crisp day without haze, the object is clearly visible. On a warmer day, you may notice a little blurring at the edges; however, a slight reduction in the power level will eliminate that.

Never had a scope with an eyepiece that was not inline with the scope body. Love the offset angle of the adjustable eyepiece. More comfortable to look down through the eyepiece, in my opinion.

The enclosed case is nice and we are still waiting for our free tripod. At low power, you can scan the fields quickly looking for wildlife. I find the field of view at that power very good.

This scope was not in our budget range; however, after much debate we elected to purchase this scope. We are very happy that we did. Obviously, the best way to purchase an item is to look at a wide variety of them at the same time under the same conditions. For most of us, that is not possible.

No it is not as good as a $2k scope; however, if you are looking for something for casual viewing and can only afford items in this price range, I think you will be happy with the Vanguard. For wildlife viewing up to 1/2 mile, it suits our needs just fine. I would buy another one if needed. My wife loves it and she says that it is very easy to use. She can count the hairs in a turkey's beard at 500 yards.