Wednesday December 7, 2022. I'm looking at 6-24 versions and they seem similar. The CS.1 won our low-light test, beating a handful of 80 and 85mm scopes, which is a testament to its good-quality glass. Don't let the fact that it's cheaper than the Viper and Razor deter you, this thing provides stellar optics and is backed by their excellent lifetime warranty program. The largest, most powerful spotting scopes are among the most expensive sports optics on the market. The Ultima 80 is the definition of the intersection between quality and affordability. 2 models Athlon Optics Argos 20-60x85mm HD Spotting Scopes $487.49 $389.99 Save 20% Best Rated. They are going to stop rifle optics but Nikon isnt going anywhere. 3 reviews. The Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 & the Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50. The Maven has especially good manners. I've checked the specs and features of both and there are things I like about each. I regularly shoot out to 300 yds with my ar and have shot to 1k with a friends equipment. Glass was pretty good for the price. Which begs the question: Why arent more bird hunters using them? This direct-to-consumer brand delivers bright ED glass and quality Japanese build at a relatively accessible price. Its a pattern weve seen play out over two decades of the Outdoor Life optics test. What the CS.1 delivers, though, is rugged performance. Usually works better from a vehicle window mount. Shop Athlon Optics Argos BTR Gen II 6-24X50mm APLR2 Rifle Scope | $20.00 Off 4 Star Rating on 14 Reviews for Athlon Optics Argos BTR Gen II 6-24X50mm APLR2 Rifle Scope Free Gift + Free Shipping over $49. The upside: Its especially weather- and moisture-proof. We glass near and far targets in all light conditions. The Vortex DB HD 10x42 are by volume the most sold pair of binoculars in . When you do buy your scope, know that youre also going to need to budget for a tripod. This means that objects will appear between 20 and 60 times closer than they actually are, depending on how you have it set. Founded in the United States in 1907, it has been family owned and operated for five generations, an incredible feat for any company. But if youre going to be hiking with that scope on your back (and all kinds of other gear), suddenly the idea of a five pound scope isnt so appealing. Mil Dot Hunting Rifle Scopes, 50 Loft 6-Iron Golf Clubs . So a 20-6080 spotter has a 20- to 60-power eyepiece and an 80mm objective lens. The ED glass delivers a bright image that showed only minor color fringing and slight deformity on the very edge of the image at lower powers. Celestron may have started out targeting astronomers with their products, but theyve expanded into a full sporting optics line suitable to all sorts of activities. SKU: 214063. If youre just casually looking at wildlife and dont want to spend the dollars on a premium scope, then this Gosky model will fill your needs. The Argos mechanism has proven to track and is robust. Jan 25, 2022. So much so that it won our Great Buy award as the best bargain spotting scope. Hunters may have a bit of a trade off here. Bushnell is one of the older players in the sporting optics world, having been founded in 1948. That glass is good, but its not quite as bright and sharp as that Japanese S-series glass. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Anyone have more details on that? Vortex got mentioned above a lot, and there are good reasons. Learn more about their long, family owned history here. So for a brief period of time, I had both the Athlon Talos 20x60x80 and this Athlon Argos 20x60x85 side by side for a detailed comparison. At lower powers, you can get by without a stabilizing tripod. What is the rep of the Athlon Argos 2-10x40 BDC 600? Its positioned just right between the companys big, bright, and spendy S.1 series and its big-boned B.5 binoculars, which sport 56mm objective lenses and magnifications from 10- to 18-power. The reticle is etched but also illuminated for eye-catching ease. Vortex is a well-known manufacturer of optical material such as binoculars, spotting scopes and rifle scopes. That and it was $120 less.. Because the best spotting scopes represent a significant investment in money, durability and warranties are both prime considerations. Also, they are generous with the hash marks on their mil dot. Athlon Argos Binoculars 10X42 Review : Why You Should Buy It! Big, grippy, and durable, the Santiam is a no-nonsense full-sized spotter that feels a little heavy for a walk-about optic but will give years of service as a base-camp, shooting-range, or pickup scope. Scopes are generally sold either with a straight body or with the eyepiece angled up 45 degrees. Since you're talking 22LR and not sure if you'll shoot competitive, I'm going to throw out Hawke here. You can learn more about them here. Unsurprisingly, letting more light in is what you want. Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 174-81 feet, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 234-108 feet, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 102-48 feet, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 108-60 feet, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 176.4-58.5 feet, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 105-73 feet, Ships with dust-resistant neoprene jacket, Interchangeable 22-power eyepiece with MRAD PRS reticle available, Removable eyepiece design can allow dust and grit to enter body, Angled eyepiece and rotating tripod collar enables multiple viewing angles, Removable eyepiece can be traded out for other variable or fixed-power eyepieces, Center-barrel control is hard to finely focus, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 250-50 feet, Eyepiece contains Horus H-32 milling reticle, Multiple attachment points for Picatinny rails, Reticle matches those in precision riflescopes, Throw lever makes magnification changes fast, Slender build easily fits in backpack sleeve, Utilizes Bushnells best glass and coatings, Excessively heavy for a 60mm walk-about spotter, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 144.36-68.9 feet, Oversized center-barrel focus easy to turn with gloves, Field of View at 1,000 Yards: 110-52 feet, Angled eyepiece and tripod rotation enable wide range of viewing options. That would mean that the scope has an adjustable zoom range of 20 to 60. Vortex Viper HD 20-60x85 Spotting Scope (Angled Viewing) V502 - B&H Photo But I have had several of the midway BSAs, one primary arms, they all tracked well. A more compact scope from a newer, fantastic brand, the Maven S.2 12-27x56mm means business. They tend to give mediocre images at best and quality is low. The first two, in the above case 20-60, are the zoom. 1.6 #6) BARSKA 30-90100 WP Gladiator Spotting Scope. Get as big of a scope as is practical for your use. In case you want to know about the scopes, in brief, this comparison table below is tailor . While this Argos was very well built (and very similar in style and quality to the Vortex Diamondback which is a much higher-priced scope I've used in the past), I found the optical quality to not be as good . They were the company that made optics available to the masses for the first time by importing binoculars from manufacturers in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. They have been used and recommended by a lot of the most influential people in the industry, like Steven Rinella from Netflixs Meat Eater. If youre sitting beside a buddy, you can frame a distant deer, and by simply rotating the barrel, turn the eyepiece to your buddy so they can view the deer. Nikons Monarch Fieldscope 82ED-A W/MEP-20-60 is a fantastic one to consider for someone who has a larger budget. It offers very impressive light transmission and gives unbelievable image quality to its viewer. The SX-2 Alpine HD spotting scope is a must have for all serious hunters or shooters who are looking to add HD performance to their optics kit. Theres limited utility for a spotting scope with an objective lens better suited to a full-sized binocular. Athlon Optics Argos HD 20-60x85 Spotting Scope - 45 Degree, Green/Black 10 Best Spotting Scopes February 2023 - MSN Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Athlon Optics Argos HD 20-60x85 Spotting They are quick and easy to use when you are based out of your vehicle. Athlon submitted two full-sized spotters for this years test, but the Argos HD version (as opposed to the Argos G2 UHD) version represents the best combination of price and performance. And with $500, I would definitely buy the Diamondback 20-60x85mm. Bresser Pirsch Compact Binoculars. Joined Jun 19, 2019 Messages 1,412 Its a tough trade off, and has to be made based on your hunting style. At about 40 ounces, it isnt the lightest scope, but it gives you an excellent performance to portability ratio. Andrew McKean is Outdoor Lifes hunting and conservation editor, drilling into issues that affect wildlife, wildlands, and the people who care about them. The first spotter from this direct-to-consumer is a versatile powerhouse. At a fraction of that price, this Vortex delivers an adequate image in a durable, versatile package. At longer distances, from 400 yards to infinity, you lose resolution in the magnified image, but youll still be able to see details that you could never see with your naked eye or even a binocular. Most of their consumer scopes are affordable, and are great options. Here are my top recommendations: If youre a serious bird watcher and want to see every detail of the birds youre looking at from a long way away, Swarovski is probably going to be your go to brand. With televisions, High Definition has a technical definition that sets a standard of pixels a display has to have in order to earn the HD distinction. Check the price here. You can get monsters with objective lenses over 100mm designed for leaving in place, or get something portable. Another very high end scope from an excellent optics company, the Kowa TSN-883 Prominar is a great option for bird watchers trying to get the best. All these attributes make it an ideal budget option for hunters. Having to go down and check your target every few shots means you can only get in so many practice shots per round. Weve seen this design before, most recently from Celestron (with its similarly sized Hummingbird). Hunters dont want to have to haul around the most massive scope, but it needs to be substantially more powerful than their binoculars. Best Spotting Scopes of 2023 | Outdoor Life 8 Best Spotting Scopes for Elk Hunting - opticsrelated.com However in dark conditions, your pupil will open to allow more light in, and can get up to 7mm in diameter. The first instance stands for high-definition while the second is ultra-high-definition. Theres still no rigor around those terms, but the HD model was measurably darker and muddier than the UHD model. Darling of our best spotting scopes test is the new compact CS.1 from Maven, but we also like a couple of nicely priced full-sized spotters. And then, we perform a low-light test on several evenings. 2 Best Spotting Scopes for Elk Hunting Buying Guide & FAQs. Along with size, price varies dramatically. . Joined Jan 16, 2018 . 7 Best Spotting Scopes Under 300 Dollars in 2023 - FixThePhoto.com Maven RS.1 2.5-15X44 - Best FFP Scope for Hunting. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Clear glass combined with an oversized eyepiece and a rugged design will help you tag out season after season. They are young, and seem hungry to make a dent in the industry. . Most amazingly, some of their highest end products are even assembled in the United States, a rarity in this industry. The very best birding binoculars under $500 - What birds are in my This lets you choose the size of scope that is perfect for the way youre using it. And if youre really a beast and can pack it in, youll be rewarded with great images. For a first scope in this FFP arena, it was fine, I did not miss, even at 1k+ because of my argos. Athlon Optics Argos BTR GEN2 6-24x50 Riflescope - APLR2 FFP IR MOA, Black They especially are a good choice for astronomy if you need your optics to be compact and/or you want to use them for more than just stargazing. A big, serious spotter with very good glass and responsive controls, the Ares UHD is the big brother to Athlons excellent 65mm Argos introduced a couple of years ago. Because our test doesnt intentionally punish submissions until they break, the durability question is necessarily unanswered. Absolutely not, in fact some of the best scopes around carry the HD label. And the rubber armor is as grippy as it is protective. Dispersion is an effect in glass that causes distortion as light travels through it, or actually with any kind of waves. Athlon Optics Argos BTR Gen II 6-24X50mm APLR2 Rifle Scope - OpticsPlanet On the other hand, the image delivered by the UHD glass was bright and free of flares and distortion, and the balance and heft of the chassis are both satisfyingly substantial. Just $1 per month , We tested the best spotting scopes from premium glass to dependable budget options, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Leupolds flagship spotting scope delivers a quality image at pretty much every magnification. It requires little equipment, can often be done from your home, and offers unlimited opportunities for expanding on the hobby with trips to see exotic birds. The straight-style tactical spotter is built like a tank, with double-tough armor and attachment points for Picatinny rails, so you can add accessories like thermals or lights to the optic. In that case, weight and portability arent an issue; you should consider a full-sized scope, with magnification ranges from 20-60-power and an 85 or even 90mm objective lens. And at nearly $4,000, most of us arent willing to subject the Harpia to the indignities and dings of the field. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. If you want a spotter to carry into the field to help you assess distant game, then consider a mid-sized scope, generally 20-50-power built behind a 65mm objective lens. Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-2450 FFP EBR-2C MOA reticle diagram. I personally used it this last year when hunting pronghorn in Idaho extensively, and it helped me pick out minute details on horns from absurdly far away! Vortex Diamondback vs Hawke Endurance ED vs Vanguard Endeavor ED Similarly, if you live anywhere with a lot of wildlife activity, it can be a fun thing to have a spotting scope set up on your back porch, trained on your local ecosystem. Lastly, full-sized spotters are designed to be mounted on a tripod, so consider the mounting hardware. Click to play video. If youre spending close to (or upwards of) $1,000 for a spotter, make sure it has either ED (extra-low dispersion) glass. This same middle-is-best trade-off applies to every magnification range, from 9-27-power spotters to 20-60-power eyepieces. The image delivered by the 23-70-power eyepiece is stunning, and the amount of light delivered to the eye through the 95mm objective lens makes even low-light glassing a pleasure. At 40 to 55x, the scope has enough magnification to enable users to count points on a distant buck without making the image maddeningly dark. But for hunters who aspire to own the best optics on the planet, this line of Zeiss spotters justifies the significant investment. But the magnification range, zooming from 9x up to 27x, gives this little unit more range and a surprisingly nice image. If you like shooting, ESPECIALLY at distance, you really need a decent Spotting Scope. You must log in or register to reply here. Best Spotting Scope - Top 10 in 2023 [Guide & Top Picks] - Target Chaser in your price range I would look at this. Thats because any object you can see at 60x will only darken at 70x, so the additional magnification might not be worth the degradation in image. So got the Argos in mail last night and got it mounted this afternoon. Theres nothing particularly ground-breaking in this introduction from Athlon, just a sized-up version of its very good 65mm Ares G2 UHD model. Experience/Opinions: Burris Fullfield II or Vortex Diamondback? A nice feature it has that I wish more scopes would include (especially angled scopes) is a sighting line to help you line up with what youre trying to look at. In those cases, you want a scope that will withstand the abuses of the field. Optically, its a solid performer, but its image is like the rest of the spotter, sort of middling. The CS.1 is a great option for a hunter looking for a scope they can take into the backcountry. And we were a little disappointed in the relatively narrow field of view. Therefore it stands to reason that you want the spotter labeled HD, right? You could try using it freehand or leaning it against something, but trust me when I tell you this will significantly hamper your viewing. Weve rarely seen this much glass and optical horsepower for under $400. We found the usable magnification range extended to about 54-power, which is higher than many of its peers. They rapidly expanded into a full suite of optics products spanning the entirety of the price ranges, which they still are today, though they mostly focus on the lower/mid range. When budget isnt a limitation, I tend to recommend Swarovski. Nikon is one of the most well known optics brands in the world. 6 Best FFP Scopes. (130) Compare Product. The more powerful it is, the narrower the field of view. This year that nod goes to Athlons Argos HD. free shipping & returns. I just got the argos for my 22. If you want to be counting antler points on mule deer from a few miles away youre going to have to have perfect conditions and a very high end scope, regardless of the zoom power. Most importantly, they have a solid warranty and a great reputation for taking care of their customers. The 65mm size is just about right for most backpack pockets, and it pairs nicely with mid-sized tripods. Athlon vs. Vortex Riflescopes - Which One is Best? The controls are tight, and we especially liked the two-speed focus and the fingertip sensitivity of the fine-focus knob. I think youade the right choice. You probably dont want to be lugging around a 100mm Celestron that weighs 4.5 pounds even without the tripod if youre going deep into elk country. But only barely, and only because they are more established and I have had good experiences directly with them in the past. . +1-800-504-5920 Live Chat Contact Us Check Order Status. On this review we are going to be using the Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 as the benchmark. This Japanese scope uses pure fluorite crystal lenses, which is unique in the industry and gives them excellent optical clarity. Maven applied the Goldilocks Rule to this versatile spotter. Itll cost you, but man does it make scopes easier to use. And the Celestron Trailseeker ED has better optical performance than the under $150 Celestron Nature DX.