Which scope should I get?

[Goatboy]

Hi, I'm looking at buying a scope for bird watching and would appreciate some help.

I'm able to go to around £650 for scope, case and eyepiece. I'd prefer a zoom eyepiece but other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

I will be doing some digiscoping but mainly for ID purposes not photography so that isn't a huge priority.

Three that I'm looking at are:


Opticron GS 665 GA ED 60mm

Kowa TSN 664 ED 60mm

Olivon T90ED 90mm


The Olivon seems good value and a better spec but obviously not as known as the others.
Any idea which would be best, or is there a better alternative for that kind of money?

[Sparrowlegs]

Originally Posted by Goatboy

Hi, I'm looking at buying a scope for bird watching and would appreciate some help.

I'm able to go to around £650 for scope, case and eyepiece. I'd prefer a zoom eyepiece but other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

I will be doing some digiscoping but mainly for ID purposes not photography so that isn't a huge priority.

Three that I'm looking at are:


Opticron GS 665 GA ED 60mm

Kowa TSN 664 ED 60mm

Olivon T90ED 90mm


The Olivon seems good value and a better spec but obviously not as known as the others.
Any idea which would be best, or is there a better alternative for that kind of money?

Forget the Olivon!!

The other two are both good scopes but should you ever have to re-sell your beloved gear then Kowa will be snapped up every time whilst the Opticron may take a while longer!!

Another good option would be the Zeiss 65..........

[Goatboy]

Good point about the resale value on the Olivon, I hadn't thought about that. I'm already pushing my budget so the Zeiss might be just too much. Given me something to think about though, thanks.

[Hobjob]

IMO the viking range are much better than the Opticrom.
I have former, friend the latter !!

I have been very disapointed with the 2-3 views I have had
through the RSPB own brand scopes - though their Bins are excellent.

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

IMO the viking range are much better than the Opticrom.
I have former, friend the latter !!

I have been very disapointed with the 2-3 views I have had
through the RSPB own brand scopes - though their Bins are excellent.

A friend has R.S.P.B bins and a Viking scope and I couldn't agree more.

Regards, Chris

[Perry Grin]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

IMO the viking range are much better than the Opticrom.
I have former, friend the latter !!

I have been very disapointed with the 2-3 views I have had
through the RSPB own brand scopes - though their Bins are excellent.

I thought that viking made the rspb scopes??????????

FWIW I prefer the Opticron range over the viking! I have the Opticron ES80 ED. You can get one of these plus HDF zoom (20-60x), tripod and stay on case for a teeny bit more than 650 pounds. It is a bigger scope than the GS but I chose it over the GS for brightness and because it felt more robust.

What ever you do, try before you buy as different people see different pros and cons in any scope.

Perry

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by Perry Grin

I thought that viking made the rspb scopes??????????

Perry

I think they do, but some have the name Viking on them (the better ones) and some have the name R.S.P.B (the cheaper less good ones) on them.

Regards, Chris

[NicolaB]

I've got a pretty old Kowa (TSN 3) that I've had for about 10 years, and I'm still in love with it!! You can still pick them up secondhand for about £400..and the flourite lens is a big advantage, especially if you spend a lot of time watching birds on estuaries, or raptors up in the sky, as it seriously cuts down on any glare.

It doesn't have a zoom eyepiece though...but overall I've been really happy with it

[richardkm]

If you want a straight scope, then the Kowa 824 (flourite) is a good buy, you can get them second hand for around £450. Have a look here: Birdnet Optics, used optics, second hand optics

Opticron are bringing out a new version of the HR66 ED. I had a look at one recently and it was superb. Not sure how much yet, but it will probably be within your budget.

The Opticron ES80, I think is disappointing, especially the ED version. The Zeiss 65 is a good scope, but they have no fixed eyepieces now, although the zoom - if you get a good one - is without equal, but only 15-45x.

The Kowa 663/4 (3 is angled, 4 is straight) flourites are particularly good performers and if you decide at a later date to do some digiscoping, then their eyepieces and adapters are the best on the market.

[JonSadler]

I have an old Kowa 614 flourite scope. It is excellent and I am very happy with it. I bought second hand for about £380 if my memory serves me correctly. Kowa scopes with high quality glass are very good, but Zeiss HD are terrific as well. I don't know whether you have done this already but it is worth going to a good optics shop and trying them out. I did this recently with some binoculars and it was a great help.

Regards
Jon