Spotting scopes are devices for seeing distant objects to be clearer. This equipment can support various activities, such as watching concerts, watching birds in the forest, and others. Therefore, there are various types of spotting scopes with different shapes, weights, and fields of view. If you are confused about finding a spotting scope, this article is for you. We will introduce the points you need to pay attention to before buying the best spotting scope under 200.
If you are planning to buy your first spotting scope, chances are you will be shaking your head or scratching your head at the sheer number of options on the market. Which is the best scope for you? Which is the cheapest? Which features are most suitable for your activities? Lots of questions and considerations. However, there are two things you can always hold onto when buying a spotting scope. First is the budget, second is the activities that you will live. You can choose a spotting scope for bird-watching and observing animals in the wild.
If you are a beginner, choosing spotting scopes is quite difficult with the built-in features. There are several things you need to pay attention to before buying spotting scopes, such as magnification, lens diameter, and others. Read carefully the following points of how to choose and find the product that suits you.
Check the lens magnification on spotting scopes
The high magnification of the spotting scope lens does not guarantee that objects can be seen clearly. This is because of the higher the magnification, the narrower the field of view. Not only that, the object you see will become increasingly unstable. For hand-held spotting scope types, it’s best to choose one with a lens magnification of fewer than ten times. For spotting scopes with a magnification which is more than eleven times, a tripod is needed so that the object being observed is more stable. Magnification on spotting scopes is adjusted to the purpose, type of activity, and location. If you want to see a large-scale show, such as doing outdoor activities or bird watching, choose a magnification of 6–10 times.
To be able to see distant objects clearly, scopes with good sharpness are needed. Thus, you need to check the effective diameter of the objective lens (aperture) that is on the outside of the scope. The larger the lens diameter, the higher the ability to capture light. The resulting resolution will be high too.
For users with glasses, check the attached eye relief
Do you wear glasses to help your vision every day? Surely you want to use spotting scopes comfortably, right? Therefore, you need to check the eye relief on the spotting scopes. Eye relief is the distance between the spotting scopes eyepiece and your eye. For those of you who wear glasses, we recommend choosing spotting scopes with an eye relief of 15 mm and above. With this eye relief, you can see the field of view clearly while still wearing glasses. Any less than that distance, you won’t be able to see the full field of view. On the other hand, for people who don’t wear glasses, choose spotting scopes with shorter eye relief.
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