Hiders,
Got a chance to check out one of these $4000 spotters at a box store near where I live.
First of all, the thing is bright, and even at 50x there is no dimming or haziness to the optics, very clear and pleasing viewing at 50x and the eyepiece is wide angle.
Heavy, but the size was compact enough and acceptable.
Downside - despite the APO designation, there was angry purple fringing <span style="font-style: italic">toward</span> the edges of the FOV on very bright objects, e.g. the top of a snowbank, or the roofline of a metal roof. I viewed through the scope in broad daylight, so it wasn't a "point sources of light in darkness" kind of thing. It wasn't a tiny sliver of fringing, it was an easily noticeable band. I showed the sales manager of the store to see if he could see it. He could. For $4000, this would be unacceptable to me.
YMMV.
Scott
Got a chance to check out one of these $4000 spotters at a box store near where I live.
First of all, the thing is bright, and even at 50x there is no dimming or haziness to the optics, very clear and pleasing viewing at 50x and the eyepiece is wide angle.
Heavy, but the size was compact enough and acceptable.
Downside - despite the APO designation, there was angry purple fringing <span style="font-style: italic">toward</span> the edges of the FOV on very bright objects, e.g. the top of a snowbank, or the roofline of a metal roof. I viewed through the scope in broad daylight, so it wasn't a "point sources of light in darkness" kind of thing. It wasn't a tiny sliver of fringing, it was an easily noticeable band. I showed the sales manager of the store to see if he could see it. He could. For $4000, this would be unacceptable to me.
YMMV.
Scott
