Ok, I'll bite...
Let me start off by saying that I am the owner and inventor of the TargetCam product
Target Cam | Long Range Precision Spotting Equipment - Home so I have some fairly strong opinions on this subject. Our product uses a different approach and technology to accomplish the mission of seeing far away objects. Allow me to throw out a few different ideas on this never ending "which high end spotter is best" question.
First let me just get this out there...if you're talking about being able to see shots on a distant target - I'll make this very gutsy claim...our TargetCam product will allow you to see shots on a target far better than even the astronomically priced Nikon Edge. There, I said it. Sorry if this ruffles your feathers but I will personally guarantee you that when shooting out past 600 or so you will see your shots far better using our system. Yes, I'm the inventor. Yes, I'm very very bias. But yes, I am quite proud of what we have made and the ease of use that it provides the user to solve this age old problem of not being able to see shots on far away targets.
Ok, but our system is not useful for hunting. This is correct for many hunters. However, having said that, we do have a number of people adapting our system for hunting. Our system is basically a small compact portable video surveillance system. Live video transmitted back to the base unit/viewing screen. We've had quite a few good ol boys from Texas and down south buy our system for use with hog hunting. They put out 3-4 bait piles miles apart and then put one of our cameras on each bait pile. Then they just sit around the campfire back at camp and dial around on the channels on the Targetcam base unit looking at the different bait piles waiting for the hogs to come in. Oh, action on camera 3....hop on the ATVs, bomb out there to blow em away. This is, I know, a different form of hunting than most of you guys are talking about.
The funnest thing about hunting is, well, hunting. I mean the actual stalking, hiking, tracking part of it. For this the best observation device is a good set of binos hanging around your neck. A spotting scope in your backpack just isn't going to be used nearly as much for the simple fact that it is in your backpack and not hanging around your neck. IMO, its more fun and productive to be on the move tracking and moving. The setup, tear down of a tripod and spotter just isn't conducive to this. Actually the best setup that I've found is one guy has a spotting scope tucked away in case you are stationary for a while and want to glass a far away mountainside or something and the others have binos. For the most part though, when hunting, a decent binos is going to get a lot more use, and be less hassle. Not to mention less stress because if something happens to your $600 binos you'll be pissed but if something happens to your freakin $3500 spotter you'll be ready to jump off the closest bridge. The expensive gear is nice but hunting/camping/traveling/eating out afterwords/ is full of circumstances for expensive gear to get lost, stolen, thrashed and broken...A small tough $600 pair of binos = a lot less stress, more versatile and, in the end, more fun.
This spotting scope test is a good test. An interesting read...but let's get real. 6 large for a spotting scope???? Holy smokes!!! Are you out of your Vulcan mind Spock???That thing might be a real gem and all but it might as well not even exist because I will never pay $6 grand for a spotting scope. I really don't even want one. The stress of taking a $6,000 piece of gear out into the woods, hiking over rocks, logs or whatever... or on the trip out there, in and out of hotels, flying checking baggage, rental cars....too much to worry about. It's so expensive it is dead to me. Don't want it, don't even want to read about it.
But the Kowa....ahhh the Kowa. I've used these things and they are beautiful. I like everything about the Kowa 883s. It's expensive, but if someone put a gun to my head and said I had to spend $3k on a spotting scope I'd sign up for the Kowa in a heartbeat.
So, in conclusion (sorry for the long winded post), in my admittedly very bias opinion, the best spotting setup for hunting and long range target shooting is...our TargetCam product for long range target shooting, a decent set of binos, and a hunting buddy with a Kowa 883. You've got it all covered this way. At the range, I guarantee you will see shots far better with our system than you would with even the most expensive spotting scope in the test. This is a guarantee. Especially true on a hot day with mirage and dust. You could put the Hubble telescope out there and you're not going to see shots very well. It's not about the quality of the glass so much as it is about the atmosphere between the spotter and the target. For this reason these spotters can not compete with our system. Our camera is 20-25 feet from the target and the wireless signal transmits the live video image back to the screen next to you. No mirage issue.
For hunting, a decent pair of binos. Tougher, more useful than a spotting scope, and more fun because they are always there ready hanging around your neck.
Through the Hide our single camera system is $785 with free US shipping
Target Cam®? The ?High Tech? Spotting Scope You can also add additional cameras which allows you to switch to see multiple targets. About 1/2 of our customers order more than one camera.
a decent set of binos can be had for $500-$800.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-observation-devices/253906-need-new-set-binos.html Another good option is the integrated binos/rangefinders. I don't know much about em and never had one but seems like a great piece of gear.
TargetCam ($800) + binos ($600) = $1400 and in my very very very bias opinion a better setup than the $3,000 - $6,000 spotting scope option.
Sorry for the shameless plugs for our TargetCam product. I'm damn proud of it and I've also had it setup side by side many times to lots of spotting scopes and found it to have large advantages over all of them.
call me any time if you have questions.
