Re: Who makes the best spotting scope?
I have 4 Zeiss, the 85, (2) 65's and the Spotter 60, I also have a Leica Televid 62, and the new Bushnell... that doesn't count all the different glass I have tried in between.
The issue for me is more of durability & Features, because honestly between the Zeiss, Leica and the Swarovski that I have used, there is really no difference at the end of the day. And by end of the day I mean staring through a spotter for hours at a time.
The Spotter 60 is a unique animal because it has features none of the Sport Optic spotters have, so, because of what I do, of course I have a Spotter 60, and I have two Zeiss Mil Dot Eye pieces for my Sport Optic Zeiss... which is the only reason I use the Zeiss more than the Leica or Swarovski. I have seen a Swarovski with a reticle, but they won't sell it, so that is the only reason I don't have one of those... but between the Zeiss and Leica, there is no difference, and really none between any of those and the Swarovski.
Dollar for Dollar I think the best you can get is the Kowa, then followed by the top 3, Zeiss, Leica & Swarovski, anything else is just a distance second place, although I am sure there are two dozen people who will mention a dozen other brands that all "work great" for them.
Get what you can afford and get what makes you happy, don't try and "use" someone' else's opinion when really the image quality can only really be measured by a machine, anything else is just an uneducated guess by any of us. Seriously, I can see pretty well with the $300 Bushnell, but that doesn't mean I want to stare through it for 8 hours a day, but it does do its job.