The 10 Best Spotting Scopes

For most people, the Vortex Crossfire HD 20-60x80 is the sensible place to start. Outdoor Life's field test called it a great buy for its crisp controls and clear view. Its foot clamps straight onto a common tripod head without an extra plate. Vortex repairs or replaces it for life, no questions asked. The image dims and turns grainy past about 50x, so the top of the zoom is mostly for show.

Birders and hunters who want the clearest view should look at the Swarovski ATS 80 HD. In a magazine's side-by-side field test it scored highest of every scope tried, staying sharp to the edges and bright as the light fades. The wide view at low power helps you find a bird before zooming in, and it focuses close enough for a backyard feeder. It is a heavy load to carry far, and the price is a serious commitment.

Hunters who glass big country from a ridge get premium optics without European prices in the Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85. Its lens design keeps color fringing down at high power, so antlers and bullet holes stay crisp. Sealed and gas-filled, it shrugs off fog and rain, and Vortex's lifetime warranty covers any damage. The zoom starts at 27x, so the widest view is narrower, and it is a lot to haul up a mountain.

Shoppers on a small budget get a big lens without a lot of bulk in the Athlon Talos 20-60x80. It is light enough to carry on a day hike, and a small tabletop tripod and soft case are included. Athlon's lifetime warranty covers it. The prisms use a cheaper grade of glass, so the picture softens and loses contrast at high power. Plan on a sturdier tripod for anything beyond the shooting bench.

Eyeglass wearers who want sharp, fringe-free glass on a middle budget should consider the Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A. Its long eye relief shows the full picture with glasses on, and two focus wheels split the job into a quick spin and a fine tweak. The body is magnesium under rubber armor, and a rain cover comes with it. This design has been around for more than a decade, and it feels heavy at the end of a long walk.

The Nikon Monarch 82ED-A suits birders who want a big lens that still feels manageable on a tripod all day. Its low-dispersion glass and a lens that flattens the image give a sharp, true-color picture in the middle of the view, and the aluminum body is sealed against fog and rain. The edges go a little soft, and the zoom ring has no power markings, so you have to guess where you are.

Shooters who spend long sessions behind the eyepiece will like how comfortable the Vortex Viper HD 20-60x85 is to look through. Its eye relief leaves room for glasses, the lens elements are chosen to cut color fringing, and a sunshade slides out to block glare. The sealed body keeps out fog and rain. It is heavy, and it can't focus on nearby things, which rules out watching a backyard feeder.

If your scope rides in a backpack, the Vortex Diamondback HD 16-48x65 is built for that life. A gentler zoom keeps the picture bright through the whole range, and the wide view at low power makes it quick to find game on a far slope. It mounts right onto common tripod heads, and Vortex will fix or replace it for life. At dusk it gathers less light, and the top power runs out sooner on distant targets.

When the goal is the most reach for the money, the Celestron Ultima 100 delivers with a lens that gathers about half again as much light as a typical full-size scope. Its zoom runs to 66x, and the eyepiece has a built-in adapter for attaching a camera. This is a long, heavy scope that belongs on a solid tripod near the car, not in a pack. The glass is the standard kind, so bright edges show a faint color fringe.

Curious whether a scope belongs in your hobby? The SVBONY SV28 lets you try one for very little. It arrives with a tabletop tripod and a phone holder, so you can take pictures through the eyepiece from day one, and it is light enough to toss in a range bag. The body is waterproof. The top of its zoom range looks dim and soft, so most of the useful viewing happens at the low end.