The ULTIMATE Spotting Scope Guide for Birding (With Vortex Optics)

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Gear Links (As Amazon Associates we do earn from qualifying purchases) Click here to check out spotting scopes from Vortex! amzn.to/3MEgxI1

[@JLowe1964]

I seriously just got home from buying the diamondback 20-60!! Another great video!

[@Beryllahawk]

Wow!! This was a VERY thorough guide! You did a really great job setting up and I can't even imagine how much work went into processing all this for the video itself. Great job!!

[@Grateful_Dad_54]

I invested in a Razor about a year ago, and couldn't be happier. Next step now is getting an adapter and trying to figure out how to hook up my Android for viewing and picture taking. (Perhaps you can do a video in the future?) Thanks again, guys!

[@matthewmatlock9082]

Perfectly timed video - I had a spotting scope on my wish list 🤓 Birder from Arkansas

[@ABirdersParadise]

Glad you mentioned that the differences aren't as noticeable with digiscoped pictures as they are in person. I thought I was going crazy because they all looked pretty much the same as far as quality to me. :D

[@markruane]

I love my Vortex binoculars and spotting scope. Donald helped us pick out our binoculars at the 2023 Biggest Week. Great video😀

[@aurora571000]

Thank you for this! I prefer Vortex because of their warranty

[@GATNBirding]

We love our Razor scope and our diamondback binoculars, basically the only comapny we'll ever buy from.

[@darylbernard2616]

I’m definitely a fan of Vortex. My everyday bins are Viper 8x42, and my compact travel bins are the Diamondback 8x32. My scope is the little Razor 13-39x56 - love that little scope! Donald has been great to work with, setting up Seven Ponds Nature Center (I’m the executive director) as an authorized Vortex dealer.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Donald is the best!

[@lynnslaga7319]

Awesome timing! I am shopping for a scope

[@RoseGrace100]

Thank you for this great review.

[@guybob548]

I have a camera and long lens, but a good spotting scope has been on my list. would be a great edition for scouting

[@scottiewhigham3431]

Which one had better details at the highest end? Also which ones would you say would follow in most detail to least? Thanks. Awesome video, btw

[@BadgerlandBirding]

In general the higher the price the better the detail (from a company’s own set of scopes), although all of them are more clear at lower magnification (scopes in general). So, from this group the Razor HD was the most clear. The compact was also very clear.

[@scottiewhigham3431]

@@BadgerlandBirding yeah that smaller scope was super awesome!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@scottiewhigham3431 filmed a separate even on it as well that we’ll hopefully release later. It was great!

[@scottiewhigham3431]

@@BadgerlandBirding awesome! Can’t wait. My girlfriend and I we love y’all’s videos you make

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@scottiewhigham3431 thanks so much! We really appreciate it and are glad you’re enjoying them!

[@PolarisOssifragus]

Thanks for the review. Im looking at picking on of these up for the upcoming raptor migration season. Im more than happy to slap a massive scope in my backpack vs the smaller scopes. Currently I have an older bushnell trophy xlt 20-60×65 scope but the clarity isnt so great ($200 scope). Amazon has the diamondback hd 20-60x85 for about $400 atm. Like, $200 cheaper than the vortex website. I do wish it came straight from Vortex. That warranty is a HUGE draw. It makes spending a lot of money not feel so bad.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

The prices on the Vortex site are always more expensive than in other places! You shouldn’t have a problem ordering from Amazon or another retailer!

[@PolarisOssifragus]

@BadgerlandBirding I got my scope Monday and have tried it a few times. I was able to view a great blue heron at about 0.5miles with decent clarity, visibilty unlimited, some heat distortion (not scopes fault). I also watched a red tailed hawk and a turkey vulture. Between this and the bushnell scope it was like night and day different. I didnt care much for the higher magnifications. The quality does drop off some after 40x. My tripod is also janky so that certainly didnt help. I think a good tripod should be a recommendation alongside the scope.

[@aarong2374]

Interested in purchasing one. Know of any decent online rentals available?

[@Adamsotomonte]

Corey is the Guatemalan national bird, el Quetzal!!! 🎉🇬🇹

[@jasonrad9332]

I love Vortex products! 👍🏻

[@Johnnywhipple-y1z]

super helpful

[@ryanwashere]

I have the Viper 20-60x 85mm. I can definitely vouch for the quality. It's a great scope. For me personally, I think I probably would be better served by the 15-45x 65mm. However, if I had bought the 65mm, then I would probably be saying I should have gotten the 85mm!

[@marinjokautz4542]

I tried both of them thorougly. Downsites big Viper, compared with the smaller Viper: The 85 mm Viper is very bulkie and has a tube-feeling looking through it. (big black ring around the image and a small feild of view). Downsites small Viper, compared with the bigger Viper: The 65 mm Viper shows less sharp details (bigger objective = more light = more sharpness) and of course is less usable during dusk/dawn. Depth/3D-feeling is much better in the bigger 85 mm Viper. Couloring and contrast is about the same. Personally, I prefer the big Viper above the smaller Viper, and therefor I think you made the right choice to go for the bigger Viper. Unless you have to walk a lot of miles through nature.

[@ryanwashere]

@@marinjokautz4542 this is good to know, thanks!

[@marinjokautz4542]

HD is a confusing term. In this specific case (Diamondback spotting cope 20-60x85) the HD only stands for an improved glass in it, compared with the previous Diamondback spotting scope. So, ii is more of a marketing-term. There is no(!) ED glass in it. There is a lot of chromatic abboration in the Diamondback spotting scope. Another thing: a bigger objecttive does not(!) say that you will gett a bigger field of view. For example: a lot of 10x50 binoculars have a lesser field of view than 10x42 binoculars. It is more about the length of the device itself, than the width of the objective. The 65 mm Viper has a much bigger field of view than the 85 Viper, also when keeping in mind that the magnifications do not fully match.

[@desertvalleylabradors9606]

barska dose the job for me and if it gets stole I haven't lose a lot of money. very few safe places to park today without homeless around.

[@PetroIgoshyn]

fellas it great review, but I not see any difference cheep diamondback and expensive razor!? absolutely that same image, not understood!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

As we mentioned in the video, because we’re digiscoping and there are cameras and focus and additional factors involved, it’s hard to tell in the digiscoped images what the differences are. To some degree you have to take our word for it about what we were seeing or go and test them yourself to see if you can see differences.

[@peterbowler6524]

The size of the Objective lens has no bearing on the field of view.

[@UPLINKUSA]

Too pricey and cumbersome. Just more gear I don't need to carry.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It is indeed optional

[@kennethmidwinter982]

No sorry…..delete.

[@kennethmidwinter982]

Hi, I have just viewed the start of your presentation and I can’t understand a word you are saying……. Slow down.

[@YaleHank]

Which one had better details at the highest end? Also which ones would you say would follow in most detail to least? Thanks. Awesome video, btw