How To Get The Most Out of Your Spotting Scope

Posted by David Rikan on March 26th, 2018

As with all new gadgets, it takes a bit of practice to use and photograph with a spotting scope. The air conditions will affect your ability to see clearly with the spotting scope. Whenever there is a heat wave, dust, high humidity, a glare, strong wind or air currents, your image quality will be reduced.

These conditions will also necessitate a higher magnification. The best conditions for using a spotting scope are in high altitudes and dry climates. Wetter, humid climate are more difficult and require a higher resolution.

When choosing your spotting scope, you need to understand that most conditions will limit your visibility to within the 60x magnification. Trying to use a telescope for day use is a waste of time because the atmosphere will limit the clarification at about 60x anyway.

Have realistic expectations for your spotting scope

You certainly can view a boat at long distances, but don't expect to be able to see a person's face at that same distance. Some things just aren't possible. No matter how high the quality of the spotting scope, they all decrease in image quality when you get into the highest magnification levels.

This is where the quality of the scope you buy comes in. How high the image quality really depends on the quality of the scope's lenses. The less expensive scopes will quickly reduce the image quality as you increase the magnification. A few of the more expensive scopes will only have a slight reduction in image quality that is barely perceptible.

Don't judge the lens' quality by its size. Just because a lens is larger doesn't mean it will outperform a smaller lens. The best lenses will be made from high-performance glass.

Shop for a spotting scope according to what you plan to use it for. In most cases, people use them to a maximum of 30x to 40x magnification and even the less expensive scopes can handle this resolution well.

When you get up into the higher magnification levels, this is when quality makes a difference. Higher quality scopes will also affect your pictures' resolution. So, give some thought about your needs before deciding on a scope.

The less expensive spotting scopes usually do come with an eyepiece, but one that is not removable. The more expensive ones will have a removable eyepiece to allow you change it according to your needs.

Waterproof protection, while not necessary, will extend the life of your spotting scope. The lens coating is another variable affected by price and quality.

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