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

It can be tough to know what to look for in a spotting scope. We go over the basics of a scope, what's different at different price ranges, and what to look for in a good scope!

Special thanks to Donald for joining us!

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Click here to check out spotting scopes from Vortex!

Panasonic LUMIX FZ80 4K Digital Camera
Used for most bird videos) - check credits as we do source some photos/videos elsewhere which is noted in the description

Cayer FP2450 Fluid Head Tripod, 75 inches Aluminium Tripod
Derek's lighter tripod

Andoer Video Tripod Aluminum Alloy 67 Inch
Derek's heavier tripod

Nikon D5300
Derek's vlogging and macro camera

Rode VideoMicPro Compact Directional On-Camera Microphone
Derek's external microphone for Nikon D5300

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Thanks to Terry Sohl for allowing us to use his range maps

All other photos and videos by Derek and Ryan Sallmann

#Birding #BirdWatching #BadgerlandBirding

[BadgerlandBirding]

Gear Links (As Amazon Associates we do earn from qualifying purchases)

Click here to check out spotting scopes from Vortex!

[JLowe]

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_]

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!

[matthewmatlock]

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

Birder from Arkansas

[markruane]

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

[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

[aurora]

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

[darylbernard]

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.

[GATNBirding]

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

[lynnslaga]

Awesome timing! I am shopping for a scope

[guybob]

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

[Adamsotomonte]

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

[scottiewhigham]

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

[aarong]

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

[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.

[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!

[marinjokautz]

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.

[desertvalleylabradors]

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.

[peterbowler]

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