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ANGLED AND STRAIGHT SPOTTER |
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pawoods
Optics GrassHopper Joined: August/27/2015 Status: Offline Points: 2 |
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Posted: August/27/2015 at 08:47 |
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I am new to the forum. This is my first post. I am sure this has probably been covered before. I am in the market for my first spotting scope and not sure if I should get an angled or straight eye piece model. I have tried a few different models out at Cabelas and Gander MT but I was standing up at the time - not seated or prone. I and 6'5" and have a longish neck. The scope will be used for hunting and at the range. Any import would be appreciated. Thanks |
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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Angled is a little more complicated to find what u are wanting to look at. But a straight is much more difficult to get behind as it has to be straight with your eye. Meaning you have to have your tripod way up in the air.
I have both and would pick the angled every time. Learning how to find what your wanting to look at just takes practice. The annoyance of trying to get behind a straight will always be there |
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BeltFed
Optics Retard Joined: February/12/2008 Location: Ky Status: Offline Points: 22287 |
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I'm going with supertool on this one. It's easier to use an angled at the range, and it's not that hard to find something with a little practice.
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Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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X3!!!
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 11200 |
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My sentiments differ. I have a straight Kowa and it is easy to get behind and locate targets.
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Online Points: 14569 |
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I like straight as well. It comes down to a matter of preference.
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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3 to 2 so far.
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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I'm an angled guy too. I thought I would like a straight scope better, until I tried both and decided I preferred the angled.
As much as anything, angled permits lower tripod height since you're looking down. I find it's more comfortable and relaxed for my neck along a wider arc, and is easier to get on the eyepiece as you adjust viewing angle. With a straight eyepiece, you are forced to arc your head more according to the viewing angle, and it's especially more difficult as you angle the scope upward, unless you move the tripod height up really high. It is easier to aim the toward a distant objects with straight spotters. So, you have to decide which advantage you prefer and which disadvantage you're most willing to live with/ work around. |
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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That being said I still have an old sample that is probably 25 years old. It's a Nikon ED78 Fieldscope with a 20-45X eyepiece. Can't remember if they made angled back then or not.
Forgot to say straight. But I still prefer angled! 4 to 2 Edited by Peddler - August/27/2015 at 11:59 |
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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billyburl2
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: January/08/2009 Location: Cottonwood, AZ Status: Offline Points: 4015 |
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I prefer straight eye pieces. I believe they are easier to line-up on target, especially in field conditions.
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If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
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coyote95
Optics Master Joined: January/24/2009 Location: michigan Status: Offline Points: 1196 |
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Welcome to O.T If your going to spend anytime standing behind spotter on tripod, you will want to go with angled for the reason Ted mentioned. @ 6'5" your going to want it as low as possible. If your going to mostly sit behind it, that will be a personal preference. imo
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"Life is like riding a bicycle . To keep balance you must keep moving" Albert Einstein
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Not to mention the fact that if you're a tall person, unless you have a VERY sturdy tripod, you'll have a much harder time keeping a straight spotter steady (especially in the wind) due to much higher tripod height. The higher you scope up a tripod, the less steady it becomes.
The angled eyepiece is also more adaptable to sharing your spotter with others of varying heights since you're already bending your head down to look into the eyepiece and therefore don't have to get the tripod exactly at eye height for comfort. The comfort aspect becomes even more important during extended viewing. Many spotters come with a little sighting notch or tube that helps with the angled spotter's aiming speed disadvantage. I've found I simply pretend the eyepiece isn't there and look along the side of the body when aiming, then refine my aim through the eyepiece once I'm roughly aimed at the object. Plus, I use a joystick style ball head with my spotter, which speeds up target acquisition. With a little practice, I've gotten pretty fast at finding even the smallest targets. I've taken my angled spotter with me multiple times on prairie dog shoots. Nothing I can think of is harder to acquire in a high powered optic than a tiny prairie dog at extreme distance on a flat, featureless, treeless prairie, and yet I've had little problem doing it after minimal practice. To me, the comfort, viewing angle convenience, and lower tripod height more than compensates for the slight loss of aiming speed, and after a little practice, I'm not even sure the aiming speed is even much different anymore. |
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 11200 |
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Precisely why I bought the tripod I did. It's lightweight (relatively), very sturdy and well built. It's the Jobu Design Algonquin. It would be great for a person up to 6'5"-6'7" (or more) depending upon the head configuration. |
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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Marine24
Optics Journeyman Joined: June/07/2010 Location: Monument, CO Status: Offline Points: 687 |
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I prefer the angled as well particulary my Zen Ray ED2 that has the rotating tripod ring. That allows me to stay seated and still look through the scope with the eyepiece rotated to be parallel with the deck. Use a Phone Skope or similar product with my iPhone and you have a nice setup for the range.
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Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
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Straight for prone shooting, angled for all else.
I hunt sometimes from blinds with high shelves for building a solid shooting position. In those blinds, straight are much better. My go-to spotter is an angled Vortex Razer HD, and it will be for awhile. I hope.
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sucker76
Optics Journeyman Joined: June/13/2013 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 392 |
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Is there any optical advantage one way or another? I also have been looking around for spotters and sometimes the angled is a different price than the straight.
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Stamp collecting since 2015
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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Personal preference, there should be no price difference.
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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BeltFed
Optics Retard Joined: February/12/2008 Location: Ky Status: Offline Points: 22287 |
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If you want to split hairs, the straight would be better, because the angled has to send light through an extra lens, but I doubt you can tell a difference between a straight or angled version of the same scope.
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Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Not really. The difference in eyepiece orientation is accomplished by using different prism designs -- Typically a straight scope uses a porro prism or schmidt pechan prism, and an angled scope typically uses a roof prism. With today's advanced dielectric prism coatings, there is no noticeable difference in light transmission or image quality between angled and straight, when comparing two high quality spotters of the same series. |
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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BeltFed
Optics Retard Joined: February/12/2008 Location: Ky Status: Offline Points: 22287 |
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That's what I said, but at least I got one of the smart guys to explain it |
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Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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