Thursday, August 20, 2009

Picking The Best Spotting Scope

By Jim Samposzi

People involved in bird watching, hunting, security, nature sports, and other outdoor activities require a way to see things from a great distance away. Spotting scopes give people this ability in a portable, easy to use way. These tiny telescope type devices can be mounted on various objects, or small enough to hold in ones hand to view a variety of different objects from afar; whether it be an animal, a criminal, or a valley deep below.

This technology is different than telescopes because, for one, they are small and not able to view planets and space. Also, this technology produces an upright image - telescopes do not always do this; sometimes the things you see in a telescope are seen upside down. In addition, a spotting scope can also be used during the day when the former cannot. Although spotting scopes aren't perfect and are at risk for interference and a reduced amount of strength, they can give much more visibility at times when you cannot see something.

These brilliant little devices can be used during the day for a number of different things. Most need them for activities, such as: bird watching and scoring rifle marks from far away. Spotting scopes are better than binoculars for most uses because they are stronger and magnify objects greater than do binoculars. Most of these devices can see 60 to 80 times magnification during the day. Not only can they provide this power of magnification, they usually do so quite clearly.

Spotting scopes are subject to outside interference that reduces the effectiveness of the magnification. Things like wind, atmosphere, dirt, and air patterns can affect the ability of the device during further distances. Operating a spotting scope in moist, low climates reduces the ability of the spotting scope, where using the spotting scope in a dry, area of substantial altitude yields better views. Also, the changes of wind patterns and other conditions can hurt the clarity of this instrument when used.

With this instrument, like all others, the price can be substantial. However, it is recommended to spend a lot more and get a better quality spotting scope. The reason is that better models produce the utmost sharpness as magnification gets increased. The cheaper spotting scopes tend to loose quality as the magnification can be lower. Although a reduction in cost is attractive, and due to portability, they do not provide the same abilities as the ones that are more expensive. This is mainly due to the glass in the objective lens. So, when you look to buy a spotting scope, the buyer gets what he/she pays for. Usually, most of the time, size indicates the sharpness and clarity.

This kind of scope can provide the ability to see objects from far distances away. Because they are light weight and small, they are portable and convenient. But, most of more powerful types require mounting of some kind. It is also good to mount the scope for a reduction in moving when the lens is in focus; this will yield a much better view.

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