Opticron spotters - don't overlook them

[Newtosavage]

I'll begin by saying I am in no way affiliated with Opticron or any vendor that sells them. But I'm a big fan now.

I've found myself spending more and more time taking video of wildlife with my phone attached to a spotting scope. A while back, I had a reason to set up a "wildlife filming" rig, complete with a phone to scope adapter and a microphone, to record some bird mating behavior. Then I realized how useful it was for sharing video of all sorts of wildlife with my friends and family. My original setup was a Nikon ED50 with a fixed Pentax 12mm wide angle eyepiece. It produced outstanding center image quality, was very portable and the whole rig - microphone, spotter, phone and all - weight only about 2 lbs. Later I bumped up to a Nikon ED III 60mm spotter, keeping the same 12mm Pentax eyepiece. But although the center of the image was outstanding, the edges were not. Because I was spending so much time with this system, I started looking at various spotters to upgrade to. At this point, I was not afraid to drop a couple grand on a spotter because I knew I would use it a lot.

Initially I bought an open box Swaro STX with the 65mm objective, thinking that spotters just don't get any better right? After using it for a few days, I was disappointed with how heavy it was compared to my Nikon ED III and frankly the image quality in the center wasn't any better than the ED III. It just didn't blow me away like I expected it to. So I sold that scope and bought a Kowa with the fixed eyepiece. I liked it better (for my purposes) than the STX with the zoom eyepiece, but it was still heavy and again, not that much better than my ED III. Not enough to justify the cost I thought.

I've heard a lot about Opticron scopes while browsing the birding forums, and they are extremely popular in Europe. European birders know their optics as well as anyone, and generally have the cash to buy anything they want, so when they are high on something I pay attention. I picked up a fixed 23x (on a 60mm scope) Opticron eyepiece and then tried to decide which scope to put it on. Initially I bought the 77mm MM4 scope body from B&H ($875) and that eyepiece gave me 28x and an incredible view. I would put it on par with the Kowa and actually ahead of the Swaro if you can believe that. But 28x was more magnification than I needed, and the scope, although very light and compact for a 77mm spotter, was a bit larger than I wanted. So I sent that body back and ordered a 60mm MM3 from Front Range Birding Company. You can buy just the body from them. B&H (my normal vendor) only sells those scopes with the zoom eyepieces. The MM3 series is quite a bit more affordable than the MM4 series, so I honestly wasn't expecting it to be that good and figured I'd just return it if it didn't impress me. But it did. I was simply blown away by the image that HDF T WW eyepiece and the 60mm MM3 scope delivered. Razor sharp to the edge, bright, great contrast and excellent color. Comparing it to my Nikon ED III and Pentax eyepiece, there was simply no comparison. The tiny, lightweight MM3 from Opticron was better in every way. Smaller and lighter too, and that's saying something because the ED III Nikon is already a pretty small and light spotter.

I've been using that MM3 60 with the HDF T WW (23x) eyepiece for about two months now and I am absolutely satisfied with it in every way. The eyepiece screws on to the body with a large diameter thread that is very robust. It is locked on and doesn't budge, unlike that little bit of "wiggle" you always seem to get with bayonet mounted eyepieces.
For one final comparison, I bought a Gen1 Vortex Razor spotter with the variable eyepiece along with a Burris fixed eyepiece that fits the Razor. With the fixed eyepiece, that Razor gave the tiny little Opticron a run for it's money, but the size and weight of the Razor was just no match for the little Opticron, and the image quality was essentially equal. I took about 10 images and videos through them both and lost track of which was which. So the Razor got sold as well.

Sorry for the long-winded post but if you're looking for a fantastic deal on a high quality spotter that is also very light and compact, you owe it to yourself to try the Opticron series. I can highly recommend the MM3 60mm body and the 23x HDF T WW fixed eyepiece. The MM3 body will only set you back about $289 from their website. I ordered a straight body from Front Range Birding for just $249 shipped. The MM4 60mm body is $679 but after using the MM3 for a while, I am not sure how much better the MM4 could actually be. The fixed eyepiece I am using is listed for $189 on Opticron's website.

Before ordering anything from Opticron or B&H, I'd give Front Range Birding a call and see if they could order what you want. They were very helpful to me and their prices were great.

So for less than $500, you can get a spotter that to my eyes, holds it's own with just about anything out there. If it seems too good to be true, order one and see for yourself. Due to the small size and weight, the MM3/23x combo is the best backpacking spotter I've ever come across and the IQ is just simply outstanding.

Eyepiece: https://www.opticronusa.com/our-products/eyepieces/hdf-eyepieces/40831-hdf-t-ww-eyepiece

Spotter: https://www.opticronusa.com/our-products/fieldscopes/mm3-travelscopes/mm3-60-ga-travelscope

Front Range Birding store: (angled MM3 body for just $249) https://frontrangebirding.com/product/opticron-mm3-60-ga-travelscope/

 

[Newtosavage]

For reference. I have very large hands but still, this is a small and lightweight package.

 

[Newtosavage]

I imagine everyone reading this is like, this guy is on crack. There is no way a sub-$500 spotter is that good. LOL

 

[Matt G.]

Need to send it to Matt Cashel for an unbiased technical review. I been eyeing these for years.

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[Newtosavage]

Need to send it to Matt Cassel for an unbiased technical review. I been eyeing these for years.

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What particular qualifications does Matt possess (don't know the man) that make his reviews "technical?"

 

[bigbuckdj]

The body of these look so much like the previous generation kowas. I wonder if there is a connection.


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[Newtosavage]

The body of these look so much like the previous generation kowas. I wonder if there is a connection.


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Good question.

 

[feanor]

Thanks for sharing. Always nice to have some options that aren’t on the obvious list of things.

 

[Bearsears]

Agreed. While Im not sure its on par with alot of the more well known high end spotters, they defintely blow away most of the competition in their price range. I bought a 60mm MM4 with the SDLv3 15-45 eyepiece off of another Rokslider in '21. I have absolutely loved this little scope and Ive been so impressed with its performance. Ive compared it side by side with scopes in the same price range from Vortex, Maven, Athlon, and Leupold and none could compare. I also have come to love having a fine focus wheel on my spotters to really dial in focus and I wish more manufactures would do the same. Ive been toying with the thought of buying a 77mm body for awhile now to switch my eyepiece between the two depending on use case.

 

[bigbuckdj]

I’m intrigued by the 60 and 77, it seems like you could get a few eyepieces and have a lot of flexibility if you had those two bodies


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[Newtosavage]

Agreed. While Im not sure its on par with alot of the more well known high end spotters, they defintely blow away most of the competition in their price range. I bought a 60mm MM4 with the SDLv3 15-45 eyepiece off of another Rokslider in '21. I have absolutely loved this little scope and Ive been so impressed with its performance. Ive compared it side by side with scopes in the same price range from Vortex, Maven, Athlon, and Leupold and none could compare. I also have come to love having a fine focus wheel on my spotters to really dial in focus and I wish more manufactures would do the same. Ive been toying with the thought of buying a 77mm body for awhile now to switch my eyepiece between the two depending on use case.

If you ever get one of the fixed eyepieces, you'll be even more impressed. That 23x isn't leaving my MM3 60 body. Only question I have now is whether I need to try the MM4. The 77mm MM4 sure was impressive and if I was looking for an open country spotter that I would use from the truck or base camp, there's no question I'd have one of those.

I also love that fine focus. Doesn't move the scope at all unlike on the body focusers.

 

[Newtosavage]

I’m intrigued by the 60 and 77, it seems like you could get a few eyepieces and have a lot of flexibility if you had those two bodies


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Correct. I probably should have kept that 77 but the eyepiece I had gave me 28x with it and it was too much for my current needs. But a 60 and 77 with a zoom and a fixed would be a killer combo. The 60 isn't that much bigger than my old ED50 Nikon. Dang thing is tiny and light!

 

[4th_point]

Thanks for the info on the MM3. If I recall correctly, it does not have ED glass? I believe that the MM4 is ED, so at higher magnifications it should have better image quality than the MM3. However, at the 23x that you are using you may not see much difference. Some say that 40x and above is where it makes a difference but it might depend on the actual design. I had a different brand of non-ED scope that went to 45x and it definitely showed false color at 45x, but if I used ~35x it seemed fine.

Overall, Opticron seems to have a really good reputation, but doesn't seem well known in the US. And not easy to find in stores. That stated, there are more Opticron dealers near me than Kowa! In my area, a few birding stores sell the binocs and the Audubon Society sells scopes and binocs. There are no Kowa dealers near me.

It's already been beat to death, but Opticron chooses not to market to hunters. They support conservation and wildlife viewing, but not sport hunting. To each their own but that might be one reason why the brand is not be well known in the hunting community.

Anyway, my friend went to try the MM4 scope but the focuser knob was stuck/bent out of the box. I think the clerk got another and it had the same problem. Too bad, as I was hoping to get a report from him. We both lost interest due to that design, thinking that stuffing the scope in a pack might damage the focuser. I'm not sure how fragile it truly is, and with care should not be a problem. Just something to consider?

 

[4th_point]

The body of these look so much like the previous generation kowas. I wonder if there is a connection.


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Opticron doesn't manufacture optics but I have no idea who the OEM is that they use. Either way, I don't think Kowa manufactures optics for any other companies.

 

[Newtosavage]

Thanks for the info on the MM3. If I recall correctly, it does not have ED glass? I believe that the MM4 is ED, so at higher magnifications it should have better image quality than the MM3. However, at the 23x that you are using you may not see much difference. Some say that 40x and above is where it makes a difference but it might depend on the actual design. I had a different brand of non-ED scope that went to 45x and it definitely showed false color at 45x, but if I used ~35x it seemed fine.

Overall, Opticron seems to have a really good reputation, but doesn't seem well known in the US. And not easy to find in stores. That stated, there are more Opticron dealers near me than Kowa! In my area, a few birding stores sell the binocs and the Audubon Society sells scopes and binocs. There are no Kowa dealers near me.

It's already been beat to death, but Opticron chooses not to market to hunters. They support conservation and wildlife viewing, but not sport hunting. To each their own but that might be one reason why the brand is not be well known in the hunting community.

Anyway, my friend went to try the MM4 scope but the focuser knob was stuck/bent out of the box. I think the clerk got another and it had the same problem. Too bad, as I was hoping to get a report from him. We both lost interest due to that design, thinking that stuffing the scope in a pack might damage the focuser. I'm not sure how fragile it truly is, and with care should not be a problem. Just something to consider?

The best I could find indicated that the MM3 is not ED and the MM4 is, but I also saw posts on BirdForum indicating that the early MM3's were ED, so it gets confusing. I've never been that hung up over ED glass because I've had several pairs of bins over the years that were not "ED" but were still better than many cheaper bins that claimed ED glass. All I know is this tiny little 60mm MM3 spotter is better than my Nikon EDIII and that's saying something because that's a pretty good scope.

I don't think Opticron really cares if they sell that much product in the US. They probably don't want to try and compete against the Vortex's and Leupolds. But the European birding community sure knows all about them.

I couldn't care less that they don't market toward hunters. I don't need to have my personal preferences validated by an optics company. The fact that they support conservation is a plus, but again, I don't look to optics companies for that reason and anyone that does is just getting played IMO.

That dual wheel focuser is more exposed than an on the body focuser, that is true. But I love that fine focus wheel. Throw a nylon case over it and that focuser should be fine. Kowa uses the same focuser and folks seem to be okay with them. (shrug)

 

[Newtosavage]

Opticron doesn't manufacture optics but I have no idea who the OEM is that they use. Either way, I don't think Kowa manufactures optics for any other companies.

Probably another Light Optical Works or Kamakura (Japan) product. Either way, they have me convinced.

 

[4th_point]

All I know is this tiny little 60mm MM3 spotter is better than my Nikon EDIII and that's saying something because that's a pretty good scope.

Using which eyepiece on the EDIII? And what sort of test or comparison?

 

[Newtosavage]

Using which eyepiece on the EDIII? And what sort of test or comparison?

I've had a couple of eyepieces on my EDIII. Two Nikons ( a fixed wide angle and a zoom ) and a fixed Pentax 12 mm (which was the best IMO). It's a great scope. If you have one, keep it. But the Opticron is better in every way. Lighter, smaller, better eyepiece selection and fit (Nikons are easy to cross-thread), better edge sharpness, brighter... I could go on. Again, if you have the EDIII keep it and be happy because it's a damn good scope. But the Opticron is just better.

 

[4th_point]

I'm glad that you are enjoying the MM3 Opticron. I bet it is a great scope for the cost and weight. I had a non-ED 16-48x60 that was really sharp and bright at 16x up to mid-20x. Surprisingly good, but the image started to fall apart around mid-30x.

I have to say that I am a bit skeptical that a non-ED 60mm can outperform an EDIII. At low magnification I suspect that the image is nice, but I don't think that it would handle higher magnification as well.

A member here compared his EDIII vs MM4 vs 550 at BF, and in the end came to the conclusion that they were all about the same for brightness and resolution over the same zoom range. That is more inline with what I would expect.

You also wrote that the Gen1 Vortex was comparable to the MM3, which I don't doubt. That stated, I don't think that a Gen1 compares well to an EDIII. I have owned two EDIII and each was well corrected and sharp at 60x with the MCII zoom. I have tried a few Gen1 and none would come to sharp focus at max zoom which tells me that there are optical or design flaws. Sample variation seems to be low for the Nikons and supposedly higher for the Vortex though.

The water gets a little murky with the 12mm Pentax. What magnification are you estimating? My guess is ~23x on the ED50? With the EDIII, it would be even higher.

So it is not surprising that the MM3 with fixed 23x EP appears brighter than the EDIII at higher magnification, correct? Do you have the Nikon fixed 24x DS eyepiece for closer comparison?

You obviously had to adapt the 12mm Pentax to the Nikon EP mount as well. Removed the 1.25" barrel and fabricated a thread adapter? That sounds great, but the degraded edge that you noted might be due to this adapted EP configuration and not the EDIII. Future readers of this thread might not catch onto that.

Again, I think it's great that you found a nice bright, light, and affordable scope for imaging. Just might be a little confusing for other readers unless they consider the relatively low magnification used and comparison to non-standard EP on the EDIII.

 

[4th_point]

Also, are you sure that your Nikon isn't the standard III? I have seen numerous standard III scopes being sold as EDIII.