Smallest 65mm Spotters

[MuleyFever]

I saw a chart someone put together once with a bunch of spotting scopes and their weight etc. Anyway, I cannot find it and I am wondering what are the most compact/lightest 65mm spotting scopes out right now?

 

[X-file]

I would say look at the Athlon Ares or the Maven C series. Have not looked through either but they get good reviews, are reasonably priced and both light for a 65mm


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[manitou1]

Athlon Ares 15-45x65.
43 oz
Tiny compared to other 65s. Has a nice big eyepiece though.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Athlon Ares 15-45x65.
43 oz
Tiny compared to other 65s. Has a nice big eyepiece though.

This is our most popular 65mm spotter and under $1,000.00 it's tough to beat

 

[Foster_65]

i have the maven cs1 and compared it side by side with my buddies athlon ares. the maven is a bit more price wise than what you can get an athlon from doug. i would say they are so similar it would be up to user to tell the difference. FWIW i like the eyepeice on the athlon better (easier for use universal phone scope adapter). i also thought the maven had a bit of an edge in brightness, but very very close. we also had a gen 2 razor hd 22-48. i can tell you that i would not spend the money on the razor in favor of either of the above scopes. the razor is bigger and heavier. im not saying that the other out performed, but it was to close to even make an opinion and not worth the weight and size penalty imo. all of these scopes were on a tripod side by side until dark looking at writing on farm equipment at about a mile. this was my antidotal non scientific review with my eyes, YMMV.

 

[MuleyFever]

Athlon Ares 15-45x65.
43 oz
Tiny compared to other 65s. Has a nice big eyepiece though.

Just FYI the new UHD model is listed at 50oz on their website.

 

[MuleyFever]

i have the maven cs1 and compared it side by side with my buddies athlon ares. the maven is a bit more price wise than what you can get an athlon from doug. i would say they are so similar it would be up to user to tell the difference. FWIW i like the eyepeice on the athlon better (easier for use universal phone scope adapter). i also thought the maven had a bit of an edge in brightness, but very very close. we also had a gen 2 razor hd 22-48. i can tell you that i would not spend the money on the razor in favor of either of the above scopes. the razor is bigger and heavier. im not saying that the other out performed, but it was to close to even make an opinion and not worth the weight and size penalty imo. all of these scopes were on a tripod side by side until dark looking at writing on farm equipment at about a mile. this was my antidotal non scientific review with my eyes, YMMV.

Thanks. I’m going to look into that Maven. It’s a tad lighter and smaller than the UHD Ares.

 

[archp625]

I just picked up a Maven CS.1 on here a couple weeks ago. Its 40.4 oz and its a 15-45x65. My only comparison is to my old Vortex Viper HD. It seems better in every aspect. There is a plant nursery across the highway from my neighborhood that I can read all the letters with the Maven. I could with the Vortex but it took some guessing.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

I have an ATX65. It's not the lightest, but you can break it down into its halves and fit it in the bag an SLC 15X56 comes in. The foot is Arca so if you have an Arca head you save weight not needing to use a plate.

 

[sndmn11]

I saw a chart someone put together once with a bunch of spotting scopes and their weight etc. Anyway, I cannot find it and I am wondering what are the most compact/lightest 65mm spotting scopes out right now?

Opticron MM4 60 thoughts after a year

About a year ago I decided to track down a spotting scope that was light and compact enough that provided a view good enough that I would want to pack it around, as well as light and compact enough that it wasn’t cumbersome. I began to research 50mm spotting scopes, and put together the below...

www.rokslide.com

 

[MuleyFever]

Opticron MM4 60 thoughts after a year

About a year ago I decided to track down a spotting scope that was light and compact enough that provided a view good enough that I would want to pack it around, as well as light and compact enough that it wasn’t cumbersome. I began to research 50mm spotting scopes, and put together the below...

www.rokslide.com

Thats the one.

 

[ILPete]

The Opticron MM4 with HDF or SDL zooms is a nice small 15-45x scope. Currently the MM4 & HDF combo runs aobut $800.

 

[b_doornenbal]

Leupold Gold Ring would also come in way on the light end ... 12-40 is 37oz

 

[MuleyFever]

The Opticron MM4 with HDF or SDL zooms is a nice small 15-45x scope. Currently the MM4 & HDF combo runs aobut $800.

That’s a 60mm but I’m going to look into it.

 

[MuleyFever]

Leupold Gold Ring would also come in way on the light end ... 12-40 is 37oz

This is also a 60mm I think.

 

[ILPete]

That’s a 60mm but I’m going to look into it.

I forgot that they also make a 50mm MM4. It's 12x-36x with the HDF or SDL3 zooms. Manu. spec is 29.1oz with HDF zoom.

Currently I have the 60mm with HDF. Had the 60mm MM3 ED and SDL2 also. I tried various combinations of those 4 items and didn't perceive any differences in sharpness during terrestrial viewing. The SDL2 did hold tack sharp focus on Jupiter and Saturn a bit longer than the HDF while adjusting the focus. The SDL3 supposedly has a bit more FOV at max mag, but otherwise is reportedly the same as the SDL2. The SDLs are also rated as waterproof vs the HDF, however reports on Birdforum indicate that no one has had a water issue with the HDF even under substantial usage under miserable conditions.

 

[teesquare]

Well....while reading this - and looking for something smaller, thinking I would buy the Ares 15-45 x 65...I found a demo Athlon Cronus 7-42 x 60....for $500. Couldn't be happier...

 

[darkocher]

I forgot that they also make a 50mm MM4. It's 12x-36x with the HDF or SDL3 zooms. Manu. spec is 29.1oz with HDF zoom.

Currently I have the 60mm with HDF. Had the 60mm MM3 ED and SDL2 also. I tried various combinations of those 4 items and didn't perceive any differences in sharpness during terrestrial viewing. The SDL2 did hold tack sharp focus on Jupiter and Saturn a bit longer than the HDF while adjusting the focus. The SDL3 supposedly has a bit more FOV at max mag, but otherwise is reportedly the same as the SDL2. The SDLs are also rated as waterproof vs the HDF, however reports on Birdforum indicate that no one has had a water issue with the HDF even under substantial usage under miserable conditions.

Wondering what was the difference between two eyepieces. thanks.