Swaro BTX 65

[fulltiltaudio]

I have probably read every BTX post I could get my eyes on over the last little while, but I still can't decide. I Just sold my 20-60x85 Vortex razor and am going to get a swaro this year. I am just still very indecisive on what to get, as funds will only allow one eyepiece and one objective this year however I am sure any combo will be an upgrade. I am really leaning towards the BTX and the 65mm this year to keep a "smaller" scope to save a little weight and to haul around but still have the dual eye piece. (I will likely buy the 1.7 magnifier regardless of which combo I get.) Plus it would save a little money to get the 65 than it would the 95.

Next year I could get the ATX and/or the 95mm. I worry if it is too big I may not take it as often, however most of my hunts are all just long day trips. I likely wont take it on many of my archery elk hunts regardless because I just don't take a spotter on those hunts. I already have a slik 522 tripod with a Benro S2 head, and really like that combo and would rather not upgrade that IF I don't have to. My concern with jumping straight into the BTX with 95 (whichever I get I will likely also get the ME) is that my tripod/head combo wont quite suffice. Has anyone used the benro S2head with the BTX set up? Am I still going to be happy with the 65 and BTX or wish that I had the 95 all the time? Is the weight of the BTX/65 worth packing to you, or if you are packing the BTX would you rather have the big dog 95 for the 6 pounds of glassing heaven? If its any constellation, I have swaro EL 10x42's though I have considered swapping them out for 12's... any and all tips/experiences are appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[fatrascal]

My personal opinion is that I would not pack a BTX on a multiple day back packing trip. But it sounds like you are only day hunting and in that case I might would do it. Another opinion I have is that the zoom on the ATX, 25x60 or 30x70 depending on the objective you have, is more valuable than the fixed power of 30 or 35, again depending on your objective. But many people would disagree with me. I think that if I was going to pack the BTX then I'd just bite the bullet and carry the 95 objective. Good luck. Sounds like you've got a hard decision to make. Fatrascal.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Get the variable ATX to start and add the fixed power BTX down the road

 

[Beendare]

You will not be happy with the BTX/65mm. Its not enough scope to take advantage of the BTX system.

85 min....the 95 is like a big screen TV in 4k.

______

 

[Steve O]

It is 20 oz difference between the 95 and 65mm objective. A 95 BTX weighs 1 pound and 4 oz more than a 65mm BTX. Same thing for an ATX...it is TWENTY OUNCE difference.

 

[fulltiltaudio]

It is 20 oz difference between the 95 and 65mm objective. A 95 BTX weighs 1 pound and 4 oz more than a 65mm BTX. Same thing for an ATX...it is TWENTY OUNCE difference.

So you're saying you would get the 95 because its only 20 oz heavier? Its also 1,000$ more to do that, i have 2 elk hunts I would use it for this year, one for me and one for my wife. I can always go for the 95 for next year, or swap it around and get the 95 now and 65 later. I just don't want it to seem to bulky and heavy and end up leaving it in the truck.
Also if u compare the smallest set up it is almost 3 lbs lighter to get the atx/65 vs btx/95.

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[Steve O]

If you are comparing apples to apples it is a 20 oz difference. If you are looking for the smallest and lightest of course you want the 65 ATX. You can’t compare the view of a 65 ATX and 95 BTX. One is what you can get a dozen different ways and the other (95 BTX) is life changing. Right now I have a 65mm Zeiss Diascope and the 95BTX and will be getting an ATX eyepiece eventually. Can’t say I “need” the 65mm objective if I keep the Zeiss or not.

I’d heed the advice of those who have looked thru the 65BTX, I have not. Yes the 95BTX is bulky but it is amazing.

 

[fatrascal]

Personally, I would get the ATX 65 and then work on getting the 95 objective and BTX. But you specifically mentioned that you want to use both eyes to glass so by all means get them in what ever order is suitable for you. There really is no wrong answer or wrong order in which you get this package. But it is a great arsenal of optics when you get it all. Fatrascal.

 

[tdot]

The BTX/95 is amazing. There is no doubt about that. But I'm also impressed every time i use my BTX and the 65. It is better then it should be and I wouldn't hesitate to use that combination if you are planning on searching for game with it, which IMO is where the dual eyepiece really comes into play, if you are just inspecting an animal, the ATX is more then adequate.

The size/weight of the 65 vs 95 is very noticeable when attached to the BTX. The 3 spots where I feel the 65 falls behind the 95 are first/last light beyond about 1 to 1.5 miles, digiscoping and using the ME1.7x. Both the digiscoping and the magnifier work on the 65, they are just much better on the 95.

The 12xEL are fantastic. My favourite bino's, but I need an 8x to compliment them for still hunting and some of the tighter area's I hunt. Though I prefer 8's over 10's anyways. But for now I'd recommend staying with the 10x, add whatever ATX/BTX/65/95 combo you decide, then see how that works with your hunting style and terrain. Then add pieces to fill in the gaps.

 

[Ryan Avery]

IMO the BTX with the 65 is pointless, backpacking or not. The time I want the BTX to shine is the first and last hour of light and at big distances. The 85 is the bare minimum for the BTX IME.

 

[tdot]

IMO the BTX with the 65 is pointless, backpacking or not. The time I want the BTX to shine is the first and last hour of light and at big distances. The 85 is the bare minimum for the BTX IME.

Don't you backpack with goats??? ;-)

 

[Ryan Avery]

Indeed! I don’t use the goats for about 50% of my scouting and I still would pack that big bitch either way. It’s crazy how far you can be effective glassing with the BTX.


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[papawheelie]

OP-

I am one of the few who actually prefers the BTX65. Not for the weight, but for the size and ease of deploying when I am hiking and scouting heavily.

I do not think you will be disappointed starting with that combo for this season. If you have the option of going with a BTX with any size objective, you are going to be really happy. The BTX is a totally different beast.

That all being said, I use the BTX95 the majority of the time from the road and I keep the ATX65 in the truck for digiscoping. Lol

 

[fulltiltaudio]

OP-

I am one of the few who actually prefers the BTX65. Not for the weight, but for the size and ease of deploying when I am hiking and scouting heavily.

I do not think you will be disappointed starting with that combo for this season. If you have the option of going with a BTX with any size objective, you are going to be really happy. The BTX is a totally different beast.

That all being said, I use the BTX95 the majority of the time from the road and I keep the ATX65 in the truck for digiscoping. Lol

do you ever feel "undergunned" when it comes to first or last light with the 65? do you ever wish you went with the ATX setup for the 65 to get the zoom instead of the fixed 30x? I am still torn on the fixed power setup, but think it would be way better to have both eyes looking instead of just a single.

 

[papawheelie]

do you ever feel "undergunned" when it comes to first or last light with the 65? do you ever wish you went with the ATX setup for the 65 to get the zoom instead of the fixed 30x? I am still torn on the fixed power setup, but think it would be way better to have both eyes looking instead of just a single.

Not really. I guess it depends if I am archery or rifle hunting. If its still dark, I am usually using my chest binos looking for game that is close and just getting out of their beds. If it is getting dark, I am most likely not going to be able to get a shot in time if I spot game a mile or two away.

I understand the fixed versus adjustable magnification question. But I have found, for me, that I will gladly take the 30x/35x with both eyes open. It is amazing. And don't forget you can still use the ME1.7x for when you think you've spotted a buck 3 miles away and you need to check out the rack.

 

[Str8shooter]

To keep this thread alive, can more folks weigh in on the btx with 65mm? Mostly interested in finding, not scrupulously evaluating game.... I personally cant see lugging the 6+lbs of the 95 into most of the CO terrain I hunt, but the weight (4.1 lbs) and compact size of the 65mm with btx keeps nagging at me as a potential ultimate pair up with my 12ELs. The range in opinion from Ryan Avery (above) saying the "BTX with 65 is pointless" to Chris Denham at Western Hunter saying "from a performance standpoint, you'd think their would be an enormous difference between the 65 and 95, but there's just not, its actually pretty close" is interesting and since there is no where around my neck of the woods where I can put my eyes on both, im hoping this community will spend a little more keyboard time describing their thoughts and uses of the various objectives paired with the BTX. How many of you have either sold the BTX or traded up or down in objective size? Thanks!

 

[dryflyelk]

I have the BTX with the 95 and 65. I’ve tried it with the 65, but when I’m going to be hauling the size and bulk of the BTX, I use the 95 every time. Maybe I should revisit that, but I have used the 65 very rarely.
Another note - the doubler will darken your view. I wouldn’t suggest using the 65 and the doubler most of the time. That will make things tough in low light situations.
I now will carry the doubler and put it on if I want to take a closer look at something, but for general glassing, it’s not on.

 

[Q child]

I've got the BTX/85. It's amazing. To my eye it looks very similar to the SLC 15x56 binoculars, but with twice the magnification. What I mean is the color balance is similar, the apparent field of view is similar, the flatness of field is similar, the brightness is similar...
Anyway, I do find the BTX/85 to be a bit too big and too heavy to carry with me a lot of the time. In my opinion a smaller scope with a monocular eyepiece is more useful in that I use it more often. The BTX was my only scope for about a year then I bought one of those little Kowa's to compliment it. If I were going to do it again I would have done it in the opposite order.
Also, I did have to upgrade my tripod head to accommodate the weight of the BTX/85. I also invested in a balance rail for it because the eyepiece is pretty heavy which results in a poorly balanced system when just using the foot on the objective module.
If you have gotta have the binocular eyepiece, then absolutely you should go for it. When I was shopping for the BTX nobody would have been able to convince me to get a monocular eyepiece. And it is freaking awesome.
As far as the 85mm lens goes, I like it a lot. Never used the 65 or 95. I picked the 85 since it has the largest exit pupil.

 

[pbcarch]

I started with the 85 and atx....then i went to the 65 to lighten the load. I had the intention of using the 85 at the range + carrying in the pack
I wanted to add the ability for long sits of glassing + the benefit of reduced stress while glassing in the back country,. So i gave the btx a shot (bought a demo set).
It’s big but very similar to 15x56 SLC or even going to a 12x50 el . The BTX in the long scheme of things provide me the benefit of a bino and saved a couple of dollars with not buying a set of big binos (which would have lived on a tripod anyway). So with the BTX on a 65, i get a spotter, a big bino in one package (of course i have set of 10x42 or 11x45 on my chest)
I did get the multiplier but as said above it reduces light transmission and doesn’t work in low light very well. It does degrade the clarity a bit but in daylight hours its acceptable.
I have a RRS B24 head on Sirius tx20 tripod leg set, pretty light but stable enough for me. I dont have plans on setting the legs very high though and will use a seated position.
So my plans for Montana this season will be with the BTX +65....will see how it goes
Paul


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[Wolf-killer]

I originally had a stx 65 and then bought a 95. I liked it but wow what a difference when I bought the BTX. I sold my STX because I love that btx so much. I don’t care how much heavier the btx is it’s worth it to me to carry on back country hunts because it makes it so much better to glass. Now for the difference between the 65 and 95 with btx, I can say I don’t see huge differences but I wish I could have them set up side by side to compare vs changeing the objectives out.