Swarovski ATX / STX, the $4000 spotter

[Racethesunset]

I read somewhere that the Swarovski family has an expansive estate in Austria to maintain... surely this must factor into the cost of these spotters.

Seriously though, does anyone have an opinion on their performance? How much better are they than the ATS / ATS HD's, or other high end options?

 

[Matt Cashell]

I am currently evaluating the 85 ATX next to the Kowa 884 w/ WA Zoom.

Optical performance by these spotters is at the highest level. However, the ATS/STS spotters were also very good.

I have a long ways to go before I can make any definitive comparison statements, but I don't think I will use terms like "hands down", "blows away", or other hyperbole you commonly see on internet reviews of new optics.

There are a couple of really neat features to the ATX/STX system though, that right off the bat should be of interest to backpack hunters. This includes the modular design that does two new things for spotters: It allows for splitting the load in half for compact packing, and the flexibility of different objective modules for different tasks.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I am looking to purchase my first spotter. I started looking at Swaro only because I use the SWARO 10x42El and like them a lot. I am not necessarily hung up on various brands, but the Swaro ATX and STX modular looks nice for several reasons. Being a newbie to spotters, I am not sure what to go with the 65x or 85x out of gate. I am kind of thinking the 65x (do to weight and being more packable) down the road I could always pick up the 85x or 95x objective. Looking forward to your review and getting more educated on spotters. It’s an investment and I want to get it right.

 

[dirtytough]

So how is the testing coming along BB? And Aron? I know you were/are testing the Atx also. What do you guys think so far?

 

[Matt Cashell]

I think the ATX is awesome. That much is for sure. I received my resolution chart, and should get some testing done in that area next week. I will be testing the spotter on a bear hunt this weekend.

 

[aggieland]

Keep us posted

 

[Bughalli]

I look forward to the results.

 

[dirtytough]

The results are in a sticky 2 posts up

 

[Matt Cashell]

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-09-42/optics/261-swarovski-atx85-kowa-884