Vortex Razor HD 16-48x65mm pics

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Just got these in stock finally, going to take it up into the hills tomorrow bear hunting and test it out. Did some glassing last night at dark and was exremely impressed. All I had to compare it to was my Nikon ED50 but it was definitely better in every area. I'll be comparing it to a Swaro 65 HD this weekend.
 

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ElkNut1

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Todd, funny you mention that! Personally I d not care for the esthetics's of the case either, I talked to Vortex about it & asked if they would re-think it & mimic the 85 one, that one is very nice. Fortunately it has nothing to do with the glass quality.

I look forward to Steve's review too!

ElkNut1
 

Solitude

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+4 on wanting to hear the review as well! Wish I had access to both scopes so I could do this myself, thanks for taking this on Steve.

Any word on the vortex line dialing up to 60x like the Swaro and/or adding the choice of eyepieces? I really enjoy dialing in on animals once spotted (with high end clear glass) to get the up close an personnel view. The Vortex vs Swaro WA seem pretty darn comparable on paper.

Nice to hear this scope is a cut above the ED50, which is expected in low light situations.

My current scope goes to a non crystal clear 40x and I have found myself wanting something more on several trips. This comparison may very well help me figure out which scope to pull the trigger on. Thanks again.
 

Matt Cashell

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I got the Razor 65HD in last week for testing as well!

I should have some resolution testing results this week.

Other eyepieces available include a 23x WA fixed power, 23x WA w/ reticle, and an 18x long eye relief (LER) eyepiece.

All of these eyepieces are fully compatible with the 85 Razor, but due to focal length differences between the 65mm and 85mm bodies, the eyepieces provide more magnification on the 85 (30x for the WAs, 23x for the LER, and 20-60 for the zoom).
 
OP
S&S ARCHERY
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Yeah the eyepiece on the 65 and 85 is the exact same, so unless they come out with a 75x eyepieice for the 80 I doubt the 65 will get any higher. I do have a 30x wide Zen Ray eyepeice that fits right into the Vortex and am going to play with that as well.

Vortex did tell me at the ATA show that they might be working on something higher for the 50mm next year though. I would love to see a 13-40 on that like Nikon has for the ED50.
 

AGPank

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I would love to see a variable wide angle for the 85. One great thing is the price for the eyepieces is reasonable.
 

justin262

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I packed my 85mm Razor many miles on last years sheep hunt in AK. At just over 4 lbs, its a heavy one, but I wouldn't say its too heavy to pack. Definitely worth its weight. It's a good piece of glass. Looking to drop some weight in my already heavy pack, I ended up selling and bought the new 65mm Razor. I was going to get the swaro 65 hd but after a couple phone calls to vortex's customer service on some small repairs, I was sold on sticking with vortex.
 
OP
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Steve
How us this coming along? Very interested in the comparison as well.
Brad

I am working on the video this weekend, should be done soon. Overall I would say the two are so close there definitely isn't a clear winner in the optical category, if you consider the price difference the Vortex is outstanding.
 

Matt Cashell

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I should clarify my opinion on this:

When looking for a spotter for both horsepacking and backpacking, either the 65mm or 85mm version will work well for both uses. As for which is better, I would look at the frequency of my uses. If I was on horseback more often than backpacking, I would go for the 85mm. If I was on my feet more, I would go for the 65mm. The 65mm is a pound lighter, and more slender. I have had the 65mm Razor for a couple of weeks. It is a very nice spotter, and I am happy to see it is on the same quality level as the 85mm version.
 

Matt Cashell

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Steve,

I was able to easily mount a Swarovski 20-60 eyepiece to the Razor 65, but not vice versa. Did you try this?

It is apparent, the Razor eyepiece is of the same optical design as the Swaro. The 20-60 Swaro eyepiece provides the identical 16-48 view as the Razor eyepiece in every way including FOV and distortion.
 
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