athlon argos vs vortex diamondback spotting scope
However, with Vortexs best-in-class warranty, youll never have to worry if it fails to perform. At 40 to 55x, the scope has enough magnification to enable users to count points on a distant buck without making the image maddeningly dark. They are still honoring their warrantee but have made some changes and dont have the no fault warrantee any longer. These are big, expensive optics for a fairly narrow segment of the market, and most hunters dont buy a new spotter every year or even more than a couple times in their careers. As you have seen in our list of recommendations, both Vortex and Athlon offer multicoated optics. Alternatively, the rails allow you to mount the LMSS2 on either rails or a traditional tripod. This isnt the spotter for everyone, but for buyers on a budget who want decent performance and all the reach that a 60-power can deliver, its a very good choice. Or look at even smaller scopes, like the 9-2756 Hawke in this years test. They have a similar long eye relief, but the eyebox isn't as fast to focus as the Vortex. You must log in or register to reply here. JavaScript is disabled. Length, weight, eye relief, and FOV are similar. Oftentimes they dont even end up helping you see better at long distances. You can check the price today and see if its the right fit for you. Bushnell is one of the older players in the sporting optics world, having been founded in 1948. If you have the budget, Celestrons Regal is a huge optical upgrade over the Ultima. This scope has one function: To get you close eyes on a subject far, far away. They are quick and easy to use when you are based out of your vehicle. We were able to arrive at a consensus on the optical talents of this spotter. The second number is the size of the objective lens in millimeters. This spotter makes an excellent choice for a hunter who wants a versatile spotting scope without paying a months wages. Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24x50mm FFP Rifle Scope; Table of Contents. There is a massive difference between HD and regular definition television, and everyone has seen it. QUICK LIST: Best First Focal Plane Scopes in 2022. Any feedback on these two scopes? They offer solid products at affordable prices, as well as higher end options. In other words, will you use it just for hunting, or should you consider a model with removable eyepiece so you can trade out wide-angle eyepieces or ones with reticles? At low magnifications, the SIG has a bright image and wide field of view. ), then I'd go vortex. It also has ArmorTek technology that prevents the body from scratches. The best brightness and image quality will be at 20X, but the image will be smallest at that magnification. $199.99. Replies 44 Views 30K. That glass is good, but its not quite as bright and sharp as that Japanese S-series glass. Get the Bushnell Match Pro over either. Maybe, but maybe not. You are using an out of date browser. And with $500, I would definitely buy the Diamondback 20-60x85mm. Models that have both designs typically have identical glass, magnification ranges, and components, so theyll likely deliver an identical image. 1.5 #5) Leupold SX-2 Alpine HD 20-60x60mm. Hook it up to your camera with Zeisss extensive catalog of accessories and youll be taking pictures you never thought possible. 1.4 #4) Swarovski ATS 80 20-60x Spotting Scope. If you want to take your photography game to the next level, particularly if photographing animals you dont want to disturb or things that are dangerous to get to close to, a spotting scope with a digiscoping setup can make all the difference. Thread starter Kyle Wheeler; Start date Nov 11, 2020; Nov 11, 2020 #1 Kyle Wheeler Well Known Rokslider. It is dramatically more affordable than the other optics were recommending here for bird watchers. Definitions aside, if youre in the market for a full-sized spotter and have limited funds, consider the Argos HD. You probably dont want to be lugging around a 100mm Celestron that weighs 4.5 pounds even without the tripod if youre going deep into elk country. The redesigned Diamondback HD spotting scopes have all the horsepower the long-distance hunter needs, and they excel in lowlightright when you need it most. Here are some great options to consider: This scope, which gets our number one overall recommendation right now, is a shockingly good value. They just work as advertised. The downside: Youre stuck with the 15-45-power zoom. With an 80mm objective lens, its big enough to handle pretty much any task you throw at it. Hes also OLs optics editor, helping readers to make informed buying decisions. Its eyecup turns as though on ball bearings, and instead of locking into pre-determined detents, it is infinitely adjustable. If you hold any kind of magnified optic up to a light source and at least a foot away from your eyes, you will see a white dot in the middle of the lens. Celestron may have started out targeting astronomers with their products, but theyve expanded into a full sporting optics line suitable to all sorts of activities. A great all-around spotter, the SIG OSCAR8 has enough optical horsepower for most hunting situations and exterior styling that fits right at home on a rifle range. This scope is perfect for someone: Who is looking for an all-in budget build of under $1,000 (gun and scope) A beginner long-range shooter who wants to stretch into those longer distances, but doesn't want to stretch their wallet Now, don't get me wrong, this scope is a high-quality scope There is a range of designations that manufacturers use, and unfortunately there isnt much standardization. You can get monsters with objective lenses over 100mm designed for leaving in place, or get something portable. Full-sized spotting scopes can cost well over $2,000. An immensely capable mid-sized spotter, the CS.1 features decent glass in a rugged and lightweight alloy frame that handles mid-distance spotting chores with style and talent. I am looking at the ballistic reticle scopes in the 3-9x40 and 4/4.5-12x40/42 range in both product lines. . The upside: Its especially weather- and moisture-proof. Free shipping for many products! Check it out on Amazon. Big 80 and 85mm scopes from premium brands can cost upwards of $3,000. +1-800-504-5920 Live Chat Contact Us Check Order Status. F FlatCat Member By Max Mutter and Benjamin Hickok. Most importantly, they have a solid warranty and a great reputation for taking care of their customers. Weve seen this design before, most recently from Celestron (with its similarly sized Hummingbird). Anyone know the low end focus on the Argos? Dont let the fact that its cheaper than the Viper and Razor deter you, this thing provides stellar optics and is backed by their excellent lifetime warranty program. In those cases, you want a scope that will withstand the abuses of the field. . Many consumers are understandably confused about the designations that optics companies use to describe the quality of glass in their products, but the Athlon spotters are useful to differentiate between HD and UHD glass. The angled eyepiece and rotating tripod mount increase its versatility, and the controls are relatively tight and precise, especially for the at around $400. Though its the same size and about the same in terms of zoom power, the money is spent on the quality of glass. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. I am a fan of vortex but the diamond back not so much . Is it to assess distant animals in the first and last light of the day? A spotting scope helps you get crystal clear, up close views of birds, and can also help you take pictures of them. Consider the durability of a spotter. I just believe you get what you pay for. Founded by Frank Galli in 2000, Snipers Hide has been offering informational videos, podcasts, and other support to its users in one location. The Ultima 80 is the definition of the intersection between quality and affordability. The bigger the objective lens, the more light will be allowed into the scope. W. Wrencoforge Sergeant of the Hide. 45 Angled Viewing. There are only dangerous men." Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical FFP Riflescope 6-24x50, EBR-2C MRAD DBK-10029. Show Out of Stock Items. Wednesday December 7, 2022. At about 40 ounces, it isnt the lightest scope, but it gives you an excellent performance to portability ratio. Moreover, weighing 24.6 ounces it is one of the lightest offerings from Athlon. We bought and tested binoculars from Vortex, Athlon, Nikon, Leica, Swarovski, and others to help you find the best. Click to play video. This scope has extra low dispersion glass, and is one of the least expensive options that has that critical spec. And if youre shooting at really long ranges, an afternoon trip to the range can feel more like a lengthy hike. About Us Policies. If you got sick of reading about scopes (or, lets be honest, you saw there was video and skipped ahead! Show More. With televisions, High Definition has a technical definition that sets a standard of pixels a display has to have in order to earn the HD distinction. Athlon BTR vs Vortex Diamondback. If you are buying a lower-mid range scope, the odds of it coming from Bushnell in one form or another are very high. Large 85mm Objective Lens. And its ultra-compact size means youll take this optic more places than a larger spotter or a big-boned binocular. Maven is a very unique company in the sporting optics world. So got the Argos in mail last night and got it mounted this afternoon. The test team was divided on the merits of the relatively light weight. The optic with the highest Price/Value score wins our Great Buy award. Thats because the glass and controls of the Argos HD are slightly disappointing. How you use your scope will impact the type of scope body you get. This scope is offered in either an angled or straight body, and either way you can get a 16-48x65mm or a 20-60x85mm for viewing far off wildlife. Much faster target acquisition (angled scopes can be intuitive to find what youre trying to look at because of the angle). Jan 25, 2022. 0 B bdzjlz Member Another great option depending on your uses is a car window mount. $139.99 - $169.99. I haven't had a chance to mount and shoot it yet, but construction feels solid. Spotting scopes come in a very wide selection of sizes, more so than any other kind of optic. This means that objects will appear between 20 and 60 times closer than they actually are, depending on how you have it set. The first spotter from this direct-to-consumer is a versatile powerhouse. Athlon submitted two full-sized spotters for this year's test, but the Argos HD version (as opposed to the Argos G2 UHD) version represents the best combination of price and performance. I have access to a 1,200 yd range now and want to get into long range. Its optical shortcomings are evident in low light conditions, but thats to be expected at this bargain price. It can be had with three different sizes of objective lenses, so you can choose just how big your scope is going to be. Argos and The Midas Tac is a $700 scope so if going that high then look at the Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25. They are known to provide some of the best mid-range optics. Check it out here. This is a list of rifle scopes with at least 24X magnification that cost less than $750. Not everyone can afford a Zeiss. These fit with the maxim 'you get . 1.8 #8) Athlon Optics Argos HD 20-6085 Spotting Scope. I'm not going to claim that they track perfectly, and I did have reposition the parallax knob on 6-24, but for sub-$200, even sub-$150, they are the best thing I've run across and the glass smokes vortex crossfire. Not my choice but I dont want to be sleeping on couch for the rest of life. We've rarely seen this much glass and optical horsepower for under $400. The straight-style tactical spotter is built like a tank, with double-tough armor and attachment points for Picatinny rails, so you can add accessories like thermals or lights to the optic. Athlon Optics . Itll cost you, but man does it make scopes easier to use. The first two, in the above case 20-60, are the zoom. What is the rep of the Athlon Argos 2-10x40 BDC 600? Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-2450 FFP EBR-2C MOA reticle diagram. When you do buy your scope, know that youre also going to need to budget for a tripod. Full Member. If you cant spend over a hundred dollars, your options are limited to discount providers. Thats because any object you can see at 60x will only darken at 70x, so the additional magnification might not be worth the degradation in image. However, at 4.5 pounds, this is a beast to pack, which makes it a better choice for a back deck or base camp optic. Their HD-ATS-80 body is awesomely powerful when paired with a 20-60 power eyepiece. At middle distances, like 50 to 400 yards, you can usually zoom in to see precise details of your target. When looking through a scope with ED glass compared to another without it, there is a massive difference. While this is likely the first spotter that a hunter or shooter may buyowing to the approachable priceit wont be the last. And while their telescopes are awesome for picking out constellations, their spotting scopes give you some flexibility to use in different situations. Dispersion is an effect in glass that causes distortion as light travels through it, or actually with any kind of waves. You can learn more about them here. Maven has a direct to consumer business model, so you can get it customized if you want, and you know that no retailer is taking a huge cut of the price you pay. When you see 20-60x85mm, that means that the objective lens (the one that points out towards whatever you are viewing) is 85mm in diameter. But of course all else isnt equal, and there is a trade off. This same middle-is-best trade-off applies to every magnification range, from 9-27-power spotters to 20-60-power eyepieces. There are some spring airgunners that swear by the Hawke Sidewinder. Here are the scopes Id recommend for the budding astronomer: Celestron is kind of the specialist when it comes to astronomy equipment in the sporting optics world. The Athlon Talos 20-60x80 Spotting Scope is a long-range spotting scope with a 45-degree eyepiece angle. Another is I won State overall in Field Target air rifle in 2016 and my division last year. Far less expensive than the other scopes on this list, it doesnt offer the same kind of glass or build quality as the more expensive scopes. The straight-barrel design will appeal to viewers who want to make quick target acquisition, instead of the hunting-and-pecking sometimes required with angled eyepieces. Long Island. Its more than up to the task at picking out bullet holes from long range, saving you a lot of walking. Makes sense. The more powerful it is, the narrower the field of view. What the CS.1 delivers, though, is rugged performance. Perhaps the highest end brand in the optics world, Swarovski caters to those who want the absolute clearest glass and the best quality images. New. If youre sitting beside a buddy, you can frame a distant deer, and by simply rotating the barrel, turn the eyepiece to your buddy so they can view the deer. An ideal companion for long-range shooters and hunters, the angled viewing Vortex Optics Viper HD 20-60x85 Spotting Scope delivers bright and sharp high-contrast images with true-to-life color and crisp clarity at all . There are different scope models that are designed specifically for all these purposes. It's big and heavy, so you probably will mostly use it from your vehicle or a camp, but the power behind a scope this big is something awesome to behold. At longer distances, from 400 yards to infinity, you lose resolution in the magnified image, but youll still be able to see details that you could never see with your naked eye or even a binocular. athlon ares rifle scope tract optics Product Description ARGOS BTR GEN2 For those of you that are just getting started in the PRS or are looking to start, take a close look at the Argos BTR GEN2 family of scopes. There is no easy answer on which is best as there are tradeoffs. The downside is that in order to do so, you will have to either sacrifice zoom power, or get much larger objective lenses (and therefore increase weight). Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A. Magnification. The Vortex strike eagle 5-25x56 FFP The Athlon Midas TAC 5-25x56 FFP Are there people who have been able to compare these 2 scopes? But if you want to make it easy, the winner from all this testing and analysis (as of March 2023) is the. All these attributes make it an ideal budget option for hunters. Joined Jan 16, 2018 . HobieH3; Mar 26, 2019; 2 3 4. We rate the tightness and precision of their controls, how comfortably the scopes fit our hands and eyes, and then assess their style, versatility, and durability. The CS.1 is a great option for a hunter looking for a scope they can take into the backcountry. They are one of the largest and most popular companies in this space. However, astronomers might consider this as one of their primary things to look for given their viewing happens always in low light conditions. The most hard-wearing models have oversized controls that can be used with gloved hands, and they are double-sealed against dust, grit, and moisture. How versatile do you want your scope to be? He already had a high end Vortex ($1,000). I have a Hawke Vantage 3-9x40 on a Diana 240, and a Hawke Vantage SF 6-24x44 on a Savage Mark 2 22LR. If you want to be counting antler points on mule deer from a few miles away youre going to have to have perfect conditions and a very high end scope, regardless of the zoom power. At 60-power, the image will be largest, but because of the laws of optics, it also appears darkest and grainiest. Half felt it implied a lack of durability. This durable one-piece design keeps dust out of the innards but also prevents users from trading out the variable-power eyepiece for a different zoom range or a fixed-power alternative. Observation & Sighting Devices . On the other hand, the image delivered by the UHD glass was bright and free of flares and distortion, and the balance and heft of the chassis are both satisfyingly substantial. Especially in low-light conditions, those extreme ranges are rarely usable. The other half appreciated the Endurance EDs talents for a backcountry spotter. It has an 82mm objective lens, boasts ED glass for amazing image clarity, and has a field flattener lens system for crisp images all the way to the periphery. The focus, magnification ring, and retractable sunshade all move with silky precision. I would highly avoid getting a true budget scope (one that costs less than $200). And if youre really a beast and can pack it in, youll be rewarded with great images. It may not have their optical clarity, but it is more than good enough for the vast majority of bird watchers. A 15-4565 unit has 15- to 45-power magnification behind a 65mm objective lens. The CS.1 is built around the same mid-level class of glass that Maven uses in its C Series binoculars. All the money is going straight into the glass. Here are some good picks: You dont necessarily need a scope youre going to use for target shooting to be portable, so you may as well get something with a beefy objective lens. If youve got a little more money to spend, its hard not to recommend the Vortex Razor series for you. Carefully consider exactly how youre going to use it. An exception might occur if you are going to be looking through glasses first and then your spotter. Meopta is said to be on higher tier than vortex razor. Get as much zoom power as you need, but keep in mind the more you zoom in, especially with a cheap scope, the more clarity you will lose. The Diamondback Tactical2 has much better glass than the ARGOS/HELOS at a cheaper price but the MIDAS has a slight overall edge in clarity image quality overall. A nice feature it has that I wish more scopes would include (especially angled scopes) is a sighting line to help you line up with what youre trying to look at. The Argos HD is one of the best spotting scopes under 300 dollars that has a robust 20-60x magnification, 85mm objective, and is perfect for . thanks! You'll find a spotting scope useful for outdoors activities such as. Leupolds flagship spotting scope delivers a quality image at pretty much every magnification. Brands make a big deal out of the upper end of the magnification range for their spotters, but that doesnt mean those higher powers are very useful. Other labels you might see that all communicate the same thing are LD (low dispersion), SLD (special low dispersion), ELD (extraordinary low dispersion), and ULD (ultra-low dispersion). This is not a particularly exciting year for spotting scopes. Scopes are generally sold either with a straight body or with the eyepiece angled up 45 degrees. 10 MIL turrets. Are you going to pack it deep into the backcountry? They sell their products directly to consumers similarly to Upland Optics, but they are at the higher end of the price/quality spectrum. They tend to give mediocre images at best and quality is low. A full-size spotter that retails for under $400 should get wide attention, and careful handling. Along with size, price varies dramatically. Doug asked me to review two Athlon scopes for him. Its a tough trade off, and has to be made based on your hunting style. The ED glass delivers a bright image that showed only minor color fringing and slight deformity on the very edge of the image at lower powers. High end manufacturers like Swarovski and Zeiss charge thousands of dollars for their scopes, and will give you crystal clear images that are hard to beat. Because the best spotting scopes represent a significant investment in money, durability and warranties are both prime considerations. 3 reviews. A smaller company than some others on this list, Athlon continually impresses me with their quality mid range products. Products ( 2) Sort By. Ok, folks - here it is: The Bushnell Match Pro Riflescope. Maven RS.4 5-30x56 FFP - Best Under $2000. The quality in these scopes could be better but for the price.!! The other differentiation from the Argos HD model: the aluminum-alloy chassis of the Ares UHD. Demerits include the slippery, non-textured armor and the underwhelming glass, which makes images above about 45-power pretty dark and grainy with some distorted edge detail. Make sure that the companys return policy and either repair or replacement will cover your purchase. While some scopes fall into the trap of giving more magnification while sacrificing clarity, this scope hits it perfectly at the max end of its range. Hi, looking for a new scope for my 22lr. Athlon Optics Argos HD 20-60x85 Spotting Scope - 45 Degree, Green/Black Customer reviews Customer reviews 4.4 out of 5 174 global ratings Athlon Optics Argos HD 20-60x85 Spotting Scope - 45 Degree, Green/Black by Size: 45 Degree Change How customer reviews and ratings work Top positive review Jack Holcomb Great spotting scope You can learn more about them at VortexOptics.com. After consulting with other experts I compiled this guide that includes information about spotting scopes, how to choose the best one, and reviews of our favorites on the market right now. This series comes in three sizes: 11-33x50mm, 22-48x65mm, and 27-60x85mm. Youll want to ensure that the warranty is up to snuff, but our expectation is that this capable spotter will give you years of adequate service. Jan 20, 2020 #1 ; Hi, looking for a new scope for my 22lr. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Hunters who want a mini optic to pack into the high country, or travelers who want a little more reach than a smaller binocular should consider this little spotting scope. They are going to stop rifle optics but Nikon isnt going anywhere. What this means is that if you look at a hill that is 1000 yards away, you will see an image that is between 48 and 102 feet wide based on how zoomed in you are.
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