Alpen 20-60x80 w/45 degree EP, waterproof Spotting Scope: Customer Reviews & Product Details

I had been looking for a decent affordable scope for birding for years (meaning under $1000, ideally under $500). With all the other ones in this price range that I had tried in stores, the image got very dark and the field of view very small when I zoomed in, making the zoom feature pretty useless. Then I read a good review of this scope on [...] (it was rated best of the mid-priced scopes they tested) and decided to give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised at the image quality and brightness, and the eye relief (ability to see the whole field when using glasses) is good until you zoom in to about 40X (this is common in scopes). The image is still bright and sharp at 60X. Recently I was able to identify some ducks using 60X that were so far away I could barely see them with my naked eye, and while looking at some Canada geese that were about 900 feet away (across 3 sports fields, using 60X) I was able to see and identify a bluebird that was on the ground near them, with the blue back and reddish breast clearly visible. There is a slight bit of purple fringing on the edges of objects, especially at 60X, but it's not very noticeable. I have tried digiscoping once and it worked well, even under completely overcast skies.

After researching several different brands this spotting scope from Alpen Optics is the best value I have found.
The optical quality is exceptional, fully multi-coated with long eye relief of 18-19mm. the large 80mm objective lens allows for clear bright viewing at dusk and dawn yet the size and weight are comfortable for the backpacking I do.
The Tripod includes fine adjustments for both windage and elevation.
Check the quality of other brands at this price and you'll see why Outdoor Life magazine gave this scope their Great Buy award.

The product delivers performance,simple to use yet the tripod seems a bit tricky.It takes some time to get familiar with.A word of advice,if you plan to purchase a spotting scope please ensure you understand the product's description.