As an outdoor enthusiast, having the right gear can sometimes be the main difference between having a great day exploring the outdoors and a dull one. A spotting scope, for instance, is one of those gear you might not have yet realized you needed until now. And with the increase in popularity, spotting scope has become a must-have outdoor gear for outdoor explorers, regardless of their experience level.
These great telescopes have been designed for various outdoor activities. Due to their efficiency, power, and versatility, they’ve managed to replace binoculars. And if you’re thinking about taking up the Vortex scopes for sale offer, read on.
8 reasons why you need a spotting scope for your next outdoor adventure.
- They Offer Powerful Magnification
- They Can Help You Distinguish Different Species
- They Are Weatherproof
- They Offer Telephotography Features
- They Allow Digiscoping
- They Have Large Lenses
- They Can Help Improve Target Shooting
- They Can Be Good For Astronomy Viewing
What’s A Spotting Scope?
A spotting scope is a telescope known for its powerful magnification. It offers an array of applications, from observing long distances and taking a closer look at medium distances. For instance, it’s ideal for observing targets in a shooting range or tracking your game during hunting.
Unlike binoculars, the spotting scope is monocular with a strong magnification power, which differs depending on the type of eyepiece used. Their design makes them ideal for use in observing objects from long distances.
Spotting scopes are also ideal for watching objects that move slowly, such as diving birds, geese, waterfowl, and ducks. Due to its powerful magnification, spotting scopes offer a small field of view.
But despite its narrow field of view, spotting scope makes it easy to see details that binoculars wouldn’t have captured. This makes spotting scopes ideal for nature watching as it allows you to keep your distance from wild animals. You’ll be able to watch them without being in danger while also not disturbing their peace.
Why Use Spotting Scopes For Outdoor Activities?
If you love taking in different outdoor activities, here are reasons why you should invest in spotting scopes:
- They Offer Powerful Magnification
As mentioned earlier, one of the significant traits of spotting scopes is their magnification power. Unlike standard binoculars, spotting scopes makes it easier to spot things from afar. It can offer superior magnification of 100 times, unlike your regular binoculars, which offer 8 to 10 times magnification power. As a result, it becomes ten times better to spot things from a distance when using a spotting scope compared to binoculars.
As such, whether you’re planning an adventure outdoors, such as birdwatching or exploring wildlife, you’d want to invest in a scope with great magnification features to boost the success of your trip and overall experience.
- They Can Help You Distinguish Different Species
When exploring the wild, one of the most effective ways to distinguish different animals is through their color. However, this can be tricky, especially when you’re far from the subjects and with poor lighting conditions. In such a case, you may have trouble seeing clearly. This is where spotting scope comes into play.
Thanks to its powerful lens, spotting scopes offer top-notch clarity that can make it easy to tell different species. Night vision and powerful magnification can also make it easier to watch different animal species at night from a distance without having to scare or disturb them.
In addition, differentiating animals that look alike can be daunting, especially when observing from a distance. At times, animals from different species tend to have similar patterns and coloration. This is why having powerful zoom becomes necessary. With a spotting scope, distinguishing between two species becomes easy.
Spotting scope also makes it easy to locate a specific animal in a large herd. For instance, with a spotting scope, you can identify a lion cub sucking on his mother while surrounded by thousands of animals. Achieving that with binoculars is nearly impossible. However, you can achieve this feat thanks to the powerful magnification of the spotting scope.
- They Are Weatherproof
Spotting scopes can be expensive, so it’s normal not to want them to get destroyed by dust and harsh weather conditions. Fortunately, most spotting scopes are designed to withstand weather elements and offer full weatherproof protection to prevent that from happening. This makes them ideal for use in various outdoor activities.
Most spotting scopes have a lens cap and a protective outer coat that can prevent them from damage. Recent models are also fog proof, which means the optics won’t get misted up and affect its functionality.
However, check the manufacturer’s instructions for the best outcome to know if your spotting scopes are suitable for the season before going on your outdoor adventure.
- They Offer Telephotography Features
If you love the outdoors, then you probably love taking pictures of your surroundings. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to take great photos of the outdoors. With the right tools, you can capture bright and high-contrast images with top-notch clarity and full of colors.
In this case, you can use a spotting scope to capture some of the best outdoor pictures you’d want to put in a frame. Most spotting scopes allow you to use the scope lens for telephotography. And with the scope’s configuration and optical design, along with your accessories, you can take quality photos of your outdoor exploration.
Unlike a standard camera, telephoto lenses run on more powerful magnification levels. However, stability will be one of your concerns when using a spotting scope. As such, you’ll need to invest and use a tripod to enhance stability and improve image quality.
- They Allow Digiscoping
Digiscoping is a spotting scope equipped with a digital imaging system for better imaging. This spotting scope features an in-built imaging system and an optical beam splitter giving you both electronic monitoring and outstanding visuals.
The images captured by this scope are sent to an RGB signal. This allows you to see the pictures on your LCD screen, computer, camcorder, digital camera, or TV. This makes spotting scope ideal for outdoor activity, especially if you love tracking wild animals.
- They Have Large Lenses
The common spotting scope objective lens is approximately 50mm to 100mm. Generally, with larger lenses in place, zooming birds and animals from a distance become easy. Thanks to its powerful magnification, a spotting scope’s objective lenses can offer the best outdoor experience.
The scope’s lens size will determine the field of view, meaning the larger the lens, the greater the field of view. This makes it easy to observe large spaces and spot animals that would’ve been hard to spot with binoculars’ narrow field of view. You’ll also receive high-quality images, allowing you to identify animal and bird species easily. This makes it ideal for use when looking for rarer animal species.
However, while large lenses can offer you a superior experience when exploring the outdoors, it’d be worth noting that the larger the lens your spotting scope has, the bigger and heavier your equipment can be. This can affect the compactness and portability of your spotting scope.
- They Can Help Improve Target Shooting
At a shooting range, constantly walking to the target can be time-consuming, tedious, and ineffective. Fortunately, a spotting scope can help enhance your view of your target and helps you overcome this issue. You can line your target in range and spot groupings on paper with a spotting scope. This can prevent you from walking to the target after each shot.
Having a spotting scope will enhance your target practice experience. It achieves this by improving your aim thanks to its powerful zoom. That said, it can help to consider having a spotting scope, especially if your rifle isn’t discerning groupings.
- They Can Be Good For Astronomy Viewing
Astronomy viewing only requires a little movement compared to when exploring wildlife or the outdoors, making spotting scopes perfect for the activity. The lack of constant movement can allow you to set your spotting scope at an ideal spot for astronomy viewing. This gives you the time to watch the stars and take in all the beauty that comes your way.
Setting a spotting scope in one place allows you to view the heavenly bodies with outstanding precision. And thanks to its powerful magnification, a spotting scope can provide you with better views than binoculars.
While telescopes are known for offering incredible astronomy views at night, spotting scopes can be multifunctional since you can use them for other activities, providing you with added benefits. With such a tool, you can have significant observations of both astronomical bodies and explore nature and the outdoors.
Wrapping It Up
Spotting scopes are vital optical outdoor gears that should be part of your kit. With their powerful magnification, they can make things more convenient and enhance your overall outdoor experience. And unlike telescopes and standard binoculars, spotting scopes feature an array of advantages over them.
Whether you’re planning to explore the outdoors or wildlife, view heavenly bodies, birdwatching, or target shooting, spotting scopes can be your best friend. They’re among the most powerful units for long-distance viewing and can be suitable for use during the day and night.