Angled or straight??

[billdoe708]

I'm looking to pick up my first spotting scope. I'm looking at the vortex razor HD in 22-48x65. But I could be pursuaded another direction. I live in Michigan but travel to CO to hunt now and soon to be WY. I have only ever used a spotting scope at the range. With my limited use I have found straight body easier to acquire my target.

I'm looking for pros and cons to the angled and straight body spotters.

 

[Micah S]

You will get a lot less neck fatigue with the angled head. If your not backpacking with the scope a lot I'd get 80mm+ they have a lot better low lite performance.

 

[sneakypete]

Angled that will rotate, you can glass a canyon so fast.

 

[billdoe708]

Angled that will rotate, you can glass a canyon so fast.

Rotate?

 

[archeranthony]

Yes the vortex rotate as he is saying. They have a thumb screw that you can loosen and rotate the body 360 degrees

 

[archeranthony]

But to answer your question I found that I like a straight body because I can use it in my vehicle a little easier. I found angled harder to use in a vehicle for me.

 

[sneakypete]

I have a Vortex 11/33/50, it doesn't rotate but I use with a ballhead on my tripod. Vortex, saworoski rotate by loosening the thumb screw.

 

[NDHunter]

Straight. Angled ones are hard to road hunt with and use when mounted to the truck window.

 

[Team Kabob]

I have the 65mm vortex angled. I don’t use it from the truck. It rotates for the range or Truck. Little more work at first finding targets, but I like it. Binos do most of the work for me.

 

[Bonecollector]

For reasons previously stated, I also prefer the straight version

 

[go_deep]

Angled all the way. With rotating tripod ring, makes it easy to use it from the truck window still.

 

[ScottR]

I really prefer straight.

 

[Bonecollector]

I really prefer straight.

Me to Scott... Just say'n.

 

[JimP]

It is all in your personal preference. I am 6'4" so I prefer a angle one and hate trying to look through a straight one at a animal when someone has spotted it

 

[ScottR]

It is all in your personal preference. I am 6'4" so I prefer a angle one and hate trying to look through a straight one at a animal when someone has spotted it

I prefer the straight, and I'm 6'5, always find myself contorting weird ways when I set up an angled spotter.

 

[Catahoula12]

I’m 6’1” and prefer my angled spotter. Tried straight ones in the past. I’m more comfortable with my angled sitting or standing, I run a Vortex Viper HD 20-60x80. As mentioned the eyepiece does rotate. It’s ok glass, not “Razor” quality but it works well.

 

[Winchester]

I used a straight spotter for years but recently made the switch to angled.
The angled version seems to work much better for most hunting scenarios … just maybe not road hunting.

 

[mcseal2]

I like straight. I use mine quite a bit from a window mount scouting whitetail around home though. Also I primarily use a spotter just for evaluating game already spotted and find the straight faster to get on an animal with. I have a Kowa 554 compact spotter. I use binos off a tripod for 90% or more of my glassing to locate game. 10x Leica rangefinding binos are enough for elk or antelope, I also take 15x Swaros for all deer species. If I pack the 15's I skip the tripod adapter for the 10's.

 

[billdoe708]

What about all the guys just taking higher power binos on a tripod now?

 

[JimP]

Higher power binos are great, but there are still plenty of times that you need a spotter.

On my coues deer hunt my partner had some 15x Swaros that we could spot deer with but to judge their headgear we had to pull out the spotter to get a good look.

Now if your binos are 40x+ then you might not need a spotter