Swarovski 65 mm ATS HD Angled Spotting Scope

Since this was a lifetime purchase, my husband and I took a long time trying to decide on a scope for birding. We are completely thrilled with the Swarovski 65mm scope in both its optics and design. Eagle Optics personnel were extremely helpful and knowledgeable in helping us with making our choice.

I have owned the Swarovski 65mm ATS HD Angled Spotting scope for over 5 years. This scope delivers an excellent image and is sharp from edge to edge. I used it for field trips and nature observations such as Hawk Ridge in Duluth, watching shipping activity on the Great Lakes and digiscoping. This product is very durable and I am not afraid to take it on hikes as it packs easily and. I own the 20x60mm eye piece and the 30mm WA. For digiscoping I use the 20x60mm eyepiece with the DCA zoom adapter and I am getting very good results. It is very stable on a good tripod and my grandson has been able to use it since he was 3 years old. Buy it will be a family heirloom. GF

The view from this instrument is incredible. It will become apparent the first time you focus on that distant bird. Besides the sharp image and great ergonomics, the color rendition is amazing.I think that is what impressed me the most. It is astounding to see the colors you've been missing for years. I spent many hours researching high end scopes online and also had experience briefly using many different ones over the years. I never liked dragging my old scope around, but this one makes it worthwhile.
The foot of the scope attaches into the Monfrotto 128RC head to make a solid connection and a nice fluid motion for scanning. However, the head increases the scope's weight considerably. It's the price you'll have to pay for that smooth motion and wobble free, secure fit. It definitely is a trade off, though. I reduced the weight with a Monfrotto 190CX3 carbon fiber tripod. Altogether, it is a really nice setup.
I tried the 80HD- but I'm not sure it's worth the extra weight, unless you plan to bird in very limited light. Then, it might be worth the extra weight and expense. If you intend to carry a scope for hours or plan to travel with it, I would suggest the 65.

Whenever I have used this compact Austrian optical marvel in the field over the last several years, rarely has it not shown anything evident in even larger scopes, including Zeiss and the like. Coupled with the 30X wide-angle ocular, the ATS65HD provides a large, bright, sharp field, and a view that nicely complements either my 8X or 10X binoculars. Handling is excellent. The very large single speed focuser is more than adequate for terrestrial usage (though I do prefer a double-speed unit on my astronomical scopes, where powers go much higher than 30X.) The angled configuration means that I can rapidly rotate it to provide views to those shorter than myself. So far, I have used it on a Bogen 728B tripod, very nice and light, but am about to upgrade that to the somewhat heavier but sturdier Bogen Neotec, along with their 3130 fluid head. With either mount, one can directly mount the Swarovski foot onto the head, without worrying about the scope swiveling. As to whether the HD is worth a 50% premium over the base model, I can't answer, though I have friends who have been very satisfied with that alternative. Similarly, as to whether one should get the 80 mm variant instead, that's also a personal choice, to be considered if digiscoping is a primary aim, or if your birding haunts are very low light, not generally an issue here in California.