Swarovski 80 mm ATS HD Angled Spotting Scope

This is one great crystal-clear scope. I looked heavily at the Kowa 88 & 77, Zeiss and the Swaro 80mm HD (not to mention less quality mid-priced brands) but elected to go with this one. I think quality wise you are not going to go wrong purchasing any of the big 3 scopes. At this level of the market, quality is just inherent. What sold me on the Swaro of all things was the "Lack" of dual focus. I prefer the ease of the Swaro focal ring. Since I bird and my line of sight is constantly moving, I wanted the freedom to have just one hand focusing while the other hand was moving the scope. Makes sense....going for a bird 'near' to that 'afar' would require ( in my thinking) a hand to manipulate one focus knob and move it to the other more refined knob on a dual focus. With a Swaro, one focal ring, that's it. Perfect.

Apart from that, the Swaro is tops. Focus is sharp and clear..The view reminds me of HD TV. The eyepiece works well all the way up to 60 zoom even in pretty poor weather. The rain shield is easy to use as it slides out from the scope barrel (Much like my Canon 300mm F4 lens...same design).

I debated on the 65 or the 80mm and am glad I have the larger aperture 80. Even though the 80mm is a bit heavier, I knew I would get into digiscoping which I have, so the larger aperture brings in more light. So plan ahead. If you are even thinking of digiscoping and want quality images, go for the 80 in any scope. I like the fact that Swaro has their own line of digiscoping accessories meant just for their scopes. That is a plus for I know all will work. Lastly, I have heard of Swaro's reputation for service and I haven't had to use it but, I have been in contact with Swaro's marketing manager on an international bird forum. By reading his blogs on digiscoping and personal contact, I feel like I have this extra bit of service that I might not have otherwise.

My philosophy on my birding equipment is to buy the best you can or else you are going to regret it later on. Swaro 80mm HD is the best, so I bought it.

Even with todays new scopes (Leica 82mm, Kowa 88mm Prominar, etc) I'd still go with this scope. I've had mine for 3 years now and have loved every minute of it, from Great Gray Owl digiscoping and watching at dusk in -5 Deg. F, to countless hours in hot humid ohio watching shorebirds, this scope has preformed flawlessly. The HD lens is a must for digi-scope photography and it produces stunning images easily with the wonderfully designed accessories. I use both the 20-60x zoom and new 25-50 zoom which is great (except for limited eye-relief). Its light weight and ergonomic streamlined and compact design is as attractive as it is functional. The rubber armoring is good, better than competitors. Foot design is convienient, especially with bogen or swarovski tripods (no need of a plate). The focus ring is different from other scopes, but is well put together and easy to use in most situations, no problems with focus action causing vibrations while viewing. Great stuff to last a lifetime.