MarauderAirRifle.com

[Supercharged86]

Well I've been wanting a spotting scope for some time now. So after looking at a few and reading the reviews I settled on the new Redfield. Overall It's a very nice package with great fit and finish. But unfortunately, it's not living up to the one important aspect, high magnification clarity. All the reviews I read praised the optics but to me it's slightly out of focus from 40-60x. Two houses down from me there's a small sign hanging on a picket fence, distance is 250' from my kitchen table. Now the sign is legible but isn't as sharp as I had hoped, it's not "crystal" clear. Just wondering if others have had a similar experience or is mine perhaps damaged in some way? Am I expecting too much from a $200 spotting scope? Thanks. Cheers. Steve

[JimC]

Hi Steve,

Optics are funny things, but as a general rule of thumb the quality of the glass and image is usually proportional to the price of the glass at magnifications over about 24x. In other words you pay high dollars for a good clear image at 300 yds and 50x magnification. For $200 you should be able to discern 223 bullet holes in a target at 200 yds in good lighting conditions. Anything better than this indicates some pretty good optics for the money.

I have a 20-60x65 Bushnell Trophy scope that I paid less than $200 for and I am quite pleased with it. In good lighting conditions I can see .204 bullet holes in targets at 300 yds. I find it the equal of spotting scopes costing 2 to 3 times as much. What I have found is that the optimum magnification at long ranges (over 250-300 yds) is around 40-45x. I will say however at 100 yds the image is extremely sharp at all power settings between 20 and 60x. I have been burned on optics so many times that I will purchase no optics that I have not personally handled and looked through.

Jim in Sacramento

[Supercharged86]

HI Jim, Thanks for the reply. I certainly agree with you 100%, it's like anything else, you get what you pay for. The thing is, I read many reviews about this scope and there was NO indication from any of them that image quality was degraded at the high magnification levels. So if I could just find out from someone if what I have is "normal" for this unit? I've called Redfield/Leupold, they couldn't give me a definitive answer other than send it in to them for inspection. Steve

[JimC]

Hi Steve,

I would think that at 250ft the image should be very clear, becuase it will only degrade as the distance to your target increases. As I stated my $200 Bushnell is clear at the high power settings at 100 yds. I would send it back.

Jim in Sacramento