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Spotting Scope Eyepieces | Optics Trade Debates

Hello and welcome to another Optics Trade Debates video. As you’ve probably noticed, we go through all categories on our webpage. Doing so, we try to do our best to shed some light on the most interesting topics associated with each category. Today, we’ll talk about spotting scope eyepieces.

You might wonder as to why there is a separate category for eyepieces at all. The answer is quite simple. Most manufacturers who invest some effort in their spotting scopes produce more eyepieces than actual bodies. The basic idea is that the user can own one spotting scope body and multiple eyepieces that fit onto it.

The second reason is that many manufacturers have a system that allows their eyepieces to be compatible with more than just one body. At the very least, the eyepiece should be compatible with both the straight and angled form versions of each spotting scope model. In addition to that, one eyepiece should also fit on different objective lens diametres.

In the video, the spotting scope body used is a Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 Straight model. Its eyepiece gives the magnification range from 27 to 60. The same eyepiece fits on both the Straight and the Angled version of this model. It would also fit on the 65 mm model variants. So, in short, this one eyepiece fits 4 different spotting scopes in this series. Note though, that when placed on a 65-millimetre scope, the eyepiece can only give the magnification range from 22 to 48.

There are certain manufacturers that will produce up to 7 or 8 eyepieces for a single spotting scope model. It very much depends on the intended use.

Let’s move on to different types of eyepieces. Most common are the standard variable magnification eyepieces.

Then there are the fixed magnification eyepieces, which are usually a bit brighter – meaning that they have a higher light transmission rate. Fixed magnification eyepieces are best suited for photography and digiscoping.

Special versions of eyepieces exist as well. There are some that feature an extended eye relief so that the users wearing glasses can use them a little bit more comfortably. Many are manufactured with a specific purpose in mind, like photography use.

Popular eyepieces feature a reticle. The target spotting scope that the eyepiece is attached to enables the user not only to estimate the distance between them and the target but also makes an approximate calculation of holdovers, wind drifts and so on.

The majority of users will buy a spotting scope with one single, variable magnification eyepiece. That’s the most common combination since when purchased, most spotting scopes already come with an eyepiece included.

However, those users who regularly utilize their spotting scopes or have a specific interest like photography and target shooting will probably buy an additional eyepiece that is more tailored to their preferences. Same goes for those users with glasses who spend a lot of time looking through the eyepiece. Buying an additional eyepiece with an extended eye relief is a small price to pay for extra comfort.

So, the main reason people purchase additional eyepieces actually does not lie in their magnification power. Rather, it’s the sphere of activity that determines whether the user will be satisfied with the single eyepiece included with their spotting scope or they may require one or two more.

If we talk rough numbers, about 95% of users will be perfectly content with a single eyepiece. About 5% will require a little bit more than that. Still, it’s very rare for a user to work with two or three different eyepieces on a single spotting scope.

It is important that both the eyepiece and the body of a spotting scope belong to the same manufacturer as it’s highly uncommon for them to be cross-brand compatible.

That brings us to the end of today’s discussion. Thank you for your attention. If you have any questions left, feel free to leave us a comment in the section below. Like and share this video if you found it informative. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We will see you next time.

Products mentioned:
Spotting Scopes
Eyepieces

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