When it comes to buying budget spotting scopes there are a lot of compromises to be made. This is because the cheaper options available usually do not offer very good visuals at long ranges even at higher magnification. They are also heavier and more often than not result in uncomfortable eyes after a long viewing session. The following are some of the limitations of using a budget spotting scope.
These budget spotting scopes may be used by naturalists, hunters, landscape enthusiasts, and birdwatchers to view sceneries, birds, wildlife, and prey. Furthermore, shooters who will use these devices in a stationary position will have a greater accuracy rate and will be pleased with its magnification features. Unfortunately, the users of these devices may experience certain drawbacks as compared to those who opt to buy the high-end spotting scopes and these limitations are as follows.
The performance degrades at high magnification
The coatings used on the air to glass surfaces on budget scopes are usually of inferior quality and they tend to interfere with the light transfer meaning that the light gathered is inadequate. This inadequacy may not be seen in lower magnifications like 20x or 40x but as it increases to 60x this inadequacy becomes more pronounced leading to decreases brightness as well as a higher visual distortion resulting in blurry images.
It becomes even dimmer during a sunrise or a sunset since the ambient lighting is lower affecting the overall viewing experience thus it should be used inadequately lit conditions.
Visual fidelity is achieved at the expense of unwieldiness
To the aforementioned trend of visual degradation, there are exceptions at higher magnifications, since heavier glass will be needed to fix that issue, however, this will translate to a larger build and, in other instances, this will need a manual change of the lenses so as to adjust the magnification settings.
For a stable viewing with no vibrations and focal shaking, all spotting scopes need a tripod stand. These spotting scopes with heavy glasses are pretty bulky and they will require high-end heavy duty tripod stands to operate without shaky visuals.
Reduced structural integrity
Even though a number of these cheap spotting scopes are not made of flimsy plastic, it would be presumptuous to conclude that they are completely capable of handling the tough weather in the field the way high-end spotting scopes would.