dalesky's Full Review: Bushnell Trophy® 78-2065 (20 - 60x65 mm)
I am a birder, who wanted a spotting scope primarily for that purpose. I also like purchase products that represent a value, or hopefully, an exceptional value.
One thing I love about the Internet is the ability to research a product before deciding where or when to buy. When I went through that process for this purchase the Bushnell stood out as an outstanding value.
Here's what I hoped to find, for a modest price: Extra power for extra range, this is the ultimate portable100% waterproof rubber armor construction for hunting and birdingPremium multi-coated opticsIncludes both hard case and soft case65mm objectiveThat list happens to be the feature list for this scope, from a major retailer online.
The objective, or front lens needed to be over 60mm, because I wanted a bigger field of view than a 60mmor less provides. The larger the front objective the wider the view, and usually, the brighter the view also. The mid and upper level scopes often are in the 70 to 80mm range
I wanted a good zoom range, while understanding that for the price I wanted to pay there would be compromises. At the long end of this scope's range there is a dropoff in sharpness and light. This occurs at somewhat over 45MM. Up to that point though I am very pleased with what I see. The range is from 20 power to 60. In other words, your view will be between 20 times normal up to 60 times normal.
Any decent scope or even binoculars needs to be waterproof. Not just water resistant, but water proof. Also, anti-fogging is essential, which means that changes in temperature will not fog the elements. "Good" scopes begin at the point of meeting these two requirements.
Multicoated optics means that the glass is coated to reduce various types of reflections and effects. At this price range the Bushnell scope is a good value.
A hard case to store the scope is nice, and a soft case to put around it when you have it on the tripod is a real plus. Imagine you are traveling to different places in your vehicle, or walking in the woods. The last thing to worry about should be keeping your scope safe from small bumps or scrapes. Both cases are well designed, and roomy. Granted, neither is great, but again, value scopes mean less niceties.
This scope comes with covers for both the front objective and rear eyepiece, and the soft case even has space inside to store them. A nice touch!
Weight in any optics is a sign of quality. The real light ones are the cheapest, and that is because the materials needed for high quality cost more. Simple, and understandable. This scope has nice weight. You will be using a tripod, so the weight is not an issue in a negative way.
The scope comes with a mini tripod, which I have no use for. It is nicely made, but I use this scope only in the field, where a large tripod is needed. You could use the mini one for a small camera perhaps.
When focusing or zooming this scope the controls are tight and will not lose their setting. The focus control is the little knob above and to the right of the eyepiece. The zoom control is the eyepiece itself, which you turn one way or the other. Both work very well, and require quite a bit of effort to change, which is a good thing, since focus and zoom should be solid, and not move easily. Once you have your scope set perfectly you want it to stay that way, unless the bird moves.
I recommend that you get a tripod of sufficient height, and that you determine that by trying out some that are in different ranges. You will definitely need a tripod at all times, even when set at the lowest 2omm setting. To sum up, I feel that this scope represents money well spent. While being a long way from the $800 or more products, it is conversely giving you more than any other scope for this price.
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