VortexOptics Diamondback Spotting Scopes

With so much hype about the excellence of scopes costing in the thousands I had reservations about a scope in the lower tier price range, but this cope is clear, bright and 85-90% sharp at 60 X magnification. I did not notice any chromatic or color aberration or blurring of the image at that magnification. I did notice that I had to slowly and carefully adjust the focus to get a sharp image at 60X, but that was not a detriment or a negative, just an awareness of the particular characteristics of this scope. I can't imagine that a $3000 scope could be $2500 worth better than this one for $499. Perhaps a professional with excellent vision and a trained eye might be able to discern the difference, but for my money this scope is awesome. It has an adjustment to rotate the eyepiece to the right or left to allow easier viewing by others. The scope comes with a double layer case that is lined with a satin type clothe and a thick outer covering that feels like a soft leather, but is some type of synthetic leather material. There is a zippered opening at the objective lens end to allow use of the scope while still in the case, there are carrying handles and a shoulder strap and bothe lenses are protected by heavy duty lens caps. This is a great buy and a great scope.I wasn't disappointed, nor should you be. The addition of hook and loop tabs on both the zippered objective lens cover and the viewing end allows you to fold the cover back while still keeping the scope covered. Even though the scope is waterproof, its purging with nitrogen to prevent moisture intrusion, the ability to use the scope with the cover on is a bonus, an advantage over other scopes in its class and an additional selling feature. Very cleverly designed and manufactured. Highly recommend.

I don't have a past history with spotting scopes to compare and contrast, so this is more or less my experience and thoughts on having a spotting scope to do a little bit of scouting in the off season thus far. I've had mine for a few weeks now and at first it was just being used to zoom in on tree's and brush in the field across the house. While at the time i was excited about the crystal clear clarity and magnification of this scope, it wasn't until i got to put it on some whitetails that i truly got to appreciate the quality. It being early June at the moment, the deer around here are just now starting to show some characteristics in their racks as they are growing this years set. Just a few days ago i was able to watch three deer feeding in front of my stand in a bean field. I was a good 300 yards away pulled over on the side of the road watching as they made their way out from the woods and along the edge of the bean field. From that distance i could easily make out three bucks. Two of which had no more than 4-5 inches of their antlers growing so far, starting to split into their brown and main beam. The third had already put on a good 8-10 inches of growth. Now i will be the first to admit a spotting scope is hardly a necessity for hunting whitetails here in Ohio, but this scope has enhanced the enjoyment of driving around the block looking for deer in a immeasurable amounts, taking it from seeing some deer movement to being able to identify the deer as doe, buck, amount of points etc. Beyond satisfied with the purchase and while i may only be using it for the occasional drive around the block or glassing the field across the house, i am also confident in having a good quality scope on hand if i ever have the opportunity to go on any other type big game hunts.

This spotting scope is exactly what I needed. The visibility quality and the fact that is very lightweight is perfect for what I needed it for. It is very easy to use.

this is a very good scope for the money. I've looked through probably a 100 rifle scopes/spotting scopes/binoculars/sight glass/camera zoom lenses, and you get a feel for what is actually 'good glass'. this does qualify as good glass. i use it primarily for shooting and astronomy, it works awesome for both. i have the angled version witch makes it easier to look vertical. i can track bullets hitting steel at 500yds at the range, then go home and check jupiters stripes and easily see the 4 big moons, then swing over to saturn and be able to clearly make out lines in its rings. my best advise when using this scope, buy a quality tripod with a ball mount head. much more enjoyable to use when the tripod and mount are rock solid but able to be adjusted smoothly.

Look, it’s a decent entry level spotter. Don’t expect it to perform beyond that. There is nothing wrong with it and it has the traditional Vortex quality, but spotting scopes are the epitome of get what you pay for!