I'm kinda with bwatts on this one. I think you'll be disappointed with the performance in low light conditions with the cheaper spotters. During the day I'm sure they'll perform great. The real test is early morning and evening as the sun goes down. I have not tested those models mentioned, but I've had other spotting scopes with those dimensions around the $400 range and my 42mm binos were better in low light than the 100mm spotter. Needless to say, if you do a lot of spotting, you'll get what you pay for with a spotting scope. If you're budget is $300 ish, once in a while you can find good used ones. Might be hard in that price range, but definitely cheaper than new. Another alternative would be to go in with someone else. Another hunting buddy or someone to share in the cost of a higher end spotter. Just some thoughts.