Hello everyone, I'm new to the board so bear with me.
Just want some opinions to see if I'm off my rocker or if other people have thought this also.
Here's my situation- I have about $500 to spend on a spotting scope/bino combo. I am going to get the Pentax DCF WP 8x42's on sale for around $269 (after rebate). That leaves me somewhere around $250 for a spotting scope. Now, I have done enough research to know you dont get much spotting scope for that $$. My question is this- I could get some good quality porro prism 20x binos for $250- would the image quality and eye relief be better than a spotting scope in the same price range?? I am a big fan of Leupold optics and have considered the Wind River spotter for $209, but the eye relief really concerns me- I wear eye glasses. The binos I'm considering have a built in tripod mount, so I would use them just like a spotter. It just seems to me I would be getting more bang for my buck.
Are there any serious drawbacks I'm overlooking? Has anyone ever thought the same?
Thank you in advance and sorry to ramble,
Josh Wilson

Welcome to the board!
My sugestion is to get the best pair of binoculars to start with and then go withthe spotting scope.
My self I have a small set of Carson Z-80's for about $145.00

http://www.carson-optical.com/zoom.html or
http://www.carson-optical.com/superzoom.html

Without a smal tripod once you get above 40x things get interesting and they have a small objective lens so they are not the best in low-light conditions.

My wife LOVES them and I will have to work hard to get them for myself when we go on trips.
I used them in Africa(or rather she used them) this past June!
I generally carry a 8x or 10x pair of compacts when I am bowhunting.



Greg

"Getting close to the game is the joy of Bowhunting for me, the harvest is a bonus."

Live 15 ft Python after eating a small Antelope!

If you get 20x binos then you're not going to be able to really use them as binoculars. They'll be too heavy and anything over about 12x has to be steadied off of a tripod to see through, you just can't hold them steady enough off hand. Do you really want to carry a tripod everywhere you go just to make use of a set of bohemoth binoculars? I can guarantee after a couple of days of that those binos will be left in the garage next to the other gadgets that seemed like a good idea at the time. Also, any binos you get for $250 aren't going to be worth much at anything. I'd forget about the spotting scope for the time being and focus on getting a decent pair of 8 or 10 power binos. You get what you pay for and there's a reason everyone that springs for the $1000 binos swears by them. A spotting scope is a useful piece of gear but it's use is much more limited than a good pair of binos, you can get by without it.