I've never owned a spotting scope so I've been dreaming of one for a while. I have the opportunity through work to buy any Bushnell products for 50% of retail so I'm looking at this spotter.

Is it worth even the $600 it would cost me? Should I be looking for the straight-body one or the 45 degree one? I hunt out west in a lot of very open country where you can literally see elk and deer several miles away so being able to see fine detail at long ranges is important (Elk is spike-only for general rifle season and deer is 3-pt or better only). I also don't want a scope that is too heavy. This model also has a camera adaptor and I wanted that as well for some digiscoping with my Nikon D-80 DSLR.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks guys and gals.

Hey Power,
I have been looking at spotting scope also and the one that I'm leaning towards is the Nikon XL II 16-48x60mm.It has been the best scope for under the 600.00 range.It was way better than the Nikon Prostaff and the Bushnell.The Nikon XL looking well over 2 miles on 48 powerI could read the letters on the side of a shool bus.Where the prostaff and Bushnell were grainy and hazey.
The Nikon will run ya 400-500 bucks and if thats to steep I also like the Burris Landmark 15-45 x50mm
Good luck
BBJ

Thanks BBJ. Do you know if you can digiscope with it? I've looked at a few of the Nikons for that reason but the ones that will cost over $600, which is kind of my soft ceiling at this time. I've also not had great customer support from Nikon so I'd tend to lean away from them if I have other options. Still maybe I should give them another chance depending on you and other's opinions.

I don't know much about the picture taking side of the scope,cause that wasn't my intended purpose.I'am shure you could look it up on the net some where.Also another REALY good scope for under 600 is Kowa.
Good luck
BBJ

I bought a Bushnell about 15 years ago and took it back to the gunstore because it was dim around dusk and not very sharp at longer distance. I went with a Leupold Gold Ring and Nikon and have never looked back. I don't know about the newer Bushnell scopes quality. Bsuhnell is working with other companies (Bausch & Lomb, etc.) so their quality has probably gone up quite a bit. Regardless of what scope you consider, I would recommend that you try to look through the scope around dusk if possible and definitely at longer distance (at least 200+ yards) to get an idea of scope's glass quality. If you don't get the quality you need, you'll end up taking it back like I did.

As for having a straight or angled scope, that depends upon what is more comfortable for you and how you plan on using it. If you want to be able to stand or sit above a scope and bend down slightly to look through it, the angled is obviously better. If you plan on lying prone (like in the field) or just barely looking over the top of a table or obstacle, a straight scope would work better.