Why not have both in one? Wild Herrbrugg do one and it's ideal for field use - at least Swiss Army thought so! 12x, coincidence measurement to 30000 metres. Weighs about 20 kg and a snip at $500.
I'd go with Leica/Leica units, or an Optolyth 3 draw rubber armoured job as it's much esasier to carry on a sling and about half the weight. I've had a TB80 for this use for 15 years and it's as near indestructible as I'm likely to obtain. I prefer the APO77 from a tripod but I'd hate to carry it far. If you're a purist, Gray & Co do a classic 4 draw spotting scope for stalking in Scotland primarily but it's a beautfully made piece of kit, leather case etc. Mecahnically very impressive, optics not as bright as others but almost pocketable. Just fits in bellows pocket of my stalking coat.
Regards
Robert

I use the Swarovski CTC75 which is a 2 draw 30x rubber armoured. It is absolutely brilliant and should be around $850. Light, rugged, easy to use and excellent value for money.

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna go with the Leica 900 for the rangefinder, but I'm still looking at scopes. I agree with the "buy the best first," but my situation is, "buy what you can afford or judge caribou with your binocs." Fortunately, I do have very good binocs, but I'd rather have a very good spotting scope as well, within my price range.

Hey there.



I have the Leica LRF 1200 Scan and it is great. I also have the Swarovski 20-60x65 HD, and I would definitely buy the Leica compact spotter if I had it all to do over again. The optics are good, but the focus ring is really stiff and there is no fine focus. The result is that you never really feel like you have got it quite into focus! You are always playing with it. It's easy to try and make a fine adjustment and go past the sweet spot over and over again. Very frustrating, at least for me.



It sure was an improvement over what I had before though - nothing!