I've used my Burris Signature spotting scope for several years, and I like it just fine.

But there are times when backpacking during the off season when I wished I had a "mini" spotting scope and tripod.

I found a 20 x 50 spotting scope made by Alpen that weighs just 10 oz., looks to be about 6" long, and is only $60 or so (including tripod). It's even rubber armored and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Now, guys, clearly this isn't the spotting scope that most of us would need, but I am wondering if anybody out there has seen one of these scopes, and (if so) what you thought about it.

huntsternorth,

Is it waterproof/fogproof for that price? To be honest, I have never had much luck with really cheap optics and it seems that the time you really need them is when they let you down in some way.

Take a look at: http://www.eebc.co.uk/spot/index.htm

These are a low to mid price scope which seem to have a decent reputation with the birdwatching crowd over here although I am not sure if they are waterproof though...

Regards,

Pete

Thanks for the reply, Pete.

Yes, the Alpen is advertised as waterproof/fogproof. The adverisements make it look pretty good:

(http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/products/alpen_spotting_scopes.shtml)

But I have to agree with you: cheap optics tend to suck. That's why I'm checking to see if any of you have looked through one of these things. I'm suspicious that, at $60 (including tripod), it's probably a piece of junk.

I'm not looking for inexpensive here; I'm looking for small size. If the reputable optics manufacturers made a small, fixed power scope, I would likely buy one of theirs. Years ago Redfield sold a small, fixed power (25x) spotter, but I was too poor then to buy one. That Redfield was popular among Army snipers because of it's small size.

huntsternorth,



I gave you a bum steer with the link above. Try the ones below.



http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/opticron_scope/opticron_scope.htm



Scroll down till you get to the "Mighty Midget MM2"



The link below gives a couple of independant reviews:



http://www.optiline.no/opticron/test_mm2.htm



The bodies of these scopes are available fairly freely secondhand in the UK, sometimes the eye pieces too. The good thing about the system that you buy a high quality eyepiece intended for their more up market scopes if you so wish. The bodies are available either straight or angled depending which you prefer.



You might come across the Mk1 on the secondhand market and they were fairly decent too, but I *think* they had fixed eyepieces, but I am not sure...



Regards,



Pete

2 out of 3 pairs of "waterproof" Alpen binocs we used last season fogged up completely inside.

I thought Alpens were a good deal for the money, now I think quite a bit less of them.

dave

Thanks again, Pete. I hadn't heard of these scopes at all. It appears that they may be the way for me to go. I'll be on the lookout for them.