EP 108 - Comprehensive 85mm Spotting Scope Review

Welcome to my most ambitious review yet. I compare 6 popular 85mm spotting scopes: Swarovski ATX 85mm, Kowa TSN Prominar 88, Zeiss Conquest Gavia 85mm, Maven S.1A 80mm, and Zeiss Victory Harpia 85mm to give you a better understanding about what makes them different, and which one may be best for you. 100% unbiased, highly technical, and overly detailed, as always!

 

The raffle for the winning spotting scope is now live. You can join and buy tickets at https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

 

Original YouTube Video

https://youtu.be/4fBi-ucLTpM

 

 

 

0:00 – Intro

1:47 – Mindful Reviews and the spotting scope raffle

3:36 – Tribalism and psychological marketing

5:04 – Objectivity and financial incentives

7:59 – No such thing as a “perfect” spotter

9:07 – Review methodology  and categories

13:20 – Scoring system

18:27 – Pricing

21:53 – Weight & Weight Honesty

26:25 – Length

27:57 – Angled & Straight options

29:33 – Origin of manufacture

35:44 – Descriptive Class Rankings

36:26 – Warranty

44:12 – Durability

49:16 – Hardware

53:19 – Build Quality

53:57 – Weather Resistance

58:24 – Frame Material

1:00:11 – Internal Gas Purged

1:02:49 – Construction Class Rankings

1:05:16 - Magnification

1:06:54 – Objective Lens Size

1:07:13 – Field of View

1:10:37 – Glass Quality

1:20:24 – Glass Coatings

1:22:53 – Eye Relief

1:24:52 – Close Focus Distance

1:26:30 – Optics Class Ranking

1:28:28 – Performance Class

1:35:51 – Final Rankings

 

Mindful Reviews

https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

 

 

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/

 

Merch

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop

 

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools

 

Newsletter

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact

 

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

 

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast