Spotting Scope vs High Zoom Camera

Dilemma….

I had the privilege of using a new Swarovski 17-40 spotting scope last week. While goodish I was probably wanting a bit more zoom. The camera attachment made viewing easier but still struggled to size a chamois at 500m.

With these new high zoom cameras like the Nikon P1000 at 125x zoom or the Nikon P950 at 83x zoom, it appears these might be a good (maybe better) alternative. No need for additional camera scope attachments with easy viewing from the view finder.

Not to mention the camera option is half the price

Practical experiences appreciated. Thanks

It definitely saves on pack space. The technology has come along way and especially with the optical zoom. I guess for alot of people it will be abit like the digital analog watch saga.
I dont think the weathproof side or the ruggedized side of cameras is there yet at the price point of a p1000.

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older canon zoom camera says up to 25x was no better than 10x binos....but then the binos are good.... spotting scope I do not own and have only used one once..but found bull thar before the guys along side me with binos. what zoom does your rifle scope have??? for me that is huge consideration.... if you can utilise that once animal is found with binos,the spotting scope becomes redundant...but with phone attachment they make camera some what redundant
your budget and your pack that it has to fit in and be carried.

I used the cannon sx60and 70 as my “spotter” for quite a few years, have also had access to the Nikon p1000 for a couple trips . Always thought it was a far better and compact option over an actual spotter. Last year I purchased a Leica televid 82. Since changing to spotting scope I would never go back, in my opinion the difference for evaluating animals is chalk and cheese. The clarity of the image is just far better especially on tahr and chamois.
Definitely the spotter is a lot larger and heavier, however when you trade the camera out of the pack it offsets a bit, I just use iPhone for photography currently, maybe change in future. I think the extra weight and bulk is well worth it as once you’re in a hunting area a considerable amount of time is spent glassing. I have also found it great using the spotter on lower magnification for glassing for game not just evaluation, where as I never found it easy to do with camera.
Other benefits is limited risk to water damage. Also, you can tank out a camera battery pretty quick especially if zooming in and out a lot if evaluating a lot of tahr/Cham. A dying batter with several days tahr hunting ahead isn’t the best feeling as you’re suddenly pretty much limited to either binos or rifle scope for evaluating.

I haven’t put my eyes through the Swarovski ATC you mentioned but I was keen to run it side by side with my leica to see the difference and if I could go to a more compact model but haven’t got that far yet. Interesting comment around not being able to judge a chamois at 500m.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

older canon zoom camera says up to 25x was no better than 10x binos....but then the binos are good.... spotting scope I do not own and have only used one once..but found bull thar before the guys along side me with binos. what zoom does your rifle scope have??? for me that is huge consideration.... if you can utilise that once animal is found with binos,the spotting scope becomes redundant...but with phone attachment they make camera some what redundant
your budget and your pack that it has to fit in and be carried.

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I have had big zoom scopes like S&B and Nightforce but not enough zoom even at 25x. The Swarovski spotting scope was 40x zoom and still not quite enough. I have a new Swarovski ordered but challenging my thinking, so budget not so much of an issue. These new cameras I would think they are quite a step up from the older 25x of which I have one.

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Originally Posted by High Country Boy

I used the cannon sx60and 70 as my “spotter” for quite a few years, have also had access to the Nikon p1000 for a couple trips . Always thought it was a far better and compact option over an actual spotter. Last year I purchased a Leica televid 82. Since changing to spotting scope I would never go back, in my opinion the difference for evaluating animals is chalk and cheese. The clarity of the image is just far better especially on tahr and chamois.
Definitely the spotter is a lot larger and heavier, however when you trade the camera out of the pack it offsets a bit, I just use iPhone for photography currently, maybe change in future. I think the extra weight and bulk is well worth it as once you’re in a hunting area a considerable amount of time is spent glassing. I have also found it great using the spotter on lower magnification for glassing for game not just evaluation, where as I never found it easy to do with camera.
Other benefits is limited risk to water damage. Also, you can tank out a camera battery pretty quick especially if zooming in and out a lot if evaluating a lot of tahr/Cham. A dying batter with several days tahr hunting ahead isn’t the best feeling as you’re suddenly pretty much limited to either binos or rifle scope for evaluating.

I haven’t put my eyes through the Swarovski ATC you mentioned but I was keen to run it side by side with my leica to see the difference and if I could go to a more compact model but haven’t got that far yet. Interesting comment around not being able to judge a chamois at 500m.

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Awesome first hand feedback. An 82 is a big bastard! Maybe a 65 would be a good compromise.

I was looking down on the chamois sitting on a rock so the horns were not silhouetted and it was a bit gloomy but all the animals we saw I kept trying to wind the zoom up past 40x

I second pretty much everything from high country boys post. I have used super zoom cameras for roughly 8 years and bought a delta titanium 15-45x65 spotter at the sika show last year and would never change back. I comfortably spot deer out to 2km with it (you need to go closer to assess properly but out to 1km you can very easily assess a stag imo)
This pic was taken at roughly 900 yards from memory.
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Originally Posted by Nick.m

I second pretty much everything from high country boys post. I have used super zoom cameras for roughly 8 years and bought a delta titanium 15-45x65 spotter at the sika show last year and would never change back. I comfortably spot deer out to 2km with it (you need to go closer to assess properly but out to 1km you can very easily assess a stag imo)
This pic was taken at roughly 900 yards from memory.

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always looks like they're looking directly at you... even at 900 bloody yards.

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Originally Posted by Nick.m

I second pretty much everything from high country boys post. I have used super zoom cameras for roughly 8 years and bought a delta titanium 15-45x65 spotter at the sika show last year and would never change back. I comfortably spot deer out to 2km with it (you need to go closer to assess properly but out to 1km you can very easily assess a stag imo)
This pic was taken at roughly 900 yards from memory.

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Pretty good image. Stags not so much a problem but a chamois at 9.5 or 10 inch bit more challenging. Good feedback RE camera vs spotting scope

I run a canon for a few years went to Leupold sx4 15-45 x 65 this want be taking my big camera south next year. run a phone skope on it but find its clearer taking a video.

Spotter for reasons above and camera battery life especially in the cold is an issue when your using it as a spotter.

Sounds like the spotter is still the go

I usually kick myself when I leave the spotter at home. The camera doesn't quite cut it. Cannon sx60. It's good for the big light weight missions, multiple nights.
Lately I've been taking the spotter and doing big day trips so to cut down on the overnight kit and cover more ground

I’ve got a P1000. I’ve found it ok. Can certainly assess stags well enough. However I don’t like how cautious I have to be around battery life and it feels fragile. I refuse to even get it out if it looks like a skerrick of rain.

I don’t do enough hunting in the open stuff anyway and the places up here where I do are unlikely to hold animals of quality.I basically use it two or three times a year.

If I was down south I’d have a spotter over the camera.

x zoom is not an indication of max magnification as there is no fixed starting point accross different platforms. Its simply the lowest focal length divided into the largest. Case in point the cannon sx6o claims x65 zoom, the Nikon B700 claims 60x zoom but the cannon has wider (lower) starting point so in terms of focal length the Nikon has more reach or top end, around 1365mm in the cannon compared to 1440mm in the Nikon IIRC. The same applies to spotting scopes, a 20x60 spotting scope will Be around 3000mm, substantially better. I havnt looked at big high zoom cams like the P1000 as they weigh as much as a good spotter so no real gain.
My advice has generally been if you can run to a really good spotter then buy one but a good camera will be better than a cheap spotter.

Cameras are handy, but have several significant drawbacks over spotting scopes. The first is that they use batteries, and sometimes these are a proprietary size, so you need a few to sustain the camera for anything more than a day trip.
Camera zoom is often quoted as the maximum zoom possible, which may be 120 times (a DSLR equivalent of a massive 2400mm lens, double the focal length of Canon's biggest ever telephoto lens). However, at maximum zoom, most cameras are displaying a cropped portion of the frame, termed "digital zoom". Image quality rapidly deteriorates once optical zoom ends and cropping begins.
Spotters have optical / physical magnification throughout the range, use no batteries, and can be used with a cellphone or camera, should you wish to record the scene, or use some digital zoom.
Unfortunately, this is a game that comes down to image quality and features being tied very closely to dollars spent and the size and material used in the lenses, and tiny, sub-$1000 scopes (or cameras for that matter) are not going to give a satisfying experience, especially in testing conditions. This includes looking into shady spots, back-lit scenes, scenes where there is little contrast (game animals against grass or stones) and in low light situations such as twilight or heavy cloud. All of these are common in a hunting situation.

Quite a science and thanks for the last few posts providing some real detail to the logic. I think if it was polled it would be +90% in favour of a spotter based on the feedback.

Reviving this thread. After using a cannon sx60 for a few years as my still camera/video camera and to access animals, i sold it and brought a delta spotter about a year ago, have a magview phone adaptor. I am going to go against the grain here and say i am thinking of going back to the camera, most likely p1000 or similar.
Reason for this is i like to take a lot of video and photos, i find the spotter is great its clear, but it can take to long to set up then find the animal as the low magnification is to high to search fast, then getting ya phone out to finally get it on and focused finds me often missing the good photo’s or videos, where as camera can turn on and zoom straight into animal with in seconds.
Yes the spotter is more durable but not hard to keep camera in a case or i use to use a thick sock and a dry bag and never had a issue.
Anyone else find this or has gone back to a superzoom camera? Keen to hear if anyone else uses a camera for the same reasons, or if i should keep the spotter and accept it will take more time to set up. Taking both is not an option, too bulky.
Cheers.

I have a sx60 and a swaro 20-60x65 spotter is far better for both assessing animals and videoing, camera ok for real lightweight missions. If u use a spotter a lot u can find animals quick in it then clip the phone onto it. I use phoneskope.

2nd revive on this thread...

Im also contemplating what to acquire - though for my use, Im needing to true my BCs for my home load 223 loads. as its just me trying to shoot and watch where rounds go ( high or low ) to correct in calculator - I was thinking toward the SLR camera ie FujiFilm S9150 with 50x optical zoom - with a record function to look back on...?
I do like the idea of spotting scope with phone attachment of course, though at this time, cost is a factor Im going to get a spotting scope ( aint it always? )

good spotting scope way more robust and water/shock proof has to be considered

I went the camera route but not an SLR. It works for what I'm doing as I film my hunts and its nicer than trying to do that with a phone when you want close ups that are also close in.

The small swaro with magview phone attachment. Game changer

I went the small Swaro but with the Ollin, just drop it on and it perfect every time.

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Originally Posted by Nasty Factory Trigger

2nd revive on this thread...

Im also contemplating what to acquire - though for my use, Im needing to true my BCs for my home load 223 loads. as its just me trying to shoot and watch where rounds go ( high or low ) to correct in calculator - I was thinking toward the SLR camera ie FujiFilm S9150 with 50x optical zoom - with a record function to look back on...?
I do like the idea of spotting scope with phone attachment of course, though at this time, cost is a factor Im going to get a spotting scope ( aint it always? )

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For what you intend I think the camera is the better option. I've used one at a gong shoot, there's no argument when you can show someone their fall of shot

Last time at the range put camera on tripod next to me so could record shots on target at 200m as due to light I couldn't see them clearly in the 3-9 scope.