>>2168574I'm a cheap bastard so sold the Mavens. The spotting scope took too much time to setup. These lookouts always have their own binos that are like 15x, and have always found them useless. One also has a spotting scope, and I never use it. If I had to backpack with something like that i'd imagine i'd hate myself for carrying it. I think Vortex or Maven has a tiny spotting scope that can be handheld, that may be okay with like a walking stick/monopod hybrid. Maybe for bird watching, but even still that shit is way more eyestrain than just not using regular binos. In some cases, i'd almost rather want a scope attached to a gun stock than to set up a bipod and maneuver it around with that zoom.
For my work I am regularly looking 20-30 miles out, but again, it depends on what distance you are looking, packability you need, and what you are using it for.
Even digiscoping for a smoke or using at a concert, 10x Diamondbacks have been fine. I just think your diminishment of cost goes down significantly after $500 especially. The cheaper binos we have now are way better than the cheap binos at the turn of the century.
I know one other lookout that used 10x Leikas. He was a great lookout, but had been doing it for decades at that point, and used them overseas for nature documentaries. He talked about owning Nikons, or some other company that used to have a similar warranty to Vortex/Maven and would intentionally break them every year to get the updates of said model. I don't know if i'd trust myself buying that high end of shit backpacking.
anywho, cheers fag
