A complete guide to selecting a Spotting Scope
"A Spotting Scope is a compact telescope used for land views."
A Spotting Scope is a self-contained compact telescope which is used for land views. They generally are attached to a camera tripod for stability.
Spotting Scopes are like a telescope they have a large objective lens to gather light and an integrated eyepiece to view through. They provide a moderate amount of magnification and generally require a tripod for stability. Most models provide a variable magnification and a simple focus system.
Selecting a spotting scope can be quite simple or very complex. For basic use the spotting scope just needs a small amount of zoom able magnification and a large enough lens to get light under the desired conditions. To select the correct spotting scope may need extra information including the distance and size of the object to view, the optical seeing conditions where it will be used and the quality of the image desired.
