You Have to Set Your Sight Right
Swarovski. Ring a bell? Of course, it does. Who wouldn’t have heard of Daniel Swarovski; the name is associated with crystals – Austrian crystals to be exact. But we’re not talking of the Senior Swarovski here; rather, the younger Swarovski who learned to use his father’s resources and superb glass-cutting techniques to develop a pair of binoculars to feed his astronomy hobby. From then on, binoculars have never been the same. Luckily for Wilhelm Swarovski and the spotting aficionados in general, the younger Swarovski has been creating more telescopes and binoculars since his first pair; and thus, started the Swarovski Optic Company. Swarovski Spotting Scope have become so well renowned just like Swarovski Crystals and provides a wide range of spotting clientele from telescopes, rifle scopes, binoculars to other optic equipment and of course digiscoping kits.
Very recently, Swarovski started showing what they boldly call the “next generation” of their excellent 65-mm spotting scope. The 65-mm Swarovski spotting scope has been consistently and classically available in straight and angled eyepiece configurations – both for their HD and non-HD versions. The newest version features the magnesium chassis versus the aluminum chassis presently used. There really isn’t any significant difference between the two in glass and optical design. The comparative advantages are in the weight and durability, with the magnesium models being both lighter and tougher than aluminum ones. Hence, aluminum will be gradually replaced by the evolution of magnesium scopes in the relative near future.
The Swarovski 65 HD scopes come wrapped in pliable, dark green, rubber armor that makes them pleasant to handle, yet also cushions well against shocks. The amount of protection offered by this armor simply means that while doing without a case is a huge risk with other scopes, a padded case is truly optional with Swarovski. At roughly 2.5 pounds, the Swarovski 65 HD scopes are slightly heavier than the competition but not that much that it can be negligible. This is one aspect where the new magnesium models show a palpable difference.
The Swarovski 65 HD scopes come wrapped in pliable, dark green, rubber armor that makes them pleasant to handle, but also cushions very well against shocks. The amount of protection offered by this armor means that with Swarovski scopes, a padded case is truly optional, whereas with many scopes, doing without a case is a huge risk. The ATS (angled) and STS (straight) 65 HD scopes (with aluminum chassis) weigh 39.9 and 39.2 oz. respectively, roughly 2.5 lbs. This makes them slightly heavier than the competition, but not so much that it makes any real difference. This is one place where the new magnesium versions show a palpable difference.
The superior optical capability and digiscoping versatility of Swarovski Spotting Scope is undeniably unequaled. True, it costs a bit more than other 65-mm scopes do, but they also deliver extra quality performance. For those who want the best, the value isn’t a judgment – it’s a fact!