Spotting scope- Do you prefer straight or angled and why?

[eeleater]

I have a straight one, so that is what I am used to.  Is there an advantage for the angled ones in silhouette?  The only obvious one to me is the tripod does not have to be as tall, and will be a bit more rigid.  

I do see where they would be an advantage in prone or sitting.

[Hornetx60]

I have had both in Kowa's . All though I prefer the angled body, most other people can't immediately get used to acquiring a target with them. So unless you have a full time spotter and you rely on whom ever is handy don't buy an angled body. There is no other gain to it other than convenience of position for a sitting or prone shooter. For a spotter that is standing it is not the way to go, as you have to stand with your head tilted over to look into it.   .02 worth

[wplylar]

Is there a particular tripod that seems to outperform all of the rest?  I have decided on a spotting scope and am currently trying to decide on a tripod.  Any suggestions.

[haroldclark]

Spotting scopes:  Angle or straight eyepiece.

I have had extensive experience with both types of eyepieces.  My good friend has an angled Kowa of super magnificence.  

I have a Leopold 30 power straight eyepiece and have had it for 20 years.  I had an angle piece for 15 years prior to the Leopold. (before glasses).  I had a bench style tri-pod and it worked fine out to 100 yards.

The optics in the Kowa is newer and possibly better, but I prefer the straight eyepiece.  I spot for long periods 2 days a week and twice-on weekends each month.

If you wear bi-focal or tri-focal glasses or ever will (good chance you will), the angle eye piece will drive you nuts with the lines in the glasses or the fading of the lenses.

In order to look through the angle eye, you must bend your neck to place your eye correctly.  My old neck starts to talk bad to me.

My tri-pod is adjusted to the correct elevation and the leg width comes right back to the arms of my chair.  This allows me to sit straight up and spot with the Leopold.  I extend the leg furthest away from me so that it cocks the tri-pod backwards to me.  Very comfortable for long periods.

Acquisition of the target is much easier with the straight look through scope too.  My shooting group is always changing from 200 meters to 300 and up to 500 meters.  Sometimes, I will spot for two guys at to distances. While I really like the Kowa, the straight look through is easier to acquire targets.

Harold Clark

[CB]

Didn't want to influence anyone with my lone "opinion" but seems I'm not alone in this one. I have angled body Kowa, awesome scope, if done again it would be straight body for reasons given above. I sit timer on top of scope, watch conditions, glance at clock, shooter settles, flags flutter at last moment , he fires--- get your eye back into eyepiece before shot gets there, short animals some condition reading sacrificed but not as critical anyway. Seeing the strike is of utmost importance. If you're not a wind, mirage, clock, dust and shooter studier all at the same time? angled eyepiece is very comfortable, prone shooters I'd think it would be the only way to go. Want it all, for Silhouette, I'd go straight.
 CB

[eeleater]

Since posting I have a new "straight" Fujinon fieldscope with 31mm eye relief.  This is reported to be the longest available- and was the longest I could find.  I had looked through one at an NRA convention, but that was the only exposure I had in person.  I wear glasses, and most spotting scopes "fall down" in the area, as do binoculars.  Objective is 80 mm.  Eyepeice is 25X.  Got it at a good price, new off of E-bay.  I can see full field of view with my glasses on and the rubber eyecup removed.  Optics are clearly better than the B&L 22X60 long eye relief I have been using.   I did not get the version with the ED glass.  I will have a chance to do some comparisons with Kowa LERs after the season starts
I just measured the minimal focal distance and came up with 17ft.  Other eyepeices are available with specs as below.

------------ actual field of view ----apparent FOV--------Eye relief
25xLR-------2.1 degrees----------------52.5----------------31mm
30xw--------2.3--------------------------68.4----------------16.5
50x----------1.0--------------------------52------------------14
80------------0.7--------------------------52------------------12
20-60------1.7-1.1----------------------34-66--------------12-20

If anyone is interested in binoculars that have long eye-relief and excellent optics for the price look for Adlerblick 7X50's.  They were made in Japan to their telescopte standards and intended for the German market. I ran across a pair at a camera store about 13 years ago.  I got the full FOV with my glasses on and the optics were virtually the same as the Leitz and Zeiss they had.  I bought them on the spot.  I later found them in the Orion Telescope and Binocular catalog.  In additon to the Adlerblick's they had identical appearing binos with the Celestron name on them.  The most recent catalog I have is a 2000, and they would be the Celestron Ultima 7x50's.  I just looked on their internet site and did not find the same ones, but the most similar is the "Vista" or the Ultraview LER- both of which have 22mm eye relief.

After looking and using the tripods others brought I got a Bogen (Manfrotto #028).  It is relativly heavy- but also stiff and tall.  If the tripod shakes so does what you see!  I was also tired of having to stoop down a bit to use my prior tripod.  I wish I had gotten a "fluid" pan head, which would make small adjustments smoother.

[anyrange]

One fellow I spot for and have a private side match with shots a M1A Match Rifle with coat.  I have trained myself to watch the target with my right eye through the scope and watch is rifle barrel with my left eye.  I can predict his shot my his barrel movements just before the shot.  I also get carried away with the left eye and miss a few of his shots.  But that is part of the fun. For Silhouette shooting I think the straight is best. However if you are going to shoot any long range prone the angle would be a better choice.  I shoot some 600 yards prone with scope on my rifle and I can not pick up the mirage in the rifle scope anything like the spotting scope.