Worth the Weight

We get calls here in the shop on a daily basis asking about spotting scopes and what makes one better than another, or why should they get this scope over that scope. We can spew the numbers from manufactures catalogs and websites all day long, but what it really comes down to is in field use. Without time in the field with a particular optic, nothing we say is going to be different than what the customer could get from the manufacturer.

This last season I had the opportunity to use the new Swarovski STX 95mm spotting scope on a few of my hunts. So I am going to provide a review of the scope as a hunter and not as a sales person. No technical lingo or quoting text from the Swarovski catalog.

(Coues deer buck Digiscoped at around a mile. With Outdoorsmans Digiscoping setup, and STX95 )

 To be fully honest I have never been a spotting scope guy, I have always carried 15’s in my bag, and relied on them for most of my glassing purposes. I just never saw the benefits of carrying the extra weight for the extra magnification. With that being said, the STX 95 changed my mindset completely! This thing is an absolute work of glassing beauty. The scope is amazingly clear throughout the 30-70 magnification settings unlike any spotter I have ever used in the past.

The ability it gave me to see if that object I was looking at over two miles away was a bedded deer or a rock, saved me valuable time in unnecessary stalks (we have all been there.) The scope was so valuable on my Coues hunt in Southern Arizona that the extra five pounds in my pack felt like a bargain in the trade off. Yes the STX 95 weighs in at a touch over five pounds but the clarity it gives you at the highest magnification will keep you from having to pack it all over the mountain chasing rock deer.

As you can see I was truly blown away by the STX 95 and its capabilities in the field. If you ever get a chance to look through one in the field do so and I will be here to take your order when you call!

Swarovski ATX/STX 95mm Modular Objective

Optical Perfection-Combines a large field of view with a large zooming range (25-60x & 30-70x)