February 25, 2026

A Spotting Scope for Birding

First, let it be said that a good tripod will make or break a good scope.

Second, a piece of advice I found when researching all this: "never pay for a difference you cannot see."

Finally, get a scope with an angled eyepiece. You are crazy if you don't. I found one person who said he wanted a straight through scope so he could aim it better -- but unless you are going to sit in a chair after you aim it or have a really tall tripod, you will hate it. I honestly don't know why anyone would want a straight through scope. Maybe if you are shooting at a range and need to sit behind a bench. But you definitely don't want such a thing for birding.

Some say that the only people who prefer a straight through scope are those who owned and got used to them before angled scopes became popular.

My current scope

I have a Bushnell elite 70. It is a 20-60x70 scope with straight through viewing. The only way to use it is to sit in a chair behind it (with it on a tripod). It was about a $800 dollar scope. The idea now is to upgrade to better optics and an angled eyepiece. I have had it quite a while, so I guess I can feel that I have gotten my money out of it.

My plan

I want to ignore all brands other than Maven and Vortex. The top choice would be Swarovski, but I am not willing to spend $3800. Vortex and Maven are well regarded, have excellent warranty reputations, and their prices are within reason.

Maven or Vortex -- and Vortex wins!

The Google AI summary says that the Maven is better optically, while the Vortex Razor is more durable and somewhat less expensive.

Maven has a great reputation. The problem is that two times I made selections, and both times they were out of stock, or worse! The word for this is "unobtainium".

First I settled on their S.1A at $1950, only to find out it is both our of stock and discontinued! Then I decided to try The S3A for $1850 via their "trial/loner" program. They were again unavailable. So I have moved on to Vortex.

The story, as of February 26, 2026

You can read the background information below, but this is how things played out for me. I spent a couple of days reading information online, including what reviews I could find. I decided to order a Maven S.1A at the $1950 price. It is still listed and not shown as "out of stock" on some pages on their website. So I called Maven expecting to place an order online. The fellow I talked to was patient and helpful.
The S.1A is out of stock and discontinued!

The S1.2A is also out of stock (and the price is $2550). I could consider the S3A which is a 20-40x67 scope for $1850. I is more compact, somewhat lighter, and has a detachable eyepiece. You can choose between WA 20-40, HP 24-52, and reticle eyepieces. It is also in stock.

The S1.2 and S.3 share the WA and HP eyepieces, but they each have their own reticle eyepiece (MOA or Mil). The S1.2 reticle eyepieces are 30x, while the S3 reticle eyepieces are 24x. Reticle eyepieces sell for $350. The WA sells for $575 and the HP sells for $800.

I told their representative (Bo) on the phone that the S1A being discontinued was probably going to push me towards the Vortex Razor. I also told him that given all the new information I would take a few days to sleep on it.

After the call, I started doing some online searching for reviews on the Vortex Razor and stumbled across an add at Sportsman's Warehouse for the Vortex Razor HD 20-60x85 for $999. I rushed over to the store and bought one, eager to save $700 over the usual price.

On the drive home I started to think about the 20-60 range and could swear that I had read about a 27-60 range for this scope. I was right!

The 20-60 model is an older model. You could (and some do) call it the "Gen 1". It has a dual (coarse/fine) focus knob, while the new 27-60 model (the "Gen 2") has focus via a band on the telescope body. I don't care about this one way or the other, but it is helpful in distinguishing the two models.

Should I keep this scope? I have 30 days to return it. Maven has a loaner program, and I could try out the S3A. I gave that a try -- they are out of stock with those too.

I feel sort of like a bait and switch victim with the deal from Sportsman's. That alone biases me towards returning it. Also knowing that I cannot use the reticle eyepieces for the Gen 2 with it influences me. Reports vary about whether the Gen 2 is better optically.

Super fancy scopes

Leica, Swarovski, Leupold, Kowa, and others make superb scopes.

So far I am ignoring these, simply because of their price.

As an example, the Swarovski ATX 85 sells for $4000.

Kowa makes well regarded scopes. I see their TSN-66A with a 66mm objective and a 25-60 range of magnification selling for $2800 at BH photo.

I am looking at Vortex Razor HD and Maven scopes with the idea that I get get optical quality in the same league for less money.

Maven S.3A

This is a 20-40x67 scope. They offer demo units at a 5 percent discount with minor cosmetic issues. You don't get to choose your colors.

Maven S.1A

This scope is discontinued and out of stock This is a 25-50x80 scope. I guess "S" is for scope and "B" is for binocular in their system. The ending "A" is for angled (what you want). The ending "S" (as in S.1S) is straight thru and what you don't want.

The eyepiece controls the power (you get 25-50 and wide angle). It has 18mm of eye relief.

The objective has 82mm standard filter threads, should you want to add a protective filter.

It weighs 64.5 ounces (4 pounds more or less).

It has a built in Arca-Swiss mount, which is nice.

The price is $1950 direct from Maven, as of February, 2026. You can get it in either a bold grey/orange color scheme, or a more sensible grey/black.

They have flat rate shipping of $17.50 for orders over $225.

Maven warranty and customer service may be as good a Vortex from what I read.

Maven S1.2A

This is a 25-50x80 scope for $2550.

You can also get it with a 30-65 HP (rather than WA) eyepiece. They also offer MOA and MIL ranging eyepieces for the precision shooting crowd. Near as I can tell the MOA/MIL eyepieces are fixed power.

The big change seems to be the eyepiece modularity, although they say it gives over 80 percent light transmission.

Vortex Razor HD 20-60x85 (aka Gen 1)

This model was first introduced in 2009, then revised to the 27-60 model in 2016. The original price was $1600 - I got one for $1000 in 2026 and intend to return it. Someone called Vortex and was told that they were making short runs of the Gen1 for Cabelas and Sportsmans Warehouse. Cabelas sold it for $535 on black friday.

What does this lack that the new 27-60 scope has. 

The new scope has an Arca rail built in.
The new scope has "better optical performance"
The new scope moves focus onto a body ring.
The eyepieces for this scope are hard (impossible) to find and are not the same as those on the new 27-60 scope.

If you have concern (as I did) that starting at 27x would be a problem, the field of view with the new scope is wider and so at 27x you get the same field you did at 20x with the old scope.

People like the fine/coarse focus system on the Gen1, but a vortex rep says:

The Razor HD 20-60x85 is still an awesome unit! With the new Razor HD 27-60x85 we were able to make some upgrades! We upgraded the optical system (glass/coatings) to give you better clarity, resolution, and low-light performance. The other noticeable difference is we went to the helical focusing mechanism which adds precision and durability.
I am surprised they say the new focus system adds precision, but adding durability always catches my eye.

Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85

Vortex also has a 22-48x65 for less weight and money ($1050 at BH photo), as well as less expensive scopes in their Viper and Diamondback models. There is even an 11-33x50 Razor model.

The 27-60x85 sells for $1760 at BH photo (or Amazon).

It has a built in Arca-Swiss mount, like the Maven.

A big selling point with Vortex is their legendary warranty

Vortex offers a 22x LER (long eye relief) eyepiece with 31mm of eye relief. I see these for $300.

Note that the Zeiss Gavia has a range of 30-60, but with a narrower field.

Vortex Razor HD 22-48x65

Here is a nice option with less weight and money. ($1050 at BH photo).

I am also attracted to this by the 22x low magnification. I dislike the 27x starting magnification on the 85mm version. People say that scope has a wider angle of view, so 27x gives you the same field as the 22x -- but I worry about eye relief since I wear glasses. I may not be able to see all of that wide field.

I read that 14mm of eye relief is considered a minimum.

On the other hand, you give up 60x with this scope. Clearly Vortex is avoiding optical issues with a wide zoom range, and probably for good reason.

Vortex Razor HD 13-39x56

Here we have light and "cheap". These sell for about $900. Given that I don't expect to hike or backpack with a spotting scope, the "light" is more or less irrelevant. Nonetheless, light is always good. Light is also good when you might be traveling with it. Consider that the Vortex 27-60x85 is a 5 pound scope, this scope is just under 2 pounds.
Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Bird Info / tom@mmto.org