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Hawke Spotting Scope

Hawke Spotting Scope

It’s difficult not to be impressed from the off with this model, since it comes superbly presented and protected in an aluminium reinforced hard case. Dense foam padding cossets the goods, whilst spare compartments, and a stay-on soft cover, are also provided.

On the downside it does not come with a tripod, which you have to supply but £30-£50 should see you with something suitable, as the choice is massive. Naturally it has a standard camera thread for the purpose too.

A soft, rubber eyepiece is fitted, which can be folded back to shorten the shroud effect. Now select the magnification from x20-60, by rotating the zoom control ring of the angled eyepiece. Fine focussing is achieved by adjusting the focus knob, until clarity is satisfactory. At 3lb 6oz it’s fairly lightweight in its class, so the more substantial the tripod, the better the stability!

FIELD TRIP

Clarity and definition is very good! I viewed some old farm machinery at 400 yards and the 5 x 1.5” makers name plate was easily read! The focus knob has just the right amount of resistance, with a silky movement conducive to fine adjustment. At x20, the subject snapped into superb clarity, with a sharpness of image that impressed. Increasing to x30 still had the subject crisp and sharp (refocusing is needed once mag is increased). At x40 clarity was still good, but image shake became more apparent.

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At the top end (x60), shake is heightened still further, and some sharpness and brightness is lost. Field of view is of course reduced accordingly at this higher end too, which is more relevant when tracking live subjects. But overall, the preciseness of operation, and quality feel of this unit, makes it all the more enjoyable to use.

VIEW THAT GROUP

As for tracking shots downrange, I viewed target cards at 100 yards, and found at x20 and x30 magnification to be perfect for the task. Again, a good compromise of less strain on the eyes, easy full field of view, brightness and sharpness of image, makes lower mag use more appealing. Versatility is the key though, and the high magnification in reserve is handy for many situations.

Nature-Trek Spotting Scopes are Nitrogen-filled to ensure the image is free from misting, whilst the BAK4 optical prism system and fully multi coated lenses, combine, to produce a sharp, bright, image edge to edge. Fans of digi-scoping are indulged, with the availability of a dedicated digital camera holder that fits onto the eyepiece, enabling you to capture images as they happen.

Competitively priced for sure, when considering the market, the Nature-Trek 20-60 is still one of the best spotting scopes I have encountered to date. It’s well made, with a quality feel to it and an impressive performance to match. Hawke also offers a variety of tripods to suit.

FOR: Quality and price are good
AGAINST: Tripod not included
VERDICT: A useful item for many shooting needs

  • Hawke Spotting Scope - image {image:count}

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  • Hawke Spotting Scope - image {image:count}

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  • Hawke Spotting Scope - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Hawke Spotting Scope - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Hawke Spotting Scope - image {image:count}

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