| Spotting Scope Terminology: | | | | as the number of feet per 1000 yards of distance, the |
| Straight Straight eyepiece design | | | | higher the magnification the narrower the field of view. |
| The straight eyepiece position works well when | | | | A wider field of view is often preferred by hunters |
| viewing downward from an elevated platform, such as | | | | who want to scan large areas for game or for |
| a deck, patio, hillside, anytime you're above the subject | | | | viewing sporting events. |
| be viewed. Many novice users also favor the more | | | | What does Resolution mean? |
| natural line of sight afforded by the straight eyepiece - | | | | Resolution describes how sharp or clear an object |
| especially when trying to follow wildlife on the move. | | | | appears when viewed. Resolution is primarily |
| Angled eyepiece design | | | | determined by the objective lens diameter. The larger |
| If you tend to share your scope with others, you'll find | | | | the diameter of the objective lens, the better the |
| the angled eyepiece position of the Nomad spotting | | | | resolution. However, lens coatings, lens alignment, |
| scope readily accommodates folks of many different | | | | quality of glass, and quality of prisms also affect how |
| heights with less adjusting of the tripod. The angled | | | | sharp a viewed image will be. |
| eyepiece position also works well for watching birds | | | | What are Prisms? |
| high in the treetops, scanning higher elevations for | | | | Porros prisms are used in Spotting Scope. The Porro |
| wildlife, or gazing up at the moon. | | | | prisms used in spotting scopes are larger than used in |
| What do the Numbers mean | | | | binoculars and have different quality glass used in the |
| What the numbers mean. Spotting Scopes are | | | | prisms. |
| normally identified by two numbers. The first numbers | | | | What are Optic Coatings? |
| are the magnification (20-60X) for a variable power | | | | Optics are coated to prevent glass surfaces from |
| scope and the second number is the diameter of the | | | | reflecting light and loosing it. The very best optics are |
| objective lens in millimeters (mm). For example, | | | | "Fully Multi-Coated" which means multiple coatings are |
| 20-60X60 means the Spotting Scope magnifies | | | | layered fully onto all glass surfaces. "Fully coated" |
| objects 20-60 times and the objective lens is 60 mm in | | | | means all "air to glass" surfaces have been coated |
| diameter. | | | | with at least one layer of coating. "Coated" means |
| What is Eye Relief? | | | | some surfaces have been coated. |
| Eye Relief is the distance, expressed in millimeters, | | | | What does Exit Eye Pupil Describe? |
| from the ocular (eyepiece) lens to the point where the | | | | A measurement of how much light is usable by a |
| eye is positioned to view the entire image. Eye relief is | | | | spotting scope. Generally, the larger the exit pupil, the |
| affected by magnification, the number of lens | | | | brighter the image will appear, particularly in dim light. |
| elements, and field of view. Spotting Scopes designed | | | | Exit pupil is determined by dividing the diameter of the |
| with long eye relief are usually preferred by those who | | | | objective lens by the magnification. For example, a |
| wear eyeglasses. Most Spotting Scopes provide 8-13 | | | | 20-60x60mm Spotting Scope has an exit pupil of 3-1 |
| mm of eye relief. Spotting Scopes with "long eye | | | | mm. For general use in bright light, an exit pupil of 2.5 |
| relief" provide from 14-20 mm (or more) eye relief. | | | | mm is sufficient and 4 mm and higher generally allow |
| What is Field of View (FOV) | | | | better viewing in dim light. Lens coatings and the human |
| Field of View describes the size of the area that can | | | | eye also affect how well a binocular performs in dim |
| be seen through the Spotting Scope and expressed | | | | light. |