Best Budget Spotting Scopes – 2021 Review

| Last Updated November 16, 2021

The market is full of spotting scopes, ranging from highly affordable units to extremely expensive ones. And at times, choosing the right one for yourself may become a hassle.

If you are going to spend a considerable amount of money on these products, you would want to get good value for your money. Not sure how to do that? Don’t worry; we’ve got your back.

Here we have listed and reviewed some of the best spotting scopes available on the market. All you need to do is find one that suits your needs.

Comparison Chart of the Best Budget Spotting Scopes

IMAGEPRODUCT
  • All accessories like tripod and case included
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 50 mm
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  • Provides smooth and accurate focusing functions
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 80 mm
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  • Best for the Money
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 60 mm
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  • Best Budget Spotting Scope for Target Shooting
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 60 mm
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  • Best Budget Spotting Scope for Digiscoping
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 80 mm
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  • Best Budget Spotting Scope for Hunting
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 60 mm
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  • Best Budget Spotting Scope for Birding
  • Straight or Angled? Angled at 45 degree
  • Objective Lens: 80 mm
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Can You Really Find a Quality Spotting Scope That’s Affordable?

Scopes, in general, are considered to be pricey equipment. And spotting scopes are said to be even more so. But that is not necessarily true. 

If you are looking for a top-quality spotting scope, one that is equipped with all fancy features, you may be looking at a product with a very heavy price tag. But that does not mean every quality product is designed to make you overspend. There are several spotting scopes that function well and do not cost a fortune.

Are these affordable spotting scopes the same as the fancy ones? Obviously not. But when it comes to functionality, they work just fine without all the extra features that expensive products have to offer. If you can spare a larger budget, then a high-end spotting scope may be good for you. But if not, do not worry, a mid-range spotting scope would be just fine.

Benefits of Investing in a Quality Spotting Scope

As mentioned earlier, spotting scopes are not the cheapest piece of equipment around. Before you invest in one, you may ask yourself if you really need one. In case you are still wondering, here are a few benefits that you will get out of investing in these quality spotting scopes:

Durability

No matter what product it is that we invest in, we expect it to last long enough. With any other cheap unit, you may be disappointed by the lifespan that you experience. But when you invest in a quality spotting scope, you will find that they give you a run for your money by lasting considerably longer than other standard products.

A Better Sight of Your Prey

A spotting scope may not be a necessary item to add to your hunting gear. Sure, you can set out to hunt without one of these in your bag, but investing in one will make each of your hunting trips a successful one. Providing you with a better sight of where your prey is, a spotting scope ensures that you never go back home without a hit.

Coated Lenses

If you look through a standard lens, you realize that they do not focus or reflect light as efficiently as required for scopes. But when you invest in a quality spotting scope, you will realize that this isn’t ever a problem.

This is because these lenses come with special coatings that allow better reflection and focusing of light.

Key Terms to Know

To help compare products in this review, we have included a few key specifications for each. Here is a quick summary of what they mean.

  • Straight or Angled? Whether the spotting scope features an angled viewer or is a straight tube design.

  • Objective Lens: This is the component used for gathering light. Larger diameters let in more light for dim lighting conditions. 

  • Magnification: This is the minimum and maximum amount of magnification the scope provides 4x means the image is magnified four times larger than its actual size.  

  • Dimensions and Weight: The dimensions of the scope and carrying weight of the scope.

  • Field of View: This refers to how large an area you can see through the spotting scope at 100 yards. When zoomed in, a smaller area is visible through the scope. 

  • Eye Relief: This is the distance between your eye and the outermost lens of the spotting scope that enables full view of the image without distortion or a black circle around the edge. 

  • Weather Protection: These are features that protect the scope and your view from adverse weather conditions. 

Review of the Best Budget Spotting Scopes

Now that you have made up your mind about buying these scopes, we can now finally talk about the best ones that the market has to offer. There is a great range of outstanding scopes available, but here are a few that we find to be better than the rest.

Best Overall:
Roxant Blackbird

Roxant Blackbird Spotting Scope - 12-36x50 High Definition Telescope with Zoom - Includes Spotting Scope, Tripod & Carrying Case

PROS

  • Utilizes top-quality military-grade optics that allow an HD view
  • Designed with a non-slip frame that prevents it from falling easily
  • Features a weatherproof construction that comes with a rubber armor
  • Comes with a set of useful accessories ranging from tripod to carrying case
  • Focus can be adjusted by a ring designed onto the main barrel instead of a separate knob

CONS

  • Maybe a little heavy for some users
  • Costs more than other standard products
  • Magnification range may not be suitable for everyone

What Recent Buyers Report

Users that have recently invested in this spotting scope can vouch for the flawless design and functionality that it promises. Those that have tried it out for themselves have not been disappointed in any aspect. All users have found this product to be on the perfect levels of functionality and durability.

Why it Stands Out to Us

This product is one of those that impress users with its long list of features. However, there is one feature that this product offers, which convinced us to include it on our list: the focus ring design. 

The focus ring for this product is built into the barrel body of the scope instead of being added as a separate knob. This gives the scope an overall cleaner look and easier functionality. Now you can easily focus on your prey without any hassles, just with your hand on the body of the scope. It's as easy as that!

Bottom Line

From ease of use to quality of build, this product excels in every aspect. It may be a little more pricey than the others, but it makes sure to give you a good worth for what you pay. The features of this product are designed to provide you with an enhanced experience, and they succeed in doing so.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

50 mm

Magnification:

12-36x

Dimensions and Weight:

9.13 x 5.31 x 3.07"

Field of View:

85-170 ft /1000 yds

Weather Protection:

Weatherproof

Runner-up:
CreativeXP BAK 4 Prism Spotting Scope

CREATIVE XP Spotting Scopes HD 20-60x60mm Zoom with FMC Lens, 45 Degree Angled Eyepiece, Fogproof Spotting Scope with Tripod, Compact with Phone Adapter for Birding Watching

PROS

  • Designed with a heavy-duty build that can maintain a low weight
  • Provides users with bright and clear views even at higher magnifications
  • Easier adjustability that allows great eye relief for users to avoid blurry images
  • Lenses specially designed to avoid any chromatic aberrations for greater accuracy
  • Features not one, but two fine focus knobs that allow a smoother focusing process

CONS

  • Tripod included may not be tall enough for all users
  • Assembly of the tripod and the setup may be a little tricky

What Recent Buyers Report

If you ask someone that has invested in this product what they think about it, you will hear mostly positive reviews. Users have found this product to be an all-rounder, which is why it has become a quick favorite amongst them. There is nothing about this product that they think is not up to the mark.

Why it Stands Out to Us

There is a range of products available in the market. But this product, with all its features, definitely stands out. What makes it different from the rest are the accessories that it comes with. Not only are there a great range of accessories available for users, but they are also of great quality, just like the main unit itself. 

So you will find yourself having access to some accessories that will enhance the performance of this spotting scope and also last as long as the scope itself, unlike other products where the provided accessories never live up to the mark.

Bottom Line

All in all, this unit is one of the absolute best that you can find. It not only has all the features that one looks for, but these features perform at their best, allowing you an experience that you’ve never had before. Want the best spotting scope for your hunting gear? This might be it.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

80 mm

Magnification:

20-60x

Dimensions and Weight:

12.99 x 5.91 x 2.95"

Field of View:

60-114 ft/1000 yds

Eye Relief:

17-12 mm

Weather Protection:

Waterproof and fogproof

Best for the Money:
Emarth 20-60x60AE

Emarth 20-60x60AE 45 Degree Angled Spotting Scope with Tripod, Phone Adapter, Carry Bag, Scope for Target Shooting Bird Watching Hunting Wildlife

PROS

  • Ensures the greatest comfort with an ergonomic design
  • Provides a great range of magnification that goes from 20x to 60x
  • Tripod allows easy rotation of the eye-piece for greater convenience
  • Built with a shock-proof and non-slip grip that keeps your product durable
  • Features a fully multi-coated lens along with a BAK4 roof prism that allows better light transmission rotation

CONS

  • Does not provide great eye-relief
  • Users may notice slight chromatic aberrations

What Recent Buyers Report

Those that have tried this product admit that they were greatly surprised by its functionality. Given the low price point that this product was available at, they did not expect a lot from it. But it managed to surprise them with its high-end functionality and the great experience that it provides.

Why it Stands Out to Us

There is a lot that we liked in this product, but one specific feature that we think stands apart from all others is its ergonomic design. This is not something we see in every other spotting scope. Most units only come with the purpose of providing a good view without the comfort of the user in mind. 

But that’s not the case with this ergonomically designed scope. It greatly enhances the user's comfort, which makes it a lot better than some other spotting scopes that simply can’t be used for long enough due to discomfort.

Bottom Line

Looking for the best of functionality and comfort, at an affordable range? This product is the one for you. It allows you to experience the functionality of a top-quality spotting scope at the expense of an affordable one. So why pay more when you get all this at such a lower price?

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

60 mm

Magnification:

20-60x

Dimensions and Weight:

13.39 x 5.91 x 3.15" ; 3.01 lbs

Field of View:

62-128 ft /1000 yds

Eye Relief:

19.5-18 mm

Weather Protection:

Waterproof and fogproof

Best Budget Spotting Scope for Target Shooting:
Huicocy 20-60x60mm

HUICOCY Spotting Scopes, 20-60x60mm Zoom 39-19m/1000m with FMC Lens, BAK4 45 Degree Angled Eyepiece, Fogproof Spotting Scope with Tripod, Phone Adapter, Carry Bag for Birding Watching (20-60x60mm)

PROS

  • Fitted with a 60mm objective lens that provides a wide view range
  • Features a fog-proof design that makes it suitable for use even in foggy weather
  • Comes with a free tripod as well as phone mount kit that allows you to capture what you see
  • No-slip design paired with the comfort molded grip makes the unit easy and convenient to use
  • Designed to provide users with a magnification range that is ideal for target shooting as well as nature watching

CONS

  • Focus ring adjustment may be a little tacky
  • The unit may be a little heavier than others

What Recent Buyers Report

Buyers that have invested in this product were mainly those that had a very restricted budget. This product managed to surprise them with how well it could perform, despite being extremely affordable. From the quality of lens to the overall thoughtful design, everything about this product greatly impressed users.

Why it Stands Out to Us

If you ask us for one feature that we think makes this product worthy of being on this list, it would be its fog-proof design. A lot of products claim to be weather-proof but are nothing close to what they claim. 

This product is different from all those. It simply says it’s fog-proof, and it is extremely efficient at it. So the next time you head out for a hunting trip, you won't have to be concerned about your spotting scope getting fogged up and you losing sight of your prey.

Bottom Line

You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars to experience good functionality. This product proves just that. You may not find a long list of features on this product, but the features that it does provide function at their very best, providing you the best possible experience at the lowest possible price range.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

60 mm

Magnification:

20-60x

Dimensions and Weight:

13.38 x 3.54 x 6.5" ; 1.32 lbs

Field of View:

131-66 ft/1000 yds

Eye Relief:

13-16 mm

Weather Protection:

Waterproof

Best Budget Spotting Scope for Digiscoping:
Landove 20-60X80 BAK4

Spotting Scopes 20-60X85ED Spotting Scope BAK4 Prism - Waterproof Field Scope for Birdwatching Target Shooting Archery Hunting

PROS

  • Available in two variants with an 80mm and a 65mm objective lens
  • Waterproof design that keeps it functional even in harsh environment
  • Equipped with a superior BAK4 prism that allows great reduction of the stray light entrance
  • It comes with a carrying case with space not only for your scope but also for all the accessories that you need for it
  • A great range of magnification makes the unit ideal for a wide range of use like shooting, archery, bird watching, etc

CONS

  • Assembling the tripod may not be as easy 
  • Carrying case provided may not be of the best quality

What Recent Buyers Report

If you like to go through user reviews before investing in a product, you would be absolutely convinced to invest in this unit. Users have found it to be highly functional and have been greatly impressed by the viewing quality that they experience, making this one of their favorite spotting scopes.

Why it Stands Out to Us

There is a lot about this unit that users find to be great, but what attracts us in this product is its versatility. Most other spotting scopes can serve only one purpose well, but not this unit. It is efficiently designed to accompany you on various trips. 

It has such a great range of magnification that makes it highly appropriate for not one or two but multiple purposes. You can take it for target shooting or for helping you with archery. Use it for hunting or a day out, bird watching, etc. It serves each purpose perfectly well.

Bottom Line

Digiscoping doesn’t come cheap. But if you want to experience the best of that at a fairly affordable rate, then you should invest in this product. It provides the absolute best of all the features that it offers and ensures that you are provided with an experience that doesn’t leave you disappointed.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

80 mm

Magnification:

20-60x

Dimensions and Weight:

15 x 7.5 x 3.93" ; 4.53 lbs

Field of View:

82.9-48 ft/1000 yds

Eye Relief:

14.5-11.5mm

Weather Protection:

Waterproof and fogproof

Best Budget Spotting Scope for Hunting:
Celestron 52322 Landscout

Celestron – LandScout 60mm Angled Spotting Scope – Fully Coated Optics – 12–36x Zoom Eyepiece – Rubber Armored – Tabletop Tripod

PROS

  • Extra-large focus dial makes focusing a lot easier and smooth
  • Comes with an adjustable tripod that helps keep sight at your desirable angle
  • Comes with a padded eyecup that makes it convenient to use even with glasses
  • Available in different styles with varying objective lenses for you to pick the ideal one
  • The carrying case provides sufficient space and safety for the scope as well as accessories

CONS

  • There may be slight chromatic aberrations

What Recent Buyers Report

Most, if not all, of those that have invested in this product, have been impressed by it. Users say that it has greatly helped them out on hunting trips and is ideal for spotting the prey out in the wild. Those who have used it for hunting purposes recommend others to do the same.

Why it Stands Out to Us

While there is a lot that this unit offers for its users, the one feature that had us immediately sold was its clear viewing image. A good viewing image is very important for every spotting scope, and most of them offer a good one too. 

But this product is simply a step ahead of the rest. The image provided by this scope is not only crisp and bright but with the perfect combination of lenses, it is also highly accurate and detailed, which proves to be a great aid in hunting. 

Bottom Line

Going out for a hunting trip and want to be equipped with the best possible spotting scope for the job? We have the perfect unit for you. This spotting scope is ideally designed for hunting and will serve to be your ideal hunting companion, ensuring that you have a better view of your prey.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

60 mm

Magnification:

12-36x

Dimensions and Weight:

10.75 x 5.3 x 2.9" ; 1.13 lbs

Field of View:

157-84 ft/1000 yds

Eye Relief:

18-14 mm

Weather Protection:

Water resistant

Best Budget Spotting Scope for Birding:
Celestron Ultima 80

Celestron – Ultima 80 Angled Spotting Scope – 20-60x Zoom Eyepiece – Multi-Coated Optics for Bird Watching, Wildlife, Scenery and Hunting – Waterproof and Fogproof – Includes Soft Carrying Case

PROS

  • Features multi-coated lenses for better light transmission
  • Comes with a soft carrying case that keeps the scope safe when not in use
  • Features a waterproof and fog proof design that can face harsh conditions
  • More compact size makes it ideal for bird watching since it's easier to take with you
  • Available in different styles with different angles so you can pick one that is ideal for you

CONS

  • A little heavy which makes it harder to carry
  • Accessories provided may not be of the best quality

What Recent Buyers Report

Individuals that are enthusiastic about bird watching will tell you how ideal this product is for the purpose. From its efficient pricing to its ideal magnification, users find this product to be highly appropriate for the purpose and its functionality to be impeccable as compared to other standard products.

Why it Stands Out to Us

Of all the outstanding features that this product offers, there is one that makes it stand out, giving great competition to others: the quality of the build. This product is one that is designed to be able to take great damage from the harsh surroundings that it is used in and still function well. 

No matter what sort of use you put it to, this product will always prove it's worth and show that it is designed with top-quality materials that can take a hit and still function well.

Bottom Line

We end this list with this product as the last one, but it is not intended to be the least. With the build quality that it features and the functionality that it provides, this product is one of the best on the market. And when it comes to bird watching, it might be the absolute best.

Product Specs

Straight or Angled?

Angled at 45 degrees

Objective Lens:

80 mm

Magnification:

20-60x

Dimensions and Weight:

3.5 x 7.5 x 19.3" ; 3.56 lbs

Field of View:

105-53 ft/1000 yds

Eye Relief:

18 mm

Weather Protection:

Waterproof and fogproof

Aspects to Consider Before Buying

If you have invested in a spotting scope before, you would have a good idea of what you are looking for. If not, you may not be sure what aspects to consider while looking at one of these products for yourself. Here are a few features that you need to keep in mind while buying a spotting scope.

Magnification

Spotting scopes are usually available in higher magnifications and a wider range of magnifications as well. They may range from 15x to 16x in power. But higher magnification is not better for every other hunter. The magnification that you need depends upon the prey that you need to hunt and the details that you want to be able to see. 

Weather-Proof

Hunting is no indoor sport. It is one that takes you out into all sorts of weather and environments. This is why the spotting scope that you pick must be weather-proof to be compatible with the environment that it is being used in, without being damaged.

Build Quality

The build quality of a spotting scope determines how well it functions and plays a great role in its durability. Ensure that you pick a product that is designed out of top-quality materials with the good build quality, so you get the best durability and functionality.

Conclusion 

We hope that this article helped you find, not only a good spotting scope but also one that is ideally suited for you. While picking a product, remember that all you need to do is find a unit that matches all your requirements and fits your budget. And just like that, you’ll have a spotting scope, perfect for you.

People Also Ask

Spotting scopes are not very commonly used amongst a lot of hunters. This is why several people may still have some questions regarding these products. To help you out, here are a few questions that other users frequently ask, answered just for you.

Are Spotting Scopes Worth it?

Spotting scopes are great additions to hunting gear, but they are not for everyone. If hunting is a mere hobby for you and you do not take it very seriously, investing in a spotting scope may make it an expensive hobby. But if you wish to take hunting more professionally, then it would be worth the investment.

How Powerful of a Spotting Scope Do I Need?

The power of the spotting scope that you invest in depends upon the prey that you are out to hunt. The higher the power, the more detailed and smaller prey you’d be able to see. So if you want to hunt bigger prey, a higher power scope may not be for you.



My name is Caleb and I am obsessed with hunting, fishing, and foraging. To be successful, you have to think like your prey. You have to get into the mind of your target - and understand Big Game Logic. If you have any questions, or just want chat about your latest hunting score or big catch, you can reach me at admin@biggamelogic.com. Read more about Big Game Logic.