| If you want totally waterproof and fogproof optics in a durable and lightweight package – be it for kayaking, marshland or shore birding, or anywhere rough treatment and an occasional soaking are expected – you’d be hard-pressed to equal the performance and durability of this exceptional little gem. Its roof prism design allows a much more compact body shape than is possible with the bulky porro prism housing of a conventional spotting scope. The Bushnell 60mm Elite roof prism spotting scope is ideal for someone who needs an armored scope that can handle virtually any sort of rough treatment and bad weather, yet is compact and light enough to take anywhere in the world. The Elite’s fully multicoated 60mm crown and flint glass achromatic objective lens gives crisp and bright images, with only mild and well-controlled chromatic aberration. Because of the optical design needed to keep the scope compact, the roof prism Elite is not quite as bright as a porro prism scope of the same aperture, due to unavoidable light losses within the Elite’s image-erecting prism. The difference can generally only be seen in a low light side-by-side comparison of the scope types, however, and is not noticeable in typical observing situations. PC3 phase-correcting coatings on the roof prisms provide visibly better color fidelity and detail when observing the shadowed areas of a backlit or silhouetted bird. This makes difficult identifications easier when looking towards the rising or setting sun. The Rainguard coatings on the 60mm Elite are special permanent hydrophobic (water-repelling) coatings that are applied to the Elite’s external optics (objective lens and eyepiece). They cause the condensation from rain, fog, snow, or your own breath to form in much smaller droplets than those on conventional optics. Smaller droplets scatter less light, resulting in higher light transmission and a much clearer image. The Rainguard Elite can even be used in a driving rain. Naturally, to complement the water-shedding external Rainguard optical coatings, the Elite is filled with dry nitrogen and sealed to be totally waterproof and internally fogproof for a lifetime of use in all climates and temperatures – from Attu’s cold and damp to the steaming rain forests of Costa Rica. Its one-piece seamless aluminum body is clad in black rubber armor for exceptional durability and resistance to the elements, as well as providing a more comfortable grip in all climates. The Elite’s objective lens cover is tethered to the scope so it can’t be lost. A hard slip-on protective eyepiece cover is standard equipment. The supplied soft nylon case has a convenient belt loop for no-hands carrying. The Elite can be mounted on a tripod while still in its case. The zippered case flaps fold down so you can observe without having to take the scope out of its case. A soft rubber eyepiece rim protects eyeglasses from scratches. Focus shifts from the horizon down to 30’ in less than one turn of the knurled focus ring, while a quarter-turn of the separate knurled power ring zooms from a 15x wide angle (125’ field at 1000 yards) to a crisply-detailed 45x close-up (with a still-wide 65’ field). The specifications shown at the left are for use at 15x. The usable eye relief at that power is a very good 18mm, for comfortable and virtually unrestricted viewing by eyeglass wearers.
From 30x to 45x, eye relief is a still-reasonable 10mm, allowing high power eyeglass use without seriously limiting the field. At 30x, the field of view is 80’ at 1000 yards.
At 45x, the field of view is 65’ at 1000 yards. The 60mm Elite is not adaptable to photography. | 
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