| This 60mm zoom has one of the widest fields of view available at low power (150’ at 1000 yards at 15x). It also has the widest zoom range – from 15x to 60x with less than a single turn of its helical power ring. A separate ring moves the focus from the horizon down to 25’ in less than a single turn. Multicoated roof prism optics give you reasonably bright images in both daytime and early twilight, although the Discoverer is not as bright as a similar-quality 60mm porro prism scope. The Discoverer comes with thread-on dust covers and a retractable self-storing lens shade. Its body is finished in a rubberized black paint for a secure grip. A soft rubber eyepiece rim protects eyeglasses from scratches. As with most zoom spotting scopes, the Discoverer has a bit lower contrast and resolution (as well as somewhat higher chromatic aberration) at medium to high powers than similar aperture spotting scopes that use interchangeable single power eyepieces. However, its zoom flexibility outweighs this minor drawback for many birders who need a wide range of powers in a single low-cost scope. The Discoverer includes a photo adapter for 35mm photography. Simply add an optional T-ring to fit your particular camera body to the adapter and you convert the Discoverer to a variable power telephoto lens (from a 1000mm f/16 to a 4000mm f/64). The exact focal length and focal ratio depends on the power setting of the zoom eyepiece. A scale on the adapter shows the focal length, focal ratio, and field of view at each marked power setting of the zoom. The lower the zoom power, the better the photographic results, as its high power images may be too dim to focus easily. A reviewer in Outdoor and Travel Photography magazine said he was “pleasantly surprised" by the scope’s photo capabilities – that the “color was good and the image was acceptably sharp, especially considering the low cost of the unit." Eye relief ranges from a substantial 16mm at 15x to a still-reasonable 12mm at 60x, allowing eyeglass wearers to use the scope without seriously limiting their field of view. The specifications given to the right are for the zoom eyepiece set for a magnification of 15x.
With the zoom set for 30x, the field of view is 79’ at 1000 yards and the usable eye relief is 14mm.
With the zoom set for 45x, the field of view is 55’ at 1000 yards and the usable eye relief is 12mm.
With the zoom set for 60x, the field of view is 38’ at 1000 yards and the usable eye relief is 12mm.
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