A spotting scope is a versatile scope that can be used on many different occasions. You can use this to make your hunting easier, you can do birding with it, in a stadium you can watch sports with it, with a digiscoping kit you can digiscope with it.
The options are vast, you can do anything that requires magnification with a spotting scope. There are spotting scopes available for astronomy too. There aren’t many tools out there that can do the same amount of work as a spotting scope.
Just like you can do many things with it, the options to choose from is also vast. It can be overwhelming for someone new. The pricing of them can be quite high.
That’s why we bring you the best spotting scope under 1000. You don’t need to break your bank account to purchase any of them.
What are you waiting for? Grab a seat, get something to drink, and enjoy the article.
Best Spotting Scope Under 1000
1. Vortex Viper HD 20-60x85mm Spotting Scope
| Magnification | 20 – 60x |
| Objective Lens | 85 |
| Eye Relief | 17.8-19.6 mm |
| Close Focus | 36 feet |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 101-50 ft |
| Length | 17.5 Inches |
| Weight | 76.6 oz |
Vortex Viper is a famous lineup of products from Vortex. Under this banner, they have spotting scopes, riflescopes, binoculars, and many others. All of them are quite well-known among the community too (According to community gossip; Viper is the best spotting scope under the 1000 mark).
Vortex Viper HD is an all-rounder spotting scope. You can choose from many different versions. Angled, straight, higher magnification Vortex got them all.
They are ideal for hunting, birding, and digiscoping. But you need to buy your digiscoping kit. It is possible to digiscope with the spotter. While hunting the wide field of view and 60x magnification will help you even spot the smallest animal on the terrain.
Spotting scopes are heavier than any other form of scopes. That’s why you always need to carry a tripod to mount the scope in.
The optics of Viper is HD (high definition). The objective lens is big and gathers a good amount of light. Resulting in excellent and vivid photos.
If you are worrying about distortion in high magnification, then don’t. Spotting scopes are made for use with high magnification. There is no distortion at all. The Viper series also has budget options, if you want you can get that instead.
2. Celestron Regal M2 100ED Spotting Scope
| Magnification | 22 – 67x |
| Objective Lens | 100 mm |
| Eye Relief | 20 mm |
| Close Focus | 26.2 ft |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 100 – 47 ft |
| Exit Pupil | 4.5mm – 1.5mm |
| Weight | 74.1 oz |
Celestron is more known than Vortex in spotting scope scenes. Celestron has been making scopes for decades. They have provided a prism for NASA in the past. Celestron has one of the cheapest astronomy spotting scopes/telescopes on the market.
But Regal M2 100ED is not an astronomy scope. The ED in the name stands for Extra Low Dispersion glasses. Extra-low dispersion glasses are excellent for use in any condition. It can gather light even in low light conditions.
On top of that, you add the XLT multi-layer coating from Celestron. You have a killer scope.
If you want to digiscope, you can get the smartphone adapter from Celestron from the link we provided. We suggest taking it from Celestron instead of a third party.
The max magnification of this scope is 67x. Higher than Vortex Viper. The objective lens is also bigger. 100mm objective lens with ED glass is like heaven.
The amount of included accessories is also praiseworthy. It’s waterproof and fogproof. The Bak4 prism is excellent and works flawlessly. There isn’t much room to complain about the scope.
You can’t go wrong by choosing this spotting scope. This is the best spotting scope under 1000 you can buy ever; I can guarantee you.
3. Kowa 82mm Angled Spotting Scope
| Model | TSN-82SV |
| Objective Lens | 82 mm |
| Filter Diameter | 86mm |
| Focusing Distance | 19.7 Ft |
| Body | Angled |
| Length | 15.1 inches |
| Weight | 52.2 oz |
Kowa TSN-82SV is an angled spotting scope from Kowa. It’s only available in an angled version. It has a big 82mm objective lens, thus the name 82.
The glasses of this scope are not ED. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. The glasses gather plenty of light thanks to that big 82mm objective lens.
The whole housing is waterproof and nitrogen-purged. That means no water or fog getting inside the scope at any time. If it does you can put the scope in warranty.
To complement the wide field of view, the eyepiece is also wide and has a generous amount of eye relief.
The lenses are fully multi-coated with different kinds of coatings. They also have water-repellent and anti-dust coating. You take it in Sahara, or Amazon, you won’t have any issues at all.
There are other options besides this one. That’s why this one often doesn’t get the priority. But it’s a good spotting scope nonetheless. But Kowa TSN-883 is pretty familiar to high-end spotters.
4. Vortex Razor HD 11-33x50mm Spotting Scope
| Magnification | 11 – 33x |
| Objective Lens | 50 mm |
| Eye Relief | 16 – 19 mm |
| Close Focus | 6.6 feet |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 191-96 ft |
| Exit Pupil | 4.6 – 1.5 mm |
| Weight | 25.0 oz |
Vortex Razor HD is the smaller brother of the Viper series. Razor is more budget-friendly without cutting too many corners.
But if you opt for the max configuration, then it will set you back higher than our budget. In our budget Vortex, the Razor HD 11-33×50 Angled one fits perfectly. You can go for the straight version if you prefer that.
The eyepiece is changeable. If you want more magnification you can always change the eyepiece. The focusing knob is easy to use and quite sturdy. As the scope is O-ring sealed, you don’t need to worry about water getting inside it. The scope is also a nitrogen purged for anti-fogging.
The included lens caps are made out of black colored rubber. They should last you for a while. They are not plastic so I hope they won’t break anytime soon.
The lenses are fully multi-coated for optimal performance. The objective lens may not be the biggest, but it is still quite big. 50mm for an objective lens is not as bad as it may sound.
It gathers enough light to provide you with clear and vivid images. The glasses are HD, you will get the HD-quality image. That’s why it’s a great scope for budget digiscopers. Or I can say it’s one of the best spotting scopes under $1000. There is no doubt about that.
5. Nikon Prostaff 5 20-60x82mm Spotting Scope
| Magnification | 20 – 60x |
| Objective Lens | 82 mm |
| Eye Relief | 16.9 mm |
| Close Focus | 6.1 m |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 109 ft |
| Tube Diameter | 95 mm |
| Weight | 65.61 oz |
Nikon is a brand that never fails to amaze me. We have reviewed many Nikon products in the past. We have reviewed the sibling of the Prostaff 5 spotting scope; The Nikon Prostaff 5 riflescope. You can check that out if you want. But we are here to understand the hype of the Nikon Prostaff 5 spotting scope among the birders.
When you create a good name for you in the community, no matter how bad the product you release it will get some hype. But here Nikon didn’t provide any bad product. Nikon Prostaff 5 is one of the best spotting scopes under 1000 that you can currently buy.
The scope has a huge 82mm objective lens. The included eyepiece has 60x magnification.
If you have used a Nikon product in the past you know their lenses are some of the best in the market. No matter what budget Nikon doesn’t cut corners when it comes to lenses. I mean they do make them round but you know what I mean.
The aluminum housing of the scope has a matte black finish around it. The inside of the scope is nitrogen-purged. You won’t see any kind of fog. By any chance, if you receive a defective unit that fogs, you can send it right back to Nikon and they will replace the product for you.
The lenses are fully multi-coated. There won’t be any scratches or dust stuck in the optics after a long session of use.
There is a straight version of the scope available too. For the price, Nikon Prostaff 5 provides excellent value. It’s good for digiscoping, good for hunting, and excellent for birding. An ideal spotting scope that you should get for yourself or gift one to your loved ones.
6. Pentax PF-80ED Spotting Scope
| Focus Range | 5.8m ~ ∞ |
| Objective Lens | 80 mm |
| Eye Relief | 20 mm |
| Prism Material | Porro |
| ED Glass | Yes |
| Close Focus | 19 ft |
| Weight | 1400 Gram |
Pentax PF-80ED is a spotting scope with an 80mm objective lens. As the name suggests the glass of this scope is ED glasses. ED glass stands for extra-low dispersion glasses. They are superior in the low-light condition.
The advantage of ED glass is vast. You don’t always need full sun to get the best quality image through ED glass.
The scope is available in both straight barrel and angled eyepiece. Like always we prefer the angled one. If you have read any of our spotting scope reviews then you know why.
We are not here to force our choice on you, you can choose the straight version if you want. The color finish is black, not matte. The scope has rubber armor all around the body.
The scope is also waterproof and fogproof. There is a dust shielding glass in the eyepiece adaptor. The eyepiece is removable after all. You can use any 1.25″ eyepieces. The retractable lens hood is another excellent feature of the scope. It’s a blessing for birders and digiscopers.
The scope is a beast for the price. If you want ED glass and high magnification with good lenses. Go for the Pentax PF-80ED.
7. Athlon Ares 20-60×85 ED Spotting Scope
| Magnification | 20 – 60x |
| Objective Lens | 85 mm |
| Eye Relief | 0.78-0.7″ |
| Close Focus | 29.5 Feet |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 102-51 ft |
| Prism Material | Bak-4 |
| Weight | 66.5 oz |
Athlon Optics is not a new name by any means. They have been making optics for years. There are some quality Athlon riflescopes too. Usually, Athlon makes a lot of budget-oriented products. The Ares is not exactly a budget product. It costs around $700. Still under our $1000 mark so it counts.
Athlon uses something called an Apochromatic lens. These lenses are made to enhance image quality naturally.
The 80mm objective lens gathers a ton of light to make that happen. At max 60x magnification there wasn’t any distortion. Unless you are willingly trying to nitpick, you won’t find any visible disturbing distortion at all.
The glasses are ED glass. We have mentioned twice already what ED glass does. ED glass alongside with apochromatic lens is a deadly combo.
All of the lenses and prism are fully multi-coated for better performance. The inside of the scope is also nitrogen-purged for anti-fog.
The lenses have an XPL coating to prevent dirt and scratches. I think you can guess now why the price is that much. Yet still, it’s one of the best spotting scopes under $1000 in my opinion. Athlon has a good reputation so I won’t mind recommending this one to anyone.
8. Hawke Endurance 25-75x85mm ED Scope
| Magnification | 25 – 75x |
| Objective Lens | 85 mm |
| Eye Relief | 20mm |
| Close Focus | 16.4 Feet |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 90-46.5ft |
| Prism Type | BAK4 – Porro |
| Weight | 26.4oz |
Hawke Endurance ED spotting scope is an angled scope. It has a huge 85mm objective lens.
The max magnification of this spotting scope is 60x. 60x is the most common magnification for most spotting scopes. For regular birding, hunting, and digiscoping you don’t need more than 60x in my opinion.
As the name suggests the lenses are made of ED glasses. ED glasses are known to provide some of the best performance in any scope. That’s why lower-end scopes tend to skip the ED glass.
The design of this scope is a lot similar to Vortex optics. The color pattern is also similar.
The mounting ring is 360 degrees movable. I love this type of mounting plate. You don’t need to change the angle of the tripod, you can just move the scope to the desired direction.
The extended sunshade works like a charm. This scope is great for birdwatching. You’ve got our recommendation.
9. Sightmark Latitude 20-60x80mm XD Scope
| Magnification | 20 – 60x |
| Objective Lens | 80 mm |
| Eye Relief | 1.06 – 1.02 in |
| Close Focus | 12 ft |
| Linear FOV @1000yds | 131.1 ft |
| Exit Pupil | 1.3 – 4.2 m |
| Weight | 67.7 oz |
Sightmark Latitude 20-60×80 XD is a versatile spotting scope. You can use it for hunting,
The fully multi-coated extra-low dispersion glasses are an excellent choice for spotting scopes. A lot of scopes in the list use this glass. Sightmark Latitude is the last scope on our list that also uses the same glass.
The scope has a max of 60x magnification like almost all of the scopes here. The objective lens is huge 80mm. The ED glass performs excellently here. The scope does an excellent job in any form of scoping.
This scope can be a great companion for hunters. The rest of you should skip this one. Specially digiscopers. Because this is the only scope on the list that has an FFP MIL-radian reticle.
For angled scope lovers, I bear bad news. The scope is a straight barrel and straight eyepiece. No love for angled users.
The matte finish of the scope is excellent. Looks classy and premium. I can easily recommend this spotting scope to hunters.
Best Spotting Scope Under 1000: Conclusion
Done and dusted. If you already own a spotting scope, let us know which one it is. If I helped in your decision making also let me know. This is TargetChaser signing out, see you on the next hunt.
Hi, I’m Brent Hansford. A writer turned hunter & now sharing my love for the sport through writing. As I practically breathe weapons, I firmly believe I’m capable of providing you with new knowledge about firearms and hunting. My mission is to help more people get better at hunting & master the weapons. Let me help with unleashing the beast within you!
