Barska Colorado 15-40x50 Spotting Scope – Compact Straight Body, Fully-Coated Optics, Blue Eyepiece, Mini Tripod & Soft Case – for Bird Watching & Target Shooting

Great spotting for the price

Always a sucker for value and this compact spotting scope has that in spadesDon't have unrealistic expectations and you'll like it. Good compact size, light and while the included tripod is kinda flimsy it can fold down into a compact size and does the job good enough.Only thing is the pouch included will not fit the scope with the tripod attached but no big dealWill update after getting out to the range with itUPDATE - forget about the plastic stand it comes with, the thing is pretty much useless if there is any kind of wind. It is not stable enough and will vibrate as you adjust the focus and windage/elevation. I put it on a tripod I had just laying around it is much better now.at 100 yards, all levels of magnification is pretty clear, 200 yards it starts to get semi blurry and at 300 yards you'll be hard pressed to see hits in smaller calibers even with shoot and see targets. Beyond that forget about it. Best magnification is between 15X-30X. Above that and it's rather difficult to get it to focus properly, almost impossible to do with the included stand.still a good buy given the price, but highly recommend getting a more sturdy stand to use with it. Updated to 3 stars.

I am amazed by the quality of the optics despite low price. The diopter ring adjustment is not marked !. It is the inside ring.FYI - this diopter ring is used to adjust to your particular eyes in place of glasses. The supplied tripod is a clever design but being plastic it is wobbly. Use a proper tripod as there is 1/4 - 20 standard tripod mount. I wish there is available smart phone mount for this scope. For higher magnifications, I feel quality optics are not that critical since atmospheric distortions and shaking dominate.

I pulled it out of the box while in my truck and tried zooming in to the shopping mall sign down the road. It focused just fine at the lowest magnification, but at 25 or so up to maximum it would not focus for anything. I went home disappointed. I even requested a return auth through Amazon. I then bought a legit $300 vanguard spotting scope. I looked at it in the store, it worked great. Then I got in my truck and a few days later looked through my windshield with the new scope with the same terribly blurry result. I hadn't yet returned the Barska so I pulled it out and looked at it outside and to my surprise it actually worked quite nicely.Now the meat. It is lightweight, and fairly easy to find things with on low magnification which still gives better views than most binoculars. You have to hold really steady to see things at higher magnification. Leaning on the top of a vehicle worked great or against a tree or railing. It is a little harder to get a good focus and there is no adjustability to the eyepiece for comfort. It is hard to zoom while holding still/steady for viewing unless you mount it on an actual tripod. But for <$30 you really can't go wrong for what it is.

I attempted to use this spotting scope to sight in at 200 yards. I was using DayGo reactive targets over paper targets. My groupings are normally within 1 MOA. With this scope, I was unable to even focus on the targets. I have a Crossfire II 4-16x - 50mm. I was able to get a closer view with my optic at 16x then with this optic at 40x. The site picture on the 16x also seemed closer. The view within the objective lens requires your eye to be on the eye relief, and it was never actually clear sub 100 yards (then it was hardly what I would consider clear, aka you would not pass an eye exam test even with the largest letter). I was unable to identify hits on the reactive paper targets at 200 yards using the 40x (or lower) setting, stabilized by a tripod.It is very possible it was just the scope I had. I have heard reviews of this scope where people use it to sight in on paper targets. Both via amazon and in person. The person that got me to buy this was actually a sporting goods store employee speaking to me about how I was uneasy to spend another 400-600 dollars on another optic.well, I'm probably going to spend the 400-600 on the optic. This thing was trash. I would buy it for a little kid, who just wants to tag along, I would not recommend it for any actual use. I expected it to be low quality, however not being able to focus at 200 yards, that wasn't asking much. Not being able to see a spot on a reactive target, that really was even less.

I have not complaints about this scope. It works as it should and is budget friendly.

I was looking for a resonably priced spotting scope to go on a shotting bench that my wife gave me for Christmas. The range that I shoot at is only about 75 yards long. I wanted a scope that could cover this distance. After looking a several different scopes online and judging them by brand and cost, I decided on the Barska 15-40x50 Colorado Spotting Scope becasue of the variable magnification and the price. Using the scope to spot where my bullets were striking the target I was able to see very clearly these hits and was able to adjust the sights quickly. This is a well made scope and has a very clear field of vision. The small plastic tripod that came with the scope is decent but not very usefull. I mounted the scope on a bracket that attached the the shooting bnech and it held quite well. All adjustments to the scope are quick and easy. The rubber coating on the scope makes it easy to hold. I can easily reccommend this scope.

If you want a cheap and light weight scope to carry around in generally dry weather, this may work for you. As other reviewers, have confirmed, the tripod and case are cheap and near worthless. I have used the scope in 10 degree weather conditions and it worked and didn't fog up.I'm not an expert user yet it is clear that the lens don't pick up a lot of light in less than sunny conditions.Reason for two stars is that the scope while usable for certain users is made up two components that screw together. It doesn't screw tightly together and you wonder why it wasn't designed as one piece.