Review on Waterproof Spotting Scope in Black by BARSKA Colorado by Michael Duman

Just received this spotting scope. I was impressed by its strength and lightness. The rubberized surface is positive. Although the optics are transparent, you have to stretch your eye up to the eyecup to see the entire scene. Wearing eye protection therefore prohibits this. With that said, now for the big scam. When I tried to turn the zoom ring on the eyepiece (which shows the power settings), it didn't move. Attached to the body of the scope is an outer ring that has a red dot showing which power setting is set IF you can rotate the eyepiece. After you applied a bit more force to it, the whole mount started rotating (not the eyepiece as it should). I felt a scratching inside, and then the rubber coating around the mount started peeling. It was obvious that this was NOT the way to set the zoom. While this did change the focal length, it just wasn't as intended. I contacted Barskaya directly and after explaining the situation to a representative, she agreed that the scope was defective and had to be sent back for a replacement (which I do). I just checked a previous review posted yesterday and the reviewer had the same issue. Maybe this is a bad batch of scopes? Who knows. Hope the replacement works. ***UPDATE*** I just received a replacement. At first I thought I would have the same problem with the zoom ring because it doesn't move. I had to press hard on the outer ring (to keep it from moving) while trying to vigorously rotate the zoom ring. The ring gradually, but slowly, came loose and began to rotate. After some time and a few twists and turns, the zoom ring finally worked smoothly. What's it all about? Well, now it works. One thing I noticed is that when you zoom in, you actually have to press your eye against the eyepiece to see the entire image. But I don't think you should expect much for this price. I just don't think I would give a thousand from Nikon.