Review on Bushnell Trophy Xtreme Spotting Scope by Dawn Miranda

Bought the 20-60 x 65mm version. I wanted a scope my kids could tip over without my tears. The scope came in a remarkably strong, well lined, hard plastic case with heavy duty latches and a rubber grommet around the top. The included table tripod is quite cheap but lightweight and light enough. The window mount is an integral part of the tripod. A small screw holds the two parts together. Image quality is good at 20x, not the hyper-real image you would get with a $500+ scope, but good enough. At 40x zoom, the output image is reduced to about 3/4 the size and color, sharp and slightly blurry. Still usable at 40x, but not great if it's the kind of magazine you'll be using all the time. At 60x you have to hunt a tiny image around the eyepiece to find it and the image is quite blurry even in bright light. sunlight conditions. I'd say it can be used to get a vague idea of what's going on (on the outside), but not for long-term viewing. The scope also seems to switch focus between magnification settings, which I haven't experienced on more expensive ones. The scope is advertised as waterproof for short-term diving, which (if true!) is great for the price. It's quite big but not that heavy. The knob on the side is for rotation relative to the tripod mount. This strap has click-locks when rotated to keep the scope from just hanging around in the ring mount. These stoppers are good quality for such a cheap scope. The entire dark stripe of the scope body at the front of the scope body extends into a nice sunshield. I wouldn't have thought of it without the instructions! The shade is unobtrusive when retracted and appears solid when extended and retracted. The tethered front cover is nice and convenient (despite other reviews). If you rotate the scope relative to the mount, it will fall into the field of view! I'm taking this scope to Alaska and will post an update when we get back. extend to a greater distance. Well done Bushnell for a solid travel box and visor construction!