SPOTTING SCOPES
Prismatic spotting scopes use lenses to gather light, just like the ordinary refractor, but have an image-erecting prism built right
into them, placed just above the eyepiece. This device allows for a right- side-up, left-to-right correct view. The eyepiece comes in two
choices: a fixed design, or a zoom. The most popular is the zoom spotting scope, which has a magnification range built into it, somewhere between fifteen to sixty times as far as the viewer's eye can see. The level of magnification is controlled by rotating a knob or dial. The second type of refracting spotting scope has a fixed magnification eyepiece attached to it. Refracting spotting scopes are extremely portable and rugged, and some are even waterproof. They attach at the bottom to a photographic tripod of any brand.If you are interested in attaching a camera to your spotting scope, make sure this is an option. Some brands have the ability, some don't. If you have more than a passing interest in doing photography through your spotting scope, we recommend the second style mentioned in these pages... Catadioptric, otherwise known as Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov spotting scopes, because of their larger light-gathering capacity and the stubbiness of the design, which helps assist even further in stability at high power.