elpepe25 Report post Posted December 17, 2013 http://www.eurooptic.com/big-eye-spotting-scope-brackets-for-swarovski-sts80-spotting-scopes.aspx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted December 17, 2013 There are a number of issues with spotting scope bracket setups. Collimation and inter-pupillary distance are the primary issues. Most good brackets are adjustable to get things right. Angled scopes won't work with a bracket. Straight scopes are rotated together to get the right IPD. Once locked down they work great, however the setup is personal. The setup usually won't work for another user without going through the collimation, IPD procedure. Likely, you'll need fixed power eyepieces. Dialing two zoom eyepieces to the proper magnification for both eyes can be a real headache, literally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Becker Report post Posted December 17, 2013 Elkman, I know we talked a little on this topic. You are still welcome to check out all the big eyes that I have. Just give me a heads up before you come by so I can make sure to have them at my shop. I would check out the one from Eurooptic that is linked two posts earlier in this thread for the 80mm scopes. I have a good friend that has that bracket and it works great. Its just a little heavy. I would post pics of my new set up but like I mentioned to you my buddy is still working out some patent stuff so I can't really post pics yet. Since we are cutting down weight our set up uses the 65mm scopes. As far as eye pieces go I think the field of view is slighty bigger with the fixed. I have the new 25-50 wide angle eye pieces and they work fantastic. I think with talking with a few other people that with the old style 20-60 eye pieces you run into eye relief issues at high power. As far as getting them set to the same power it really is not that big of an issue. Zoom one to your desired power and then walk the other one in. I haven't had any issues. Your eyes tell you really quick what you need to do. The only other real issue that arises with the variable eye pieces is being able to get them close enough together for you to look through them if you have really narrow set eyes. I have a large head verging on mongoloid so that doesn't affect me. That might determine if you can even use the variable ones. The fixed eye pieces are smaller diameter thus you can get them closer together. As mentioned the biggest factor with the scopes is getting them in line with each other. The best set ups seem to keep the scopes mounted solid. The eurooptic plate secures both scopes permanently but then slides one in and out (wider/narrower) so different people can look through them. The set up my buddy and I have been working on still lets the scopes rotate on their axis so the plate can be one solid piece (cutting down on weight). You simply then rotate the eye pieces up and out for wider set eyed people. It has a few bugs though. Mostly due to the fact that the scopes housings and what not are not made with extreme high tolerances. Basically the tubes are not exactly round. The feet from one scope to the next are not exactly the same size. Some issues like that. The more movement you want in the scopes the more error you are going to get in getting them aligned. Even just tightening the little lock down knob on the side of the scopes can change the alignment some. Other factors for alignment of the scopes are user dependent. Every persons eyes and brains are a little different. Basically your eyes see two images and then your brain turns it into one for you. Some people have lower tolerances in what they can view or look through and still see one image while others have to have perfectly aligned set ups in order to look through them. What it really boils down to is whether you want other people to be able to glass with your set up or if you are ok with it being 100% tuned only for you. Just a few things to really think about if you are really wanting to have the set up with two scopes put together. Some other factors are weight. The Kowas are exceptional but they weigh like 15 pounds, and they have angled eye pieces (bad for looking down hill). The docters MIGHT lack a little in the glass, they weigh 10lbs, straight eye pieces, I still prefer my docters over the Kowas though (no complaints). I am not sure what the two 80mm scopes with the euro optic plate weighs but I know it was right up there with the Kowas and Docters. Hopefully we can get some of the little things worked out in our new bracket and make them available for you guys. Weight being the biggest factor we are trying to address. My set up right now weighs 6lbs, and is substantially smaller dimension wise than any other big eye setup available. I'll keep you updated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SirRoyal Report post Posted December 18, 2013 I use big eyes all the time! First and foremost the mounting plate is everything . A good machinist can make enough adjustments it will work for any body except the Cyclopes :)he will also set Collimation. Mounting Plate is going to run you $750 +. You can also rotate your tubes too adjust the inter-pupillary distance and mounting plate with width adjustment! I would buy 2 Swarovski bodies in 65mm and a fixed 20X , 30X . The new 20 - 50 variable is ok but can bother your eyes. Becker and Swivelhead know what they are talking about for sure! Just my 2 cents! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
