In the $1000 and under price range for a spotting scope with a mrad ranging reticle you cannot beat the Cronus.
I tested this optic against the Sightmark Latitude 20-60x80mm and the Bushnell Legend Tactical. Each are in the $1000 and under range.
For all three, I tested the calibration of the reticles at 100 yards and they were all right on. No issue there with either of them.
For me, the Cronus wins the reticle category, though. It has mils broken into .2 mils and sections broken into .1 mils. You can do very precise range estimations with it, no guess work.
Being .1 mil off at 1000 yards means a range estimation that'll be roughly 100 yards off. The Cronus will get you in there.
I tested all three spotting scopes between 950 and 1150 yards across a lake by my house for clearity and using the reticles for range estimation. I kept going back to the Cronus to veryify the mil estimations I was getting with the other two spotting scopes. It was the easiest to use and produced the best image quality. Each range was verified with a Leupold 2800 range finder.
With respect to glass quality, the Cronus wins. It is in its own ball park compared to the other two. Mine is extremely clear. The focus ring threads are very fine, this makes it very easy to get a crisp image. The Sightmark and Bushnell have very course threads in comparison.
At the range I figured I'd test them with my .17 WSM. Picking up .17 WSM holes in targets at 170 yards was no problem for the Cronus. The range I tested them at didn't go out farther, unfortunately.
At just 100 yards the Bushnell really struggled with .17 cal holes in paper, it was basically useless. At 170 yards it wasn't clear enough to pick them up at all.
The Sightmark did ok at 100 yards, but the image was definitely blurry. After 50 power the image just got continously more distorted so the extra zoom wasn't a benifit. At 170 yards the Sightmark was struggling to pick the .17 cal holes up at any power.
In comparison, the Cronus had a perfectly clear image of the .17 cal holes at 170 yards, it was no challenge at all to see the holes. I wish the shooting range went farther out so that I could see its limit. But, at 170 yatds, .17 cal. holes werent an issue. Picked them up with ease.
If like me you are trying to decide between these three options, the answer is easy. The Cronus is the best choice.
Kary Daley –
In the $1000 and under price range for a spotting scope with a mrad ranging reticle you cannot beat the Cronus.
I tested this optic against the Sightmark Latitude 20-60x80mm and the Bushnell Legend Tactical. Each are in the $1000 and under range.
For all three, I tested the calibration of the reticles at 100 yards and they were all right on. No issue there with either of them.
For me, the Cronus wins the reticle category, though. It has mils broken into .2 mils and sections broken into .1 mils. You can do very precise range estimations with it, no guess work.
Being .1 mil off at 1000 yards means a range estimation that'll be roughly 100 yards off. The Cronus will get you in there.
I tested all three spotting scopes between 950 and 1150 yards across a lake by my house for clearity and using the reticles for range estimation. I kept going back to the Cronus to veryify the mil estimations I was getting with the other two spotting scopes. It was the easiest to use and produced the best image quality. Each range was verified with a Leupold 2800 range finder.
With respect to glass quality, the Cronus wins. It is in its own ball park compared to the other two. Mine is extremely clear. The focus ring threads are very fine, this makes it very easy to get a crisp image. The Sightmark and Bushnell have very course threads in comparison.
At the range I figured I'd test them with my .17 WSM. Picking up .17 WSM holes in targets at 170 yards was no problem for the Cronus. The range I tested them at didn't go out farther, unfortunately.
At just 100 yards the Bushnell really struggled with .17 cal holes in paper, it was basically useless. At 170 yards it wasn't clear enough to pick them up at all.
The Sightmark did ok at 100 yards, but the image was definitely blurry. After 50 power the image just got continously more distorted so the extra zoom wasn't a benifit. At 170 yards the Sightmark was struggling to pick the .17 cal holes up at any power.
In comparison, the Cronus had a perfectly clear image of the .17 cal holes at 170 yards, it was no challenge at all to see the holes. I wish the shooting range went farther out so that I could see its limit. But, at 170 yatds, .17 cal. holes werent an issue. Picked them up with ease.
If like me you are trying to decide between these three options, the answer is easy. The Cronus is the best choice.