With several new and interesting observation optics announced or already out, shooters are finally getting the configurations we have been asking for.
Vector-X binoculars, for example, are a response to competition shooters, but I suspect they will do very well with long range guys and western hunters as well.
I have a spotter coming to me shortly from Sector Optics that has a FFP etched reticle and internal screen that projects that read out from an LRF integrated to the outside of the spotter body. Essentially, think of something configured like a Hensodlt spotter except you can also pipe in a bunch of information into the optical path. This one is an 18-54x72 FFP spotter. I have now played with a couple of prototypes of this design and I liked them. Full production model should be heading my way soon, so you will see it a lot.
That bring me to a, hopefully, reasonable question. When I said "configurations we have been asking for" above, it was not a royal "WE". Yet, I can only speak for myself, not for the shooting public at large.
Here are a couple of questions I wonder about. If you have a few minutes, please address them in the comments with as much detail as you are willing to share.
1) What observation optics do you currently have and use?
2) What observation optics do you with you had, but do not own because the price is too steep?
3) What observation optics do you wish you had, but do not own because such a thing does not exist? (i.e. is there something that the market is not providing for you?)
What I use varies because I keep on testing new stuff, so I am not a good case study here, but here are some notes.
I do not know for sure all that I have, but here is what I use more often than not:
Kowa XD BDII 6.5x32 binoculars for hiking, etc. I wish it had a reticle
Vortex Razor UHD 10x50 is my main hunting binocular out here
Meopta Optica LR 10x42 when I want a binocular with an LRF (this gets most use, oddly, in non-hunting scenarios where I just want to loo around and see how far things are. I wish it had a reticle)
Apex Summit Pro 12x50 binocular with a reticle (mostly used for spotting impact for others; I wish it had an LRF)
Tract Toric UHD 15x56 when I want to glass far away off of a tripod (think antelope or sheep hunting)
Vortex Razor 4000 GB LRF monocular is my primary handheld LRF when hunting and shooting (weapon mounted LRFs do not have a monocular built in, so they do not count for this category).
Athlon Ares UHD G2 spotter with 22x reticle eyepiece lives in my car.
Athlon Cronus Tactical Gen2 7-42x60 spotter lives in my pack. A lot of my reticle ranging practice is done with this one.
There are a few more here I am testing and I still need to decide if they are staying or going.
With binoculars, a good 10x50 with LRF and reticle would replace the bulk of what I do. If Vector-X range extenders work well, it is entirely possible that their 10x42 with range extenders will be able to replace the bulk of what I do with binoculars. We'll see how it stacks up. It has every chance of becoming my go to observation tool in the field.
With spotters, the Sector Optics 18-54x72, barring something unforeseen, will end up living in my car. Between the FFP reticle and the LRF, it has every chance of becoming the only observation range tool I need on a regular basis.
Small binocular (Kowa 6.5x32) and small field spotter (Athlon 7-42x60) stand somewhat apart and fill niches that larger full size optics do not. Athlon has a reticle. I wish Kowa bino did as well, but that is unlikely.
Still, just looking at the list above, it looks like we are finally transitioning from an era where we use optics made for birders to an era where we use optics made for shooters.
