Reviewed by David Chandler & Matt Merritt
£1,999
This is “the world’s first handheld stabilized spotting scope”. “Oh my goodness”, I said, when I switched on the image stabilization, followed by, “Oh my, that’s incredible”. This 17-35x scope does not need a tripod.
How good is the stabilization?
It’s very, very good, even at 35x. Matt and I used it at Rutland Water on a very blustery day in mid-April. We saw Osprey and Hobby, but the scope impressed more than they did. Hand-held and standing in the open, this game-changing scope delivered views comparable to tripod-mounted, even at 35x. It is truly remarkable.
The package includes a very good, chunky hand-strap and a comfort stick – a three-section, carbon-fibre monopod (c20-40cm long). I recommend the stick – with your arms close to your torso it enables more comfortable, prolonged viewing. Using the hand-strap protects against an accidental drop.
The stabilization comes from an ‘intelligent gimbal’ which ‘continuously analyses and corrects movement’. It delivers up to two degrees of correction which, clearly, makes a huge difference. The tech needs a battery and, fully-charged, the Li-ion battery is good for 30 hours (or 36 depending on which bit of the website you believe) of stabilized viewing. I didn’t check that. Some people find scanning with an image-stabilized device induces feelings akin to motion sickness. If that’s you, scan with the IS off, and switch it on when you’re on the bird. Switching it on and off is easy with a well-positioned twist-ring, next to the focus ring.
Obviously, you can’t share your scope view with others in the same way as you can with a scope on a tripod. There is a tripod thread though, so you could mount it on a tripod. But why would you?
How good are the optics and handling?
The optics are very good. The image is crisp and clean, towards the cold end of the spectrum, with good colour differentiation. Sharpness is excellent, even at 35x. I saw a little edge softness but it’s not an issue. Brightness is excellent as well, and whilst I did detect a little colour fringing occasionally, overall, it’s well corrected. Low light performance is very good - ten minutes past sunset, after a fairly bright day with extensive high cloud cover, this Kite was very good at 17x and good at 35x in distant, open viewing, and in nearby shade, very good at 17x and still usable at 35x.
The field of view is definitely not narrow – it’s apparent field of view ranges from 58.4° to a very impressive 82.2°. I measured close-focus as 4.7m – not quite as good as the quoted figure but nothing to be ashamed of. Focusing precision is very good, with a helical, two-finger wide focusing ring that moves very smoothly and fairly stiffly. It has just ½ a turn of movement, anti-clockwise towards more distant delights, but for most birding, no more than ¼ of a turn does the job. The zoom eyepiece moves very smoothly and fairly stiffly too, through ¼ turn. The rubber-coated eyecups have two intermediate positions and a good action. I had no problem finding a good eye position, but Matt sometimes found it a bit tricky.
At 1350g, this scope can feel quite heavy in the hand, perhaps because its reasonably compact form concentrates the weight. But in the field, the weight wasn’t an issue. Build quality is very good and it’s IPX7 waterproof and nitrogen-filled. A tethered eyepiece cover and an objective cover tethered to an optional silicone cover (recommended) provide useful protection to precious glass. The 58mm objective (not 60mm) is nicely recessed – that also provides some protection. There is no lens hood and no rotating collar.
Carrying it
I recommend carrying it in the provided case, or, perhaps better, on a shoulder strap. The lugs are there for the strap but Kite didn’t provide one – that suggested improvement has been passed on to Kite. The case is good, and the comfort stick can be carried in its exterior zip-up pocket – but it’s not made for it – that could be improved. One other possible improvement: a lens hood.No need for a tripod. It’s a gamechangerIt’s available as the body on its own, or with an eyepieceIt can feel heavy, but it is compact
Specs
Length: 287mm
Weight: 1,350g
Field of view: 60-41m@1000m
Close focus: 4.2m
Eye relief: 18-17mm
Website: kiteoptics.com
Verdict
This really is a remarkable piece of kit. Stable, handheld views from 17x-35x. No need to carry a tripod. And very good optics. I find it hard to find any significant fault with it.
You can buy it as body only or with the eyepiece. It’s the same eyepiece as Kite’s KSP 80 HD scope – if you have that already you can use the eyepiece on either scope. Or buy the Stabilized 60 and maybe invest in the 80mm body later.