Spotting Scopes?

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I know this is slightly off from photography but I'm trying to do some research for a relative who is into birding, and I figured you extremely lucky sob's with 500mmL's might know a thing or two :D Just wondering if anyone owns a spotting scope or has any opinions on them, brands, things to stay away from etc etc. Budget is around $500 or $600, but then again no idea how much you need to spend for a quality one. In her words she is looking to buy a decent one now and probably not replace it for awhile, if ever.

one thing she mentioned about her friend's scope is she found it very hard to focus and the eye piece was too small. I'm guessing like camera bodies, the focusing and the eye piece is different from model to model, getting better the higher up the scale you go.

Also if any Canadians can recommend a place to check out, that would be very helpful too. Having a hard time finding a retailer with a decent selection.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[badams]

Swarovski is a very good brand but they go for around $1,000+.

I have a $200 ($100 on Black Friday) Tasco which does the job, but it gets really hard to focus at 50x and above. The best option is to go out and try different models.

[hollis_f]

I'd recommend pointing your friend at Birdforum. They have an excellent forum on Spotting Scopes (http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=286) where the same question is asked, and answered, quite frequently.

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thanks will do. I figured there would be some bird forum out there that talks about gear as much as we do here. I'll check it out.

[Sean]

I found Cornell's Spotting Scope (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/gear/scopes/) information pretty good. Check it out as well.

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wow, fantastic site! lots of great info there. thanks a ton for posting it :D

[Sean]

No problem. There was another site, but in my hastiness I failed to bookmark it. I'll check around for it.