The cheap scope question

Svbony's SV28Plus HD sells for around $62. Reviewer Matthew Richards set out to find whether a spotting scope that cheap can actually show you anything.

Who Svbony is

A Chinese optics maker going since 2009, with over 100,000 customers across 100-plus markets. The name comes from 'Specialized Vision Bring Our New Yearning'.

What the Plus adds

This is an upgrade of a popular entry-level scope: new lens coatings, a detachable eyepiece and a redesigned phone mount, while keeping the tabletop tripod and bag.

The price gap is enormous

Most scopes this site reviews start near $359 for the Bushnell Prime. A Leica APO-Televid with eyepiece runs $3,199. The Svbony undercuts all of it by a factor of five or more.

“Taking the whole price range into consideration, the cost of the Svbony makes it pretty irresistible”

The numbers

25-75x magnification, a 70mm objective, angled body, 8m minimum focus, 772g, 375mm long. Field of view runs 20m down to 13m at 1000m.

Angled, the way most prefer

The 45-degree eyepiece makes for a more comfortable, natural head position on a tripod than a straight barrel. It's the first thing on the reviewer's wish list, ticked.

“I personally favor the 45-degree variety, and most other people seem to as well”

Zoom that earns its range

25x to 75x is like a 3x ultra-telephoto. Start wide to find a bird or small animal, then zoom in once you've got your bearings. The rubberized ring is stepless, marked at 25x, 50x and 75x.

Eye relief you can dial

A twist-action rubber eyecup sits flush with the rear element and slides back on a scale. That's comfort, but it also adapts the scope for glasses wearers.

The eyepiece comes off

Unscrew it entirely. The standard 1.25-inch thread means you can swap in a different magnification, an astronomy eyepiece, or possibly a camera.

Five turns to infinity

One forward-facing knob on top of the barrel covers 8m to infinity across five full 360-degree rotations. Precise, but a long way to travel.

Waterproof, within limits

It says waterproof on the barrel, and the IP65 rating means total dust sealing plus protection from rain and low-pressure jets. Not power washers, and never submerged.

“having an IP65 rating, I'd be wary of submerging the scope in water”

Porro BaK4 glass

The prism is Barium Crown glass with good light transmittance, feeding a 70mm front element. That combination is why the view stays bright.

Coatings went wine red

The Plus swaps the old green multi-coating for A5 wine red, claimed to cut glare when shooting into the light and improve clarity and color.

Pull-out sunshade

An extending hood shields the objective from angular light, reducing ghosting and flare. You just pull it forward when you need it.

A metal tripod socket

The underside plate has a textured rubber surface and a standard 1/4-inch threaded socket made of metal, not plastic. A small sign of care.

The view surprised him

Expecting little, the reviewer found a sharp, crisp, bright image with fairly accurate color. Birds and targets stayed detailed in dull shadow and bright sun alike.

“I was pleasantly surprised that it delivers a reasonably sharp, crisp, and bright viewing image”

Focusing is a chore

There's no separate coarse and fine focus. Going from a near subject to a distant one means a lot of twisting on that single knob.

The tripod is nearly useless

Flimsy, short and fixed in height, it's a tabletop tripod that assumes you have a table. The head tilts and pans, but only the tilt locks.

The phone mount nearly cost him a phone

The clamp grips the phone fine, but it attaches to the scope with a plastic cup that slips over the eyepiece. His phone almost fell off twice, so he stopped using it.

“The 'upgraded' mobile phone mount is still the weak link in the chain”

An absolute steal

The extras are throwaway, the build feels plasticky, and none of it matters much. Five stars for value, and the right first scope if you're only testing the water.

“As a spotting scope, it simply works, and works pretty well.”