Hi, i've had an opticron hr80 for about 14 years and its been a great friend on many journeys in the uk and abroad. Good clear image through the 80mm lens especially with 38x eyepiece for seawatching. it's a bit heavy though. However they have changed most of the lines since then and i guess improved them. In my opinion Opticron has always been the company to produce scopes (and bins) for the birder, not the person who can (or want) to pay 1000+ for one.
If you can wait a couple of months, then go to birdfair, there will be no better place to compare scopes of all the manufacturers.
If you're paying a few hundred pounds for one, it will be worth getting it right.
_________________ George Rutter
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