high magnification over 11x

I purchased this for my Dad for Father's Day, and he has not stopped raving about it. He can now look out his window in coastal Maine and read the names of sloops rounding islands far offshore. The price was so good, I hoped it wouldn't turn out to be cheaply made. Thankfully, the optics are powerful, and the housing is sturdily built for years of use. Note that a good tripod is included (not made clear on the product detail page). I'm VERY pleased with this purchase.

I shoot in the Civilian Marksmanship Program. The true test of a scope for me is if one can see a .223"-round at 100 yards (lighting conditions apply). The key thing here is the focus. To see a .223" hole in black paper with a black background can be very demanding on a scope... this scope will do it. I don't rank it as excellent (5 stars) because that would insinuate that this scope is as good as an equivilant aperature Kowa or Swarovski. Nevertheless, Nikon has produced an excellent product. If you're trying to get a good bargain at a budget price I recommend this scope.

I just got back from a seaside resort on the Pacific Ocean.The hotel provided one of these scopes on our balcony for whale watching. I was incredibly impressed with the clarity, zoom ratio, and image width. In fact, I just bought one from Amazon. A bit pricey perhaps, but absolutely without question worth every penny.