Solitude HD 9-27x56 Micro

At 7.7 inches long and 21.6 ounces, the Micro is the pack-first option. Its 9-27x zoom, ED glass and 8.2-foot close focus make it useful well beyond hunting season.

View the Micro

Solitude HD 15-45x65 Compact

The Compact gives up some of the Micro's extreme portability for a larger 65mm objective, a 15-45x zoom range and a built-in Arca-Swiss foot.

View the Compact

Why Carry a Smaller Spotting Scope?

Binoculars handle most short- and medium-range observation well. A spotting scope earns its place when you need enough magnification to inspect something binoculars can only locate.

The problem is that traditional spotting scopes can get large quickly. Add a case and a tripod, and the optic becomes another substantial piece of equipment to carry.

A smaller spotter changes that calculation. It takes up less room in a hunting pack, leaves more space in carry-on luggage and works with smaller field setups. Hunters can keep one available instead of leaving it in the truck. A birder can carry a scope all afternoon without treating it like a separate piece of luggage.

Solitude HD 9-27x56 Micro

The tiny Solitude HD 9-27x56 Micro measures just 7.7 inches long and weighs 21.6 ounces. It provides a 3x zoom range and a 56mm objective in a body that can disappear into a daypack.

The 9x low end gives the Micro a wide field of view for finding subjects before increasing magnification. At 9x, the field of view is 231 feet at 1,000 yards. Turning the eyepiece up to 27x narrows that to 113 feet at 1,000 yards and gives the user more magnification for checking distant detail.

Sightmark uses fully multi-coated ED glass in the Micro, with roughly 85 percent light transmission. ED, or extra-low-dispersion, glass helps control chromatic aberration, particularly around high-contrast edges where color fringing becomes easiest to notice. The optical system also uses a phase-corrected BK7 prism.

The Micro can focus down to 8.2 feet. That gives birders and wildlife watchers useful flexibility when the interesting subject turns out to be much closer than expected.

A 45-degree angled eyepiece keeps extended observation comfortable from a seated position or behind a relatively low tripod. Sightmark includes an Arca-Swiss adapter plate, while the scope itself uses a standard 1/4"-20 mounting thread. The eyepiece is also set up for digiscoping with compatible smartphone and DSLR adapters.

For a backcountry hunter or traveler, the attraction is straightforward: there is not much scope to carry.

Solitude HD 15-45x65 Compact

The Solitude HD 15-45x65 Compact moves up to a 65mm objective and a 15-45x magnification range.

It is a larger instrument than the Micro, but the extra size buys substantially more magnification and a larger objective while keeping the body relatively compact for a 65mm spotter.

The 15x setting works for scanning ridgelines, fields and treelines. Once something deserves a closer look, the scope can move all the way to 45x without changing eyepieces. Its field of view runs from 133 feet at 1,000 yards on the low end to 69.6 feet at maximum magnification.

The Compact uses fully multi-coated HD glass with AR-coated Porro and Half-Penta prisms. Sightmark rates light transmission at roughly 80 percent and resolution at finer than three arcseconds.

A rotating collar lets the eyepiece move around the tripod without relocating the entire scope. That is handy when two people are sharing the same spotter or when a hunter wants to rotate the optic away from a rifle mounted on the same shooting tripod. The Compact also has an integrated Arca-Swiss foot rather than relying on a separate adapter plate.

Like the Micro, the Compact uses a 45-degree angled eyepiece and is optimized for digiscoping through compatible phone and DSLR adapters.

Micro or Compact?

The choice comes down to what you are willing to carry and how much magnification you expect to use.

The Micro is the better fit when pack space and weight have priority. Its 9x low end also gives it a wider field of view, which helps when finding a moving animal or scanning a broad section of terrain.

The Compact makes more sense when 27x is not enough. The larger objective, 45x top end, rotating collar and integrated Arca-Swiss foot suit a more deliberate tripod setup where the scope may stay in use for long stretches.

Built to Leave the House

A small spotting scope does not help much if bad weather keeps it in its case.

Both Solitude models are nitrogen-purged and fogproof with an IPX5 water-resistance rating. The Micro uses a rubber-armored body. The Compact comes with a protective neoprene sleeve in addition to its carrying case. Both include objective and eyepiece covers, a cleaning cloth and a case.

That fits the reason these scopes exist in the first place. A spotting scope is more useful when bringing it along does not require rearranging the rest of your gear.