Spotting Scope Question

[Strutter]

I am planning on buying a spotting scope to basically play with on my farm. From the top of my farm I can see the surrounding farms and I like to check out the deer and turkeys that roam on these farms. I was looking at the Simmons 20x60x60 and it says that it's FOV at 60X is 43 feet at 1000 yards. I then see a Winchester brand that is listed as 12-50x50mm. It's FOV @12X is 52 feet at 1000 yards. And at 50X is 18 feet at 1000 yards. Can someone explain how this works or was there a typo in one of the ads? Also, I see where most people use the 12-45 or some such and very few mention the 20X scopes. Do the higher power scopes get dark or unclear at the higher settings?

Thanks,
Strutter

 

[DKScott]

Generally, the wider field of view is preferred, but there is no such thing as a free lunch and there are some practical limits on optical power for spotters and binos

There are some basic physics that govern optics and it will help you sort out the hype. Try this website: Better View Desired They have some excellent and easily understood primers about optics. They also have product tests and reviews. Its sort of like a Consumer Reports for birders.