purchase and shipping was easy. I purchased the scope for hunting and range use. At 200 yards I have no problem seeing holes in paper target. I did not get to use the scope during high hunt as much as I wanted to do to weather (fog). I will say that it did make it through a few days of rain, sleet and sun, with no issues. Great spotting scope. (Posted on 10/17/11)

This is my second Z-R purchase (first, being the ZEN ED 8x43 binocs) and again, Z-R delivers.

Spotter is nice and clear, typical Z-R quality.

Overall, spotter is ruggedly constructed and includes a nice, functional protective case.

In my opinion, the best spotter available in the <$300 category. (Posted on 7/5/11)

I purchased the Zen Ray 15-45X65mm Ridgefield angled spotting scope in hopes of obtaining an affordable, yet high quality and rugged spotting scope for packing in my pack. The 20-60X82mm spotter is just not something I wanted to have with me climbing 8000 foot mountains. The Ridgefield is basically the smaller bother to the Zen Ray ED2 spotter, but it does not have ED glass. Knowing the quality and service of other Zen Ray products I bought this hoping it would full fill my hopes and it has done that and more.

Build
This spotter looks like a smaller ED2 spotter. It only has a single focus (ED2 HAS DUAL) but it has a very big and sturdy eye piece and sunshade that extends out. It has the rotating collar that allows the eye piece to be looked through at different angles and a hard rubber exterior much like what is on the ED2 binoculars. Build feels solid and sturdy. As a bonus it came with a cover that protects the unit as well.

Image
This spotter does not have ED glass and is priced at a touch under $300.00 so I wasn’t expecting the image and optics to be world class, but I was surprised of just how good they are. From 15-30x it was sharp crisp bright edge to edge. From about 30-45x the FOV does decrease and you get some fading in the edges but 95% of the image plain is still bright and crisp. I have never looked through a spotter in this price range that allowed use to max 45X. I was able to pick out brown and black cows at probably close to 2 miles as they were moving through some sage brush, without the heat waves and mirage, some better detailed viewing would have been an option. Eye relief was fine for me throughout, but I have never really had a problem with eye relief on any decent spotting scope. This scope optically performs with those 2-3 times its price. The only spotting scope I was able to compare it side by side too was a friend’s Minox 20-45X62 spotting scope. We both agreed image quality was identical but the minox had better edge clarity….BUT THE MINOX IS A $800.00 UNIT!

Thoughts
Zen Ray really does a good job in producing high quality products that fit needs and budget s and this is no different. Just about everything about this spotter would make you think it should cost 2-3 times more. Obviously this is not a world class digiscoping type spotting scope. But it is a pretty darn good 65 mm spotter that will be with me in my pack this fall.
(Posted on 6/28/11)

I've had the scope for about a month now and have been using it for archery. This weekend it has seen heavy use as I have competed in an outdoor MAA round and a Target 900 round. The Ridgefield feels solid, adjusts relatively easily and at the "Special price" is quite a good deal. My only "complaint" is the carrying bag. While it allows for mounting the scope on a tripod while still in the bag to protect from the elements, the design of it doesn't allow the disconnect plate of must tripods to be kept on the scope itself. Not a big deal, but it's the only flaw I can find with it currently. If someone reading this asks "Why not give it 5 stars in Price/Value/Quality" I'll simply answer that with...because I've not had it long enough to accurately provide feedback at this time warranting a 5 star rating nor have I compared it to any high end scopes. :)

If you are in the market for a solid, affordable spotting scope that won't break the bank then give the Ridgefield a try. Zen-Ray's customer service is also top notch and answered my email questions promptly and completely. (Posted on 6/5/11)

The Zen-Ray Ridgefield is a solidly built, optically excellent scope. Set up against scopes costing several times more by well-known German and Japanese companies, it can more than hold its own. (Posted on 3/19/11)

I have been using the Zen-Ray Ridgefield 15-45x65mm scope for slightly over a month now. My primary uses are for looking at animals such as birds, elk, deer; including looking across bodies of water to islands and at boats, hunting and target shooting.

One of the first features I noticed was that there is a ring around the body of the scope which you can utilize to rotate the scope at different angles. This is very useful when you want to adjust the scope to a custom position. Specifically in situations where the standard 45 degree angle is not optimal. For example I can sit and rotate the scope so that I do not have a need or want for a straight eyepiece (as opposed to angled).

The glass allows me to view objects at long distances with a decent amount of clarity. During the beginning of end of day when light is a little dimmer it seems to perform failry well. I was able to pick up deer leaving a treeline and entering a field at dusk and at a range of about 400 yards. When turning the zoom all the way up to maximum it is a little harder to see out of the eyepiece as expected. However I was happy to find that it did not require me to practically insert my eyeball into the eyepiece as it did on my old scope. At sunset I found the lens shade more than adequate when I was viewing across the water at birds on islands in the Puget Sound.

The focus knob is a little stiff compared to some other brands I have tried. The power zoom is also stiff to handle but both are managable.

The external body of the scope is rubbery and would seem able to absorb shock to a certain degree. Such as dropping from shoulder height when placing onto or removing from a tripod. There have been a few instances where I used the scope in a light rain and it was definitely waterproof.

I took the scope to the shooting range and was able to view impact points on the paper targets at 100 yards. It is more than adequate for this use.

In this price range, this scope will compete well with any other scopes on the market. I'd even buy another one as a gift and would recommend it to others. Zen-Ray has fast shipping and good customer service. (Posted on 3/10/11)