Great video Looking to buy my first spotting scope for deer hunting in AZ where I’ll be hiking a bit for the hunts. Would the Cronus be a good choice or is it just too big vs the athlon ares 15-45x65. I guess it the performance worth the size/weight over the smaller one? Also plan on using whichever one I end up getting at the shooting range Thanks
Hey there Jeff! That's a great question. The Cronus is a lot heavier than. The Ares 65, and is a bit much to pack around a lot if that is your primary use. But...you would like having the Cronus over the Ares at the range with the better image quality and more magnification. Just depends on what your primary use is. Thanks for watching!
Excellent review. You guys are practical in approach, balanced and fair. No fluff just the facts and I appreciate that. The negatives are not bothering me one bit. The ultimate decider is image quality and it looks like this unit delivers it. I own a Midas G2 UHD 12x50 and love the image quality. I have compared it to much more expensive units and it holds up just fine for fraction of the cost of the others. I was looking at getting the Ares 15-45x65 but I have a new unit to consider now! Thanks a bunch.
Hey there and thank you! Really appreciate the kind words! This Cronus UHD is a great spotting scope, and it is an incredible value! Let us know what you decide if you think of it and thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit Thank you. Will keep you posted. I do photography and use Sony bodies. For lenses I chose Tamron instead of the Sony GM lenses. I get 90-95% of the quality at 30-40% of the price. The Cronus spotters represent a similar value vs. Kowa, Swaro, Leica or Zeiss. After watching your review and for the money, the Cronus 86mm is a no brainer.
Thanks for the review! How much better is it performance wise compared to the ares G2 20-60x85? Picked up the ares when the Cronus hadn't been available yet, thinking about upgrading if it is substantially better. Thanks!
Hey there! We haven't yet had a chance to put the two side by side to compare, but we have tested them both separately. It's always hard to say for sure without them side by side, but I will say that I could tell the Cronus was certainly better in resolving the image, and had better low light performance and edge to edge clarity. Thanks for watching!
I'm in the market for a new spotter. This Athlon Cronus G2 UHD is an interesting option and how I came across this video. I was looking at the Kowa 77. Value vs performance is the question, the $1,300 jump to Kowa, in your opinion does the Kowa justify the extra money?
Skip the Kowa 77 and go for the 884 with better fluorite glass instead. They're still on clearance sale for $2499 at Cameraland. I have no idea why they use the superior fluorite glass for their 55x and 88x but not their 77x series. The Athlon Cronus UHD G2 is the best China has to offer while the Kowa 55x and 88x specifically with their fluorite glass are the best Japan has to offer. If you buy the Kowa you won't be second guessing your decision and probably never want or need to ever upgrade it.
Hey there Marcus! That's a great question and the answer depends on a number of factors like, is weight a concern? How important is field of view to you (having a wife angle lens that the Kowa 77 does)? The price point of the Kowa 77 being ore more than double the Athlon Cronus makes the Cronus super attractive, but at the same time, the Kowa 77 is going to out perform it in pretty much every category. I've had them side by side, and while the Athlon is phenomenal at its price point, the Kowa is certainly better. Bottom line, if you have funds to step up to the Kowa, you'd be glad you did, but if not, that Athlon is incredible for a $1k spotting scope. Hope that helps!
@@marcusluna209 Just double checked and didn't see the TSN 884 at Cameraland they might already be sold out but call them over the phone to double check.
I loved your Tract toric review, this one is great aswell. If you had to choose between the 86mm Cronus for $850 or 80mm tract Toric for $1500, what do you think is better optically and why?
Hey there, and thank you! Glad it was helpful. That's a tough call as there are things I like about each of them, but I found the Tract overall more pleasant to use because of the wide angle eyepiece and more forgiving eyebox. However, I felt like the Athlon offered overall a better value in its better edge to edge clarity, more magnification, better low light performance(expectedwith the larger objective), and lower price point. Hope that helps!
Which spotting scope would you say is the best in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range? For hunting, spotting shots on targets, etc. Best for overall clarity and ease of use (eye relief?)
Hey there! In that price range, this Athlon Cronus UHD G2 is tough to beat. The Tract Toric is also excellent (check out our review of that one here on the channel). Those two are the ones I'd point you to in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range. Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit Awesome, thanks! I've been watching your video, checking out the site reviews, etc. and I have just been so torn. Been looking at the Vortex Viper, Athlon Cronus/Ares, and Leupold SX-5 Santiam. I won't lie I was all about the Cronus but your G2 review seems kind of on the negative side (since they changed a lot from G1 to G2 you didn't like, mainly). So I've considered the Ares heavily but I want the best bang for the buck so I am hoping the Cronus is worth the extra little bit of money and will probably go with that as suggested.
Cronus has better glass than the Eres but the Eres goes from 45-65 and the Cronus 20-60 - which do you think is a better range for glassing? Being able to go down to 20x or up to 65x? Thanks
Hey there, Kevin! Both the Ares and the Cronus are in the 20-60x configuration, with the Ares being an 80mm objective and the Cronus being an 86mm objective. The Ares also comes in a 15-45x65mm option, though, whereas the Cronus just comes in a 20-60x86mm version as of today. In a spotting scope, you wouldn't want a low end of 45x as that would likely create a very small field of view. Thanks for watching! Hope that helps!
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Athlon Cronus 20-60x86. What is the diameter of the lens? I want to purchase the Olinn Digiscope and want to see if that is possible.
Hey there! Unfortunately, as of last time I checked, Ollin Doesn't have an eyepiece that works with this Athlon Cronus G2. OnGlass has one that will fit, and it also does a good job. Thanks for watching!
Unfortunately Ollin doesn't have an adapter for the Cronus G2 (as of last time I checked). For this video I just had to hold the phone up to it because I didn't have a digiscoping adapter to fit it at that point.
Great review sir! Curious, I didnt hear any mention of the chromatic aberration performance, can you speak to it here? Also, glass is Chinese or? If your going out on a mule deer hunt are you taking this, the Tract or the Kowa 773? For me this is not even a consideration as I really dislike barrel focus systems. Thats why I went with a Kowa 883, super impressive scope!
Hey there! Awe... sorry about that! We did note a little chromatic aberration, but it wasn't bad at all. I believe the glass is Japanese as well. Personally I'd still take the Kowa 773 over the Tract....I also really prefer the dual focus. Thanks for watching!
Hey there! I that would depend on what you are looking to do. While I haven't put those two side by side, I'm confident that the Cronus is better optically and in low light although it's not a wide angle eye piece. That bothers some people more than others. Hope that helps!
Hey there! I think if you can swing the Maven, you'd like that one more overall. The Athlon is great, but the Maven performs better overall. Thanks for watching!
@BackwoodsPursuit ok didn't think about it until now either, tract is almost the same price that I can get the maven. I would say I'm really just after the glass quality/clarity.
@aaronjazek8448 yeah, the Tract is also very good! I'd probably still take the Maven over the Tract as the Maven has better edge tonedge clarity, but other than that, the Maven and Tract are pretty close.
Hey there! The only ones that go that low (that I know of) are the Zeiss Harpia (22-65 for the 85mm model and 23-70 for the 95mm model), and the Kowa TSN 66 and ,88 (25-60 for the 66 and 88). Most of the wide angles eyepieces start at 30x though. Thanks for watching!
There is one telescope maker in China Sky Rover and they make very high quality APO telescope,they have Sky Rover APO triplet SD spotting scope and it's clarity is better than Swarovski yes! Swarovski if you contact them so they will give you details about that scope its Sky Rover APO 35-70x100
I don't know if the glass itself changed from the G1 to the G2....I have to give Athlon a call to find out for sure, but I don't think the glass changed.
@hectorso27 yeah, if the glass is the same, there were still a ton of physical design and aesthetic changes (barrel.focus, new eye piece, new armor rubber etc). Basically a total physical overhaul.
Hey there! I didn't have a chance to put it next to the Razor HD, but based on what I did see and ha e it next to, and how those ones performed in our big spotting scope review, I would say yes. I'd have to actually put them side by side to be sure though. Thanks for watching!
@darrenecoffey2632 hey there! That would be a great comparison! I'll see what I can do, but didn't have that side by side in the works currently. Thanks for watching!
Hey there! This one is much better than the Viper in its optical performance, and I would pick this over the Viper all day every day. Thanks for watching!
@WeNeedChange3310 no problem! I would personally still go with this Athlon Cronus over the Razor HD. The main downfall of the Cronus is its weight, so if that's a major concern I can see going with the Razor HD. However, the Cronus is noticeably better optically. Thanks!
@BackwoodsPursuit I appreciate the feedback. It's a tough choice!! Vortex is living behind their warranty, and companies are pushing their products, and it's tough to find an unbiased review. Thanks for your time
@WeNeedChange3310 yeah, I hear ya. It's tough to decide. Keep in mind that Athlon has the same warranty as Vortex, so that may make a difference for you.
@@SKiiTTLe5 absolutely! I don't have a Maven spotter review in the works currently, but we did have S1.A in our big spotting scope review a couple years back: backwoodspursuit.com/best-spotting-scope-for-hunting/
Since you mentioned Vanguard I assume you want to cheap out and get the best bang for the buck. If you're a gambling person then the SVBONY SA 401 APO for around $400 or cheaper with current Amazon almost half off discount ($799 regular price but I'd never recommend paying that much for it die to questionable warranty) is at least as good as the Athlon Cronus UHD G2 and is likely the same scope and better than the Vortex Razor HD for less than half to 1/4 the price. The GOSKY warranty is questionable that's why I mentioned if you're a gambling person.
great review! Nice work getting the digiscope footage on the mule deer, really helps to showcase the optical quality at higher magnification.
Thank you and glad it was helpful! Appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment!
$850 on NY CAMERA LAND right now! I got mine a few weeks ago. Incredible glass!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Just got mine in the mail and I love it . 1500 cad competes with the other expensive scopes
That's awesome Logan! Enjoy and thanks for watching!
Great review, I never really thought about Athlon until your reviews. Thank you!
Thank you! Yeah, Athlon is a great value for sure! Thanks for watching.
Great video
Looking to buy my first spotting scope for deer hunting in AZ where I’ll be hiking a bit for the hunts. Would the Cronus be a good choice or is it just too big vs the athlon ares 15-45x65. I guess it the performance worth the size/weight over the smaller one? Also plan on using whichever one I end up getting at the shooting range
Thanks
Hey there Jeff! That's a great question. The Cronus is a lot heavier than. The Ares 65, and is a bit much to pack around a lot if that is your primary use. But...you would like having the Cronus over the Ares at the range with the better image quality and more magnification. Just depends on what your primary use is. Thanks for watching!
Excellent review. You guys are practical in approach, balanced and fair. No fluff just the facts and I appreciate that.
The negatives are not bothering me one bit. The ultimate decider is image quality and it looks like this unit delivers it. I own a Midas G2 UHD 12x50 and love the image quality. I have compared it to much more expensive units and it holds up just fine for fraction of the cost of the others. I was looking at getting the Ares 15-45x65 but I have a new unit to consider now! Thanks a bunch.
Hey there and thank you! Really appreciate the kind words! This Cronus UHD is a great spotting scope, and it is an incredible value! Let us know what you decide if you think of it and thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit Thank you. Will keep you posted. I do photography and use Sony bodies. For lenses I chose Tamron instead of the Sony GM lenses. I get 90-95% of the quality at 30-40% of the price. The Cronus spotters represent a similar value vs. Kowa, Swaro, Leica or Zeiss. After watching your review and for the money, the Cronus 86mm is a no brainer.
@@bizpixvegas7651 Excellent! Yeah, it's an incredible value for sure!
Thanks for the review! How much better is it performance wise compared to the ares G2 20-60x85? Picked up the ares when the Cronus hadn't been available yet, thinking about upgrading if it is substantially better. Thanks!
Hey there! We haven't yet had a chance to put the two side by side to compare, but we have tested them both separately. It's always hard to say for sure without them side by side, but I will say that I could tell the Cronus was certainly better in resolving the image, and had better low light performance and edge to edge clarity. Thanks for watching!
I'm in the market for a new spotter. This Athlon Cronus G2 UHD is an interesting option and how I came across this video. I was looking at the Kowa 77. Value vs performance is the question, the $1,300 jump to Kowa, in your opinion does the Kowa justify the extra money?
Skip the Kowa 77 and go for the 884 with better fluorite glass instead. They're still on clearance sale for $2499 at Cameraland. I have no idea why they use the superior fluorite glass for their 55x and 88x but not their 77x series. The Athlon Cronus UHD G2 is the best China has to offer while the Kowa 55x and 88x specifically with their fluorite glass are the best Japan has to offer. If you buy the Kowa you won't be second guessing your decision and probably never want or need to ever upgrade it.
@commonsense5709 did not see the one on sale you're referring to. Although appears to have good father day sales on other Kowa models
Hey there Marcus! That's a great question and the answer depends on a number of factors like, is weight a concern? How important is field of view to you (having a wife angle lens that the Kowa 77 does)?
The price point of the Kowa 77 being ore more than double the Athlon Cronus makes the Cronus super attractive, but at the same time, the Kowa 77 is going to out perform it in pretty much every category. I've had them side by side, and while the Athlon is phenomenal at its price point, the Kowa is certainly better. Bottom line, if you have funds to step up to the Kowa, you'd be glad you did, but if not, that Athlon is incredible for a $1k spotting scope. Hope that helps!
@@marcusluna209 Just double checked and didn't see the TSN 884 at Cameraland they might already be sold out but call them over the phone to double check.
I loved your Tract toric review, this one is great aswell.
If you had to choose between the 86mm Cronus for $850 or 80mm tract Toric for $1500, what do you think is better optically and why?
Hey there, and thank you! Glad it was helpful. That's a tough call as there are things I like about each of them, but I found the Tract overall more pleasant to use because of the wide angle eyepiece and more forgiving eyebox. However, I felt like the Athlon offered overall a better value in its better edge to edge clarity, more magnification, better low light performance(expectedwith the larger objective), and lower price point. Hope that helps!
Which spotting scope would you say is the best in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range? For hunting, spotting shots on targets, etc. Best for overall clarity and ease of use (eye relief?)
Hey there! In that price range, this Athlon Cronus UHD G2 is tough to beat. The Tract Toric is also excellent (check out our review of that one here on the channel). Those two are the ones I'd point you to in the $1,000 - $1,500 price range. Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit Awesome, thanks! I've been watching your video, checking out the site reviews, etc. and I have just been so torn. Been looking at the Vortex Viper, Athlon Cronus/Ares, and Leupold SX-5 Santiam. I won't lie I was all about the Cronus but your G2 review seems kind of on the negative side (since they changed a lot from G1 to G2 you didn't like, mainly). So I've considered the Ares heavily but I want the best bang for the buck so I am hoping the Cronus is worth the extra little bit of money and will probably go with that as suggested.
@ArmatisReviews sounds great! Let me know what you end up doing and glad the reviews have been helpful!
Cronus has better glass than the Eres but the Eres goes from 45-65 and the Cronus 20-60 - which do you think is a better range for glassing? Being able to go down to 20x or up to 65x?
Thanks
Hey there, Kevin! Both the Ares and the Cronus are in the 20-60x configuration, with the Ares being an 80mm objective and the Cronus being an 86mm objective. The Ares also comes in a 15-45x65mm option, though, whereas the Cronus just comes in a 20-60x86mm version as of today. In a spotting scope, you wouldn't want a low end of 45x as that would likely create a very small field of view. Thanks for watching!
Hope that helps!
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Athlon Cronus 20-60x86. What is the diameter of the lens? I want to purchase the Olinn Digiscope and want to see if that is possible.
Hey there! Unfortunately, as of last time I checked, Ollin Doesn't have an eyepiece that works with this Athlon Cronus G2. OnGlass has one that will fit, and it also does a good job. Thanks for watching!
What Ollin adapter did you use for the Cronus?
Unfortunately Ollin doesn't have an adapter for the Cronus G2 (as of last time I checked). For this video I just had to hold the phone up to it because I didn't have a digiscoping adapter to fit it at that point.
Great review sir!
Curious, I didnt hear any mention of the chromatic aberration performance, can you speak to it here?
Also, glass is Chinese or?
If your going out on a mule deer hunt are you taking this, the Tract or the Kowa 773?
For me this is not even a consideration as I really dislike barrel focus systems. Thats why I went with a Kowa 883, super impressive scope!
Hey there! Awe... sorry about that! We did note a little chromatic aberration, but it wasn't bad at all.
I believe the glass is Japanese as well.
Personally I'd still take the Kowa 773 over the Tract....I also really prefer the dual focus.
Thanks for watching!
I thought the new Cronus G2 is Chinese with Chinese glass. The discontinued G1 Cronus was made in Japan.
The Kowa 883 is very hard to beat for $2499. The 99A for $3000 is one I'm still contemplating on for the 70x top end.
@@commonsense5709 absolutely! They are both amazing and a heck of a value!
@Common Sense I'll have to double check on that....
Would it be worth it to upgrade my Gen 1 Razor??
Hey there! I that would depend on what you are looking to do. While I haven't put those two side by side, I'm confident that the Cronus is better optically and in low light although it's not a wide angle eye piece. That bothers some people more than others. Hope that helps!
Curious on your opinion, should i get one of these for 850+ tax and shipping, OR a Maven s1a 25-50 for 1350 shipped after tax
Hey there! I think if you can swing the Maven, you'd like that one more overall. The Athlon is great, but the Maven performs better overall. Thanks for watching!
@BackwoodsPursuit ok didn't think about it until now either, tract is almost the same price that I can get the maven. I would say I'm really just after the glass quality/clarity.
@aaronjazek8448 yeah, the Tract is also very good! I'd probably still take the Maven over the Tract as the Maven has better edge tonedge clarity, but other than that, the Maven and Tract are pretty close.
Which Spotting scopes have wide angle view at starting magnification 20x ??
Hey there! The only ones that go that low (that I know of) are the Zeiss Harpia (22-65 for the 85mm model and 23-70 for the 95mm model), and the Kowa TSN 66 and ,88 (25-60 for the 66 and 88). Most of the wide angles eyepieces start at 30x though. Thanks for watching!
There is one telescope maker in China Sky Rover and they make very high quality APO telescope,they have Sky Rover APO triplet SD spotting scope and it's clarity is better than Swarovski yes! Swarovski if you contact them so they will give you details about that scope its Sky Rover APO 35-70x100
Thanks for the info!
@@BackwoodsPursuit please do check it's fantastic 100 mm spotting scope, you can see its video on RUclips just type Sky Rover spotting scope 35-70x100
@@BackwoodsPursuit ruclips.net/video/PKYTcWQMym0/видео.htmlsi=hr7UIqlFj4UW2R2b
@@BackwoodsPursuit
ruclips.net/video/PKYTcWQMym0/видео.htmlsi=hr7UIqlFj4UW2R2b
@@BackwoodsPursuit
ruclips.net/video/PKYTcWQMym0/видео.htmlsi=hr7UIqlFj4UW2R2b
Hi again ,😅, this G2 has a better glass than the G1?
I don't know if the glass itself changed from the G1 to the G2....I have to give Athlon a call to find out for sure, but I don't think the glass changed.
@@BackwoodsPursuit if is the same glass, so only changes are mostly aesthetic?
@hectorso27 yeah, if the glass is the same, there were still a ton of physical design and aesthetic changes (barrel.focus, new eye piece, new armor rubber etc). Basically a total physical overhaul.
@@BackwoodsPursuit I asked them about the glass . Let u know
@@hectorso27 thank you!
Do you think it out performs A vortex razor HD 27-60x85?
Hey there! I didn't have a chance to put it next to the Razor HD, but based on what I did see and ha e it next to, and how those ones performed in our big spotting scope review, I would say yes. I'd have to actually put them side by side to be sure though. Thanks for watching!
Very interesting. I'm trying to decide the best option.
@cannontaylor97 for sure! It's a tough decision for sure! Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit can you do a side by side comparison between the two?
@darrenecoffey2632 hey there! That would be a great comparison! I'll see what I can do, but didn't have that side by side in the works currently. Thanks for watching!
How does this compare to the vortex viper?
Hey there! This one is much better than the Viper in its optical performance, and I would pick this over the Viper all day every day. Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit Thanks for the quick response. One last question? How about the Razor hd?
@WeNeedChange3310 no problem! I would personally still go with this Athlon Cronus over the Razor HD. The main downfall of the Cronus is its weight, so if that's a major concern I can see going with the Razor HD. However, the Cronus is noticeably better optically. Thanks!
@BackwoodsPursuit I appreciate the feedback. It's a tough choice!! Vortex is living behind their warranty, and companies are pushing their products, and it's tough to find an unbiased review. Thanks for your time
@WeNeedChange3310 yeah, I hear ya. It's tough to decide. Keep in mind that Athlon has the same warranty as Vortex, so that may make a difference for you.
Does it have fluorite glass like the Maven or the Kowa?
Hey there! No, it does not have Fluorite glass. I don't think that's possible at this price point. Thanks for watching!
@@BackwoodsPursuit appreciate the response! Is there going to be a maven review video in the future by chance?
@@SKiiTTLe5 absolutely! I don't have a Maven spotter review in the works currently, but we did have S1.A in our big spotting scope review a couple years back: backwoodspursuit.com/best-spotting-scope-for-hunting/
If you compare this scope with Vanguard endeavour hd 82 A so which is the best??
Hey there! I haven't had a chance to test out the Vanguard Endeavor, so I can't say for sure. Sorry! Thanks for watching!
The Vanguard is comparable to the Athlon Argos and not even close to the Cronus.
@@commonsense5709 thanks for the insight!
Since you mentioned Vanguard I assume you want to cheap out and get the best bang for the buck. If you're a gambling person then the SVBONY SA 401 APO for around $400 or cheaper with current Amazon almost half off discount ($799 regular price but I'd never recommend paying that much for it die to questionable warranty) is at least as good as the Athlon Cronus UHD G2 and is likely the same scope and better than the Vortex Razor HD for less than half to 1/4 the price. The GOSKY warranty is questionable that's why I mentioned if you're a gambling person.