Swarovski BTX (Eyepiece Only)

Description

The Swarovski BTX binocular eyepiece is compatible with all three “TX” objective lenses (65mm, 85mm, and 95mm). The BTX 30x/35x Eyepiece Module represents the pinnacle of comfort for long glassing sessions. The innovative design replaces the typical eyepiece of a spotting scope with a dual-eyepiece binocular configuration. Thus, eye-strain is greatly reduced because hunters can glass with both eyes open. The BTX eyepiece angles 45° to the optical tube, so the user’s head is put in a natural viewing position. The BTX provides 30x magnification when mounted on the 65mm and 85mm objectives and 35X when mounted on the 95mm.

Glassing with both eyes improves comfort and dramatically improves your ability to spot game.

For finding sneaky game that blends well with its desert background, nothing beats a Swarovski BTX. A businees mentor I respect once asked, “Do you know the difference between a fairy tale and a southern fairytale? A southern fairytale starts out like, Y’all ain’t gonna believe this sh*t!”  People say that a lot the first time they look through a BTX in the wild. Pretty sure the front objective on the 95mm lens is pure diamond, polished by angels with unicorn horn dust, but I couldn’t get Swarovski to confirm that.

If you draw a sheep tag, a good muley tag, hunt coues deer, or decide you want to try to confirm that sasquatch exists, then this is the best tool available. I love the BTX. Two eyes are better than one. This piece probably should be listed in the binocular section instead of spotting scopes, but we decided to keep all the ATX/BTX family together. 

I removed the forehead rest before I ever mounted my BTX on a tripod. I couldn’t help but wonder who thought resting your forehead on the scope would improve the glassing experience? Maybe it’s a safety feature to keep you from getting a concussion if you nod off waiting for bigfoot to step out of a clearcut. If you ever find yourself touching your tripod or scope to reduce the shake in anything but a stout wind, then your tripod isn’t good enough for a BTX. Rent one of ours so you don’t waste the BTX’s time. 

The aiming aid is a little bit cheesy, but you’ll find that it works fairly well after you realize it’s not a kaleidoscope. The aiming aid is flexy and I assume that keeps it from snapping off because the “T-shape” is perfectly designed to catch on pack-straps and drawstrings – particularly when you need to yank the BTX out quickly to see how big the ram across the canyon is before he disappears over the top. 

The BTX paired with the 95mm is larger than any spotter I’ve packed previously. It will use up one whole side of your pack. The good news is that it’s lighter than it looks, but it’s no “light-weight” by any standard, tipping the scale at a tick over 6 pounds. For its size, the objective seems really light, while the eyepiece is heavier than you would expect. It’s dense… apparently most of the awesomeness is in there. It’s also the expensive part.  In spite of the overall weight and size, I still backpacked well over a hundred miles in one of Idaho’s roughest wilderness bighorn sheep units with a BTX 95 because I felt it was my best asset for finding rams. In hind-sight, the 85mm objective would have made a better backpacking assembly, but I didn’t have one at the time.

The BTX balances back heavy with the 95mm front end, and it gets worse with the smaller objectives. This is clearly something Swarovski realized after the fact because they came out with a balance rail to help mitigate that annoyance. You’ll need a good solid tripod and head to manage the size and weight of the scope anyway, so I don’t think the rail is necessary. I’d rather have a good tripod and head than pack another accessory. 

My favorite tripod to pair the BTX with is the rock-solid Really Right Stuff TFC-34 with the Anvil ball head. It handles the BTX with ease and also supports a rifle with a tripod plate like our rental rifles are equipped with. 

The BTX gives you a fixed 35X with the 95mm objective and 30X with the 85 & 65mm objectives. There are times I find myself wishing it was variable power, but that would likely impact the image quality and make it even more expensive. We have the 1.7X extender avaialble that will bring magnification to a fixed 60X with the 95mm and 50X with the 85/65mm. I initially thought the BTX would be a little easier to use if it was a straight rather than angled eyepiece, but it’s only a minor annoyance when glassing steeply downhill. 

For backpacking I’d recommend the 85mm primarily because it’s about 2.2″ shorter and will fit in your pack better. It’s also 1/2 pound lighter. If you’re day hunting and hiking to different glassing points nearer the road, then the 95mm does give you a little more reach for glassing farther. I havent used the BTX much with the 65mm objective. I have tried it, so I can say it works well, but I haven’t spent quality time in the field time with the 65mm attached to give you an honest opinion. I might pack that combo on some late season wolf hunts just to try it. The 65mm saves 1.25 pounds vs. the 95mm and almost 3/4 pound vs. the 85mm.  

Coop