Here's a 12-36x50mm spotting scope that fits as easily in the palm of your hand as in a daypack. It's just twenty-one ounces and priced in a range that won't make you sweat about carrying it into any rugged mountain range. $199; www.brunton.com ; 307-857-4700. Jaime Santa
Original or replica 19th-century blackpowder-cartridge rifles can now be mounted with an optically modern scope that carries the traditional lines of classic Wm. Malcolm scopes. Leatherwood’s new short ¿¿-inch-tube version comes in 3x and can turn a wall-hanger into a practical, and handsome, hunting rifle. $249; www.leatherwoodoptics.com ; 310-257-8142. Jaime Santa
Simple is as simple does. Such as a rangefinder that does one thing well: range find. So Leica’s new CRF 900 is an elegant 7.8-ounce piece of useful field gear; press the button and the yardage lights up. That’s it, and that’s enough. $579; www.leica-camera.us/home; 800-222-0118. Jaime Santa
This new 30mm-tube scope draws together most of the best of Leupold: DiamondCoat2 lens coating; argon-krypton gas purging for improved waterproofing; side parallax adjustment; new Speedial turrets that let you zero the scope without removing caps; black or gray satin finish; and generous eyebox. Around $1400; www.leupold.com ; 1-800-LEUPOLD. Jaime Santa
Monoculars are handy in assorted hunting situations, and for me this new argon-purged waterproof Minox 8×25 has a major “cool-¿ factor. Weight, 5.3 ounces, and size, 3 ?x2¿¿x1¿¿ inches, are excellent; and down to one foot, the Macroscope will do duty as a microscope. $169; www.minox.com ; 1-866-469-3080. Jaime Santa
In one-inch-tube scopes, Nikon offers a new Monarch line, including a 4-16×42. Some of the features found on this model are a locking side parallax-adjustment knob, “bullet drop compensating” reticle, rear-facing power indicators on the zoom control, four-inches of eye relief, and an attractive price of $449.95. www.nikonsportoptics.com ; 1-800-248-6846. Jaime Santa
The bottom line is that this is just a nice sized piece of field optics. Along with that you get ED glass, fully-multi-coating, and aspherical lenses for better sharpness and brightness; nitrogen-purged waterproofing; lightweight magnesium body; and rubber armoring. Good ergonomics, too. Around $800; www.pentaxsportoptics.com ; 303-799-8000. Jaime Santa
The XP’s rubber armor swells, filling the palm, and gel-tab thumb pads aid the grip. Rounded rings assist focusing. And the actual optics are superb. Steiner had some way to go to beat last year’s Peregrines, but they seem to have made the journey. $1,550; www.steiner-binoculars.com ; 1-800-257-7742. Jaime Santa
Until now, 4x magnification (e.g., 4-16x) has been about the best you could expect from variable riflescopes. Now Swarovski has stolen a march with its Z6 series that offers full 6x. With extended eye relief (4¿¿ inches) and low-profile reticle-illumination controls, this is a formidable dangerous-game scope. $2110; www.swarovskioptik.com ; 1-800-426-3089. Jaime Santa
It’s not often that an optional riflescope reticle draws attention by itself, but Zeiss’ new Rapid-Z is worth a look. Available on various Conquest and Victory models, it will let hunters estimate range, holdover, and windage in quickly calculated yards and inches, rather than minutes-of-angle. $75 add-on price; www.zeiss.com/sports ; 1-800-441-3005. Jaime Santa