How well do light collecting scopes illuminate game during late day / early night light conditions ?
Are they worth purchasing or are regular scopes sufficient ?
I would say it also depends on how well you can see in low light conditions, regardless of the scope. Not all eyes are equal.
At 50 years old, I started hunting one year ago. I learned quickly that I needed to invest in a better “low light” scope. In SC legal hunting time for deer is the time between one hour before official sunrise until one hour after official sunset. It would be nice to take full advantage of this timeframe, and see clearly enough to know I am taking a good shot.
For my price range, a friend highly recommended the Trijicon AccuPoint TR22-1G, 2.5–10x56mm ($650). I ended up getting this scope. With a clear sky, the best I can get after official sunset is 30 minutes until I cannot see clearly. And in the morning, maybe 35 minutes before official sunrise. This is from about 80 yds away. I later found out that my friend can see a full hour with the Trijicon, and his son even longer. And they can see as far as 150+ yds.
Doing additional research and based on many positive reviews, I recently bought a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x56mm CDS-ZL2 which has the illuminated FireDot 4 reticle ($1,300). This scope touts the Twilight Max HD Light Management system. With this scope I can get an additional 5 minutes beyond the Trijicon. Needless to say, I am very disappointed that I cannot get a full hour in both the morning and evening with clarity. I am also disappointed to spend $1,300 for only 5 more minutes.
When researching different low light hunting scopes, keep in mind that someone else’s experience may be different than yours. I would consider my ability to see in low light conditions less than the average person. Maybe all these years of staring at a computer screen/laptop has affected my rods. For the average person, I would say the Trijicon mentioned above will easily cover 30+ minutes of low light viewing with good clarity. And the Leupold will gain another 5+ minutes, but at twice the cost. Perhaps you will be like my neighbor and his son, and get a full hour or more with a good quality scope.