I agree, the first shot is much better showing what the photo is of. They are both good, sharp, well exposed photos. You have the lighting and setup down. I disagree however on the crop. For a catalog shot, background is to set off the product from the rest of the page. Now, If the background were a shot through the scope, with the device superimposed, now that is a horse of a different color entirely.
The segmenting is outstanding and the finish is very good. I like the stand for it, also.
Charles