I bought a Nikko Sterling 4-12x50 with half mildot etched reticle about 1.5 years ago and to this day it still impresses me with its clarity and brightness. It runs about $125. I've seen $500 scopes that didn't have a sight picture nearly as nice.
It is not a side focus. Also, if you are already convinced you need to spend $500 to get good optics, I will not convince you otherwise so I will not try.They have an image of the reticle on their siteHowever the markings are actually finer than represented in the image which is handy for precision aiming.Here's a scope cam view taken with an iPhone 5s. It does not do justice to the scope's clarity but will give you a better sense of the reticle.
The Hawk recital is nice because of the area below the 5th milldot is useable, not just black bars. That is what I like about the hawke...
Hawke Frontier 2.5-15. Awesome reticle and much better glass than the Sidewinder series. More expensive though.Tom
I have a SWFA SS 20x42 that has a very nice reticle.https://swfa.com/swfa-ss-20x42-tactical-riflescope-1.html
You want a light FFP side focus scope with 1/2 mills and under $200 well Let me tell you I love this scope for the money Ive had mine several months and its been well worth the money and Im very happy with it.