Sky and Earth coatings?

[RobConnel]

The descriptions I've read state that the lenses have coatings but say nothing about the prisms. I have had a bad experience with a $150 scope not having any coatings on the prisms, and I would certainly not buy a $250 scope that was also lacking. Thanks.

[Leif]

The descriptions I've read state that the lenses have coatings but say nothing about the prisms. I have had a bad experience with a $150 scope not having any coatings on the prisms, and I would certainly not buy a $250 scope that was also lacking. Thanks.

My first birding scope was a Nikon E&S 60mm, and the optics are very good for the price. They won't threaten a top grade 60mm scope, but that's not surprising. The mechanics seem good too i.e. a rugged build and well placed focuser. Whether or not there are better alternatives is another matter.

My experience with Nikon kit is that it is usually decent, and sometimes far better than that, for the price.

Leif

[RAH]

I don't know about the coatings, but I have a Sky and Earth 15-45x60 and like it a lot. My only complaint is that the focusing is kind of stiff. The scope is sharp from 15 up to about 40. My friend has a Kowa, which is naturally better, but I frequently am looking thru both at one time or another on a birding trip, so I do have soemthing high end to compare it to. As I said, I like it.

[wengchun]

I have been using the Nikon 60mm RAII(A) since late 2004 - i think this is the same scope as the S&E. attached to a CP4500 using nikon adapter and with Cheang Kum Seng's cable bracket. generally, it provides decent result although bad if compared to the high quality scope. i also experienced chromatic abberation with it. i have been wanting to go into videoscoping and recently found a website mentioning about scopetronix eyepiece which is wider than the nikon's. no other specs available, but i wonder if i can use it for videoscoping or not.

if you want to see some of the photos taken with a S&E and CP4500, please check out my gallery. look for the older photos.