New Nikon 82mm object lens scope

[Colin]

Hi,
Has anyone tried out the new Nikon scope. I have wanted to check one out but each time I have visited the local dealer he has sold out. However, last week he had one left and I took a look thru with a zoom lens (to 75x). The scope appeared to be pretty good at middle distance viewing and fantastic at long range(infinity) viewing. I realised the problem was when I was looking thru a glass window. With no glass between the scope and object, it seemed a fantastic scope. Anybody have any experience of this new scope?

[KCFoggin]

What was the price range on this one Colin?

[Andrew]

75X seems pretty amazing but it would need to be at least 80mm to avoid any loss in quality at that zzoom strength wouldn't it?

[Colin]

Hi KC,
I don't have a full price range to hand but I have just been looking at the price for one option. For example, by searching the internet I find a couple of companies in America which will do the ED82 with the 25x-75x eyepiece for just over £750 whereas in the UK, all the retailers I have noted asked around £1080. The American retailers do seem to have a delay in shipping of sometimes up to 30 days and sometimes 4 to 5 months!! I have seen a note to say that there is a limited availability from Nikon at the moment which explains the delay. Assuming that a retailer in America has one in stock it would be better to get a cheap air ticket and go and get one and still better the UK price easily. Alternatively the shipping cost to the UK is around $30 to $40 which is fine as well.

[Dave B Smith]

Colin,
Go one better. Take the cheap air fare to come pick up the scope and then take advantage of the trip to use the scope and add to your life list while in the States!

I can't comment on this new scope, but I have the Nikon Fieldscope III ED 60 and it is brilliant.

[Colin]

Dave,
I simply cannot afford any of them but I have also looked through the EDIII and yes I have to agree, it is a bit good. :t:

[John Cantelo]

I had a look at this scope at Cley-Spy (which I highly recommend) and was able to compare it with the large OG Zeiss & Swarovski scopes. At fixed magnification I found very little between them- Nikon & Swarovski were a draw with Zeiss marginally less sharp & contrasty (but brighter). With a zoom the Swarovski had the edge but it was marginal,
John

[Bob D]

One note of caution. For several years I've used the Nikon Fieldscope III ED 60 mm with both fixed focus wide angles eyepieces and Nikons 20x60 zoom. This zoom on the Nikon 82 mm scope, as mentioned above, provides a magnification of 25 to 75.

If you must use eyeglasses when scoping the zoom is not particularly eyeglass friendly as its' eye-relief is relatively short.

I can't fault the zooms sharpness, as I use it with an adapter on an astronomy telescope at magnifications well above 100x and obtain pinpoint star images.

Bob

[Osprey]

Hi KC,
I don't have a full price range to hand but I have just been looking at the price for one option. For example, by searching the internet I find a couple of companies in America which will do the ED82 with the 25x-75x eyepiece for just over £750 whereas in the UK, all the retailers I have noted asked around £1080. The American retailers do seem to have a delay in shipping of sometimes up to 30 days and sometimes 4 to 5 months!! I have seen a note to say that there is a limited availability from Nikon at the moment which explains the delay. Assuming that a retailer in America has one in stock it would be better to get a cheap air ticket and go and get one and still better the UK price easily. Alternatively the shipping cost to the UK is around $30 to $40 which is fine as well.

The problem with buying from the USA is the duty that needs to be paid. If done legally, Duty, VAT et all. Would the costs difference be that dramatic?

Osprey

[scampo]

I just bought one from In Focus at Rutland Water and was watching a pair of long-tailed ducks in poor late afternoon light alongside a friend with an 80mm ED Swarovski. Neither of us could tell any difference in brightness or sharpness - but it's £300+ pounds cheaper so can't be bad! A bit heavier though.

[steverowe]

Scampo,

Did you exchange it for the Opticron wih the air bubbles?

Steve

[steverowe]

I see now from another thread that you exchanged the Opticron.

Steve

[scampo]

In a way sadly, but yes - In Focus certainly had a batch of seconds in their stock of Opticron ES80s (four in all!) and so, as I am lucky to have two days in Norfolk next week I thought, "What the heck" And went for the Nikon.

I think I made a wise choice, all things considered but still feel that a good ES80 is one heck of a bargain scope (well - if £550 can be such a thing as a bargain at all).

[Leif]

The problem with buying from the USA is the duty that needs to be paid. If done legally, Duty, VAT et all. Would the costs difference be that dramatic?

Osprey

Allow ~£50 shipping by UPS/similar, VAT at 17.5%, and a couple of customs charges, so a reasonable estimate is £950. And then there are the currency conversion costs which will take us even closer to £1000. So you might save ~£100.

And then of course if the unit is faulty, that's another £50 to ship it back to the supplier.

I've bought several 35mm lenses and extension tubes from the States, one lens and the tubes by mail order, and the other lens I picked up while on a business trip. I recently sold the extension tubes for what I paid for them, and could do the same with the lens I picked up on business.

Oddly enough grey market camera lenses can be bought in the UK at substantial savings but there is no such equivalent for scopes (and bins).

[scampo]

One note of caution. For several years I've used the Nikon Fieldscope III ED 60 mm with both fixed focus wide angles eyepieces and Nikons 20x60 zoom. This zoom on the Nikon 82 mm scope, as mentioned above, provides a magnification of 25 to 75.

If you must use eyeglasses when scoping the zoom is not particularly eyeglass friendly as its' eye-relief is relatively short.

I can't fault the zooms sharpness, as I use it with an adapter on an astronomy telescope at magnifications well above 100x and obtain pinpoint star images.

Bob

Nikon has launched a newly designed zoom for the ED82 scope - I have found it okay to use with specs. and overall to be a lovely and very user friendly scope. I have posted a review of the scope in the Reviews section.

[Swissboy]

Nikon has launched a newly designed zoom for the ED82 scope - .

Steve, I think this zoom has been around a bit longer than the new 82mm scope. It would seem to have been some sort of precursor. At least, I have been debating about my zoom replacement for a considerable time, and I don't think there are two models of 20-60/25-75x. Unless I have missed something, of course.

Robert

[scampo]

Ah - I see. It's called the 20-60x/25-75x MCII eyepiece. I thought Nikon's advertising suggested the two were designed together.

[Gaga]

Since last December, I'm the proud owner of this new scope. I'm very satisfied of it. Therefore, if you have any questions, just ask!

I've attached an image taken with that scope. We can see the sun reflexion in the eye of the glaucous gull, at least 200 m from me...

[scampo]

Well done - amazing really! At that distance you've probably got a fair bit of of atmospheric pollution in the shot, too.

[Gaga]

Can somebody tell me if I can put a digital camera adapter on my 25-75X eyepiece? I heard that's the Nikon adapter is incompatible with zoom eyepiece... Currently, I must take handheld photos!

[GR Triever]

Thought about making your own adapter? A lot of the BirdForum members have done that. In my case, a $0.64 piece of PVC, an $8.95 step ring, and a small piece of plexiglass that I worked to fit the eyepiece worked wonders.

Regards,

GR

[Gaga]

Thought about making your own adapter? A lot of the BirdForum members have done that. In my case, a $0.64 piece of PVC, an $8.95 step ring, and a small piece of plexiglass that I worked to fit the eyepiece worked wonders.

Regards,

GR

Do you have a picture of your adapter?

[Joe A.]

My Nikon Brochure entitled "Versatile Accessories enable you to capture the big view," indicates their camera adaptor for the Fieldscope line works with:
Fieldscopes
Fieldscopes IIII/III A/EDIII/ A/II series
Fieldscope ED78/ED78A

Eyepieces for Fieldscopes Digital Cameras
24x/30x wide Mc cp 880
30x/38x wide MC cp 885
40x/50x wide MC cp 900 series
60x/75x wide MC cp 4500
cp 5000
(notice no zooms lenses)

A zoom attachment for the adaptor, called the S-Zoom, is available for their low-end Sky and Earth line of scopes.

Hope this helps.

[GR Triever]

Do you have a picture of your adapter?
I'll get you a pic or two as soon as I can; today I'm fighting a bad motherboard on my desktop, and don't have the camera software installed (yet) on my laptop.

Regards,

GR

[dogfish]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the NIkon 20x60 zoom on the new 82mm scope with the Swarovski or Zeiss equivalent on their larger scopes? I've got the Nikon zoom and EDIII 6Omm but would love to know what the eyepiece is like on the bigger scope.

[scampo]

I've compared it against a Swarovski 80ED and Leica Apo-televid 77, as well (and far more) against a Swarovski 65ED. The first thing you notice is that the Nikon zoom is about half the weight of the other major manufacturer's zoom eyepieces - thus keeping the overall weight more comfortable to carry around (although the Swarovski body is lighter than the Nikon's).

The Leica and Swarovski zooms offer a somewhat wider field of view at their 20x setting when compared to the Nikon at its lowest 25x - but the Nikon's extra magnification is bound to lead to a reduced field of view. Certainly this is a point to consider - it might or might not be relatively important to you. But field of view per se is not the be all and end all as the overall view provided by the Nikon is seriously good.

On your scope, though, you would get a wider field than with the ED82 - because of the different focal length of the EDIII which produces a 20x, rather than a 25x minimum magnification.

The new Zeiss is famed for its wide field of view at 20x - but reviewers have suggested that this is at the expense of overall edge-edge sharpness. The Nikon zoom is pin sharp edge to edge and gives a completely flat field of view; again there's little practically to choose between them on that score.

The Nikon zoom is as bright and clear as the Swarovski, and, to my eyes somewhat better than the Leica - but again, all of these scopes are on a par optically for all practical purposes. What is important about the Nikon is that it offers a significantly higher top magnification of 75x - and this seems to me to be important because, after all, it is one of the main reasons to choose a zoom as against a fixed wide angle. Trained on two distant peregrines the other day, in bright clear light I admit, even at 75x the view and detail were simply superb.

The Nikon scope stands out for me because it is has an 82mm objective lens in a very compact design indeed - incredibly no longer than the Swarovski 65.

Now - when you put Nikon's 30x Wide on its scope you know you have an amazing scope in your hands. I do think that you need both a zoom and a wide angle to give the very best options to suit different circumstances. The Nikon is also very well priced when put against the Zeiss and the Swarovski.

[dogfish]

Scampo, is the 20x75 zoom on your 82mm Nikon a new eyepiece; ie, a second attempt at the MC design with the screw-down eyecups? I think I recall your review of the scope mentioned a Mk 2 eyepiece.

I got a MK1 MC for my ED111A, which has a disturbing halo effect at low magnification. Would certainly be tempted by the 82mm if the zoom is noticeably better.

[scampo]

The 25-75 / 20-60x MCII was launched at the same time or thereabouts as the new ED82 scope. It is a similar outward design but an overall clear improvement optically compared with the earlier eyepiece. Nikon seem to have corrected a number of issues - colour fringing and flare being two I have read about. I think it is overall without doubt an A1 optic (as it should be for the price...); my only slight gripe is that it would have been useful to have a somewhat wider field of view - the Leica and Swaro zoom eyepieces score a touch better on that count. But... in terms of sharpness, clarity, brightness and faithful colour balance the Ninon more than makes up for this slight lack.

[dogfish]

Thanks for that. I shall take a look at a Nikon 82 soon.

[Scott Crabtree]

Greetings from Kent Island, Maryland, USA, on the partially frozen Chesapeake Bay. I'm new to Bird Forum, and this is my first post, so I hope this goes through alright.

I purchased the Nikon 82mm Fieldscope ED (angled eyepiece) about three months ago. As soon as Eagle Optics had them. Mine is serial number 209. I had a Swaro At-80 for 12 years, and since it had vacationed twice to Austria in the last three years for internal fogging, I decided it was time to replace it. Having used Nikon binos for over ten years, and having been largely impressed with the old 78mm Fieldscope, I decided to purchase the new 82mm as soon as it was available. I have not had a moment's regret.

The scope is sharp, edge-to-edge, bright, compact, and appears to be quite rugged. Every feather is tack-sharp. Not a hint of chromatic aberration. Side-by-side comparison with the Zeiss 85mm showed that the Nikon was equally as bright (in the light of that day), and that particular Zeiss, at least, showed remarkable softness at the edges.

I have two eyepieces. I had found that with the Swaro 20-60x zoom, I would scan at 20x, and then immediately zoom up to a power somewhere between 30 and 40. So, I went with the 38X fixed eyepiece, due to its great eye-relief, and field of view. The fov is the same as the 25-75X zoom's fov at 25X. Of course, 38X can accentuate heat shimmer, so I also got the zoom as well. The higher powers on the zoom are emminently useable under the right conditions. 82mm divided by 75X doesn't give you much exit pupil, but like I said, under the right conditions, it gives great views.

The view-through case is pretty well engineered, providing better protection from the elements than I've seen in other cases. One can operate the focus while covered, keeping precipitation off of the scope, even though it's fully waterproof.

The first thing out of the mouth of others who look through the scope is, "Wow, that's bright! And I can see every feather."

The scope does have its warts. The knurled nob for operating the zoom is pretty narrow, and with gloves on, a little difficult to get one's fingers on. The focus goes from close to inifinity in about 3/4 of a turn, so can be a little demanding to get the right focus at higher powers. Both are something one just has to get used to, and I've done so quickly.

At several hundreds of USD less than the comparable Swaro or Zeiss, and with a view as good or better, all high end scope purchasers owe it to themselves to check out this scope, however difficult it is to get your hands on one. You won't be disappointed.

Scott Crabtree
Chester, Kent Island, MD, USA

[John Cantelo]

An interesting review, Scott. I'd agree that for fixed magnification eye pieces there nowt between the Nikon & the much touted Swarovski .... other than a hefty discount on what you pay. Optically they're very, very close. I think the Swarovski zoom is definitely better. The biggest drawback to the Nikon seems to be the hypercritical focusing; I'm interested that it's something that you found that you could cope with. It's certainly far better optically than the Leica 77m.
John Cantelo (Kent not-an-island, UK)

[scampo]

Hi Scott

From one Nikon devotee to another, welcome! And thanks for a good review (you can read mine on the same scope on this site, if you like:

http://www.birdforum.net/reviews/showproduct.php?product=54

We share another connection - my son has a Swaro scope, so I know how favourably the Nikon compares. I'm rather surprised that John feels that the Swarovski's zoom is "definitely better" than the Nikon's. I use both regularly and one one parameter only I can recognise a difference that is sometimes useful - the Swaro offers a somewhat wider field of view; but, against this the Nikon offers a sometimes very useful top 75x magnification.

I can say that I have met no one yet who seems to prefer the view through the Swaro when they compare it to the Nikon. Even Nick, my son, finds the Nikon gives such an "easy" and comfortable view - maybe it's the brightness, the faithfulness of the colour, neither of us can put a finger on it. It would certainly be unbeatable if it were that bit wider - but when I need real width I put the 30xW on and, well, I doubt there's a better eyepiece on the market. I almost went for the 38x as it, too, is wonderful to look through, but at the time, I thought the 30x a more useful companion to the zoom.

[coloshrike]

On the ergonomics of focusing with the Nikon scopes I can offer my comments based off of a Fieldscope III 60mm ED. I love the large easy to grip focusing ring and on balance prefer the quick snappy focusing in the interest of speed.

However, a good friend finds the speed of the focusing ring much too fast and compressed. I think if Nikon would add a fine focus knob it would address the issues folks like my friend have with the scope. If they added that and then introduced a zoom with adequate eye relief imho it would be hard to beat a Nikon scope for anyone's tastes.

[John Cantelo]

Scampo wrote "I'm rather surprised that John feels that the Swarovski's zoom is "definitely better" than the Nikon's. I use both regularly and one one parameter only I can recognise a difference that is sometimes useful - the Swaro offers a somewhat wider field of view; but, against this the Nikon offers a sometimes very useful top 75x magnification". This was certainly the impression I had when peeking through a Nikon with a zoom attached, however, it wasn't a side by side comparison so my impression may well be mistaken or that particular zoom was a dud. Scampo's experience is clearly a better guide in this matter, John

[dogfish]

Scampo, are you comparing like with like? I thought your son's scope was a Swarovski 65mm. So the 82mm Nikon has rather an unfair advantage when zooms are compared. Only a comparison of the Swarovski 80 v the Nikon 82 would be a true guide to the relative excellence of the zooms.

[scampo]

That's true and it's interesting because the Nikon is the same overall length as the Swaro 65 and costs the same - that's 82mm worth of quality optics for the same length and price as 65mm.

But I was talking about the Swaro 80mm which is owned by a couple of birders I meet up with regularly. One of them has had the Swaro AT80HD for about a year or so now (as well as their 8.5ELs! Lucky so and so to have that much money to spend on kit!) - he rates it very highly indeed.

It was that friend who was so impressed with the view through the Nikon compared to his Swaro. The Nikon seemed to be its equal except being just beaten by the Swaro on field of view, but the roles were reversed on maximum magnification (Nikon 75x / Swaro 60x); also, an intangible, but noticed by me and commented on by sufficient people now for me to think there's something genuine in it - the Nikon view and image feel extraordinarily "right".

Regarding the Swaro 65, though, comparing it with its big brother doesn't show a deal of difference (although I have to say I have only done this once and I was more interested in the long-tailed ducks at the time than the two scopes' qualities). They are based on the same design except for objective lens size. As I recall, their exceptional optical qualities match except for improved brightness noticeable in the dim light.

Overall, I think it has to be a case of swings, roundabouts... and pockets. I'm sure that Swaro, Zeiss, Kowa, Nikon or Leica would fit the bill for most people - and all but the first, for significantly less money. One scope that stands out a touch in that group might be said to be the Leica as it is a rather long and heavy scope compared with the newer designed products - but this might or might not matter a jot.

It does seem interesting to consider that such as the Nikon ED82 can be bought as a kit from Warehouse Express with Nikon's superb stay-on case, a scope/camera adapter, a tripod and a superb Nikon digital camera all for significantly less than the Swaro 80 scope on its own.

[dogfish]

the virtues of the various scopes aside, I think there's certainly something to be said for birders taking a stand against optic inflation. I'd say £1,500 is at the outer edge of what I'd be prepared to pay for a scope and eyepiece and others will consider it beyond the pale. Especially as no one is saying that the new Swav is a step change in optical quality, even those who would regard it as the best choice. It looks like Swarovski and Leica are also telling dealers they can't advertise discounted prices on the new ranges. Which means you have to ring them all up to find the true price. A pain.

[Leif]

the virtues of the various scopes aside, I think there's certainly something to be said for birders taking a stand against optic inflation. I'd say £1,500 is at the outer edge of what I'd be prepared to pay for a scope and eyepiece and others will consider it beyond the pale. Especially as no one is saying that the new Swav is a step change in optical quality, even those who would regard it as the best choice. It looks like Swarovski and Leica are also telling dealers they can't advertise discounted prices on the new ranges. Which means you have to ring them all up to find the true price. A pain.

However, the new Swaro scopes - including the 80 - seem to sell very well going by the number I see about so Swaro must have done something right. I'm sure their bank manager agrees.

I do though wonder about the point of the rubber armour. Doubtless it adds weight and cost, and yet it does not protect the entire scope so people still use a SOC. It does look nice though.

Given that the main advantage over the Nikon 82ED is weight (unless I am mistaken), I wonder whether users really notice that 300g difference?

[iporali]

I do though wonder about the point of the rubber armour. Doubtless it adds weight and cost, and yet it does not protect the entire scope so people still use a SOC. It does look nice though.

I see the rubber armouring in Swaro A/STS as a compensation to its light "tube material". When Kowa released its composite 820-series, it quite soon had to add some rubber bumpers with 820M. Perhaps customers don't like a quality scope to be "too" light.

Ilkka

[scampo]

However, the new Swaro scopes - including the 80 - seem to sell very well going by the number I see about so Swaro must have done something right. I'm sure their bank manager agrees.

I do though wonder about the point of the rubber armour. Doubtless it adds weight and cost, and yet it does not protect the entire scope so people still use a SOC. It does look nice though.

Given that the main advantage over the Nikon 82ED is weight (unless I am mistaken), I wonder whether users really notice that 300g difference?That is an advantage - and shouldn't be forgotten. The Nikon is, however, extrordinarily compact - packing in an 82mm into the length of a Swaro 65mm (I think Zeiss is similar).

[scampo]

Am I alone or slowly cracking up? I keep receiving emails saying I have received a reply posting but when I click on the link - the posting isn't there?

[satrow]

Am I alone or slowly cracking up? I keep receiving emails saying I have received a reply posting but when I click on the link - the posting isn't there?

Both?

Turning off notification would cure it.

Andy.

[scampo]

Always that fine sense of humour, Andrew - lovely stuff!

But I want notifications - so how would that work?

[satrow]

Always that fine sense of humour, Andrew - lovely stuff!

But I want notifications - so how would that work?

It would reset it.

Turn it off.

Logout.

Turn it back on.

Andy.

[scampo]

Thanks, Andy. Now there's a thing - I didn't do anything but it's working well now. Hmm. Gremlins in cyberspace?

[goldfinch]

As far as fixed eyepieces go....

how does the Nikon 15x (#7772) measure up against say... the 20x ??

will it fit other Nikon scopes?

(by the way are Nikon eyepieces interchangeable with other scopes?)

thanks!

[scampo]

No optics are interchangeable between brands - but the Nikon's can be used on the 60mm, 78mm and new 82mm Fieldscope ranges.
#
I didn't know there was a 15X in the MC series?

[Tim Allwood]

to my eyes I can't see a difference between the ED78 (available for £450 from Warehouse Express) and the new 82 Nikon or Swarovski - both considerably more exensive. The ED78 takes the new MC eyepieces, is compact and must be the optical steal of the year.

[dogfish]

Blimey, are you Scampo in disguise? o:) That's supposed to be a smiley face by the way

[Leif]

Blimey, are you Scampo in disguise? o:) That's supposed to be a smiley face by the way

There's only one Scampo! :D

I tried the Swaro 80 HD and the Nikon 82ED today. Both were lovely, but I'm sure the Nikon had the slightly better brightness and/or contrast. I would need to check that again, but there's no way I'm paying an extra £300 for the Swaro. The Nikon zoom was awesome and very useable at 75x in today's viewing conditions. Oh no. I'm starting to sound like Scampo! :)

[scampo]

to my eyes I can't see a difference between the ED78 (available for £450 from Warehouse Express) and the new 82 Nikon or Swarovski - both considerably more exensive. The ED78 takes the new MC eyepieces, is compact and must be the optical steal of the year.
Glad I'm not alone - but you are surely right, Tim. The problem is that they are now only available with 40x and 50x lenses so by the time you've bought say, the MCII zoom, or a 20 / 30 wide, the price soon climbs nearer to the ED82. - which is also completely watertight (not that I've ever once had a scope mist up in many years and with some pretty cheap scopes in my time).

[scampo]

Ah well... all it takes is a fair and objective trial: and I think we would all agree that Leif is a very objective-minded individual indeed.

But my very high regard for Nikon Fieldscopes and some of their other birding optics is quite unusual as I am normally not generally impressed with Far Eastern products (I would unlikely buy one of their cars, for example, except for the superb Honda marque. Maybe such a feeling runs in the family as, after much testing of Yamaha, Kawai and the ilk, my son chose a Czech Petrov piano as at least a head if not the shoulders above the sound quality of many Far Eastern brands he spent so many hours playing).

The fact surely is that Nikon Fieldscopes - like Opticron - offer very good value for money; but unlike Opticron, Nikon is a world-renowned marque and on that basis, gets my vote. I think the quality of manufacture is better than Opticron, too - both in durability and quality control.

Yet, I know if I had to choose again, I'd have a far closer look than I did before at the wonderful Zeiss 85T*, even though I might again go for the ED82. And another thing, they're both very tough-looking scopes, whereas to my eyes, the Swaro scores less highly on this score. For me, the Leica needs new model to make it more compact, as marvellous as it is in all ways except bulkiness.

[Leif]

Ah well... all it takes is a fair and objective trial: and I think we would all agree that Leif is a very objective-minded individual indeed.

Hardly, though I suspect that was said tongue in cheek! I think everyone should take reviews with a pinch of salt, and check products themselves.

That said, I am looking for a posh scope, and the reviews and comments of the Nikon 82 and other scopes on this site have been very helpful. I have to profess a lot of ignorance when it comes to scopes.

I don't think your liking for Nikon is mis-placed. They seem to be making a concerted and successful effort to break into the territory previously dominated by the big German/Austrian names. I suspect that the market for birding optics is a growing one, though I know that Leica have been having financial problems, and Zeiss announced big profits!

[scampo]

Hardly, though I suspect that was said tongue in cheek! I think everyone should take reviews with a pinch of salt, and check products themselves.

That said, I am looking for a posh scope, and the reviews and comments of the Nikon 82 and other scopes on this site have been very helpful. I have to profess a lot of ignorance when it comes to scopes.

I don't think your liking for Nikon is mis-placed. They seem to be making a concerted and successful effort to break into the territory previously dominated by the big German/Austrian names. I suspect that the market for birding optics is a growing one, though I know that Leica have been having financial problems, and Zeiss announced big profits!Nope - I was being very straightforward, guv. I was interested in your comments on Leica and Zeiss.

In my view, Leica have not played fair over the years. For instance, some of their photo optics are / were made in Portugal - and with no disrespect to that great country, I don't think when we buy Leica, we expect to be buying a Portuguese product (likewise, a bottle of Port, labelled "Made in Germany" would be unlikely to impress); also, Leica have, quite surprisingly, launched a few less than wonderful cameras over recent years, not quite knowing where to position the product or its pricing.

I think that Zeiss, on the other hand, are a very large and successful manufacturer of technical and industrial optics with vast R&D facilities. Interestingly, Nikon were the first Japanese manufacturer of optical glass, cameras, binoculars and scopes and have a number of innovations to their credit - including CA free lenses (despite your views - literally and metaphorically). Unlike Leica and Swarovski, so far as I know, they are also a direct competitor to Zeiss in the technical and industrial optics' markets.

Now, Swarovski make expensive and pretty glass ornaments (oh, and they also make superb, expensive birding scopes and binos)...

[dogfish]

I've just bought a Swav ATS80 HD but it was one of the toughest optical decisions I've made; it was up against the Zeiss 85 and the Nikon 82. The Nikon had better colour (and price) but a poorer zoom than either the Swav or the Zeiss. And it is heavy, or to be precise, relatively heavy (one reason the Leica wasn't in the frame). The Zeiss zoom was better at high magnifications than either but its wide angle eyepieces were poorer and the non-sharp edges to the field of the zoom at low magnification were a distraction. But it did have what I would call the easiest view. Eye placement is esy.

I felt the Swav 30w eyepiece was the best of the wide angles, though it was a close call with Nikon. There is a crispness to the Swav 30w that I didn't quite see in the others. Perhaps the contrast is better than NIkon; as others have suggested it's hard to get really faithful colour and excellent contrast.


I would also say that Swav have tried hard to produce a birder-friendly scope in terms of size, weight and general ergonomics (and even colour), and succeeded. Shame about the price....

The new Swav zoom is just a bit brighter and with better contrast than the old version; the new 30w blows the previous Swav 30w out of the water. You'll note that I had the old Swav so that probably influenced my decision in part.

All excellent scopes though. I wanted all of them.....

[scampo]

I think I know what you mean by the Nikon zoom, but if you had had the chance to have lived with it for a while - and I use a Swaro zoom regularly, too - I think that the Nikon is a little beauty (the Swaro is so large in comparison) that might well have won you over. Its mechanical merits are, in themselves, worthy of the highest praise: unlike others, no use of plastics, for a start; it looks and feels as if it's made with watch-like precision - the smoothness and solidity are unparalleled.

If it falls down, it's on its comparatively somewhat narrower wide field of view - but, I just cannot agree with you (as Tim and Leif would not, I see) that it is less contrasty or less sharp; and let's be honest, no zoom (even the Zeiss) is sufficiently wide-angled to obviate the usefulness of a genuine fixed wide angle (after all, would we put up with zoom binoculars with a narrow FOV?). The Nikon zoom has much in its favour - not least, the image it crates is unusually faithful and true to the original. And, when a truly wide view is needed, the Nikon 30x wide gains high praise from all reviewers.

As for weight - well, it's a very well-constructed scope and it's on a par with both Leica and Zeiss, isn't it? Yet... it's no longer than the Swaro 65! If the Nikon has a weakness, I would point to its rather high geared focusing, which, speedy as it is, needs care at the highest magnification - which, by the way, is a very useful 75x (okay - this needs good light to give of its very best, but when the light is fine, this is very useful indeed).

[dogfish]

No, Nikon is heavier than the Zeiss (Leica wasn't in my test). The Nikon 82 is variously cited as either 1610g or 1670g. The Swav is 1350g and the Zeiss 1450g.

I own a Nikon MC1 zoom (for my ED111) and have used it for some time. The MC11 strikes me as basically the same but without the annoying halo effect. A very good eyepiece, but just not quite in the same class as Swav or Zeiss. Very good at lower mags but just doesn't look as bright and sharp at 60x and up.

The size of the zoom doesn't worry me if the overall package is light. My shoulder can't see how big the zoom is.....

[Leif]

Oh my. Sounds like I will have to do a bit more testing at high magnifications ...

Mind you, when I was testing the Swaro 80 HD scope, I am sure I could hear my piggy bang whispering in my ear "Nah mate, it's nice but the Nikon is nicer ..." I'm sure he won't speak to me again if I do buy the Swaro.

One thing I have noticed about Swaro bins and scopes is the superb build quality and the superb finish. I suspect that this is part of the image that Swarovski try to create. It certainly is impressive.

[scampo]

No, Nikon is heavier than the Zeiss (Leica wasn't in my test). The Nikon 82 is variously cited as either 1610g or 1670g. The Swav is 1350g and the Zeiss 1450g.

I own a Nikon MC1 zoom (for my ED111) and have used it for some time. The MC11 strikes me as basically the same but without the annoying halo effect. A very good eyepiece, but just not quite in the same class as Swav or Zeiss. Very good at lower mags but just doesn't look as bright and sharp at 60x and up.

The size of the zoom doesn't worry me if the overall package is light. My shoulder can't see how big the zoom is.....
I think those weights are for the body, I believe. With lens and case, I sem to remember the Nikon is in very much the same region as Zeiss and lighter than Leica

[Tim Allwood]

Current prices from our BF Sponsor!

ED78 with x30MC £649 1435g
ED82 with x30MC £939 1575g (new reduced price)
Swarovski ATS80HD with x30 £1330 1280g
Zeiss Diascope 85 with x30 £1080 1450g

With no 'real' optical diff in the x30 performance i opted for the cheapo 'old' Nikon (which was over a grand before the 'new' model)
Still don't use it as much as my little old Kowa 614 though ;)

note that weights are witout eyepieces.....I did this quickly...there may be minor errors....so be kind if u spot one

[scampo]

The MC11 strikes me as basically the same... A very good eyepiece, but just not quite in the same class as Swav or Zeiss...

The size of the zoom doesn't worry me if the overall package is light...I use a Swaro and a Nikon all the time and, well, all I can say is I do not accept your comments regarding the Nikon zoom. In fact, I think you are objectively wrong. Certainly the new eyepiece is significantly different from the MCI on many techical and practical parameters. Attached to an ED82 and I think it compares favourably with the Swaro and beats the Leica.

Size and weight? Well, the Swaro zoom is well over a quarter of a pound heavier than the Nikon, never mind about its bulk: add that to the body weights and it does make a difference - a five ounce heavier bino would soon raisecomment.

Also, no other zoom from a top manufacturer offers a sometimes very useful magnification of 75x, and although the Nikon natuarally enough darkens above 60x, it is still a pin sharp image that, given good light or more time for the eyes to adjust, still provides a fine view. Here is a shot of a, rather boring, gull, with the Nikon at 75X:

[pduxon]

Current prices from our BF Sponsor!

ED78 with x30MC £649 1435g
ED82 with x30MC £939 1575g (new reduced price)
Swarovski ATS80HD with x30 £1330 1280g
Zeiss Diascope 85 with x30 £1080 1450g



If you think about it you can get an ED78 & a pair of Nikon HG8x32 for less than the Swaro. Now I'm no rocket scientist but I know what stikes me as the better deal......

[scampo]

I hadn't even heard of Warehous Express until I joined BF, Pete, more's the pity - although Park Cameras have just sold my brother a pair of HGs at £250 less than WE.

Mind you - they currently have the Kowa 613 Prominar with 30x or zoom at £499-00 - that's another bargain.

[Leif]

No, Nikon is heavier than the Zeiss (Leica wasn't in my test). The Nikon 82 is variously cited as either 1610g or 1670g. The Swav is 1350g and the Zeiss 1450g.


Here are the approximate weights for an angled scope + fixed eyepiece:

Swaro 80 HD + 30xw = 1580g
Nikon 80 ED + 30xw = 1815g
Zeiss 85 + 30xw = 1680g
Leica APO 77 + 32xw = 1980g

So the Nikon weighs 235g more than the Swaro 80 HD: that's half a pound of cheese to you and me. The Zeiss is mid-way between them. The Leica is the real porker, a full fat 400g more than the Swaro, and 165g more than the Nikon. So yes, the Swaro is lighter, and the committed birder who walks a lot might well consider that weight saving and any other plus points worth the extra cost.

The Nikon makes up for the scopes weight by having lighter eyepieces. If you carry several eye pieces, then the Nikon is almost as light as the Swaro!!!

However, when I picked up the Nikon, it did not feel heavy. Probably in part because it was on a light weight tripod, rather than my hefty Uniloc with Slik 800 ball head. I am used to carrying the Uniloc and a full camera bag.

I don't know the weights of the SOCs: you would think manufacturers would quote that.

[Leif]

Also, no other zoom from a top manufacturer offers a sometimes very useful magnification of 75x, and although the Nikon natuarally enough darkens above 60x, it is still a pin sharp image that, given good light or more time for the eyes to adjust, still provides a fine view. Here is a shot of a, rather boring, gull, with the Nikon at 75X:

I was impressed, especially at high powers on a dull overcast day. Very useable. Have you turned the beast on the stars? (Those things that appear when once a century the clouds clear.) You will be able to see bands on Jupitor, and the rings of Saturn. Nebulosity should be nice too!

BTW Your picture has some CA visible: is that from the scope or the lens? In this situation I suspect all scopes woud show some CA. During my tests today - viewing gulls and ducks on a lake - the Nikon showed a bit less CA than the Swaro, though it was very close, and the Opticron ES 80 showed shed loads. CA in the Nikon and Swaro was quite acceptable: very good in fact. I am wondering how the Leica performs in this respect.

[scampo]

I can't say - the camera was an old Nikon CP900, so that wouldn't help. The light was awful really and I had to use PSE2 to lighten the image a good deal as I remember as it was so back-lit.

Your tests semed pretty carefully carried out. Did you look through the Zeiss 85T* at all? Oh - and did you use a Nikon 30xW - it's a beauty of a lens (mind you, a friend has the 38x and looking over a local reservoir at dusk, well - it was a very bright and clear view of the distant gulls.

[Ragna]

Had the chance the other day (in very overcast conditions) to compare the Swarovski ATS80HD with zoom and my Swaro with 30x eyepiece side by side,.the zoom at 30x just could not compare,less bright and f. o.v. was about 20-25%less at 20x simular brightness and f.o.v. at 40x slightly larger image but less detail and 50x and 60x the image was rather dark.So after considering also getting the zoom i dont think i bother.

[dogfish]

The new Swarovski 30 wide is certainly a stunning eyepiece. Maybe the 45 wide would be a good alternative to the zoom? I haven't tried it but a couple of reports suggest it's a good one.

[Colin]

I have taken yet another look at the Nikon 82 with its zoom and I have compared it to my Kowa 824 which is now 7 years old with its 20-60 zoom. Although the Kowa is still a very good scope I noted that the Nikon at its minimum zoom of 25x was much brighter than the 20x bottom end of the Kowa zoom. The Nikon was in fact superb and the test was deliberately done on a VERY dull day. I had the two scopes almost racked together so as to quickly be able to move my eye from one eyepiece to the other. At 75x the Nikon is fantastic and pin sharp across the whole view and this was when looking through the glass of a window. When outside, well unbelievable but I still have a problem with the Nikon 82 and with other similar priced scopes, I can't afford it so it will be back to the trusty old Kowa which is a bit good in its own right.

[scampo]

Had the chance the other day (in very overcast conditions) to compare the Swarovski ATS80HD with zoom and my Swaro with 30x eyepiece side by side,.the zoom at 30x just could not compare,less bright and f. o.v. was about 20-25%less at 20x simular brightness and f.o.v. at 40x slightly larger image but less detail and 50x and 60x the image was rather dark.So after considering also getting the zoom i dont think i bother.
I couldn't agree more - but I find the zoom does have its uses, Graham. Once you've used a fixed wide it's difficult to accept the narrow field of a zoom - of whichever make, even though they have dramatically improved in recent times.

[scampo]

I have taken yet another look at the Nikon 82 with its zoom and I have compared it to my Kowa 824 which is now 7 years old with its 20-60 zoom. Although the Kowa is still a very good scope I noted that the Nikon at its minimum zoom of 25x was much brighter than the 20x bottom end of the Kowa zoom. The Nikon was in fact superb and the test was deliberately done on a VERY dull day. I had the two scopes almost racked together so as to quickly be able to move my eye from one eyepiece to the other. At 75x the Nikon is fantastic and pin sharp across the whole view and this was when looking through the glass of a window. When outside, well unbelievable but I still have a problem with the Nikon 82 and with other similar priced scopes, I can't afford it so it will be back to the trusty old Kowa which is a bit good in its own right.
I think the price is falling - at WExpress you can pick one up for £930, I think. Still a lot of money, though - but it should last a very long time. I bought my kit as a kind of "gift" from my late dad - I thought it would last and remind me of him! Otherwise, there is no way I could justify the cost - although lots of folk do.

I looked through a new Kowa a few months back and it was very good - and used by a top local birder, too; but it was neither as bright or sharp across the whole field as the Nikon. Not a bad scope by any means though.

[Ragna]

Colin Ive had 2 Kowa scopes over the last 16 years and found them to be excellent value for money.Steve iam sure your correct about zoom eyepiece, its so long since i've had a zoom eyepiece iam sure they have improved considerably (the only one a Kowa TSN1 20-60x not best).But i have got used to the 30x and think the Swarovski 30x amazing.

[Tim Allwood]

seriously folks look thru the ED78 - no difference at all for me to the big three scopes. It takes same eyepieces as new Nikon and probably has virtually identical coatings etc....
there's no kudos to be lost in buying 'old' kit

[scampo]

Forgot about that, Tim - That's the one to go for while those dwindling stocks last. Top marque at a low price with full warranty. My brother's in the market for a new scope - I'll let him into the secret.

[iporali]

...the Nikon showed a bit less CA than the Swaro, though it was very close, and the Opticron ES 80 showed shed loads. CA in the Nikon and Swaro was quite acceptable: very good in fact. I am wondering how the Leica performs in this respect.

I think this is where Leica (APO) and probably Zeiss (FL, superachromat) have an advantage. If you have a chance to compare, it would be nice to hear your impressions. I have compared Kowa 823 and Leica side by side and Leica was noticeably better in this respect.

Ilkka

[dogfish]

The ED78 is a fine scope but newcomers to this forum should perhaps be reminded that it isn't waterproof. I've no idea how water-resistant it is, but I think I read somewhere about Nikon adding 0-ring seals, which would make it rather better in this respect than the notoriously leaky ED1 and 11 fieldscopes. It's a great shame Nikon were so slow to see the importance of waterproofing for European birders. Still, they've caught up now

[scampo]

That's true - but it was water resistant, I think. I'm not sure how much it matters as my current scope is the first waterproof I have owned and no previous scope has ever misted up - whereas I have had bins mist up. Don't know why that is.

[Ragna]

I think we are all getting carried away by waterproof scopes.If the scopes not water proof buy a case.Most dealers include one free if buying a scope and eyepiece.

[scampo]

It's the possibility of internal fogging, I suppose, Graham. But I find much more annoying the external fogging of the eyepieces when looking on a cold day - and no one has come up with a cure for that (or does your lens pen work, maybe - if it is silicone, that is supposed to prevent fogging - although it's not usually used on optical lenses?).

[dogfish]

I notice Bausch and Lomb offer, at extra cost, a feature that is supposed to minimise the effect of rain on the lenses of the Elite bins. Think it might be called Rainguard. I wonder if this might help with fogging too? Perhaps some of our contributors have experience of it.

[scampo]

It will be something like 3M ScotchGuard, I should think. It's never a major problem but this winter I've noticed it more than usual.

[Ragna]

Steve i think all scopes and binoculars suffer from fogging on cold days.I find that turning the eyecups down and moving my eyes a bit futher back from the lenses helps a bit.But then withyour glasses your eyecups will allready be down.Could electrically heated eyepieces be a thing of the future.

[scampo]

As you say, I expect they all do - but I was just refelcting on all the fuss we make about waterproofing and the thing that gets us most often is moisture on the outside of even the best.

[Ragna]

.I' dont know any body who has had bins or a scope mist up inside.Always had a case on the Kowa And if it rained always stuck my bins under my jacket. Steve.When i logged on to scopes i noticed no one was viewing Swarovski but 12 were viewing Nikon.Your making this part to popular.

[Leif]

.I' dont know any body who has had bins or a scope mist up inside.Always had a case on the Kowa And if it rained always stuck my bins under my jacket. Steve.When i logged on to scopes i noticed no one was viewing Swarovski but 12 were viewing Nikon.Your making this part to popular.

One of the birding celebrities who promotes Leica products burbles on about how he wrestled with an Anaconda and in the process his bins were submerged and walked on. Surely you do not want to take the risk and not have waterproofing do you? Reckless. We don't have Anacondas in Slough but slow worms are commonplace and you don't want to get on the wrong side of one of those.

Seriously though, some years ago I was taking pictures of dragonflies in the New Forest, turned round to get something and heard a splash as my tripod toppled, thus dunking an expensive camera and lens. The camera - bought used for £400 - was ruined and the lens was sent back to Nikon who over-charged me to clean it - £200.

I could also imagine myself going for a dip while walking across the heaths and bogs. Mind you it is unclear to me whether even waterproof optics could remain undamaged by the very fine silt in New Forest streams. I am sure it would wreak havoc with the mechanics.

A few years ago a friend had some bins flood in rain and hence now uses Pentax DCF WP 8x42 where WP=waterproof.

I think that 99.99% of the time in the UK waterproofing is not needed and rain-proofing is enough.

[Leif]

One point worth making is that roof prism bins require expensive coatings. I believe that they are delicate - especially silver on glass which does not adhere well - and cleaning might not be a realistic prospect. Hence roof prisms tend to require decent sealing i.e. rain-proofing at the minimum.

[Tim Allwood]

used my Zeiss 7 x42s in tropics for very long periods, and in proper rainstorms without any protection and never had then mist at all. My caseles Kowa has likewise never misted in extreme conditions....Always had total confidence in them....not so with some of the more recent bins though....Said this a few times...my mates three different Swarovs have all misted in the tropics.

Some of the comments on here re the essentialness of waterproofing seem way over the top for your average British birding. No bins or scope should let water in over here unless you submerge em!

[scampo]

.I' dont know any body who has had bins or a scope mist up inside.Always had a case on the Kowa And if it rained always stuck my bins under my jacket. Steve.When i logged on to scopes i noticed no one was viewing Swarovski but 12 were viewing Nikon.Your making this part to popular.
Well - I think Nikon are worth a look and for whatever reason, Swaro and Leica virtually ruled the roost in BF until recently. I think the balance has been more fairly drawn.

On the subject of scopes, I've been messing about digiscoping without birds on this wet and rainy day - I was using a lens resolution target instead. I need to do a little more before I am sure enough of my results before posting my results here but they are rather interesting.

I have compared the Swaro 65HD + zoom with the Nikon ED82 + zoom. So far, at the lowest magnification, the Nikon seems to be the sharpest, but at the highest magnification, the two are either the same, or if not, the Swaro is just ahead - yet at this end of the zoom, the Nikon is 75x versus Swaro's 60x. Interesting stuff - and not a subjective hair in sight! Fact is, of course, that both scopes resolved the finest detail from the charts really well.

[Scott Crabtree]

.I' dont know any body who has had bins or a scope mist up inside.Always had a case on the Kowa And if it rained always stuck my bins under my jacket. Steve.When i logged on to scopes i noticed no one was viewing Swarovski but 12 were viewing Nikon.Your making this part to popular.

My 12-year old Swarovski AT-80 fogged internally twice in three years. That was why I decided to move on to something waterproof, and for all the other reasons I've related earlier, decided upon the Nikon 82 ED. (There, I got the reference in so that my post is relevant to the thread!)

That said, Swaro North America was absolutely faultless in their service. No questions asked - back it went to Austria for service at no cost. And, they got it back to me in the US in seven weeks, both times.

Scott

[Grousemore]

That said, Swaro North America was absolutely faultless in their service. No questions asked - back it went to Austria for service at no cost. And, they got it back to me in the US in seven weeks, both times.

Scott

Faultless service maybe,Scott,but you may have missed an awful lot of birds in 14 weeks...

[bill lord]

Current prices from our BF Sponsor!

ED78 with x30MC £649 1435g
ED82 with x30MC £939 1575g (new reduced price)
Swarovski ATS80HD with x30 £1330 1280g
Zeiss Diascope 85 with x30 £1080 1450g

With no 'real' optical diff in the x30 performance i opted for the cheapo 'old' Nikon (which was over a grand before the 'new' model)
Still don't use it as much as my little old Kowa 614 though ;)

note that weights are witout eyepieces.....I did this quickly...there may be minor errors....so be kind if u spot one

Can anyone tell me if the angled ED 78 has the facility for rotating the eyepiece through 90 degrees? I'm very tempted and the comments I read in here make me more so.

Bill Lord

[Ragna]

Bill welcombe to Bird forum.You can rotate the scope through 90 degrees.But i Dont no of any scope that the eyepiece rotates.The Nikon 78 looks a very good deal also the Leica 77APO and 32 eyepiece

[scampo]

Hello Bill - you'd never regret the combo Graham recommends. The Nikon 30x eyepiece is as good as they come - it might be worth buying the body along with the latest eyepiece rather than the 38x in the offer.

[bill lord]

Thanks for the replies they have encouraged me to order an ED 78 hopefully it will be here tomorrow. I ordered one with the 25 to 75 zoom which was the eyepiece that I used on the ED 82 that I tried.

Bill

[Tim Allwood]

it's a class bit of gear Bill

hope it brings u a lot of pleasure and birds

what a bargain!

[scampo]

Thanks for the replies they have encouraged me to order an ED 78 hopefully it will be here tomorrow. I ordered one with the 25 to 75 zoom which was the eyepiece that I used on the ED 82 that I tried.

BillI have the zoom - it gives as bright and crisp an image as you'll get. But... if you ever feel the need for a wider view, then do consider the 30xW. The Nikon zoom gives a truly wonderful view, but a less than wide one.

[digi-birder]

Bill, on behalf of admin and all the moderating team, welcome to Bird Forum.

I'm glad you found the information in this thread useful, and I hope you enjoy your new scope. We look forward to hearing about what you see with it.

[bill lord]

What a company to deal with, I ordered the straight scope after they assured me that the body did not rotate so after your replies last night I rang them this morning. They will send an angled scope out to be here tomorrow, they will include a set of compact binoculars ( probably not very good ones but they can sit in my pocket when I go out without all the rest of the gear. Then he said that he would reduce the price of the angled scope by £20 because of the problems that they had caused. What a brilliant company.
I shall save up for the 30X eyepiece when I have finally found the last of the money for the ED scope, I only set out to spend about £300 when I first looked at the Nikon spotting scope 80 a couple of weeks ago, but I don't think I shall ever regret this scope.

[Colin]

I was at a teeny weeny local twitch a few days ago to see a bird that was quite rare for that particular site. There were a handful of people there with a few more coming and going. One person had the new Nikon Ed 82 with a fixed eyepiece (30x). The bird, a Purple Sandpiper was quite flighty and difficult to refind among the Dunlin. However the person with the new scope seemed to have better luck in relocating the bird and let others look throught his scope so that they could get a view if the birds flew again. Everyone was amazed at the clarity (which undoubtedly helped in finding the bird) and there were lots of very impressed birders including some very experienced ones. In other words, these were people who were used to looking through scopes and not people for whom scopes are a new experience.

[digi-birder]

....they will include a set of compact binoculars ( probably not very good ones but they can sit in my pocket when I go out without all the rest of the gear.

They are not too bad, Bill. We keep ours in the car just in case. Better than nothing.

I, too, have found Warehouse Express to be very helpful (I presume that's who you're talking about) - they upgraded a camera for me a couple of years ago, a week after I realised I'd made a terrible mistake in ordering the cheaper one.

[bill lord]

I, too, have found Warehouse Express to be very helpful (I presume that's who you're talking about)
.

That's the company I can't praise them highly enough.

[scampo]

The zoom gives a very bright image that exudes quality, Bill - you'll love it. But, the 30x is something else - sure you can't zoom in, but you just don't want to - and the massive field of view makes it very easy to find a bird and see what's also going on around it.

[jad29]

Thanks for all who commented on this scope. I just ordered the 82mm with a 30x and 50x eyepieces. Can't wait.

Jad

[bill lord]

The zoom is gives a very bright image that exudes quality, Bill - you'll love it. But, the 30x is something else - sure you can't zoom in, but you just don't want to - and the massive field of view makes it very easy to find a bird and see what's also going on around it.

I have a very old Nikon scope at the moment one of the original RA models, with a 20x eyepiece and I wanted something that would give me more magnification at a distance. By choice I would have had the 30x eyepiece together with the 50x eypiece but the cost was just beyond me so the zoom is a good compromise. To me it gives the chance to view a reasonable field of view at a reasonable magnifictaion whilst still allowing me to pick out something that I particularly want to look at in more detail, the idea of having to change eyepieces in the middle just doesn't have the same appeal.

[bill lord]

Thanks for all who commented on this scope. I just ordered the 82mm with a 30x and 50x eyepieces. Can't wait.

Jad
My ED 78 arrived this morning and I have been playing with it in the garden with not very many birds around. I was amazed at the colours and details it drought up on a green finch about 60yds awayat 75X magnification pin sharp all the way across and no chromatic abberation, and my first attempts with it with my digital camera were better than I expected. It's a superb piece of kit.

[scampo]

Glad you like it, Bill - you can trust Nikon all the way. Mine's being fixed at present as I knocked my tripod over - Nikon have been more than helpful and the cost is not going to be too much to repair it either.

Good birding - look forward to reading your reports and seeing a few photos.

[bill lord]

Glad you like it, Bill - you can trust Nikon all the way. Mine's being fixed at present as I knocked my tripod over - Nikon have been more than helpful and the cost is not going to be too much to repair it either.

Good birding - look forward to reading your reports and seeing a few photos.

I hope you managed to cover it on the all risks part of your household insurance.

[Colin]

Bill,
Glad to hear that your Nikon is living up to your expectations. I have said at the beginning of this thread and a couple of time since that I cannot afford the said scope but I am now in the process of selling my house and when this is completed I will be buying the 82 - it should fit into my tent if I retract the tripod legs. ;) Seriously, I am moving house and I will be buying the kit in a few months time.

[scampo]

Bill - yes, thanks to Barcalys Insurance we have up to £1500 all risks on anything - I can recommend them, they've been superb over this calamity (my zoom lens and Coolpix were also on the tripod!).

Colin - you'll love the scope, especially if you have the 30xW which gives a knock-out view. Also the Nikon digiscoping adapter works a treat with this eyepiece.

[steverowe]

I bought a Nikon ED82 last month during my leave in the UK. I'm very pleased with it except for the focussing. I prefer the sweeter focussing of the Leica.

I bought the 25/75 zoom and I find it to be very useful at the higher end in good light. It's the main reason I chose the scope, the other being it's compact size. It might be heavier than the competition but it's certainly daintier.

I compared it against the Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss in the shop near Warrington which looks out onto open fields. To be honest, I had my wife and kids with me, plus I was too excited, so I didn't test it very objectively against the others. But to my eyes at the time they all seemed pretty good; as you would expect in that price range.

I didn't get the chance to use it very much, but I did go to the Conwy RSPB reserve which is a few hundred yards form my house where I had good views of some Water Rails and a female Scaup. I also used it in Llanfairfechan where it was duck heaven.

I haven't brought it back to Saudi because I would have had it as hand baggage in case of theft (I've had stuff stolen before from Manchester Airport) and the Saudi Authorities might have confiscated it from me for thinking I was a spy.

I can also reccommend the Nikon stay-on case which does the job well.

My one regret is that I didn't buy the Warehouse Express package which includes a Nikon 4500...but I wanted to try it out in a shop and beleive in patronising independent retailers for fear that they will disappear if they aren't used.

Steve

[scampo]

I have the same scope - the more I look through it alongside other scopes the more convinced I am that the view through the Nikon is somehow very special - its clarity and naturalness are really quite outstanding. What the zoom misses is a wide field of view and so I bought the 30xW to use when I need that aspect more - and that is some eyepiece!

You'll get used to the focusing ring - it doesn't take much to move from close up to infinity and when new the focus was rather stiff - but with use it eases off and becomes silky smooth.

BTW Nikon make an excellent adapter ring for their CP4500, and this makes a super digiscoping combination - but is best with the fixed 30x eyepiece as once fitted you cannot change the zoom position.

[Colin]

Steve (Scampo),
Talking of a digiscoping adaptors, I have an Eagle Eye one for my old (current) Kowa scope and I have discovered that it fits the Nikon like a glove, an even better fit than on my Kowa so I wont need to change adaptors.

BTW, the house is sold so I need only to wait for the paperwork to be completed and then off to the optics shop.

[scampo]

That excited feeling of anticipation is part of the fun... I hope everything goes smoothly (with the house, that is). You'll enjoy using the scope.

[steverowe]

Yes, the focusing ring does feel a bit stiff, especially when the stay on cover is on, but I did expect it to slacken off a bit with use. It has to be a bit stiff though because it's highly geared and would be a pain to use if if it's easily nudged off focus.

I intend to get the 30x lens too, for when I get around to trying digiscoping. Unfortunately, I already have a Sony camera and I can't really justify buying a Nikon 4500 as well, (I can justify it but my wife can't see the advantages :-( )

Steve

[scampo]

I was in the same position, having a Fuji S602, which is super for everything except... digiscoping. Hurried along by the fact that they are soon to be discontinued, I gave in to that little voice in my head and bought a CP4500.

[steverowe]

I saw a refurbished CP4500 in a shop near Picadiily Station in Manchester the other day after dropping off my hire car....nearly bought it.

Steve

[scampo]

Check Warehouse Express (above banner) - they have some specila deals on the CP4500.

[bill lord]

Glad you like it, Bill - you can trust Nikon all the way. Mine's being fixed at present as I knocked my tripod over - Nikon have been more than helpful and the cost is not going to be too much to repair it either.

Good birding - look forward to reading your reports and seeing a few photos.

I've had a week away and I am more impressed now than I was before if that is possible. I manufactured a digiscoping addapter that would allow my old lympus to be held flush to the eyepiece easily and had a go. The only problem I found was that the birds don't like having their pictures taken. I tried to take some Grebbes but they kept floating off downstream whilst I put my camera against the eyepiece and clicked. The only one I got that I was really happy with was the greylag that was about 100yds away.
The other thing I found was that the carry case that comes with the ED78 is a pin to use, has anyone managed to find a stay on case for this scope that is reasonably priced?

[scampo]

I haven't seen the ED78 case - that's a shame as the ED82's case is first class. My son has a Swaro with a Skua case and that is so ill-designed it's not true.

That goose is a super shot, though, Bill - well done. It certainly shows what the scope (and you) can do. I'm just starting on the sticky and frustrating road of digiscoping, too.

[bill lord]

I haven't seen the ED78 case - that's a shame as the ED82's case is first class. My son has a Swaro with a Skua case and that is so ill-designed it's not true.

That goose is a super shot, though, Bill - well done. It certainly shows what the scope (and you) can do. I'm just starting on the sticky and frustrating road of digiscoping, too.

I'll have to go round the various shops looking at cases and seeing if I can find one that fits. I started digiscoping when I bought my old scope but found holding it in place quite awkward, which is why I made an adapter up for this one out of some plastic pipe and the top off a deoderant tin. It looks a bit Heath Robinson but it works.

[scampo]

Nowt wrong with Mr Robinson, eh? Good luck finding the case - you'll find them pricey though. Don't warehouse Express have any?

[birderk]

It has been interesting reading your comments on the Nikon 82 mm Fieldscope and they have helped me decide to purchase one.

I have a Pentax PF-80 ED scope which I was very happy with except it was the straight-viewing design. I wanted an angled viewing scope because I find it easier to to view through in the wind and with groups. After considering the Swarovski, Zeiss, Leica, and Pentax I decided to go with the 82 mm Nikon Fieldscope because of its lower price (expect when compared to the Pentax).

I have had a chance to do some extensive comparisons between the Nikon and my old Pentax. Comparing the Nikon zoom to the Pentax zoom was very interesting. At high powers, I definately noticed that the Nikon had better color saturation and contrast at high powers and the 75x was handy. However, I found that the Pentax zoom was more corfortable--eye relief was a little bit better (for my glasses) and eye placement was easier. Also, the field of view was better and more satisfying on the Pentax. I could not quite not convince myself I was seeing any more detail through the Nikon than the Pentax, however. Focusing was very smooth and fast on Nikon but a few times at 75x, I found myself wishing for the precision of a knob focusing rather than the helical collar.

However, the 38x fixed eyepeice on the Nikon was absolutely beautiful. The view was so wide and bright I felt I was looking through a window rather than a scope when compared with either the Nikon or the Pentax zoom. Eye relief was also excellent. Despite 38x being a bit low for some distant birds I found myself not wanting to go back to the confined world of the zoom. With the bright, wide field, angled body, and fast focus spotting birds with Nikon at 38x was really a joy. However, since Pentax makes some excellent (and more expensive eyepieces) and takes any 1.25 inch astronomical eyepieces maybe the best comparison would be between the two scopes using fixed eyepieces.

I also had a chance to compare my Nikon with a friend's Leica 77 APO. I think the Leica Zoom in ease of viewing is equivalent to the Pentax and so is a little better than the Nikon. However, as was to be expected the Nikon was marginally brighter. However, the Leica zoom at roughly 38x was no where near as satisfying as the Nikon fixed eyepiece.

Since I loved the 38x eyepiece so much I have since ordered and recieved a 50x eyepiece which is also considerably brighter than the zoom with excellent sharpness and a huge field of view. It could easily replace the 38x as my primary birding eyepiece. With the 38x and 50x eyepieces, I can see almost no reason to settle for the zoom except for maybe big days when time is extremely critical.

A few reviewers have commented on the weight of the Nikon. I prefer some extra weight especially if it is over the tripod socket as I find it dampens vibration in a strong wind--so that has not been a problem for me.

The view on case is superb--intelligently designed like the Leica. However, unlike the Leica it comes with the scope. It is much better designed then Pentax's case. A nice feature of Nikon's case is that I can rotate the scope body with the case attached.

I have not tried the scope for digiscoping.


Improvements I would like to see in the Nikon 82 mm Fieldscope.

1) Have a tripod foot that goes directly into the bogen tripod heads like the Swarovski or at least include the 3/8 inch screw for a more secure attachment.

2) Have wider field of view on the zoom.

3) Keep the helical focus but include a knob for fine focusing.


I think the Nikon Fieldscope 82, Leica 77 APO, Swarovski ATS/STS 80 HD, Zeiss Diascope 85 and Pentax PF-80 ED are all excellent scopes with their own selling points. If you really want the best view from any these scopes I really think you need to forgo the zoom and go for fixed eyepieces.

[scampo]

Hmm... the Nikon zoom is as you say - well, room for improvement in terms of fov, but only that. I find it a fine eyepiece in every other way. The Nikon wide angles are, again as you suggest, at the top of the optics tree (like a window indeed).

The Nikon is average in terms of weight and seems very well constructed; and in terms of bulk, it is significantly less bulky than its competitors.

Thanks for a well-balanced analysis!

[digi-birder]

Birderk, on behalf of admin and all the moderating team, welcome to Bird Forum.

[Peter Ericsson]

I finally got myself a new scope after ages of conpemplation. I finally ended up with Nikon ED 82.....I chose the fixed 30x eyepiece. I am not sorry about the choice of eyepiece. Even at wader sites I can get sufficient views of birds far away. The eyepiece also is workable with my CP 995 and Nikon adapter. I may get the zoom lens later on when one wants a little variety.
I find the scop simply crisp clear. It is amazing how sharp it is. I had a KOWA TSN 1 before so the difference is huge.

I don't find it hard to carry the scope around for a day even though my tripod is heavy.

It is a bit hard to focus as the eyepiece is a bit to the side. I keep my scope cover on so can not line it up with the scopes body. Also the know that keeps the scope from rotating tends to get unwound and so the scope swirves. This is probably just me being clumsy when the camera needs to get on quickly.

My last half a dozen of pictures posted have all been taken with this scope. I'd be happy for any comments.


Peter

One have to let go of the seashore in order to discover new horizons.

[scampo]

You'll soon get used to the focusing so much that other scopes will seem sluggish in comparison. The ED82 with 30x is as good as scopes get.

My son has that scope and I have the Zeiss 85. Both are unquestionably outstanding in their own ways, but even the Zeiss cannot quite match the sheer faithfulness of the Nikon's bright, contrasty colours.

[amh2029]

I've had a week away and I am more impressed now than I was before if that is possible. I manufactured a digiscoping addapter that would allow my old lympus to be held flush to the eyepiece easily and had a go. The only problem I found was that the birds don't like having their pictures taken. I tried to take some Grebbes but they kept floating off downstream whilst I put my camera against the eyepiece and clicked. The only one I got that I was really happy with was the greylag that was about 100yds away.
The other thing I found was that the carry case that comes with the ED78 is a pin to use, has anyone managed to find a stay on case for this scope that is reasonably priced?

for info on stay on cases for ed78 check this thread:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=22848

[horukuru]

hio steve !

u meant the 24x/30x wide MC or 30x/38xwide MC for the ED82 scope ?

which one ?

[horukuru]

the best combination ?

thanks :o

[scampo]

hio steve !

u meant the 24x/30x wide MC or 30x/38xwide MC for the ED82 scope ?

which one ?Sorry - I wasn't too clear. I meant the 24x/30x used on the ED82. I have used the 30/38x and can vouch for its excellence, too, however. Nikon brand wide-angle eyepieces are all very fine examples of what high levels of quality are possible these days.

The weaker point of Nikon's line up of eyepieces is their zoom which, although still an overall excellent eyepiece, does have a somewhat less wide field of view when compared with other makes, most especially, of course, Zeiss whose zoom eyepiece is, from a field of view perspective, unusually good.

[horukuru]

so which on is better for digiscoping either MC od DS wide eyepiece ?

Sorry - I wasn't too clear. I meant the 24x/30x used on the ED82. I have used the 30/38x and can vouch for its excellence, too, however. Nikon brand wide-angle eyepieces are all very fine examples of what high levels of quality are possible these days.

The weaker point of Nikon's line up of eyepieces is their zoom which, although still an overall excellent eyepiece, does have a somewhat less wide field of view when compared with other makes, most especially, of course, Zeiss whose zoom eyepiece is, from a field of view perspective, unusually good.

[scampo]

I only have the MCII eyepieces and they are fine for digiscoping.

[iporali]

so which on is better for digiscoping either MC od DS wide eyepiece ?
I have understood that they are optically identical but the DS-ep has slightly more "effective" eye-relief (which gives some flexibility to digiscoping) but the design may be somewhat less comfortable for normal viewing.

Ilkka

[scampo]

A bit of extra eye relief wouldn't hurt, I should think, making it easier to view with spectacles, perhaps.

[bstevent]

I agree. I'm an eyeglass wearer and find the 24x/30xW DS very comfortable for viewing. (Although I haven't compared the two 30x eyepieces).

One other difference -- the DS requires only the FSA-3 of Nikon's FSA set to attach an attachment ring like the F/S-CP9xx. You don't need the FSA-1 or 2.

Bob

[iporali]

Bob & Steve,

Looking at the Nikon's brochure it looks like the MC-eyepieces have a screw-in/out eyecups whereas the DS models have removable rubber eyecups. If you don't need "continuous" adjustability, the DS eyepieces should work equally well.

Ilkka

[horukuru]

think i have to but both eye piece ...

[horukuru]

by the way, does anybody know if it is possible to connect other digital camera e.g canon or olympus with the ED82 Angled scope ?

[scampo]

by the way, does anybody know if it is possible to connect other digital camera e.g canon or olympus with the ED82 Angled scope ?
Nikon, like other scopes, will only accept certain digital cameras. It's best to look at the various digiscoping web sites to find out recommendations of cameras as many (most?) produce far too much vignetting (image cut off) to be useful.

[bigfishpat]

Can somebody tell me if I can put a digital camera adapter on my 25-75X eyepiece? I heard that's the Nikon adapter is incompatible with zoom eyepiece... Currently, I must take handheld photos!

Gaga,

Here are some Nikon links that I got from a birding forum. I keep these in my favorites to help with my decision making on a potential digiscoping purchase. The second link has a flow chart that helped me get right the core of the available options from Nikon. I hope this helps.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/news/2004/digiscoping_e_04.htm

http://nikon.topica.ne.jp/bi_e/products/nature_c.htm

http://www.nital.it/experience/fieldscope_eng.php

[shooter]

Hi,
Has anyone tried out the new Nikon scope. I have wanted to check one out but each time I have visited the local dealer he has sold out. However, last week he had one left and I took a look thru with a zoom lens (to 75x). The scope appeared to be pretty good at middle distance viewing and fantastic at long range(infinity) viewing. I realised the problem was when I was looking thru a glass window. With no glass between the scope and object, it seemed a fantastic scope. Anybody have any experience of this new scope?
Hi Folks

I’m a very keen amateur photographer I’m new to digiscope are these any good

The Nikon Coolpix 4500 complete with scope adapters
Nikon Spotting Scope 80 Straight complete with 27x eyepiece
Nikon kit 64mb compact flash card and Nikon spare battery

£669.99
:clap:

[Keith Reeder]

Hi Shooter,

I've got the 80mm Nikon spotting scope (angled) and 27x EP, and I have to say that I don't think it makes a very good digiscoping scope.

It's only "ordinary" glass and it's prone to fringing when used for digiscoping. It doesn't let in as much light as you'd think an 80mm objective would, either.

[scampo]

Hi Folks

I’m a very keen amateur photographer I’m new to digiscope are these any good

The Nikon Coolpix 4500 complete with scope adapters
Nikon Spotting Scope 80 Straight complete with 27x eyepiece
Nikon kit 64mb compact flash card and Nikon spare battery

£669.99
:clap:
You'd be better getting the utter bargain Nikon FSII non ED still on sale at Warehouse Express. Now that is a super scope. But for d/s you really need to consider scopes with ED/fluorite glass and that will cost. These give a brighter sharper more contrasty photo. Also a wide objective will let you take shots in less than perfect lighting or at a higher shutter speed. The Zeiss 85, the Swaro 80, the Kowa... all good for d/s!

[shooter]

Gaga,

Here are some Nikon links that I got from a birding forum. I keep these in my favorites to help with my decision making on a potential digiscoping purchase. The second link has a flow chart that helped me get right the core of the available options from Nikon. I hope this helps.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/news/2004/digiscoping_e_04.htm

http://nikon.topica.ne.jp/bi_e/products/nature_c.htm

http://www.nital.it/experience/fieldscope_eng.php

Hi Big Fish

Thanks this
http://www.nital.it/experience/fieldscope_eng.php
this make excellent reading just what I've been looking for

Regards

Clive

[shooter]

You'd be better getting the utter bargain Nikon FSII non ED still on sale at Warehouse Express. Now that is a super scope. But for d/s you really need to consider scopes with ED/fluorite glass and that will cost. These give a brighter sharper more contrasty photo. Also a wide objective will let you take shots in less than perfect lighting or at a higher shutter speed. The Zeiss 85, the Swaro 80, the Kowa... all good for d/s!


Nikon Fieldscope EDIII A

Waterproof and fog-free with O-ring seals and nitorogen gas
All lenses and prisms are multilayer coated for the brightest images
Built-in type slide hood
Angled body type for easy viewing and comfortable sketching
Extra-low dispersion (ED) glass for colour aberration compensation and brighter, clearer viewing (EDIII / EDIII A)
Eight different eyepieces compatible (see specifications)


Thanks to Nikon's advanced prism design, with angled body types, you get the same brightness found in straight body types.

Regards

Clive

[scampo]

Nikon Fieldscope EDIII A

Waterproof and fog-free with O-ring seals and nitorogen gas
All lenses and prisms are multilayer coated for the brightest images
Built-in type slide hood
Angled body type for easy viewing and comfortable sketching
Extra-low dispersion (ED) glass for colour aberration compensation and brighter, clearer viewing (EDIII / EDIII A)
Eight different eyepieces compatible (see specifications)


Thanks to Nikon's advanced prism design, with angled body types, you get the same brightness found in straight body types.

Regards

Clive
It's a fab compact scope but is more expensive. I think for digiscoping most folk would say the larger the objective the better although there are many fine shots on this site using a 60mm Nikon.

[horukuru]

is there any example produced from the digiscoping using nikon here ?

[Andrew Whitehouse]

is there any example produced from the digiscoping using nikon here ?

If you go into the photo gallery and find pictures by me (look under member's galleries) then most are taken through a Nikon ED82.

[Peter Ericsson]

My latest album from Darwin is all with the Nikon 82 Ed.

www.pbase.com/peterericsson