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Pros and Cons of Different Eyepieces (Nikon ED50) (1 Viewer)

H

hip_young_birder

Member
Hello all,
I am on the verge of purchasing a Nikon ED50. I've read some posts that people prefer different eyepieces to others. I'm curious why this is. If you set aside the cost, what are the advantages/disadvantages of a 20-60x zoom eyepiece versus a different eyepiece. Any help would be appreciated as I live in an isolated location and cannot test out different scopes and eyepiece combinations.
 
First off, the zoom eyepiece is 13x-40x on the ED50, and has a shorter eye relief than the current batch of fixed eyepieces. It's a good eyepiece though, and gives good flexibility with a decent field of view at 13x, but this reduces as you zoom in, as does the brightness.

If you wear glasses, you might find a fixed focus eyepiece more comfortable, as the eye-relief is longer and the field of view is wider than the zoom at equal magnifications. I have the 20x on my straight ED50, which gives a great view, and as a bonus I can just about hand-hold the scope (although it's better on a tripod, naturally). Lots of folk recommend the 27x too. The higher magnification you have, the narrower the field of view becomes, and the darker the image, which becomes a problem in low light conditions.

For a comparison of the field of view available from all the current Nikon scopes/eyepieces, take a look at the PDF I posted on another thread, here
 
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Hi, and Welcome to Birdforum!

I agree with what Mike's said [ with the caveat that I wear glasses and find the zoom easier to look through, but that just goes to show everyone's eyes are different! ;) ]. Assuming you'll be using a light tripod, then your choice is probably the zoom or the 27x [ the 20x is better hand-held, but with the stability of a tripod, the consensus is that 27x is superior ] As you say you live in a remote location, I take it you're going to be buying online? Many online retailers allow you to return unwanted items, so you may be able to order both and keep the one that suits your needs better.
 
Hi Tom and Mike,
Is it possible that the eyepieces are different because I'm buying it in Canada? Here is the link to the scope I'm looking at purchasing. The eyepieces are listed on the right. You guys are describing different eyepieces than what I'm seeing. Again, I'm isolated and have to purchase online and can't really test them out.
Thanks for you help.
 
hip_young_birder said:
Hi Tom and Mike,
Is it possible that the eyepieces are different because I'm buying it in Canada? Here is the link to the scope I'm looking at purchasing. The eyepieces are listed on the right. You guys are describing different eyepieces than what I'm seeing. Again, I'm isolated and have to purchase online and can't really test them out.
Thanks for you help.
Click to expand...
The magnification of the eyepieces varies according to which scope they are fitted to. The magnification of the eyepieces listed on the link you posted are for the 60mm Fieldscope III and have greater magnification than they do on the ED50. It's rather misleading.

This page has a chart showing the magnification of each eyepiece on the different Nikon scopes:
http://nikon.topica.ne.jp/bi_e/products/nature_a.htm

Ron
 
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Hello Hip_Young_Birder,

As Ron so well explained, you're looking at the same range of eyepieces as listed on your reference site, except the effective focal length changes depending on the scope size. For your scope, and given your remoteness (Queen Charlotte Islands, I'm guessing?), the versatility offered by the 20-60x might be ideal (item #12189 on your site). I've got that very eyepiece on my 82 ED and find it tack sharp and a great all-around choice for a one-and-only selection. Also, no need to restrict your choices to Canadian suppliers -- Eagle Optics in the States (http://www.eagleoptics.com/) ships to Canada, has better prices and offers a 30-day unconditional guarantee. So if your choice proves to be in need of fine-tuning they'll accommodate without risk to you. At the very least, call them toll free and talk with one of their incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff members. (No, I'm not affiliated with them; just a very satisfied long-term customer).

Good luck,

Robert / Seattle
 
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lucznik said:
Does anyone know the FoV for the 13-30x eyepiece on the ED50 at 30x?
(I can only find figures for the FoV @ 13x)
Click to expand...

According to Astronomics/Christophers it is 92' at 1000 yards. They note it has 11 mm eye relief at that setting.

In comparison, the 27x WA is 141' at 1000 yards with 17.8 mm eye relief. This is what I use, and I can't imagine why I'd use anything else.

Astronomic's spec are usually accurate.

http://www.astronomics.com/main/pro...name/GHVCULP2AETK9GBS188GFWFQ05/product_id/NZ

--AP
 
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