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Nikon EDG II users, past or present.... (1 Viewer)

Jerry, post 36,
Your conclusions about my experiences with Nikon are too quick and certainly not correct. I have investigated quite a few Nikons and actually when the EL came out in 1999 I think, it was only for the price and the service level that Nikon lost from the Swarovski EL as being the winner of that test.
With regard to the EII: we will repeat measurements on another sample to check the fairly low values we found before.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
With regard to the EII: we will repeat measurements on another sample to check the fairly low values we found before.
Gijs van Ginkel
Click to expand...

That would be great Gijs. I have always wondered how the transmission of the EII could be so much lower than the SE, since they are reported to have the same coatings and eyepieces (?) and the SE has an extra field flattener lens.
 
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Subzer888, post 35,
Yes the values of the EII we measured were lower then we expected, but we did not pursue it further, since Nikon is not a large binocular player in the binocular shops in The Netherlands and Belgium (for example the Dutch Birding Asssociation stopped selling them or did not even want to sell them, Sights of Nature in Belgium, a rather big player on the market, does not carry them, House of Outdoor & Optics does not carry them. If you wonder why: that is certainly not because the quality of the Nikons is not top level , but because of the sales and service policy Nikon performs, I and also Jan van Daalen of House of Outdoor have explained that over and over. That is really a pity for the consumers in The Netherlands and Belgium, since Nikon makes beautiful instruments, we have quite a few in our cupboards.
With regard to the low transmission values of the EII we published, that can have different reasons.
-1- we have measured a lemmon without knowing it
-2- allthough we clean the lenses carefully before performing the measurements, sometimes it occurs that there is some stuff on the optics inside, that is by eye not directly visible , but it can distort the data.
So, we will measure another sample and let you know how that performs (it may take a couple of weeks before I have the new data, so be patient please).
Gijs van Ginkel
 
NDhunter said:
Disregard anything Gijs posts about Nikon optics, it seems he has not had
any experience, and as he has posted, it seems he has a bias against Nikon.

He has not tested them, and so is missing a lot.

I am not sure what this is all about. You would think someone that posts
evaluations of all of the top binoculars would include them all.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Way to go Jerry!

When the outcome of a test doesn't please you, just play the integrity card.

Jan
 
Thanks for some great replies guys!


From what I can tell...there were ten EDG users that posted their experiences using that binocular. One user thought the EDG did not compare favorably with other binoculars in its class. Nine users were pleased with the EDG, most sounding elated with their EDG experience.

Sounds like a pretty say bet to me.....
 
Gijs, Post 43,

When I was reading your PDF with the transmission values of the Nikon Es and E IIs I noticed that the 1999 8x30 E II beginning with SN 50xxxx had almost the same transmission values that the old 8x30 E had.

As you noted, the E II was introduced in 1999 and I wondered whether that E II which you tested was still using the same old objective lenses that were in the 8x30 Es.

The SE was introduced a couple of years earlier than the E II and since it had 32mm objective lenses I surmised that they came with Nikon's newest coatings on them, which is why they had better transmission values. Nikon may not have gotten around to upgrading the 30mm objectives with new coatings when they first introduced the E IIs.

This, of course, is speculation on my part.

A while back Brock and I spent some time in trying to figure out when the SEs and E IIs received upgraded coatings and speculated that if it happened it happened when the 1st 2 numbers on their SNs were changed.

Bob
 
EDG 42mm

I owned two EDGs 10x42 and one EDG 8x42. My favorite is the 10x42 for reasons that I will not discuss here. I have not kept any due to some minor issues mentioned below. The EDG is an excellent set and I might buy another 10x42 in the near future, but I am hesitating a bit---see the cons below to understand why. As a background, after owning many bins (for longer or shorter periods of time) I currently have two: SV 8x32 and SF 10x42.
PROS
*Excellent optics: the EDG has one of the most relaxing views I have seen, with great contrast and brightness, and fantastic color rendition. It is sharp almost edge to edge, yet it has no RB whatsoever. Its glare control is superb---you can look dangerously close to the sun without noticing any flare or ghosting. In fact the EDG barrels are so well baffled and dark that if you look down its tubes from the objective lenses you see ....nothing (unless you use a flashlight).
*Eye placement is very easy: no blackouts and no (or only minor) vignetting.
*Good mechanics: in particular the hinge is stiff and the focus wheel is smooth/fluid without any play.
*The rubber armor on the chassis is thick and it should offer good protection.
*The EDG feels good in the hand; it is not too heavy (795g, exactly like the SF) and it has a good balance despite being relatively short (visibly shorter than the SF)---in fact it is a bit surprising that such a short binocular can have such excellent optics.
CONS
*The accessories are under par: the case, objective covers, and even the neck strap; the rainguard is OK.
*Nikon CS is not one of the best, to say the least
*DoF is just OK
*There is CA, even close to axis, but it's not severe
*The eyecups are excellent, yet their rubber rims collect lint, dust and skin and are hard to clean. Also the eyecup diameter is large (43mm) which can be a problem particularly for those with a small IPD.
*The diopter setting could be inadvertently changed when turning the focus wheel, but this appears to happen only if the wheel is pressed with excessive force, and so it should not be a problem in normal use.
*There is sample variation (I noticed that different units needed significantly different diopter settings; more importantly, the baffling of some units was slightly worse in one barrel than in the other, which produced some minor internal reflections).
*The resale value is not good: I have seen an EDG 10x42 NIB that was sold on ebay for 850$ (about 3 times less than the price in stores; and 150$ less than a refurbished EDG). This means that once you bought an EDG you are more or less stuck with it.
 
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Reading the above comments, you might wonder: what could an EDG do better than his SF? I agree: that is the question!

Peter
 
Another downside is the non transferrable warranty. This, along with the , let's say, questionable (atrocious) USA service makes them a no go for me, and I really, really wanted one for a couple of years.
 
Bob, post 46,
As yet I do not have the answers, but we will reinvestigate a Nikon EII, to check whether something went wrong and I will let you know as soon as we have the data. That is all I can say about it at the moment.
Gijs
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
Bob, post 46,
As yet I do not have the answers, but we will reinvestigate a Nikon EII, to check whether something went wrong and I will let you know as soon as we have the data. That is all I can say about it at the moment.
Gijs
Click to expand...

Gijs...
Have you ever tested an EDG II? If no, I think it would be a great compliment to the other upper tier binoculars you have tested.
 
pesto said:
I owned two EDGs 10x42 and one EDG 8x42. My favorite is the 10x42 for reasons that I will not discuss here. I have not kept any due to some minor issues mentioned below. The EDG is an excellent set and I might buy another 10x42 in the near future, but I am hesitating a bit---see the cons below to understand why. As a background, after owning many bins (for longer or shorter periods of time) I currently have two: SV 8x32 and SF 10x42.
PROS
*Excellent optics: the EDG has one of the most relaxing views I have seen, with great contrast and brightness, and fantastic color rendition. It is sharp almost edge to edge, yet it has no RB whatsoever. Its glare control is superb---you can look dangerously close to the sun without noticing any flare or ghosting. In fact the EDG barrels are so well baffled and dark that if you look down its tubes from the objective lenses you see ....nothing (unless you use a flashlight).
*Eye placement is very easy: no blackouts and no (or only minor) vignetting.
*Good mechanics: in particular the hinge is stiff and the focus wheel is smooth/fluid without any play.
*The rubber armor on the chassis is thick and it should offer good protection.
*The EDG feels good in the hand; it is not too heavy (795g, exactly like the SF) and it has a good balance despite being relatively short (visibly shorter than the SF)---in fact it is a bit surprising that such a short binocular can have such excellent optics.
CONS
*The accessories are under par: the case, objective covers, and even the neck strap; the rainguard is OK.
*Nikon CS is not one of the best, to say the least
*DoF is just OK
*There is CA, even close to axis, but it's not severe
*The eyecups are excellent, yet their rubber rims collect lint, dust and skin and are hard to clean. Also the eyecup diameter is large (43mm) which can be a problem particularly for those with a small IPD.
*The diopter setting could be inadvertently changed when turning the focus wheel, but this appears to happen only if the wheel is pressed with excessive force, and so it should not be a problem in normal use.
*There is sample variation (I noticed that different units needed significantly different diopter settings; more importantly, the baffling of some units was slightly worse in one barrel than in the other, which produced some minor internal reflections).
*The resale value is not good: I have seen an EDG 10x42 NIB that was sold on ebay for 850$ (about 3 times less than the price in stores; and 150$ less than a refurbished EDG). This means that once you bought an EDG you are more or less stuck with it.
Click to expand...
I agree with most of what you said except for brightness. Most of the other alpha's are brighter especially the HT and the Habicht. Your correct in that the accessories are sub-par on the Nikon. DOF is just OK but we are talking about a flat field binocular here. The SV's 8x32 don't have a lot of DOF either although the 10x50 SV does. Your right about Nikon CS. They suck especially compared to Swarovski which is the BEST. Nikon's also do not transfer the warranty. Big bummer. Nikon's have terrible resale especially the EDG. Most people when they think Nikon think of the $300 Monarch and most don't even know that Nikon MAKES $2K binoculars like the EDG so good luck getting half of what you paid for it. I had to unload my BRAND NEW Nikon EDG II's on Ebay for $1K. That is right it sat there forever until I lowered the price. Swarovski's sell way faster with much less depreciation than Nikon's. Good choice of binoculars with 8x32 SV and 10x42 SF. You should try the 10x50 SV. Only binocular I have seen that beats the 10x42 SF.
 
pesto said:
Reading the above comments, you might wonder: what could an EDG do better than his SF? I agree: that is the question!

Peter
Click to expand...

I found the colors and ergonomics of the EDG to be to my liking, as well as the focus. The SF was a nice binocular but I did not prefer it to the HT, EDG, or SV.
 
pesto said:
I owned two EDGs 10x42 and one EDG 8x42. My favorite is the 10x42 for reasons that I will not discuss here. I have not kept any due to some minor issues mentioned below. The EDG is an excellent set and I might buy another 10x42 in the near future, but I am hesitating a bit---see the cons below to understand why. As a background, after owning many bins (for longer or shorter periods of time) I currently have two: SV 8x32 and SF 10x42.
PROS
*Excellent optics: the EDG has one of the most relaxing views I have seen, with great contrast and brightness, and fantastic color rendition. It is sharp almost edge to edge, yet it has no RB whatsoever. Its glare control is superb---you can look dangerously close to the sun without noticing any flare or ghosting. In fact the EDG barrels are so well baffled and dark that if you look down its tubes from the objective lenses you see ....nothing (unless you use a flashlight).
*Eye placement is very easy: no blackouts and no (or only minor) vignetting.
*Good mechanics: in particular the hinge is stiff and the focus wheel is smooth/fluid without any play.
*The rubber armor on the chassis is thick and it should offer good protection.
*The EDG feels good in the hand; it is not too heavy (795g, exactly like the SF) and it has a good balance despite being relatively short (visibly shorter than the SF)---in fact it is a bit surprising that such a short binocular can have such excellent optics.
CONS
*The accessories are under par: the case, objective covers, and even the neck strap; the rainguard is OK.
*Nikon CS is not one of the best, to say the least
*DoF is just OK
*There is CA, even close to axis, but it's not severe
*The eyecups are excellent, yet their rubber rims collect lint, dust and skin and are hard to clean. Also the eyecup diameter is large (43mm) which can be a problem particularly for those with a small IPD.
*The diopter setting could be inadvertently changed when turning the focus wheel, but this appears to happen only if the wheel is pressed with excessive force, and so it should not be a problem in normal use.
*There is sample variation (I noticed that different units needed significantly different diopter settings; more importantly, the baffling of some units was slightly worse in one barrel than in the other, which produced some minor internal reflections).
*The resale value is not good: I have seen an EDG 10x42 NIB that was sold on ebay for 850$ (about 3 times less than the price in stores; and 150$ less than a refurbished EDG). This means that once you bought an EDG you are more or less stuck with it.
Click to expand...

OK that's some good hands on experience. :t:

Accessories... I can see how this would matter to you. This doesn't matter so much to me as I usually don't even remove the neck strap from the box preferring a Rick Young harness instead. Objective covers that stay in place would be nice.

Customer service... That's a biggie. I've read of some of the highs and lows...mostly lows. Product support is paramount. Leica and Swarovski have been super for me in this regard...Zeiss not so much as they are so S L O W(too many Terra EDs to take care of? idk). IMO a $2000 plus binocular deserves expedited service.

Diopter adjustment... Hmmm. I know absolutely nothing about how it is adjusted except what I've read.

Sample variation... I've never understood this. Either the unit meets the specs or it doesn't. Shouldn't exist in a $2000 plus binocular.

Resale value... I don't guess anyone beats the big three and even Swarovski's resale value seems to have plummeted lately. Probably the non-transferable warranty hurts this a little.

Thanks again...
 
When EuroOptic blew out the pre Field Pro SV series for hundreds less the day after the official Swarovski sale ended, the prices on the SV immediately plummeted and have never recovered.

chill6x6 said:
Resale value...even Swarovski's resale value seems to have plummeted lately.
Click to expand...
 
The Nikon warranty does transfer to a new owner. They have their No-Fault policy.

The above comments were correct for a while, as they did limit the transferable
warranty, its now back to the way it was in the past.

I know for a fact they cover pre owned, as I have had been pleased with their service in the past year.

Jerry
 
You may be right Jerry, but i pulled this right off of the Nikon Sport Optics site
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16813


Lifetime Warranty
Nikon Binocular/Fieldscope/Riflescope/Crossbow Scope (No Electronic Components)
This is your Nikon Inc. Limited Lifetime Warranty (valid in the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii,
Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands) for new Nikon binoculars, fieldscopes, riflescopes, and crossbow
scopes that do not contain electronic components. This Nikon product is warranted by Nikon Inc. to be
free from defects in material and workmanship for the lifetime of the product from the date of purchase by
the original consumer purchaser. During this period if this product is found to have defects in material or workmanship, Nikon
Inc. will at its option and without charge, either repair or replace this product with the same product, or if unavailable, a
product of comparable specifications and value. This warranty extends to the original consumer purchaser only and is not
assignable or transferable.
You must present this warranty form together with proof of purchase that includes purchase date (Bill of Sale) to obtain
warranty service.
 
SuperDuty said:
When EuroOptic blew out the pre Field Pro SV series for hundreds less the day after the official Swarovski sale ended, the prices on the SV immediately plummeted and have never recovered.
Click to expand...
Nah. The few discounted ones went fast and the older model 10x50 SV's are fetching $2300 to $2400 again and the 8x32 SV's are selling at about $1500 to $1700. It is the law of supply and demand. There is not enough supply to keep up with the demand hence the price stays strong. I bought my 8x32 SV's three years ago for $1500 and I bet I could get what I paid for them. You would NEVER do that with a Nikon EDG. If you buy and EDG new and pay $2000 you would be lucky to get $1000 for them a week later if you sold them. They depreciate faster than a new car. Part of it could be if you buy used you have no warranty. It's not transferable. Here is a 10x50 SV that sold for $2300 and here is a Nikon EDG II that sold for $1007.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-O...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Swarovski-O...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWAROVSKI-8...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-EDG-I...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
 
Last edited:
Hasn't been my experience selling two 8.5X SVs recently, one unused for $1550. I just had my new 10X50s on here for $1850, no one was interested.

[email protected] said:
Nah. The few discounted ones went fast and the older model 10x50 SV's are fetching $2300 to $2400 again and the 8x32 SV's are selling at about $1500 to $1700. It is the law of supply and demand. There is not enough supply to keep up with the demand hence the price stays strong. I bought my 8x32 SV's three years ago for $1500 and I bet I could get what I paid for them. You would NEVER do that with a Nikon EDG. If you buy and EDG new and pay $2000 you would be lucky to get $1000 for them a week later if you sold them. They depreciate faster than a new car. Part of it could be if you buy used you have no warranty. It's not transferable.
Click to expand...
 
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