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Opticron GS 815 GA ED Body (1 Viewer)

Can anyone give me any feedback on this 'scope which I am thinking of buying as with my existing model (HR66GA ED) I want more 'light' into my Nikon Coolpix 4500. I already have the SDL zoom. Thanks in advance !!
ronnie baker

p.s. I have not been able to find any 'review'
 
Whilst it will let in more light, it's not quite the same as the HR series in terms of build quality and sharpness. I'm pretty sure the GS is meant to fit in under the HR and ES series. There are often in-focus (an optics shop) events at Portland bill - you could try and contact in-focus to see if they could bring a GS/ES/HR with them.

Hope that helps!
Steve.
 
Here's the answer we give to enquiries regarding the comparison between GS and ES 80mm scopes:

"Resolution is roughly equal between the two models - it's the colour contrast, weight (read: robustness) and dual focusing that sets the two models apart.

Colours are warmer with the ES and under most light conditions more true to life compared to the GS which is slightly brighter at all magnifications.

The ES is heavier and more robust in it's construction using magnesium and aluminium where the GS uses lighter weight plastics.

The GS has the dual focus option which makes focusing a bit easier at the higher magnifications".

Hope that helps!

Pete
Sales and Marketing
Opticron
 
Here's the answer we give to enquiries regarding the comparison between GS and ES 80mm scopes:

"Resolution is roughly equal between the two models - it's the colour contrast, weight (read: robustness) and dual focusing that sets the two models apart.

Colours are warmer with the ES and under most light conditions more true to life compared to the GS which is slightly brighter at all magnifications.

The ES is heavier and more robust in it's construction using magnesium and aluminium where the GS uses lighter weight plastics.

The GS has the dual focus option which makes focusing a bit easier at the higher magnifications".

Hope that helps!

Pete
Sales and Marketing
Opticron

Hi Pete,

What is the difference between the V2 and V3 ES scopes?

TIA

Perry
 
The V3 uses an updated optical system which improves images sharpness/resolution and colour contrast. In essence we reduced internal reflections. That's the "what" - the "how" is our trade secret of course :)

For comparison purposes, the V2 would have under-performed the Leica Televid 77 in sharpness etc but the V3 steps above that product (albeit now discontinued of course!).

Cheers, Pete
 
The V3 uses an updated optical system which improves images sharpness/resolution and colour contrast. In essence we reduced internal reflections. That's the "what" - the "how" is our trade secret of course :)

For comparison purposes, the V2 would have under-performed the Leica Televid 77 in sharpness etc but the V3 steps above that product (albeit now discontinued of course!).

Cheers, Pete

Hi Pete ,

I realise that its a bit off thread but could you give me the same kind of information regarding the new(ish) hr 80 ed ?,I currently have the v2 es80 ed and may be looking for something that will give me more resolving power over 50x , I dont digi scope.

Thanks

PH
 
The V3 uses an updated optical system which improves images sharpness/resolution and colour contrast. In essence we reduced internal reflections. That's the "what" - the "how" is our trade secret of course :)

For comparison purposes, the V2 would have under-performed the Leica Televid 77 in sharpness etc but the V3 steps above that product (albeit now discontinued of course!).

Cheers, Pete

Thanks

Perry
 
@purplehighflyer - for the HR line, the optical updates are less easy to define in terms of a comparison to A N Other 'scope i.e. because it's our high-end 'scope, there's less head room for significant improvement. So, you can read that as saying there were various component updates and improvements throughout the optical system.

The main difference from the old HR to the new one is the physical design. For the 80mm 'scope we chopped out around 200g of weight but slightly lengthened body (by around 10mm). The 66mm is more or less the same in in weight but also adds a bit lengthwise.

The "new" version started shipping in April last year and has proved to be much more popular than its predecessor.
 
@purplehighflyer - for the HR line, the optical updates are less easy to define in terms of a comparison to A N Other 'scope i.e. because it's our high-end 'scope, there's less head room for significant improvement. So, you can read that as saying there were various component updates and improvements throughout the optical system.

The main difference from the old HR to the new one is the physical design. For the 80mm 'scope we chopped out around 200g of weight but slightly lengthened body (by around 10mm). The 66mm is more or less the same in in weight but also adds a bit lengthwise.

The "new" version started shipping in April last year and has proved to be much more popular than its predecessor.

Hello Pete,

Thanks for that,its a very hard scope to find user opinions wich seems strange as it should be popular,would I be right in expecting a better image at higher mags (50x +) due to the apo glass and longer focal length compared to my es80 ed v2 ?

TIA

PH

PH
 
You should certainly expect better resolution and colour contrast especially at the more extreme magnifications.

One thing to note with the HR is that when used with the top of the range (read: most expensive :) ) SDL zoom eyepiece, focus remains fixed across the zoom range - this has been noted as a neat feature on this 'scope set up.

With regards to reviews, we've not placed this set up with anyone to get an independent view and although sales are good, they are not in the same range as for the ES models (our most popular 'scope) - sales (in terms of number of products sold) are probably about 3 to 1 for the ES vs HR. That means there are just not as many people out there to talk about their experiences.

We'll have the whole line on show at Birdfair of course and as you're in Hertfordshire, you're welcome to call into the office in Luton to have a try (although all we can see from here are cars and industrial units - although we do get the odd gull now and again!).

Cheers, Pete
 
We'll have the whole line on show at Birdfair of course and as you're in Hertfordshire, you're welcome to call into the office in Luton to have a try (although all we can see from here are cars and industrial units - although we do get the odd gull now and again!).

Cheers, Pete[/QUOTE]

Hi Pete.

Thanks for that , would be a good option as you cant beat looking through the scopes side by side,I have both the sdl & hdf zooms so have options !.
If i come into the market for an hr soon I may take that offer !.

Thanks for the info.

PH
 
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