New Swarovski 25 -50 x zoom Eyepiece and UCA adapter (1 Viewer)

Thanks to the efforts of Clay , I've been sent the new zoom eyepiece, UCA (universal adapter ) and Telescope Rail (balance rail ). It's like Christmas all over again.
I was looking forward to the 25-50x zoom ( Eye Relief 17 mm ) as I wanted a simpler solution than carrying several eyepieces out in the field with me ( I have the 20x,30x,45x and 20-60zoom ). It's the same size as the existing zoom and takes the current DCA adapters.
I took the zoom and UCA out to the local park with me on Friday and spent 7 hours in the heat and occasional showers ( with a couple of MacDonalds runs ) testing the Panasonic G1, Nikon P6000 and Ricoh GX100. I took the GX100 as it's lens is a tricky one and has vignetting with most eyepieces until almost full zoom.
I've attached a photo taken in the park with the GX100 set up on the UCA. It took me a while to set up the camera but it's a well engineered piece of kit and does a good job for cameras without adapter threads. I hadn't realised at this point that it was also reversible for DSLRs (see second photo ). Once I worked that out I set it up with the D90 and a 50 mm lens at home. Using the Telescope Rail (balance rail ) the whole lot was nicely balanced. I have it setup on the Manfrotto 501 head which gives me an extra couple of inches of sliding.
I like the UCA for setting up the G1 with Olympus 25/2.8 P lens which is not internally focusing so you don't lose AF as you do when using the DCA adapter ( 43 mm filter thread ). It opens up a wide range of other Four Thirds lenses which can be easily used with AF.
The Chinese Bulbul was taken at 30x with the zoom ( iso 800 ) and the duck with 25x and 50x .
I like the look of the color and sharpness out of the new zoom. It reminds me of the look from the new Kowa glass. I didn't compare side-by-side with the 20 - 60 zoom yet but I will get to it.
Yesterday I tested my Canons,Nikon 8400 and D90 at home. As I expected my A640 and A650 had vignetting problems, as did the G6 ( G10 not tested yet as I was told to tidy up the living room ). The A650 was unusable but interestingly the A640 had a nice unvignetted view at wide at 50x (1750 mm ). The 8400 ,not surprisingly, gave the best results throughout the zoom range. This gives a range of unvignetted views from 900 to 4200 mm .
I'll post more results with various cameras over the next few days. If anyone wants any special comparison let me know.
Overall I would estimate at least a 7% improvement in quality and a 30% improvement in usability.
Neil

Panasonic G1 plus STS80HD scope and Sw 25-50x zoom and UCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009

Useful post Neil. I'd be particularly interested in the comparison with the 20x60 zoom to see if the 20x50 simply offers a wider field, or if other optical qualities have been improved.

Sean

Longer distance with the 25-50x eyepiece

Back to the park today to try some distance shots with the new eyepiece. The light was better as we come into the best part of the year for light. The first photo was taken at 100 mm to show the distance of about 60 metres around 3.00 pm . They were all taken at 50x with the 25-50x eyepiece and the UCA adapter. The second photo is with the Nikon P6000 and the third and fourth with the 8400. It is nice to be able to use the 8400 in it's "sweet spot" at 37 mm at the end of the Macro Zone , without vignetting. This equals 1850 mm.
Neil

Nikon P6000 and 8400 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and SW 25-50x zoom eyepiece and UCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2
2009

Sean,
I did this test to show the difference in FOV between the two zooms. Old zoom at the top and new zoom at the bottom.
I'm very happy with the look of the new zoom. I've posted a large file of an unadjusted image from the camera here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892550@N03/3696497615/sizes/o/
which you can have a play with if you like.
Neil

Nikon P6000 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and SW 20-60/25-50 zooms and UCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009

I finally got a long range comparison of the old and new zooms at 50x. The first image shows the target at about 500 metres on the top of a building. The new zoom is on the left and the old zoom on the right.
When you get down to the tight crop you can see an improvement with the new zoom.
Neil

Nikon P6000 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and 20-60/25-50x zooms and UCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009

Thanks Neil, interesting stuff. I'll have to see how rich I feel at the Birdfair next month.

Sean

I did a comparison today of the sw30x and 45x with the new zoom. The distance was about 200 metres and I used the Nikon 8400. Neil

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009

Here are the crop images as above (subject,30x,45x,zm30x,zm45x )
Neil

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009

It appears that the fixed 30x and 45x still have the edge on the new zoom but the flexibility of just using one eyepiece outweighs this. With careful setting up (the camera has to be readjusted at least once through the zoom range on the UCA ) this difference can be minimised. The advantage of being able to use 50x on a regular basis is wonderful.
Neil.

Have compared the 20-60zoom..[which i have]...against the new 25-50wide angle zoom....and i was expecting the 'wow' factor...it didn't happen! Tis a good lens...as one might expect from swaro....but itz not good enuff, in my opinion, to warrant changing. Mixed feelings really....bit let down that it isn't the 'bee's knee's'...yet happy that i don't have to fork out a load of cash! Bottom line for me..[from a purely birding perspective]...is that it's just not W I D E angle enough....not a 'wow' in sight!

I've re-tested the new zoom with the 8400 at 45x and it confirmed that the focus in my first test was slightly off. This is partially due to the fact that as you zoom the eyepiece you must re-focus the scope and re-set the camera lens distance for optimal results.
Here is a comparison of the original test and the re-test at 45x .
Neil

Nikon 8400 plus Swarovski STS80HD scope and Sw25-50x zoom (45x) and UCA adapter

Hong Kong,
China.
July 2009