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Nikon or Pentax?..... opinions wanted! (1 Viewer)

C

cedarbirds

Member
Hi all,
I've been birding for a long time but have now decided it's time for a better scope. I'm on a fairly tight budget, but I've been doing some research and it seems like the Nikon Fieldscope ED III is a fantastic scope. I've also looked at some Pentax scopes. A 60 or 65mm scope I think is the right size for me, weight wise.

So, my primary questions:

1. I wear glasses, and so an eyepiece that works well with glasses is a primary concern. Is the fieldscope good for this? How about the zoom eyepiece that comes with the Pentax PF65ED?
2. I have found a used Nikon Fieldscope III ED 60mm, body only, for $675. Is this a good price? I would have to buy an eyepiece but amazon has the MCII zoom eyepiece for $350. This seems a bit high. I didn't see any on ebay for cheaper though.
3. I can get the The Pentax PF65 ED with the zoom eyepiece for about 800 new. Do you think the Nikon is worth the extra money?

Thanks for any and all suggestions!
 
Hi again,
Another consideration I have is that I want to use the scope for digiscoping, for now with my Nikon Coolpix 995. Any thoughts on if one of these scopes has better options for digiscoping, particularly with this camera?
Thanks!
 
I wish I could say that I have compared the two side by side by I haven't had the opportunity. I did own the Pentax 65 ED (first version) for several years and used it almost exclusively with the Pentax XW20 mm (19.5x) eyepiece mounted to it. I did have an inexpensive zoom that I used with it for when I did need extra magnification. It was acceptable but not great in any area optically. I can't comment on the Pentax zooms (XF or SMC) as I owned neither.

I can say that the Nikon zooms do have short eye relief. I have used the Nikon zoom and a fairly faithful clone of it. Both have acceptable levels of eye relief at their lowest zoom settings (for most folks) but do get noticeably shorter in the middle of the range and only slightly longer again at the end.
 
Thanks. I am concerned a bit about the eye relief on the Nikon zoom - if it wasn't for that, it would seem like the perfect scope. But, in comparing the specs, it looks like the Pentax zoom is just as bad about eye relief, so maybe my best option for either scope would be a fixed eyepiece.

One of my big problems with my current scope (an old Nikon cheap spotting scope) is that with my glasses I have a tiny field of view.

I'm maybe leaning towards the Pentax, since it's cheaper and both are probably going to be great scopes with the right eyepiece! I also tend to hyperanalyze things....
 
Also keep in mind that since the Pentax accepts any 1.25 inch astro eyepiece you have a lot of options to consider. Even a relatively inexpensive 60 degree eyepiece is going to seem expansive compared to your typical 40 degree at low magnification zoom.
 
Hey all,

I found a place that appears to have the Fieldscope TF3 ED in stock for $770, with the 20-45x zoom eyepiece. This seems like a good price, yes? I would still need to get a better eyepiece, but to get one of these scopes new might be a good idea.... thoughts?

- Cedar
 
I like the Pentax Spotting Scopes, I had their 100mm ED, great scope for long range shooting, astronomy and birding. But it was heavy!!! The 80mm ED is great to. I also had a Nikon 60mm ED which I used more on the road. Images sharp, did over all a good job too. I favor the Pentax stuff because of their 1.25" eyepiece which I can also use with my telescopes.

Mike
 
I have a strong opinion about one item in this discussion. If you decide on the Pentax scope I would avoid the XF zoom eyepiece. I have one of those and it is the worst zoom eyepiece I've personally seen. It has such excessive lateral chromatic aberration, even at the field center, that a completely sharp image is impossible at any magnification.

Oddly enough its mechanical quality is superb, but the optical design is truly terrible. The only reason I still have it is that I can't bring myself to unload such thing on someone else.
 
Thanks guys! The specs on the eye relief alone is enough to make me avoid the Pentax XF zoom. The 1.25" eyepiece on the Pentax does mean more options, but, I don't really think I'll be in the business of trying out eyepieces anytime soon. I'll probably just get a fixed 20 or 30x eyepiece for whatever scope.

The Nikon 30x wide MC eyepiece does look tempting, and I might just be able to get one with a fieldscope from cambridgeworld.com.

Has anyone had experiences dealing with them? A new Fieldscope III ED body for under 700 seems like a good deal, especially since who knows how long one will be able to find them for sale.....

- Cedar
 
Cedar,

I owned the Pentax PF-65EDAII and bought a Nikon ED50A for lighter use. Then I discovered that it was so close in performance that the Pentax was redundant.
I bought the Nikon ED82A and am tremendeously impressed with the view, in particular with the Wide DS30x (24x with the EDIIIA).
I imagined that the screw-fit eyepieces would be an annoyance, and for sure I prefer the 1.25" fit, but I can live with that.
Never had the EDIIIA but a Sony VCL-FS2K, which basically is a Fieldscope III.
That scope, and the 82 mm, are very solidly built and you can't go wrong with the EDIIIA with a Wide MC 20x/30x/38x or possibly the marvellous
Wide DS 16x/24x/30x. There is also an older 20x/30x/38x WF with rubber eyecup that has the same optics as the Wide MC counterpart but slightly different coatings.

//L
 
Thanks! I think I'm going to try to get this Fieldscope EDIIIA with the 30x wide MC eyepiece. Or maybe the DS 24x. You haven't had a problem with the lack of an eyecup on the DS eyepiece?

- Cedar
 
cedarbirds said:
...I might just be able to get one with a fieldscope from cambridgeworld.com. Has anyone had experiences dealing with them?
Click to expand...

If this is the outfit that I think it is, they have a terrible reputation for advertising stuff that they don't have at attractive prices and then trying to sell something else at uncompetitive prices. Cambridge was kicked out of Popular Photography "check rated" advertiser list some years ago due to customer complaints.

--AP
 
Thanks for the tip. I called them up to ask about the scopes, and definitely got the impression that I needed to tread very carefully. There is also a Fieldscope EDIIIA on ebay right now for $675, which looks decent...
 
looksharp65 said:
Cedar,

I owned the Pentax PF-65EDAII and bought a Nikon ED50A for lighter use. Then I discovered that it was so close in performance that the Pentax was redundant.
I bought the Nikon ED82A and am tremendeously impressed with the view, in particular with the Wide DS30x (24x with the EDIIIA).
I imagined that the screw-fit eyepieces would be an annoyance, and for sure I prefer the 1.25" fit, but I can live with that.
Never had the EDIIIA but a Sony VCL-FS2K, which basically is a Fieldscope III.
That scope, and the 82 mm, are very solidly built and you can't go wrong with the EDIIIA with a Wide MC 20x/30x/38x or possibly the marvellous
Wide DS 16x/24x/30x. There is also an older 20x/30x/38x WF with rubber eyecup that has the same optics as the Wide MC counterpart but slightly different coatings.

//L
Click to expand...

I agree with what you've written except that I prefer the screw-in eyepieces.
I never cared much for the Pentax collet as it has a split ring and if used in wet weather can allow water to enter the eyepiece receptacle. There is a glass window to keep water out of the scope body and Pentax claims a JIS 4 water resistance for the XL/XW EPs, but have fun getting water or dust out of that cavity.

The Nikon (fixed) EPs give a satisfying feeling when securing to the scope. One can feel the O-ring compressing and leaves little doubt as to their water and dust resistance. As has been mentioned recently in another thread, the MC zoom EPs do not have an O-ring some some reason I'm at a loss to understand.

I still think the ED50 / ED82 combo with an assortment of DS and/or MC wide EPs is maybe the best set up in all of spottingscopedom, especially when factoring in cost.
 
Last edited:
All this about the Fieldscope ED82 is making me reconsider..... I wasn't planning on having 2 scopes, but maybe it's worth it. But I definitely can't afford 2 right now, and having a somewhat small one now would be good. However if I wait a couple years, I might not be able to find an ED82 any more.
I do like the ED50 - a friend of mine just got one, and it is quite nice and so light! But for it to be my only scope for a few years, I don't know.
 
I think you'd probably be able to find EPs and an ED82 down the line a few years but you'll certainly be dealing with the used market. I've had generally good luck buying used but it can be a hassle.

If you decide to start with an ED50, be sure to use a plate blue loctited onto the scope for attachment to whatever head you plan on using. One of the weaknesses of the ED50 is the 1/4" threaded insert which has been known to fail due to over-tightening to keep from twisting. A mounting plate, especially with a lip or screw to act as an anti-twist prevents this problem.

Also, and you probably already know this having used one, they're not the most robust scopes. So be careful with it. I don't baby mine, but am careful not to knock it about too much.
 
cedarbirds said:
Thanks! I think I'm going to try to get this Fieldscope EDIIIA with the 30x wide MC eyepiece. Or maybe the DS 24x. You haven't had a problem with the lack of an eyecup on the DS eyepiece?

- Cedar
Click to expand...

Not at all, I'm a spectacle wearer. But I have no problems when using contacts either.

//L
 
I'm a spectacle wearer as well, hence eye-relief being so important!

I am now seriously considering the ED50 scope, and getting a fixed eyepiece. There is one for sale on ebay from Japan for $550USD including shipping. (includes eyepiece).
Does this seem like a good deal? Most places seem to be a bit more....
 
I guess it would depend on which fixed eyepiece. I bought an angled ED 50 from Doug at Cameralandny two years ago for $450 with a fixed power eyepiece. It was an older fixed power though and not one of the digiscoping or more modern eyepieces. Which eyepiece is being offered?
 
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