Charles Specht
Member
I am looking for a stay-on or view-thru case for a Nikon ED60III straight body Fieldscope.
Does anyone know where to find one? Thank you.
Does anyone know where to find one? Thank you.
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Stay-on-case for Nikon ED60III Fieldscope (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Charles Specht
- Start date
Swifty49
Scouse Scoper
There you go - not cheap, but worth checking out!
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-stay-on-case-for-fieldscope-iii/p1002445
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-stay-on-case-for-fieldscope-iii/p1002445
IMO these are way too overpriced. The China made Nikon SOCs aren't waterproof. The samples I've tried did soak water in the rain. Also the padding is pretty thin and weak. EP exchange isn't easy either. But of course they fit perfectly to the scopes. Don't know if there is an alternative by third party manufacturer though.
Steve
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I have one on my EDIII and agree that it makes the scope a lot more fiddly to use. It is hard to find the position for your fingers at the top and the hole for your thumb at the bottom and the material tends to rub against the focusing ring and make it harder to turn. Also the top flaps have magnetic catches and tend to snap shut every time you remove your hand. It makes the scope better looking though, IMO. 
Ron
Ron
Forgot one thing to mention. IMO the Nikon ED60 and ED82 are one of the very few spotting scopes on the market with aiming devices that are really usable in the field. With the SOC on, unfortunately, the aiming groove at the prism housing is covered and therefore not usable. But of course this happens with lot of other SOCs put on their scopes as well.
Steve
Steve
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
I don't see the utility of these sort of cases. They provide incomplete physical protection and waterproofing when in use, and surely their complexity (zippers, flaps) and all those dangling bits (when open for use) interfere with using the scope quickly. Nikon 60mm Fieldscopes are very solidly built and so inherently very impact resistant, but if you want to add some scuff protection, I suggest covering it in McNett camo-form gun wrap. If you want to add impact protection around the objective lens cell, slip a tube of polyurethane foam around it before using the gun wrap. When not in use, either on or off tripod, the regular case can be zipped on for added protection.
--AP
--AP
Alexis,
I agree. I use only a very good padded transportation bag for my scope. However, there are some occasions when such a stay-on-case is really useful. I missed my SOC when I once was in a overcrowed birding hide. At sunday afternoons with good weather the few hides we have here are frequently chock-full with trippers of all kind. At that occasion some kids had really big binculars apparently given by their grandfathers and some of them gave the lens cell of my scope a heavy hit with his 8x56 heavy duty bins so that I feared the worst. So in the result I use such a SOC as a chic sunday suit for my scope. There is nothing like doing things in style, isn't it?
Steve
I agree. I use only a very good padded transportation bag for my scope. However, there are some occasions when such a stay-on-case is really useful. I missed my SOC when I once was in a overcrowed birding hide. At sunday afternoons with good weather the few hides we have here are frequently chock-full with trippers of all kind. At that occasion some kids had really big binculars apparently given by their grandfathers and some of them gave the lens cell of my scope a heavy hit with his 8x56 heavy duty bins so that I feared the worst. So in the result I use such a SOC as a chic sunday suit for my scope. There is nothing like doing things in style, isn't it?
Steve
