• 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.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Best price for NIKON 8x32 SE? (1 Viewer)

tom666

Well-known member
I m interesting for this bin from online retailer in USA. I googled and I saw 699s at B Hphoto. Any thoughts?
 
I've got one in the classifieds for $599 shipped (USA). I don't think anyone has them in stock currently but could be wrong. Regardless, wherever you might find a pair, they are great binoculars.
 
Adorama has them for $659, but also not in stock. They do seem to have them pretty regularly though, so I would think that the delivery wait time won't be very long. I've purchased from both them and BHPhoto many times, so I would be happy with either retailer....
 
Yes, for most people, I'd suspect. Consider that the eye cups are traditional fold down rather than twist up/down. I usually wear sunglasses during the day and with the cups down I can see to the field stops. But it depends on where your glasses sit relative to your eyes.
 
Hello Tom,

Not every USA dealer will export. I think that Nikon may frown on that.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 
Is the Nikon 8x32 SE eyeglass friendly?

I wear glasses and have tried a few combinations to make them less fussy for mine. Right now, I flipped them eye-cups upside down (they fit that way too) and it's perfect--no more roll-down cups. Thanks to Brock for the tip.

Glenn
 
And I got my SEs on that US auction site for just under $540 delivered. But these were older, unused, stock--they are still superb however by almost any measure.

If you can get them for under $600 USD that would be a bargain for sure. But most sites have to special order them.

Could you possibly order it from the UK version of the auction site and then have them shipped to you in Greece?
 
I suspect that everyone who wears eye glasses differs in ER with the SE series, or for that matter any other binocular. The SE 8x32 gives me the full FOV when pressed against my glasses. But that cannot necessarily translate to others. Trial & error will be the rule.

John
 
Yeah, that's one of the issues with fold down eye cups. I tried the half folded routing that worked for some but I almost never wear glasses when observing so I keep the cups full out and they're fine that way (for me).
 
Thanks for the feedback.I wonder to try to buy the current edition [550xxx] from USA [I have a friend there], or an older version used?Any thoughts and how they compared? ''I flipped them eye-cups upside down'' what you mean tantien?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback.I wonder to try to buy the current edition [550xxx] from USA [I have a friend there], or an older version used?Any thoughts and how they compared? ''I flipped them eye-cups upside down'' what you mean tantien?

Not having any comparison between a 504xxx and a 550xxx, I cannot comment Tom, but I've read from others that there is a difference--but I cannot quantify what that may be, or whether that really makes a difference. The view, for my eyes is fantastic.

So the rubber SE eyecups do easily detach with a little pull upward. They can then be placed back on upside down and they stay nicely attached. I've attached a couple of quick pictures to illustrate how mine looks.

Hope this helps!
 

Attachments

  • Upside Down SE Eyecups.jpg
    Upside Down SE Eyecups.jpg
    357.3 KB · Views: 179
  • Upside Down SE Eyecups2.jpg
    Upside Down SE Eyecups2.jpg
    307.1 KB · Views: 168
Comparison between the latest version 550xxx and the versions with lead glass?

I've had a 501xxx and 505xxx (both presumably with lead glass) and a 550 (which was advertised as containing "Eco-Glass"). Nikon has continually updated the AR coatings throughout the years, which seems more important to improving the view than the type of glass they used.

In terms of contrast and apparent brightness they rank as follows:

550>505>501

I recently tried a 504xxxx 8x SE, and it seemed on par with the 505, a small step behind the 550, but not much different. The bigger jump was from the 501 to the 550. Newer coatings make the colors more vibrant and enhance the contrast.

Brock
 
Not having any comparison between a 504xxx and a 550xxx, I cannot comment Tom, but I've read from others that there is a difference--but I cannot quantify what that may be, or whether that really makes a difference. The view, for my eyes is fantastic.

So the rubber SE eyecups do easily detach with a little pull upward. They can then be placed back on upside down and they stay nicely attached. I've attached a couple of quick pictures to illustrate how mine looks.

Hope this helps!

My friend Steve (mooreorless) was over last week to compare some of his binoculars with mine, and I handed him a pair of Nikons (either an EII or SE) with the eyecups upside down, and he said he felt like the eyecups were cutting his face. The bottom edge isn't beveled like the top edge, it's flat. My eye sockets are deep set, so the eyecup edge never gets to the fleshy area under the eye but rests on the cheekbone. Steve's facial features are flatter, so they dug into his flesh. He doesn't have a high bridge nose like I do, so I turned the flared eyecups over and he was more comfortable using them right side up.

I do have a hybrid eyecup solution, which uses a pair of EII eyecups on the SE (same diameter and connection) and inside them a pair of Swift 804 Audubon eyecups. This decreases the diameter of the eyecups so I don't have to dig into the long SE eyecups to see the full field of view. It also keeps my eyes at the right distance to avoid image blackouts.

I'll try to take some photos to give you a better idea of what this set up looks like. The only problem is I can't afford to sacrifice one of my EII's eyecups to make a hybrid eyecup. The Audubon's eyecups are not snug enough to stay put without being glued in place. Being the EII is no longer sold in the U.S., Nikon no longer sells extra EII eyecups.

Brock
 
I've had a 501xxx and 505xxx (both presumably with lead glass) and a 550 (which was advertised as containing "Eco-Glass"). Nikon has continually updated the AR coatings throughout the years, which seems more important to improving the view than the type of glass they used.

In terms of contrast and apparent brightness they rank as follows:

550>505>501

I recently tried a 504xxxx 8x SE, and it seemed on par with the 505, a small step behind the 550, but not much different. The bigger jump was from the 501 to the 550. Newer coatings make the colors more vibrant and enhance the contrast.

Brock[/QUOTE
Thanks Brock.But which was the bigger step between 501- 502-503 etc.
 
Understand that these series differences except for the change to eco-glass are purely speculative by some members of this forum. Nikon has NEVER stated they've changed coatings. I would NOT make a decision about these various SE's unless you can test them side by side. Some here make claims about seeing differences in side by side tests but that's one user's opinion and, possibly, colored by their expectations.

I think if you find *any* SE you will be very pleased with their optical quality. The ones I have listed in the classifieds are the 505 era from about 2006.
 
I have often wondered whether those early SE and EII models (500, 501,502 et seq) that we think are not as bright as later models could simply use a professional cleaning of their prisms and lenses?
 
Understand that these series differences except for the change to eco-glass are purely speculative by some members of this forum. Nikon has NEVER stated they've changed coatings. I would NOT make a decision about these various SE's unless you can test them side by side. Some here make claims about seeing differences in side by side tests but that's one user's opinion and, possibly, colored by their expectations.

I think if you find *any* SE you will be very pleased with their optical quality. The ones I have listed in the classifieds are the 505 era from about 2006.

Agreed! This topic of coatings and serial numbers has been discussed ad nauseum on the venerable "Regarding the SE" thread and honestly, I am so stinking happy with the view from my SE that I don't really care that it's a 504xxx. It has compared very (VERY) well (IMHO) to bins costing double or triple.

To quote the old Alka-Seltzer commercial: "Try it you'll like it." But unlike the guy in the commercial, unless you have a problem with the blackouts (as some do) you will REALLY like it.
 
Agreed! This topic of coatings and serial numbers has been discussed ad nauseum on the venerable "Regarding the SE" thread and honestly, I am so stinking happy with the view from my SE that I don't really care that it's a 504xxx. It has compared very (VERY) well (IMHO) to bins costing double or triple.

To quote the old Alka-Seltzer commercial: "Try it you'll like it." But unlike the guy in the commercial, unless you have a problem with the blackouts (as some do) you will REALLY like it.

Ye olde 504 with ye olde lead glass? You've never tried a 550 Eco model, have you? The coatings are better, at least to my discerning eyes, but having recently compared a 504 to the 550 side by side, I can say that I'd still be "stinking happy" with a 504.

However, if you want to be so stinking happy that people will smell you all the way to the East Coast, I recommend trying a Nikon 8x30 EII. Before buying one, make sure your bathroom cabinet is well stocked with deodorant. ;)

<B>

P.S.. Btw, that 2006 date for the 505xxx CSG quoted derives from my serial number/year scheme. :smoke:
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 11 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top