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

Nikon EII 8x30 (1 Viewer)

Good stuff Brock. Have you looked down the objective ends of the two EIIs held over white paper to see if you can detect a difference in colour there? Wonder if you're not keen to join a school? |:d|
 
Good stuff Brock. Have you looked down the objective ends of the two EIIs held over white paper to see if you can detect a difference in colour there? Wonder if you're not keen to join a school? |:d|

Hey! Norm,

The clouds finally broke so I took them both outside and looked through the objectives at a white sheet of paper. Neither showed as pure white as I could see with my good eye, both bins' images were "off-white," however, the paper through the gray body version looked a shade darker than the black body version. The BB version looked brighter and showed better contrast when I let the black case and green grass show in the same view.

The red bias in the EII and SE is noticeable at dusk or on an overcast day. Then whites take on a slight reddish tone, which is most noticeable on snow.

As to which school I'd like to join, probably the Wharton School of Business at Penn. I could probably triple my income walking in the door with a Wharton MBA.

<B>
 
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Thanks for doing that test Brock. It seems you're saying that both EIIs have a similar warm "color balance" even though the predominant colour of the coatings are green in one and red in the other. EdZ's offer of a scholarship to his school may be imminent...
 
Sure you aren't thinking about the E? It's the E that has two different lens coatings, with the later green coating being the one you want. Earlier E's had a blue coating, and these are not as good as the later green-coated E's.

I must add my findings regarding coatings.
It appears the E range have the light blue coatings on the objectives and a purple /blue coating on the eye lenses.

The EII and SE have a multiplication that changes from purple to green at different angles. Quite often they show up in photograph's as a purple coating, but it is worth checking to see if they are what you think they are.
I do have the original "E" model a good binocular as the EII apart from the dimmer view. There are some early E models being sold on eBay in the UK for prices that the EII should sell for, indeed one shop is trying to sell an A model for more than £150.
 
Yes, I've compared both versions, and to my eyes, the newer black body coatings are better.

Brock

Hi, Brock. I agree. Nikon's newer multi-coatings have a greener appearance, and seem to reflect less light than the earlier magenta multi-coatings. Having said that, ANY EII is worth owning, and even the earlier single coated Nikon porros are superb, significantly superior to their single coated contemporaries. The 8x30 and 10x35 EII's remain the finest birding porros I have ever used.
 
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Hi, Brock. I agree. Nikon's newer multi-coatings tend to reflect more green light, and tend to be more effective at transmitting light. Having said that, ANY EII is worth owning, and even the earlier single coated Nikon porros are superb, significantly superior to their single coated contemporaries. The 8x30 and 10x35 EII's remain the finest birding porros I have ever used.

I found someone on the Net who thinks the SE is better! They also have one for sale.

"The Nikon SE is the finest center-focus porro prism binocular ever made. WHY? Their exquisite multi coatings and porro prism design result in a light transmission rate >90% - making them as bright as most 10x50's! Nikon incorporated a field flattener, so the entire FOV is equally sharp - this is the same characteristic produced by Swarovision - for nearly $2000 additional dollars. Nikon's flawless design shields the prisms from extraneous light - making the SE that rare binocular equally at home watching birds or stargazing. I have expert knowledge of binoculars, so please feel free to call me with any questions you may have."
 
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I found someone on the Net who thinks the SE is better! They also have one for sale.

"The Nikon SE is the finest center-focus porro prism binocular ever made. WHY? Their exquisite multi coatings and porro prism design result in a light transmission rate >90% - making them as bright as most 10x50's! Nikon incorporated a field flattener, so the entire FOV is equally sharp - this is the same characteristic produced by Swarovision - for nearly $2000 additional dollars. Nikon's flawless design shields the prisms from extraneous light - making the SE that rare binocular equally at home watching birds or stargazing. I have expert knowledge of binoculars, so please feel free to call me with any questions you may have."

I appreciate the plug! Point well taken, I have toned down my enthusiastic sales pitch in the name of complete accuracy. The Nikon EII's (both the 8x30 and 10x35) are, in my judgement, the finest center focus porro prism binoculars ever made. As good as the SE's are, I prefer the wider field of view of the EII's.
 
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I appreciate the plug! Point well taken, I have toned down my enthusiastic sales pitch in the name of complete accuracy. The Nikon EII's (both the 8x30 and 10x35) are, in my judgement, the finest center focus porro prism binoculars ever made. As good as the SE's are, I prefer the wider field of view of the EII's.
You were right the first time! Good luck with the sale.

Do you expect to get the price you're asking? I see several E2's for sale above $600 but I also wonder about the number of actual buyers. I use my SE everyday but I think very few are purchased each year...very few.
 
You were right the first time! Good luck with the sale.

Do you expect to get the price you're asking? I see several E2's for sale above $600 but I also wonder about the number of actual buyers. I use my SE everyday but I think very few are purchased each year...very few.

The short answer is no, I am going to lower my price as soon as I finish typing this reply. I should also add that my appreciation of the EII does not extend to paying $600 for one! At their current prices, a carefully purchased 8x32 Leica Trinovid BN is arguably the relative bargain the Nikon's once were - I just can't seem to suppress my inner-iconoclast!
 
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