The Kingfisher
Well-known member
I own and have used both 13-40x zoom and 27x eyepice on the Nikon ED50, but I have to say that I prefer the 16x.
It's rare that I feel that I can not identify birds because of the low magnification. Instead, I feel that I get cleaner and sharper observations, which to some extent compensates for the lower magnification. The lower magnification also causes less vibration and gives a fantastic field of view. And bright too!! Not to mention how convenient it is to look through the ED50 with the 16x eyepiece on!
Another advantage is that the scope also can be used in narrow environments. I also think (and this may sound strange) that I get more up close sightings of birds than with the ED82 + 30x. How come? With higher magnification one look for birds that are very far away or at "half distance" - not often on birds that are close to you. For that one usually use binoculars with 8 or 10x magnification.
With the Nikon ED 50 + 16x I like to use the scope even for birds that are close or flying near by. The low magnification and the generous field of view make this possible. Often I use the scope instead of my 8x binoculars and get better views on the birds (16x on a tripod makes better and closer views on birds than a 8x bino with some shaking can provide). I have to say that the ED50 with the 16x eyepice is the nicest scope I have ever used or had the chance to look through (I have tried many different scopes and eyepieces, including all different ones from Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Kowa etc.)
It's rare that I feel that I can not identify birds because of the low magnification. Instead, I feel that I get cleaner and sharper observations, which to some extent compensates for the lower magnification. The lower magnification also causes less vibration and gives a fantastic field of view. And bright too!! Not to mention how convenient it is to look through the ED50 with the 16x eyepiece on!
Another advantage is that the scope also can be used in narrow environments. I also think (and this may sound strange) that I get more up close sightings of birds than with the ED82 + 30x. How come? With higher magnification one look for birds that are very far away or at "half distance" - not often on birds that are close to you. For that one usually use binoculars with 8 or 10x magnification.
With the Nikon ED 50 + 16x I like to use the scope even for birds that are close or flying near by. The low magnification and the generous field of view make this possible. Often I use the scope instead of my 8x binoculars and get better views on the birds (16x on a tripod makes better and closer views on birds than a 8x bino with some shaking can provide). I have to say that the ED50 with the 16x eyepice is the nicest scope I have ever used or had the chance to look through (I have tried many different scopes and eyepieces, including all different ones from Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Kowa etc.)
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