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Nikon SE 8X32 (1 Viewer)

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The SE from Germany has been discontinued quite for long time. It is way too expensive for my term.
I has not long ago mine on ebay and just 500€ achieve.
 
It is just the law of supply and demand. The Nikon 8x32 SE is no longer made and hard to find, so if you have to have one, you have to pay really more than they are worth. I think I sold a couple of them that were new. I always preferred the Nikon E2 8x30 because of the bigger FOV and I have a new one now I picked up for $400 on Astromart. I think that is why the E2's are still around and the SE's are discontinued. Nikon no longer supports the SE like the EDG, so if you need parts or a repair, you would get a new MHG to replace it anyway. Also, those unsealed porros like the SE suck dust inside the binocular every time you focus them like an accordion, so I will bet a binocular that is 12 years old like the one sold on eBay is in need of a disassembly and internal cleaning. The SE's were a good porro and I can understand their desirability if you like porros, but they have been left behind in technology to the newer alpha roofs like the SF or NL 8x32 IMO. Even an 8x32 FL, EDG or UVHD+ is better.

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The E2 is like an accordion too, and the SE is a better built glass, better sealed. Nikon is there to make money, and they make more with an easier glass to manufacture, the E2.
IMO nothing like a porro view from a porro glass that no roof can duplicate.
Dennis, I wonder if you even keep a pair of shoes long enough to get broken in.
 
dries1 said:
The E2 is like an accordion too, and the SE is a better built glass, better sealed. Nikon is there to make money, and they make more with an easier glass to manufacture, the E2.
IMO nothing like a porro view from a porro glass that no roof can duplicate.
Dennis, I wonder if you even keep a pair of shoes long enough to get broken in.
Click to expand...
I know that is why I keep the E2 for the porro 3D view. The SE never worked real good for me. It was difficult for eye placement for the reason below. I think the SE went away due to slow sales like the EDG. I wish Nikon or one of the big three would make an alpha porro, but there is probably not a market for them. People want the sleek looks of a modern roof anymore, even though an excellent porro could be made cheaper. They associate the looks of a porro with old fashioned binoculars, I think. From Cloudy Night's.

"I believe I found the explanation here. I just re-read Steve Slayton's post on the Nikon SE's. He describes the not completely corrected exit pupil as this:
"But the Nikon SE models suffer a nasty design deficiency, and that is, they exhibit a large amount of what is called spherical aberration of the exit pupil. This makes it very sensitive to your eye position relative to the eyepiece. A slight decanter of the eye and you get vignetting of the field, or a slight error in IPD setting, or when you focus on close objects you have to readjust the IPD."

"The 8x32SE shares one unfortunate flaw with the other members of the SE line: blackouts. Eye position is critical in order to control this problem, and twist up eye cups might contribute to mitigating this effect."
 
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[email protected] said:
I would bet you could at least $100 a pair. Maybe more!
Click to expand...
I may have gotten the last pair of eye cups for the SEs from Nikon USA back in 2017. I sent my 8x32s for new eye cups and back they came. So, I sent in my 10x42 SEs for the same, and back came...but as10x42 MHGs. Disappointed at first, but happy enough with them. (SFs are primary for me and my spousal unit.)

I bought the 8x32s back in 1996 - 501xxx s/n - and they were my primary birding bin for the longest time. Still, they don't stand up to either the SF or EDG these days.

Scott
 
I recently sent my 8x32SEs in for service and they came back better than ever. Definitely serviced with tender loving care. I was stoked! These are as good as anything I own (saying a lot), they go out with me in dry weather all the time. The shorter centerline through the bins leads to less axial shake too.
 
b-lilja said:
I recently sent my 8x32SEs in for service and they came back better than ever. Definitely serviced with tender loving care. I was stoked! These are as good as anything I own (saying a lot), they go out with me in dry weather all the time. The shorter centerline through the bins leads to less axial shake too.
Click to expand...
Where did you send them? What type of service? Did they have eyecups? Cost etc thanks
 
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