• 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.

Nikon 8x30 EII (1 Viewer)

Stonesy66

Active member
Im thinking of buying a pair of 8x30 EII's but really want to try them before I buy, with this in mind does anyone know where I can try some? I live in North Staffordshire and struggling to find somewhere relatively close. Clifton Camera's have some but it's a couple of hours drive and I was hoping to find somewhere closer.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Cheers, Stonesy.
 
Hi Stonesy,


I guess no one is able to help with stockists in your area.

Are you a Porro fan ? accustomed to the handling, slower to use small focus wheel etc ?

If so I`m sure you`d be delighted with the view of an EII if you just took th plunge before they`re all gone forever, mines as sharp and contrasty as anything at any price, and the massive fov is in a class of its own, mine is my only true keeper.

John.
 
Second that my friend. A superb binocular with an alpha view. One problem mite be if you were glasses not a lot of eye relief. Chris
 
Hello Stonesy,

I loved my EII, for the reason others have given. However, in cold weather, it is not easy to focus. It's lack of close focussing was not a problem but its lack of any armour or padding makes it something less than robust. I decided that I was too clumsy to use it and settled for a roof glass costing more than twice as much.
I regret selling it.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 
Gents, many thanks for taking the time to reply it's much appreciated. I don't wear glasses as I had laser eye surgery a few years ago so hopefully eye relief will not be a problem. My first pair of binoculars which I had for many years were a pair of porro's which I enjoyed and the EII's despite their small drawbacks just seem such good value. They do have some at Clifton camera's which is a couple of hours from me so if I don't take the plunge I'll just have to make a day out of going there. My young daughter (9yrs) wants to buy herself her first pair of binoculars, they have some Travelites in which may suit her, so we'll kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks again, Stonesy
 
Check Microglobe my friend for a good price Regards Chris { also you can not beat the Kowa 6x30 for a kids binocular }
 
Last edited:
Microglobe do seem to offer the best price, should I be looking for a particular serial number or is that not a problem? Thanks for the advice on the Kowa's they are certainly on the short list.

Thanks, Stonesy.
 
Don't know my friend. You read That Nikon no longer make them when I don't know mine did not look like old stock to me. Someone one on here will know more i'm sure
 
I never regretting selling my Nikon EII's. Focus is stiff in cold weather and they aren't very robust or waterproof. Good optics but they are losing ground compared with the current alphas. They certainly weren't the equal of the Swarovski 8x32 SV's optically by any stretch of the imagination. But for $400 now on Amazon I would still rate them one of the best values in binoculars. There is nothing in that price range that compares with them.
 
Last edited:
;)
I never regretting selling my Nikon EII's. Focus is stiff in cold weather and they aren't very robust or waterproof. Good optics but they are losing ground compared with the current alphas. They certainly weren't the equal of the Swarovski 8x32 SV's optically by any stretch of the imagination. But for $400 now on Amazon I would still rate them one of the best values in binoculars. There is nothing in that price range that compares with them.

If I was spending over a £1000 bills instead of £300 on a pair of binoculars I think i would want a bit more binocular for the money as well. I meet a lot of birders when out with Swaroski's round there neck just because some one told them that's what they had to get to see the birds. A lot of them with all the gear and know idea as we say
 
I never regretting selling my Nikon EII's. Focus is stiff in cold weather and they aren't very robust or waterproof. Good optics but they are losing ground compared with the current alphas. They certainly weren't the equal of the Swarovski 8x32 SV's optically by any stretch of the imagination. But for $400 now on Amazon I would still rate them one of the best values in binoculars. There is nothing in that price range that compares with them.

There is nothing in any price range that competes with them.

And no they certainly are`nt the SV`s equal, they`re considerably ahead where it matters to most who hang on to them and love what they do.

As for robust and waterproof ? well, most of us cherish our EII and simply make do with a lesser bin ( like an SV for example ) when needs must.
 
My EII, bought s/h from Sancho, is a great tool. I never regretted the purchase.

Íts the best there is.|=)| That is, unless I use the Kowa, or the EL, or wathever is laying around for grabs, each being the best there is on this particular day.
Too bad, with all of them my qualities as a birder are still the limiting factor;)

I take this "the best bino"-nonsense as serious as this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDFvZHQi96U
 
EII's are an excellent value for the money but they don't have a view comparable to the alpha level binoculars anymore. The most objective tests we have around is Allbino's and the EII's scored 135 points. The alpha level binoculars are scoring close to 155 points. That is BIG difference! I have to disagree with people that continually say they are equal to alpha's or they are the best there is. They are good binoculars for the money but they are NOT alpha level anymore. Last time I had a pair I compared them closely to my SV's 8x32 and the SV's killed them in optics. I just don't see how this rumor perpetuates. It is time to put it to rest.
 
Last edited:
Stonesy,

I bought an 8x30 EII around the year 2000, about a year or so after it was introduced. It cost me $235.00 then. I used it heavily for years and it looks it! I've used it less over the last 8 years or so, but it is still a real pleasure to use and I would never get rid of it. Its expansive view is useful under all birding conditions. You can take it to Cape May for the autumn migration or use it in the spring for warblers. Even following a close bird through a tree requires only a small tweaking of the focus wheel.

Some people complain that it isn't water proof. So what! Wear a loose, shirt/jac type garment and put it inside it if it is not blowing a gale. If it is blowing a gale go get a beer.B :) Or have a more expensive waterproof roof prism around for a back up!:-O

There may be some people who have physical problems using it but I am confident they are part of a small minority.

Bob
 
EII's are an excellent value for the money but they don't have a view comparable to the alpha level binoculars anymore... ...They are good binoculars for the money but they are NOT alpha level anymore. Last time I had a pair I compared them closely to my SV's 8x32 and the SV's killed them in optics. I just don't see how this rumor perpetuates. It is time to put it to rest.

When people write that the EII are optically as good as "alphas", I think they mean that in a general sense. The view is sharp and contrasty over a large sweet spot, the FOV is generous, and the view is very comfortable. Those qualities make the view superior to many "mid-priced" roofs, which is to say they cross the threshold into the realm of "excellent optics", thus inspiring the comparison to alphas. Although they may exist, differences in overall optical quality between bins at that level of excellence are meaningless to most birders in practice, and even to many optics enthusiasts. For the same reason, older alphas are, in a grand-scheme-of-things sense, often considered still to be "alpha" level, even if the very latest alpha models are technically superior in some respects (which differ from model to model). I know that for myself, the optics of the EII are not a barrier to birding success or all-day viewing comfort. For me, their only failings as a birding binocular are ergonomic--slightly short eye-relief for glasses, stiff focus in cold, and poor "hang".

--AP
 
EII's are an excellent value for the money but they don't have a view comparable to the alpha level binoculars anymore. The most objective tests we have around is Allbino's and the EII's scored 135 points. The alpha level binoculars are scoring close to 155 points. That is BIG difference! I have to disagree with people that continually say they are equal to alpha's or they are the best there is. They are good binoculars for the money but they are NOT alpha level anymore. Last time I had a pair I compared them closely to my SV's 8x32 and the SV's killed them in optics. I just don't see how this rumor perpetuates. It is time to put it to rest.

If you had`nt noticed, you`re in the minority with this viewpoint, so instead of regaling (read boring) us yet again on how superior your SV and your judgement is, why not leave the EII to the adoring fans of this wonderful bin and enjoy your own SV dalliance in the Swaro forum.
 
If you had`nt noticed, you`re in the minority with this viewpoint, so instead of regaling (read boring) us yet again on how superior your SV and your judgement is, why not leave the EII to the adoring fans of this wonderful bin and enjoy your own SV dalliance in the Swaro forum.

Exactly
 
If you had`nt noticed, you`re in the minority with this viewpoint, so instead of regaling (read boring) us yet again on how superior your SV and your judgement is, why not leave the EII to the adoring fans of this wonderful bin and enjoy your own SV dalliance in the Swaro forum.
Torview. I share your admiration of the Nikon 8x30 EII. I was just taking the opposing view to see the replies I got. In my opinion the Nikon 8x30 EII is one of the top five binoculars in the world and for the money easily out values ANYTHING out there. The only other binoculars that compare to it under $1500 are the Nikon 8x32 SE and the Habicht 8x30 and neither of them have the huge FOV and to me the Habicht has weaknesses that make it birder unfriendly. I would take the Nikon 8x30 EII ANYDAY over Frank's Sightron Blue Sky and anybody that wouldn't want to pay the $200 extra to get the EII is crazy in my opinion. For the widest field 8x binocular the EII is the best on the planet. For $414 shipped free for the EII now on Amazon there is nothing I repeat nothing that will come close to that value.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 1 year 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