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The combination Nikon ED50 and 16x eyepiece - my favourite scope.. (1 Viewer)

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.)
 
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I have to say a few more things about the combo ED50 + 16x eyepiece. It is of course lighter to carry and handle (and pack in a bag) than a bigger scope..but the low mag also makes it easier to find single birds in the sky. Great for scanning the environments! Also great when counting birds in large flocks. Love the combo! :)
 
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I have the 27x MC and the 16 DS eypieces, and I agree, the 16x is very nice and extremly comfortable to use. However, the 27x is still my standard eyepiece. I found it best for everything with open landscape. Aiming at birds in the sky is easy with the cable tie aiming help.
I use the 16x mainly when distances are not so large, typically when birding on roads or clearings in tropical forest.
If I would be buying again, I would probably go for the 20x MC wide as the only eyepiece, I expect that would combine the advantages of both. But it seems this eyepiece is especially difficult to get now...
 
I used the ED50 with a 16mm flat field astronomy eyepiece,(same eyepiece that Vortex sells branded Razor 30x).This eyepiece grants 17.5x and i agree to all the experiences shared by The Kingfisher...I also adapted a BST explorer 12mm,granting 23.5x..also very nice ...I agree on the 20x wide MC being probably the best for a one-only perfect choice for the ED50.The 27x being also nice ,fades a bit in low light and feels narrow in close quarters
 
I have used the ED50 at migration watchpoints. I tend to set up the bigger brother on a tripod and then sit with the 50 on a monopod. If somehting really is too far or I want to 'zoom' in I can always use the big fella.
However, for many of the same reason given above the ED50 is very comfortable and manouverable in these situations...
 
Why dont you buy 15x binoculars?

I considered asking that question myself but didn't for the following reasons...

- no chance of holding 15x bins steady w/o support or stabilisation - and with a tri-/monopod it's probably heavier
- price (at least with stabilisation an ED50 with EP and tri-/monopod is going to be cheaper.
- limited to 15x

Joachim
 
I have used the ED50 at migration watchpoints. I tend to set up the bigger brother on a tripod and then sit with the 50 on a monopod. If somehting really is too far or I want to 'zoom' in I can always use the big fella.
However, for many of the same reason given above the ED50 is very comfortable and manouverable in these situations...

Rosbifs,
I have both Nikon Fieldscopes, the ED50 straight and the ED82A, the Vortex Kaibab 15x56 HD binoculars and the Zeiss Victory 7x42FL.
During the 12-day full periods of raptor watching and counting in my region, I use the Zeiss 7x42, the Kaibab 15x56 on a tripod, and the beloved Fieldscope ED82A +30xDS on a tripod as well.
I carry the tiny ED50 for short walks, holiday trips, or for point count census in addition to the binoculars. I usually couple the 27xDS with it, but owning the complete line of the fixed Nikon EPs, wholly agree that the 20xMC is the perfect choice for it.
Greetings
 
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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.)

I have recently bought a Nikon ED50 with the 16xDS eyepiece, and I wholeheartedly agree that it is a fabulous combination.
Mine is the straight body, and came with a Nikon handholding case which is great as the low mag enables steady hand held viewing.

I also have a Leica APO77 with a 32 wide eyepiece, which is a very good setup, but the little Nikon more than holds its own when comparing the two back to back. The eyepiece gives a lovely wide and bright view.

I am really enjoying the freedom of a small, light scope that doesn't require a tripod to be carried everywhere.

Sandy
 
Count me in as a fan of the DS16/24/30 on the ED50. That and the MC20/30/38 are my two favorite EPs on both the ED50 and the ED82. BTW, I own all the Fieldscope EPs, sans the 13-30 zoom and the rare MC16.

The DS16 on my angled ED50 allows for easier acquisition of my subject and the wide, bright field with plenty of eye relief is just great. I think that sometimes people, especially newbies, get seduced by the promise of high magnification and discount the merits of these lower mag EPs. A tripod mounted 16 or 20x will yield lots of detail.

Pretty good for digiscoping too, if anyone is still doing that.
Here's a few samples I took with the DS16/24/30:

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/290781/ppuser/63161
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/286623/ppuser/63161
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/287403/ppuser/63161
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/291832/ppuser/63161
 
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I used the ED50 with a 16mm flat field astronomy eyepiece,(same eyepiece that Vortex sells branded Razor 30x).This eyepiece grants 17.5x and i agree to all the experiences shared by The Kingfisher...I also adapted a BST explorer 12mm,granting 23.5x..also very nice ...I agree on the 20x wide MC being probably the best for a one-only perfect choice for the ED50.The 27x being also nice ,fades a bit in low light and feels narrow in close quarters
Hello Mayoayo,
Do you mean that FS 50ED accepts eyepieces from other brands? The screw thread corresponds? I would like to buy a x16-x20 EP any recommandation?
Thank you
 
Do you mean that FS 50ED accepts eyepieces from other brands? The screw thread corresponds? I would like to buy a x16-x20 EP any recommandation?

I don't think other eyepieces work on the ED50 (or any other fieldscope, for that matter). Maybe you can get someone to make you an adapter, but it sure won't be easy, and probably expensive.

What you can do though is buy a 16x DS on Amazon (Germany). The price is quite reasonable at the moment, and they still have some eyepieces available.

Hermann
 
Arnaud, see this thread, http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=322702 , for more details about adapting astronomy eyepieces. The adapter is pretty simple to make, but more difficult in the USA, where metric threading lathes are rare. You should not have that problem in your country. I found it easy to buy a Nikon ED50 scope without eyepiece, but the additional price for each Nikon eyepiece was nearly as much as the cost of the scope. By using "mayoayo's" ideas, I've adapted astronomy eyepieces that work very nicely in the little ED50. I especially like the low cost 20 mm SWA eyepiece that gives 14x with a 5.0 degree true field. Other astronomy eyepieces used with the same adapter give up to 35x.
This is a great way to get an optically excellent, easy-to-carry scope without too much cost. - Bill
 
I don't think other eyepieces work on the ED50 (or any other fieldscope, for that matter). Maybe you can get someone to make you an adapter, but it sure won't be easy, and probably expensive.

What you can do though is buy a 16x DS on Amazon (Germany). The price is quite reasonable at the moment, and they still have some eyepieces available.

Hermann

Thank you, an excellent idea!
These are hard to find elsewhere, even in Japan.
 
Thank you, an excellent idea!
These are hard to find elsewhere, even in Japan.

What is hard to find? I'm understanding you to be referring to the 16x DS, but it is available from all the major on-line sellers in the US (i.e. B+H, Adorama, Amazon...).

--AP
 
What is hard to find? I'm understanding you to be referring to the 16x DS, but it is available from all the major on-line sellers in the US (i.e. B+H, Adorama, Amazon...).

--AP

You are quite right, it is offered by B+H as well as by Adorama, for $269.
I could not find it on Amazon, so I had lost hope, as they usually have everything.
Hermann's Amazon site in Germany had them for $181, delivered within the week. I'm happy to have the glass.

Does anyone know why Nikon had discouraged use of the 16x on the ED 50?
It seems such a nice combo. It gives a wide and bright image on the ED 50.
 
You are quite right, it is offered by B+H as well as by Adorama, for $269.
I could not find it on Amazon, so I had lost hope, as they usually have everything.
Hermann's Amazon site in Germany had them for $181, delivered within the week. I'm happy to have the glass.

Does anyone know why Nikon had discouraged use of the 16x on the ED 50?
It seems such a nice combo. It gives a wide and bright image on the ED 50.

The $181 price is a good one these days! Is that the usual price there, or was it a short term offer? I was fortunate enough to grab one for $69 a few years back when businesses were purging inventory after discontinuance of the 60 and 82 mm Fieldscopes was announced (and when the scopes themselves were being sold for $1000 or less).

Use of the 16/24/30x DS on the 50ED isn't discouraged. The optical design of the 24/30x MC and older WF eyepeice is different (it lacks the Barlow-like bit that protrudes into the scope), and though they work as a 16x on the 50ED, Nikon did not recommend it. I haven't though it through but my assumption is that perhaps there is some vignetting on the 50ED. Might not be obvious under most circumstances, and no physical harm will come from that combo, so I have done so in the past. The other DS eyepieces are optically identical designs to their MC counterparts.

--AP
 
Use of the 16/24/30x DS on the 50ED isn't discouraged. The optical design of the 24/30x MC and older WF eyepeice is different (it lacks the Barlow-like bit that protrudes into the scope), and though they work as a 16x on the 50ED, Nikon did not recommend it. I haven't though it through but my assumption is that perhaps there is some vignetting on the 50ED. Might not be obvious under most circumstances, and no physical harm will come from that combo, so I have done so in the past.

I've got all three 16/24/30x eyepieces: The first version (the old 24x/30x WF eyepiece), still with a rubber eyecup, the second (MC) version with the screw-up/screw down eyecup, and the DS. They all work nicely on the ED50 (and the other fieldscopes). There's some very slight vignetting of the first two on the ED50, but it's only just visible and not at all relevant for visual use.

Note that the first two versions can also be used on original fieldscope, the Fieldscope/Fieldscope ED, because they don't protrude into the scope.

In actual use I personally prefer the MC version on my fieldscopes, simply because the eyecup works really well and the whole eyepiece isn't as big as the DS. It's also a bit brighter and has a bit more contrast than the old 24x WF, probably due to more modern coatings. The DS ... Well, it's got nice optics, for sure, but I miss having a "real" eyecup. And it's the heaviest of the three versions.

Hermann
 
Really , the small Nikon ED50 can be a high contrast instrument ? I am looking for a good qualit instrument grab and go, but with a excellent contrast image without veil glare in the image, for example, when we observing the Moon, the "sea lunar" with hight contrast in the image are "black" sharp, without veil glare and reflects in the borders..
Thanks
wachi
 
Just done the tourist trail in London and noticed a Nikon ED50A 'half price ' in Harrods for £267. Have they discontinued this scope now? May be a bargain for someone.
 
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