Nikon Fieldscope ED82 internal condensation (1 Viewer)

Dear Forumers

I would like to share a recent experience I had with my Nikon Filedscope Ed82 purchased secondhand of which am very fond.

Last September, during a one-hour rainfall, I willingly decided to not take away the scope to test its real waterproofness (the owner's manual states that it "can be used in conditions of high humidity, dust and rain without risk of damage").

On its tripod, it was kept all inside its original SOC case, and both eyepiece and lens caps were in their place.

With my surprise, when the rain ceased, I found that an (almost full) internal condensation did arise in the objective lens: so I promptly tried to let it dry in the open air exposing the objective directly into the sun.

Twenty minutes later, the condensation gradually disappeared.

Now I wonder if this is a more or less regular thing or, as I fear, is it my beloved ED82 faulty in its waterproof properties? Can it be partially or fully lacking in the nitrogen filling?

Any comments are welcome, thank you

Luca

I have an ED III, the little brother to the ED82, and never had this problem in spite of many hours use in the rain.

It's broken. The sealed unit has been damaged and the gas used to prevent fogging has escaped to be replaced by normal atmospheric gases.

My Hawke ed85 has been blasted by hours of heavy rain and never ever fogs up.

Ratal said:

It's broken. The sealed unit has been damaged and the gas used to prevent fogging has escaped to be replaced by normal atmospheric gases.

My Hawke ed85 has been blasted by hours of heavy rain and never ever fogs up.

Click to expand...

Hi
Thank you all for your valued answers.
Have you any idea how much it might cost a refilling repair (my scope should be shipped to the Nikon Repair Center in Italy and perhaps to Nikon Europe for such a repair, I am afraid...) ?
In fact I am thinking I might keep that way: weather in my region is fairly sunny and not too rainy and above all in my raptor migration surveys -most of my time - birds do not fly when raining, so I could put it away as always do for years!
Greetings
Luca

Saxatilis said:

Hi
Thank you all for your valued answers.
Have you any idea how much it might cost a refilling repair (my scope should be shipped to the Nikon Repair Center in Italy and perhaps to Nikon Europe for such a repair, I am afraid...) ?
In fact I am thinking I might keep that way: weather in my region is fairly sunny and not too rainy and above all in my raptor migration surveys -most of my time - birds do not fly when raining, so I could put it away as always do for years!
Greetings
Luca

Click to expand...

You run the risk of mould growing in the optics and ruining it in a short few months. Cost of repair I don't know, but you will have to buy a whole new scope soon if you keep it unsealed.

I'd get it repaired - should you ever want to sell it you would need to do this repair anyway, so you may as well do it now and get to enjoy a fully functioning scope.

So long as you keep it dry, or dry it quickly if it ever becomes wet from condensation inside, it should be fine. Most older scopes and binoculars, and most past and current camera lenses are not waterproof or N purged, yet fungus is not a problem for most users and in most climates. Your formerly waterproof scope is no worse off than its predecessors--the Nikon Fieldscope I and II series--which were never claimed to be fully waterproof. I've seen plenty of those from the 1980s and 1990s still going strong, with no fungus. My 78ED has suffered internal condensation on a number of occasions now without ill effect.

--AP

The OP is in a tropical zone so there may be increased risk of fungus, given high ambient moisture and lots of fungal spores.
Presumably the budget will determine the course of action.

etudiant said:

The OP is in a tropical zone so there may be increased risk of fungus, given high ambient moisture and lots of fungal spores.
Presumably the budget will determine the course of action.

Click to expand...

Where and when I grew up, fungus ate everything, including the gelatin emulsion of 35 mm film. Kids growing up in the same place today don't experience that because they run dehumidifiers and AC in the steamy summer (winters are still cool and dry)...and also because they don't use film

Fungal spores are ubiquitous on this planet, the issue is how much opportunity they have to grow when equipment is stored. If the scope is stored in a climate controlled living space, or in a box with desiccant, it should be fine.

--AP