Nikon ED50 (1 Viewer)

Richard D · Jul 5, 2006

I picked up my new ED50 yesterday. I haven't had much of a play yet but first impressions are very positive. I'm amazed at how bright such a small scope can be, even with the zoom. We'll see how it does on a cloudy winter's day but I think it will compare fairly favourably with non-flourite 60mm scopes. I think it will take me a while to get used to using an angled scope (and a scope that doesn't focus at the eyepiece!) but it's lovely little scope. It feels very solid for such a lightweight item, and should be even better to use once my shoulder-pod arrives. Contrast and resolution are excellent across the viewIf there is any edge drop off it wasn't apparrant in real world usage, although admittedly I haven't tried reading a newspaper through it.

I haven't tried the camera attachments yet - I'll get used to using it a bit more before I play with digiscoping.

I can't work out why the supplied cover wasn't made with a velco secured lens cover - the focus wheel can be turned through the case quite easily - such a minor modification to essentially make a stay-on case.

I curse those of you who have mentioned it being even better with a wide lens, as whilst I'm very happy with the zoom there's a little bit of me saying 'if it's this good with what I've got, how much better can it be, and should I also...' Unless anyone knows of a cheap second-hand one I shall resist for the time being.

If anyone was thinking of getting a bag to carry it and a compact camera in the Lowepro AW Nova 1 seemed the right size - a little spare room for batteries, adapters etc, but not too much wasted space.

Richard

scampo · Jul 5, 2006

Richard D said:
I picked up my new ED50 yesterday. I haven't had much of a play yet but first impressions are very positive. I'm amazed at how bright such a small scope can be, even with the zoom. We'll see how it does on a cloudy winter's day but I think it will compare fairly favourably with non-flourite 60mm scopes. I think it will take me a while to get used to using an angled scope (and a scope that doesn't focus at the eyepiece!) but it's lovely little scope. It feels very solid for such a lightweight item, and should be even better to use once my shoulder-pod arrives. Contrast and resolution are excellent across the viewIf there is any edge drop off it wasn't apparrant in real world usage, although admittedly I haven't tried reading a newspaper through it.

I haven't tried the camera attachments yet - I'll get used to using it a bit more before I play with digiscoping.

I can't work out why the supplied cover wasn't made with a velco secured lens cover - the focus wheel can be turned through the case quite easily - such a minor modification to essentially make a stay-on case.

I curse those of you who have mentioned it being even better with a wide lens, as whilst I'm very happy with the zoom there's a little bit of me saying 'if it's this good with what I've got, how much better can it be, and should I also...' Unless anyone knows of a cheap second-hand one I shall resist for the time being.

If anyone was thinking of getting a bag to carry it and a compact camera in the Lowepro AW Nova 1 seemed the right size - a little spare room for batteries, adapters etc, but not too much wasted space.

Richard

Yes - it's a delight with the wide angle eyepieces, Richard, but I'd stick with the zoom for a while as changing lenses is a bit of a chore after all! The zoom is a little wonder making the whole package unbelievably compact and light.

The shoulder pod is absolutely spot on for it, but couple it to a graphite tripod and lightweight head and, well... it's wonderful.

I do wonder whether one of those little tailoring shops that do trousers and zips might not quite easily adjust the case to make it "stay on"? As you say, a bit of Velcro would do wonders!

pduxon · Jul 5, 2006

I think birdwatching missed a trick in the latest scope reviews. It would have been interesting to see how the ed50 did against the top non ed 60 mm scopes.

scampo · Jul 5, 2006

pduxon said:
I think birdwatching missed a trick in the latest scope reviews. It would have been interesting to see how the ed50 did against the top non ed 60 mm scopes.

I doubt it would be a fair comparison, Pete, in truth. The 50mm objective surely is limiting somewhere along the line (brightness, sharpness...) simply owing to the laws of physics.

It's in practice where this little gem seems to me to shine - and as keeps being mentioned, how did they make such a tiny scope so amazingly wide, contrasty and b-r-i-g-h-t?!

pduxon · Jul 5, 2006

scampo said:
I doubt it would be a fair comparison, Pete, in truth. The 50mm objective surely is limiting somewhere along the line (brightness, sharpness...) simply owing to the laws of physics.

It's in practice where this little gem seems to me to shine - and as keeps being mentioned, how did they make such a tiny scope so amazingly wide, contrasty and b-r-i-g-h-t?!

really steve? I think it would compare well to the NON ed FieldscopeIII, kowa 601, opt gs665

JohnnyH · Jul 5, 2006

pduxon said:
really steve? I think it would compare well to the NON ed FieldscopeIII, kowa 601, opt gs665

When I bought mine I compared it against an ED3A & an Opticron ES80ED, admittedly in good light, but I thought that it had the edge over both of them at equivilent mags (ED3A & 30X, ES80 & 20 - 60 at 32x, & ED50 with 27x). Just my opinion of course, you can only go by what your eyes tell you!
I'm sure that the ED50 would wipe the floor with any of the scopes reviewed in Birdwatching this month.

Cheers,

John.

Richard D · Jul 6, 2006

JohnnyH said:
When I bought mine I compared it against an ED3A & an Opticron ES80ED, admittedly in good light, but I thought that it had the edge over both of them at equivilent mags (ED3A & 30X, ES80 & 20 - 60 at 32x, & ED50 with 27x). Just my opinion of course, you can only go by what your eyes tell you!
I'm sure that the ED50 would wipe the floor with any of the scopes reviewed in Birdwatching this month.

Cheers,

John.

My instinct tells me that it's only going to be in low light where the the 50mm objective is likely to be a real handicap. Judging from the reviews and my limited experience I'd have thought the only scope in the test that it might have struggled against in average conditions would have been the Fieldscope III. I'd be interested to see how it compares with the new ED MM2 - I had a look through the standard MM2 and wasn't very impressed, even for it's size, but the new ED version with an HDF would be a fairer comparison, and they seem to be competing at roughly the same price.

Richard

scampo · Jul 6, 2006

pduxon said:
really steve? I think it would compare well to the NON ed FieldscopeIII, kowa 601, opt gs665

I think you're right - but I was just thinking surely the smaller objective must have some detractions? I take it back, though, Pete - 'cos in practice it doesn't! It's a little stunner.

pesto126 · Jul 17, 2006

So.. I"m about to buy this but then saw the Pentax 65.. how do you think these 2 compare? Looks like the eyerelief on the Pentax lenses is much better then the Nikon.. of course, I'll be wearing contacts most of the time so eyerelief shouldn't be much of issue right?

My Primary question is this.. how will the ED50 compare to say a 10x42 pair of binos.. with the zoom lens - how much closer will I be able to see the birds? How does it compare ot the pentex with a 35x lens? thx.

sandokan · Jul 18, 2006

pesto126 said:
So.. I"m about to buy this but then saw the Pentax 65.. how do you think these 2 compare?

They are not comparable, PENTAX 65 should be compared with a Fieldscope. Read this:
http://www.betterviewdesired.com/11-05/Pentax 65mm.html

I bough P65 and it is very good. You can use it with any astronomy eyepiece. I would suggest the baader hyperion, you can buy 8mm for onyl 109 euros:
http://www.svenwienstein.de/HTML/hyperion_-_english_version.html

For the start you can use P65 with a very cheap ep (but with 20mm eyrelief):
http://cgi.ebay.de/Bresser-1-25-ED-...QQihZ013QQcategoryZ107287QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and you can anytime upgrade to the top class Tele Vue Nagler or
Pentax ep, which are known as one of the best in the astronomy world.

scampo · Jul 18, 2006

pesto126 said:
So.. I"m about to buy this but then saw the Pentax 65.. how do you think these 2 compare? Looks like the eyerelief on the Pentax lenses is much better then the Nikon.. of course, I'll be wearing contacts most of the time so eyerelief shouldn't be much of issue right?

My Primary question is this.. how will the ED50 compare to say a 10x42 pair of binos.. with the zoom lens - how much closer will I be able to see the birds? How does it compare ot the pentex with a 35x lens? thx.

The ED50 is a much smaller and lighter scope compared to the Pentax - it's a different beast altogether - and a fine one!

I would pair it up with the 20x or 27x eyepiece - it won't disappoint.

Richard D · Jul 19, 2006

Well I've had a couple of weeks to play with my ED50 and love it. Weight (or lack of it) is great and it's surprisingly bright. On a shoulder pod it's great up to 25x and not unusable at 40x for brief views. Minor niggles are with the eyepiece rather than the scope (the eye lens cap is a little too loose, and I need to slightly shift focus if zooming from 13 to 40 or vice versa). Digiscoping is okay - I haven't done much because the combination of camera, rings and scope is unbalanced on the Cullmann pod if using it as a mini-tripod. I haven't tried it on a proper tripod or hide-clamp yet. THe Little-Egret shot was taken balancing the scope on a fence, and the Ruff and Redshank with one hand stopping the pod from over-balancing in poor light. Still I don't think they're too bad for first attempts!

robsonc · Jul 21, 2006

Richard D said:
Well I've had a couple of weeks to play with my ED50 and love it. Weight (or lack of it) is great and it's surprisingly bright. On a shoulder pod it's great up to 25x and not unusable at 40x for brief views. Minor niggles are with the eyepiece rather than the scope (the eye lens cap is a little too loose, and I need to slightly shift focus if zooming from 13 to 40 or vice versa). Digiscoping is okay - I haven't done much because the combination of camera, rings and scope is unbalanced on the Cullmann pod if using it as a mini-tripod. I haven't tried it on a proper tripod or hide-clamp yet. THe Little-Egret shot was taken balancing the scope on a fence, and the Ruff and Redshank with one hand stopping the pod from over-balancing in poor light. Still I don't think they're too bad for first attempts!

Richard,

I'm glad you're getting on so well with the ED50. I'm certainly pleased I decided on "Small and Light" and have had absolutely no second thoughts about my ED50. As has been previously said I think the only drawback may be in low light conditions but as yet no problem. Well done with the photos

Chris :clap:

pesto126 · Jul 22, 2006

Great.. I think I will go with ED50... but what about eyepieces.. do you recommend the zoom 13-30 or a wide angle. Again.. sorry for my lack of knowledge.. but I'm wondering how the resolution compares to a zoom camera lens or my binos..

I want to ensure that using the scope will get me in "much closer" than using my 500mm lens or 10x32 bins.. I believe the following is true:

Bins: 10x = 380mm
Camera lens: 15x = 500mm
ED50 Scope: 13-30 is equiv to 458mm - 1000mm

Is this correct? Thx!

pesto126 · Jul 24, 2006

anyone.. please? I'd like to purchase later this week.. thx!

stuart C smith · Jul 24, 2006

nikon ed 50mm

robsonc said:
I've just bought one with the zoom and I'm really pleased with it. I'm also new to birding, not as young as I was and I wanted a scope that I wouldn't think twice about taking with me. I've even managed some photos (Hand held) and a couple of them have come out really well (I Think!). The only slight downside is the lack of a stay on case, I'm a bit of a clumsy s*d. All in all I'd say it's an excellent piece of kit.

i have the ed 50mm with the 20x wide, i dont like the zooms, [ its just me. ] so i will add a 27x wide funds permitting. spoke to nikon uk today, they know nothing about stay on cases either now or in the future. does someone out there know of a 50mm or 60mm stay on case that could be adapted. we live in hope, its a great travel scope. kind regards stuart.

stuart C smith · Jul 24, 2006

nikon ed 50mm

stuart C smith said:
i have the ed 50mm with the 20x wide, i dont like the zooms, [ its just me. ] so i will add a 27x wide funds permitting. spoke to nikon uk today, they know nothing about stay on cases either now or in the future. does someone out there know of a 50mm or 60mm stay on case that could be adapted. we live in hope, its a great travel scope. kind regards stuart.

further to my last posting IN FOCUS SHOPS, here in the uk, are taking pre orders for stay on cases for nikon ed angled 50mm scopes . available to pick up from the bird fair, or by post. ive got mine ordered, you will have to be quick. they are £39.00 . limited quantity, thought to be black in colour.suits me as long as its not pink. kind regards stuart.

pduxon · Jul 24, 2006

pesto126 said:
Great.. I think I will go with ED50... but what about eyepieces.. do you recommend the zoom 13-30 or a wide angle. Again.. sorry for my lack of knowledge.. but I'm wondering how the resolution compares to a zoom camera lens or my binos..

I want to ensure that using the scope will get me in "much closer" than using my 500mm lens or 10x32 bins.. I believe the following is true:

Bins: 10x = 380mm
Camera lens: 15x = 500mm
ED50 Scope: 13-30 is equiv to 458mm - 1000mm

Is this correct? Thx!

if you are going for a zoom then go for the 13-40......

13 = 13x so that's 1.3 times more than 10x bins

as to wide angle or zoom. the later will have wider fov better image. the later power and flexibility. you pays your money.........

iporali · Jul 25, 2006

pesto126 said:
Bins: 10x = 380mm
Camera lens: 15x = 500mm
ED50 Scope: 13-30 is equiv to 458mm - 1000mm

Is this correct? Thx!

It is correct if you put your binoculars or scope to a 38mm camera lens. However, if you look through it, the eye is said to correspond approximately 50mm lens.
=> 10x = 500mm camera lens
=> 20x is IMO already "much" closer.

If you increase power, you start to lose viewing comfort as the image starts to look "softer" and the exit pupil becomes very small (50mm/27x=1.85mm exit pupil).

Ilkka

Andrew Whitehouse · Aug 6, 2006

Thought folks might like to see a few photos I took with the ED50 in Brazil (with 16x lens, CP4500 and adapters on Manfrotto tripod 128 head). Some reasonable shots taken under good conditions. Species are as follows (left to right):

American Purple Gallinule
Female/immature Masked Duck
Sombre Hummingbird
Tropical Kingbird
Female White-headed Marsh Tyrant

All except the Sombre Hummingbird were taken around the wetlands at REGUA. The hummer was in the garden at Serra dos Tucanos.

The scope is of course absolutely brilliant for taking on foriegn birding trips. I used it very effectively both on a tripod and shoulder pod. Looks like you can get some reasonable shots too.

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