That's a good catch on the cables but I'd really like to swap out eyepieces and at least a wide zoom
There seems to be all kinds of opinions on the new nikon I didn't see a wide zoom they made for it though. I wish someone else made the dual eyepiece swaro has on their real pricey line. That would fit my use case perfectly.
The Maven ended up going for 1125 btw in case anyone is curious.
Can you please explain how the short eye relief on the ED82 makes it hard to focus at higher magnification? I am in the market for my first spotting scope and have seen lots of good reviews on the Nikon…but I don’t want one that is difficult to focus at high magnification. I had read that the variable speed focus Nikon used on that scope makes it easy to focus. Are you still using that same spotting scope? Thank you.No experience with the Maven (or any of its clones) but I am a user of the ED82, and can only echo the comments of others here. I've previously had the following high end scopes - Leica APO 77 & 62, Swarovski 65HD, Kowa 823 and Optolyth 80HD and personally I feel the Nikon ED82 aces them all. I have also used mine against a friends Leica 80HD scope, and at 30x there is little difference in the image, with perhaps the Nikon being marginally brighter. The only limitation is the zoom, which I struggle with at the top end (difficult to obtain a sharp image in certain atmospheric conditions) and as a result of the short eye-relief. It is an incredible scope with the 30x DS eyepiece.
I'm just going to jump in here and wish you a warm welcome from those of us on staff here at BirdForumCan you please explain how the short eye relief on the ED82 makes it hard to focus at higher magnification? I am in the market for my first spotting scope and have seen lots of good reviews on the Nikon…but I don’t want one that is difficult to focus at high magnification. I had read that the variable speed focus Nikon used on that scope makes it easy to focus. Are you still using that same spotting scope? Thank you.
Thanks for the warm welcome!I'm just going to jump in here and wish you a warm welcome from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like
Can you please explain how the short eye relief on the ED82 makes it hard to focus at higher magnification? I am in the market for my first spotting scope and have seen lots of good reviews on the Nikon…but I don’t want one that is difficult to focus at high magnification. I had read that the variable speed focus Nikon used on that scope makes it easy to focus. Are you still using that same spotting scope? Thank you.
Apologies, I missed a comma in that sentence - it is the combination of short eye relief and atmospheric conditions that cause issues - this has been partially mitigated by using the older MC 20 - 50x (?) zoom, but largely isn't an issue as I use fixed 30x and 50x eyepieces for the most part.Can you please explain how the short eye relief on the ED82 makes it hard to focus at higher magnification? I am in the market for my first spotting scope and have seen lots of good reviews on the Nikon…but I don’t want one that is difficult to focus at high magnification. I had read that the variable speed focus Nikon used on that scope makes it easy to focus. Are you still using that same spotting scope? Thank you.
Which Nikon ED82 are you asking about? The only Nikon ED82 with a variable speed focuser is the current Monarch ED82.Can you please explain how the short eye relief on the ED82 makes it hard to focus at higher magnification? I am in the market for my first spotting scope and have seen lots of good reviews on the Nikon…but I don’t want one that is difficult to focus at high magnification. I had read that the variable speed focus Nikon used on that scope makes it easy to focus. Are you still using that same spotting scope? Thank you.
My bad, I thought the thread was about the Monarch ED82, and that is the one I’ve been considering purchasing. I was confused about the mention of the 25-75x zoom because as far as I knew it comes with a 20-60x. But now it makes sense knowing this older thread was obviously about the older version. Thanks Henry for the clarification. I am new to this world and wasn’t aware of the existence of the older Fieldscope ED82.Which Nikon ED82 are you asking about? The only Nikon ED82 with a variable speed focuser is the current Monarch ED82.
It looks like the old Fieldscope ED82 was the original subject of this thread. It's now discontinued, but pretty readily available on the used market.
Thank you so much - I now realize (thanks to Henry) that you’re talking about the older Nikon Fieldscope ED82, but I thought the thread was about the Nikon Monarch ED82. Now I’m going to try to research what was upgraded/changed on the Monarch ED82 (the eyepiece is different, but beyond that I am not sure). I replied to Henry as well - I don’t mean to create confusion with so many replies!Apologies, I missed a comma in that sentence - it is the combination of short eye relief and atmospheric conditions that cause issues - this has been partially mitigated by using the older MC 20 - 50x (?) zoom, but largely isn't an issue as I use fixed 30x and 50x eyepieces for the most part.
I'm still using the Nikon, and recently had the chance to upgrade to an 883 but didn't - to my eye there was little discernible difference.
Hope that helps!
Thank you! As you may have seen in my replies to a couple other folks, I mistakenly thought this thread was about the current Nikon Monarch ED82! But I appreciate your thoughtful response, which obviously is still relevant regardless of which scope we’re talking aboutI don't think it's a fault of the eyepiece or the scope. More like any spotting scope used for terrestrial views is hard to achieve a sharp focus at 75x simply because of mirage (heat shimmer). It takes very steady air to look across a landscape and get a razor sharp image at 75x.
If you can deal with the narrow FOV and short ER the Nikon MCII 25-75x zoom is optically excellent. The fixed power Nikon eyepieces are also excellent. If you get the Nikon with a zoom, buy a fixed 30x as well.
I don’t have an issue focusing my 82a, but it isn't as fine as a high quality two speed astro telescope focuser, no spotting scope is.
Thank you! As you may have seen in my replies to a couple other folks, I mistakenly thought this thread was about the current Nikon Monarch ED82! But I appreciate your thoughtful response, which obviously is still relevant regardless of which scope we’re talking about
Ok thank you, I will find that thread - it does actually bother me. I was about to pull the trigger after a bunch of research, and then realized it is made in China. I’m still considering it based on the solid reviews but at the same time i’m on the hunt for another option!There is a long running thread about the Monarch in the Nikon spotting scope forum. Worth a read. It is pretty well regarded. The big turn off for me is Nikon outsourced it's construction to China. If that doesn't bother you it is probably the best new buy under $2000 USD.
That other option could be the Meopta Meostar S2 82 HD with one of the available two eyepieces: 30-60x (super wide zoom) or 20-70x (giant zoom ratio). The scope and both eyepieces deliver alpha performance at a reasonable price, 30 years transferable warranty and are made in the Czech Republic.(...) I’m still considering it based on the solid reviews but at the same time i’m on the hunt for another option!