• 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.

ED 50 users (1 Viewer)

squidge

Wha Whassssat
I was thinking of getting an angled ed50 but I was wondering what eyepiece do you prefer. Looking and asking around it seems to be between the mcii 13-40x or the 27x.

Regards Gerard.
 
I have the 13-40x zoom and 20x MC Wide. My preference is the 20x as it is very bright with better eye relief. I also use the scope hand held now most of the time and I think 20x is really the maximum for this. I know the 27x is most people's favourite here but I am quite happy with the slightly lower magnification eyepiece.

Ron
 
I like the DS 16x or the MC 20 Wide best on the ED50. I have all the EPs and the wide field and brightness of the lower powered EPs appeals to me.
 
Another vote for the MC 20x. Amazingly wide, bright sharp image. The 27x is also very good. I'm selling a straight model if you are interested squidge?
 
I haven't used the 13-40x, but the 27x lives on my ED50. I doubt I'll ever put the 13-30x it came with back on.

You might hold off until you can check this one out though:

http://www.eagleoptics.com/spotting-scopes/vortex/vortex-razor-hd-11-33x50-angled-spotting-scope

Could be real competition for the Nikon, and the zoom, which looks quite big, appears to have a wider field of view (191 ft @11x, v. 157 ft @13x for the Nikon. That's the Nikon 13-30x).

Mark

157*13/11 = 185, so the Vortex's AFOV is in fact very close to the Nikon's.
 
Another vote for the MC 20x. Amazingly wide, bright sharp image. The 27x is also very good. I'm selling a straight model if you are interested squidge?

Hi Daniel, Sorry its the angled version I am after but thanks for the offer.:t:

The vortex looks interesting but I'm more or less sold on the ed50. I tested one out the other day and I was really impressed. It had the 13-40x eyepiece on.

It is to replace my swarovski 80 hd atm as carrying the scope and a dslr plus lens is too much for myself. Ill keep the swaro for seawatching and when im birding by car. The lightweight ed50 seems ideal as a travel walkabout scope.

The consensus seems to be a fixed focal length eyepiece. What is the difference between an mc eyepiece and a ds.

Regards Gerard.
 
What is the difference between an mc eyepiece and a ds.
The DS eyepieces were originally designed for digiscoping. They have a simple rubber eyecup which is detachablel to permit attachment of a camera adapter. I think the 16x has quite good eye relief but I have never tried one.

Ron
 
Last edited:
http://www.nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/scopes/mc/index.htm

http://www.nikon.com/products/sportoptics/lineup/scopes/ds/index.htm

I used McNett camo wrap on mine with three different layers of material. I found this makes this little scope easier to get a good grip on and protects it. Some complain about the smell, I have had no trouble with that.
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=377861&d=1333921136

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=377860&d=1333921120

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=377862&d=1333921169

My wife has a beauty shop, hair color samples in the background.;)
 
Last edited:
You might also take a look at the Opticron GS 52 ED. Very nice scope, about the same size as Nikon, heavier, but very ruggedly built. Great zoom, 16-48x, lots of eye relief. (I own both scopes).
 
I had the ED50 for few years with DS16x and 13-40x MC II zoom eyepiece. For Digiscoping, the DS16x is excellent (DS30x on ED82) and view with the zoom eyepiece is sharp up to 40x.

I used it mainly for long walk in the forest, so DS16x is good enough for my need hehehe and the zoom eyepiece for open area. Good compliment for birders carrying DSLR especially when you used tripod for your camera, then the ED50 can be connected via Gorillapod :king:
 
Good compliment for birders carrying DSLR especially when you used tripod for your camera, then the ED50 can be connected via Gorillapod :king:
That's quite a neat idea Horu. Do you have any photos of it being used in that way? It's no good for me, as I never carry a tripod but I like the idea.

Ron
 
I use mine on a Gorillapod with the 27x wide eyepiece. I've got the 20x too but I haven't tried it out yet; I probably should, since hand-holding gets shaky with the 27x and I usually end up sitting down and holding it in my lap or setting it on a rock or table if convenient.

I find that the 27x is a night and day improvement over the 13-30x zoom that came with it. I like the Gorillapod because I can set it on a table (or rock), balance it on my car's armrest, or bend it into a hand-grip.
 
I compared the ed 50 (13 x 40 eyepiece) with the opticron gs 52 ed (12 x 36 hdf eyepiece). IMO the Nikon was the better optically of the two plus it was lighter. The opticron is still a good compact scope though which is cheaper than the Nikon.

Nice covering mooreorless a nice alternative to the current stay on cases.:t:

I've narrowed the choice of eyepieces down to either the 13 x 40xmcii or the 27x.

Depending on finances I might end up with the two and see which one I use the most.

Regards Gerard.
 
I ended up getting the 27x mc eyepiece. I haven't had a chance to use it yet due to other commitments.

Regards Gerard.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 10 years 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