Greetings from Kent Island, Maryland, USA, on the partially frozen Chesapeake Bay. I'm new to Bird Forum, and this is my first post, so I hope this goes through alright.
I purchased the Nikon 82mm Fieldscope ED (angled eyepiece) about three months ago. As soon as Eagle Optics had them. Mine is serial number 209. I had a Swaro At-80 for 12 years, and since it had vacationed twice to Austria in the last three years for internal fogging, I decided it was time to replace it. Having used Nikon binos for over ten years, and having been largely impressed with the old 78mm Fieldscope, I decided to purchase the new 82mm as soon as it was available. I have not had a moment's regret.
The scope is sharp, edge-to-edge, bright, compact, and appears to be quite rugged. Every feather is tack-sharp. Not a hint of chromatic aberration. Side-by-side comparison with the Zeiss 85mm showed that the Nikon was equally as bright (in the light of that day), and that particular Zeiss, at least, showed remarkable softness at the edges.
I have two eyepieces. I had found that with the Swaro 20-60x zoom, I would scan at 20x, and then immediately zoom up to a power somewhere between 30 and 40. So, I went with the 38X fixed eyepiece, due to its great eye-relief, and field of view. The fov is the same as the 25-75X zoom's fov at 25X. Of course, 38X can accentuate heat shimmer, so I also got the zoom as well. The higher powers on the zoom are emminently useable under the right conditions. 82mm divided by 75X doesn't give you much exit pupil, but like I said, under the right conditions, it gives great views.
The view-through case is pretty well engineered, providing better protection from the elements than I've seen in other cases. One can operate the focus while covered, keeping precipitation off of the scope, even though it's fully waterproof.
The first thing out of the mouth of others who look through the scope is, "Wow, that's bright! And I can see every feather."
The scope does have its warts. The knurled nob for operating the zoom is pretty narrow, and with gloves on, a little difficult to get one's fingers on. The focus goes from close to inifinity in about 3/4 of a turn, so can be a little demanding to get the right focus at higher powers. Both are something one just has to get used to, and I've done so quickly.
At several hundreds of USD less than the comparable Swaro or Zeiss, and with a view as good or better, all high end scope purchasers owe it to themselves to check out this scope, however difficult it is to get your hands on one. You won't be disappointed.
Scott Crabtree
Chester, Kent Island, MD, USA