Quality time with my EII 8x30s... (1 Viewer)

I'm fortunate enough to work within easy walking distance of an area of rough grassland, scrub, mature trees and river. At lunchtimes I'm able to take a break from my desk and go for a stroll and relax with about 45 minutes of birding - it's a rare day that I don't see anything of interest. I've seen Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Stonechats, Goldfinches, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Green Woodpeckers, Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins, House Martins. On the river, there are Mallards, Little Greebes, Goosanders, Mute Swans, an occasional Kingfisher, and a Little Egret hangs around the area as well. And then there are the raptors - Buzzards overhead, and nesting nearby earlier in the year, at least a couple of Sparrowhawks, and Kestrels hunting over the long grass.

I usually take my Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 binoculars, but today I yielded to the urge to take my Nikon EII 8x30s. I'm glad i did. Today I had one of those birding moments where the combination of eyes, hands, mind and binoculars all fell into perfect synergy to give one of those spell-binding views of a beautiful bird - in today's case a male Kestrel. Breaking the view down; the way the colours of the bird were presented was just beautiful, the saturated yellow of the feet, the subtle speckled buff of the bird's breast, the chestnutty ochre of its back and wings, and the soft, slaty grey of its head - all just so engrossing. The bird was sat in a Hawthorn tree, intermittently preening and watching for prey, and the contrast of the bird with the dark green foliage and the deep red berries (yes, already - and it's still August) just set the scene off perfectly.

And then there was the detail I was seeing. I know the EIIs have a reputation for good sharpness, but somehow, today there was just SO much detail; the texture of the feathers was almost tangible - even against the backlighting provided by a lightly clouded sky. The EIIs are just so much less fussy about 100% accurate placement of the eyepieces relative to the eyes (in comparison with the M7s which are quite critical), and their control of stray light is just so much better, easier... Moving along the path, I was able to change the background behind the Kestrel to a dark conifer tree - even more texture popped out. On this side of the Hawthorn tree there's also a lot of Mistletoe growing, with its unique yellow-green "glow" - perfectly resolved with its criss-crossing texture of leaves and stems.

Sometimes top birding moments are made from observing a particularly rare or distinctive bird. Today, for me, the magic came from a my EIIs giving me a truly captivating and immersive view of a very beautiful, but quite common one.

That was a very lyrical description of a birding experience. Many of us here on the binoculars forum tend to get carried away with minor technicalities but good optics can sometimes provide us with such unforgettable experiences.
Perhaps my most memorable was on my last visit to Oz four years ago. I was in a national park near Tathra in southern NSW and took a book and my bins into a sandy inlet. About a dozen visitors were there but by late afternoon most of them had left and some waders flew in, Pied Oystercatchers, Lesser Sand Plovers and Red-capped Plovers. Although the birds were not particularly shy, I decided to go back to the car park and fetch my scope and tripod and was rewarded with views of these beautiful Red-capped plovers at 15 m and 30x magnification, as if they were a mere 50 cm away. For me the only thing that could top that would be a Spoon-billed Sandpiper, but unfortunately that's not a realistic possibility!

John

You're a lucky guy, Mandobear! To have that at hand so close-by to your office! I have a similar Merilin that visits here periodically, though I haven't seen it for a while now. I need at least a 10x to see any details of it from my bedroom window, and I was wondering how close you were to get all that amazingly detailed view? I also appreciate that you spelled grey with an e, instead of the more familiar gray, here in the US. I don't know if that's regional, or not, but I've always preferred the "e" spelling! ; )

I recently saw the rear view of an Eastern Blue Jay here in a neighbor's yard, and a view that I hadn't seen before that I remembered. Lots of blue and white spots, and a treat to see, about 40 yards out from me, with a 10x bin.

The beauty of birding and binoculars-you never know what you're going to see, and often it's a surprise, and worth all the times when you see nothing spectacular to remember. I just love being able to see beyond my walls and eye's normal functions without magnification, that the bins transport me INTO nature from inside, when I can't get out into nature to observe it properly.

Thank you for your report-next time, maybe report it via the Binocular Digest thread, in the binocular forum that is perfect for this kind of discussion, here:

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3749490#post3749490

It's a worthy thread, and unusual format for relaying daily experiences with binoculars-all the moderators ask is that you talk about binoculars too, in the discussion.

Mandobear
Very nice description of Kestrel. Aren't they lovely? If they were rarities folks would travel big mileages to see them but being common it is all too easy to not give them a second glance. Your account reveals why we should.

Lee

bluespiderweb said:

You're a lucky guy, Mandobear! To have that at hand so close-by to your office! I have a similar Merilin that visits here periodically, though I haven't seen it for a while now. I need at least a 10x to see any details of it from my bedroom window, and I was wondering how close you were to get all that amazingly detailed view? I also appreciate that you spelled grey with an e, instead of the more familiar gray, here in the US. I don't know if that's regional, or not, but I've always preferred the "e" spelling! ; )

I recently saw the rear view of an Eastern Blue Jay here in a neighbor's yard, and a view that I hadn't seen before that I remembered. Lots of blue and white spots, and a treat to see, about 40 yards out from me, with a 10x bin.

The beauty of birding and binoculars-you never know what you're going to see, and often it's a surprise, and worth all the times when you see nothing spectacular to remember. I just love being able to see beyond my walls and eye's normal functions without magnification, that the bins transport me INTO nature from inside, when I can't get out into nature to observe it properly.

Thank you for your report-next time, maybe report it via the Binocular Digest thread, in the binocular forum that is perfect for this kind of discussion, here:

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3749490#post3749490

It's a worthy thread, and unusual format for relaying daily experiences with binoculars-all the moderators ask is that you talk about binoculars too, in the discussion.

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I think because the path I walk is well frequented, the birds get well acclimatised to human presence - I was about 40-50 metres from the kestrel (guessing), but it was one of those days when my eyes, brain, hands and binoculars were all working as one to give super vision.

I think "grey" is a more common spelling here in the UK, but "gray" is acceptable, and may be a slightly more archaic form. A number of what we Brits think of as Americanisms, are actually older English idioms which became preserved on your side of the pond.

Thanks for the pointer to the Binocular Journal thread - indeed - very interesting reading, and probably a better home for my observations of this nature in the future.

Troubador said:

Mandobear
Very nice description of Kestrel. Aren't they lovely? If they were rarities folks would travel big mileages to see them but being common it is all too easy to not give them a second glance. Your account reveals why we should.

Lee

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Lee, I get to watch them quite often - perhaps once or twice per week - it was almost daily in the winter months when the tall grass had died down a bit, and the kestrels would hunt by dropping from a perch (generally the electricity cables and poles that cross the area). Always a thrill to watch them plummet to earth, and the wait to see if they'd been successful - whereupon they'd often fly to a nearby branch to eat their prey.

Michael

MandoBear said:

... A number of what we Brits think of as Americanisms, are actually older English idioms which became preserved on your side of the pond.

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Hello Mandobear,

Yes, many Brits are amused by Americans' use of fall for autumn, but fall was commonly used in England until the seventeenth century.

Regarding the EII, i liked mine but I thought it was too delicate for my clumsiness. I also had issues with Nikon USA.

Happy bird watching,

I spent a good time at a local nature reserve at the weekend with my E2, fitted with a binobandit to eliminate distracting straylights. I spent so much time with the 8x view it felt odd “stepping back” to normal 1x viewing. I agree about the “super sight”, the E2 just move things a lot closer, the field of view large enough to just get out rh way. Gulls, common sandpiper and kingfisher, also hobby feeding Young later on.

Very nice
peter

MandoBear said:

I think because the path I walk is well frequented, the birds get well acclimatised to human presence - I was about 40-50 metres from the kestrel (guessing), but it was one of those days when my eyes, brain, hands and binoculars were all working as one to give super vision.

I think "grey" is a more common spelling here in the UK, but "gray" is acceptable, and may be a slightly more archaic form. A number of what we Brits think of as Americanisms, are actually older English idioms which became preserved on your side of the pond.

Thanks for the pointer to the Binocular Journal thread - indeed - very interesting reading, and probably a better home for my observations of this nature in the future.

Click to expand...

Yes, I know what you mean about things coming together, when all works as it should, and being able to see better than usual. 40-50 meters is a long way, similar to my regular viewing distance, and it's rare when I see that much detail. Though, younger eyes might account for your detailed views, I don't know. Or a good day, as you say; yes, "super vision"!

Interesting about the derivations of the spellings we know as normal-thanks guys for some of the history there. Here, in the US, gray is the norm, so I can't say why I prefer the other.

Thanks MandoBear, agreed that when you can see more of the details of any subject it makes them so much more interesting, and that these moments are what binoculars can produce.

With all that in mind and waterproofing aside, would you kindly say why you would usually prefer Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 binoculars over Nikon EII 8x30s?

Being the happy owner of four top notch binoculars and a couple of lesser ones, I certainly agree about the 8x30 E II.

All four are different beasts. The Meostar 8x32 stands out positively in handling and ease of use with spectacles, but the view is not quite up there with the other three:
The EDG II 7x42, the Meostar 12x50 HD and the EII.

The "style" of the image is similar in these three when it comes to what we usually value the highest:
apparent sharpness, colour reproduction and brightness. The EII was pitifully mothballed for very unclear reasons.

I find that while I have a pair of spectacles that allow me to see its full FOV, my current contact lenses do more justice to it. The other two have their own assets like a huge exit pupil or great magnification with decent AFOV, but the EII gives up nothing to them in sheer optical quality (including brightness) as far as I can tell.
On the contrary, the view is so marvellous and immediately beautiful that I have to call it the king among my binoculars. I have decided to make better use of it and cannot fathom how I let it go under the radar.

The way it acts as a strong link, delivering Nature's beauty right onto the cerebral cortex is pure magic.
Thank you for the poetry, MandoBear!

//L

chris6 said:

Thanks MandoBear, agreed that when you can see more of the details of any subject it makes them so much more interesting, and that these moments are what binoculars can produce.

With all that in mind and waterproofing aside, would you kindly say why you would usually prefer Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 binoculars over Nikon EII 8x30s?

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Chris, the reason I more often have my M7 bins with me at work is because they are smaller, lighter, and more physically rugged than the EII - I can just shove them in my rucksack before I go to work and not worry about them. The view through them I find good enough - and can be very good in the right conditions. The EII I feel I have to take rather more care of. Same when I go on a long walk in the hills. The EII comes with me more when I'm specifically going birding.

MandoBear, Thanks, that seems quite understandable. I would have liked to get EII and was not sure if eye relief would be sufficient, but maybe you don't need glasses

Chris, I wear glasses - 4.5 prescription, rimless lenses, and I'm able to see the whole field of view comfortably.

MandoBear, If you don't mind, can you do a rough check of the minimum IPD of the EII vs your Monarch 8x30? They are both listed at 56mm but I have found the M7 8x30 to not close quite as tight as the 56mm of other brands. I am right at the limit... the Monarch 7 works but I can't quite get my pupils perfectly on center.

FYI
Given the great interest in the Eii, and often high prices, I may be helpful in the search in case someone (in Germany) is interested. I was in Bonn, Germany, last Tuesday (Sept 4). In the City Foto Center (unless I mess up the shops) they sell a pair of Nikon 8x30Eii for 299Euro. They have them in the shop window. I asked them if they are new, and the salesperson confirmed that they are new out of the box (they were placed on top of a fresh-looking box). I can say that they did look and feel completely new in my hands. I looked through them in the street and I did not notice anything strange. They seemed correctly collimated, bright, sharp, and clean inside. I already have a pair of Eii so I know what to expect. However, I noticed the serial number begun with 80.. and on the ones I have had now for about two years it begins with 81.. I do not know if this means they are older than mine. The boxes are identical. Possibly, the shop have had them for a while. Or they are "as new".
Anyway, they looked OK for what I assume is a great price (I bought mine on amazon for about 460E).

I am happy with my own Eii. I have a couple of other bins (incl. 10x42Victory FL) and find the Eii to have a wonderful view that somehow "makes you happy", I use to say that the world looks better through my Eii. But, and ther must unfortunately be a but, I have problem with that dust too easily enters. I am aware of it, and I really try to keep them clean, protect them as much as I can when out walking, take good care of them. Still, I have had them in once for cleaning already, and now they are dusty again. The focus mechanism seems to act as a pump to suck it in. I also own a pair of Dialyt 7x42T*P* since over 20yrs with similar focus mechanism. They have never had any dust problem. Maybe there is some o-ring in my Eii that is not correct? The tube with the diopter is the most dusty.

When I read the above, I jumped into the car and drove the 40 km down to Bonn. Everything seemed to be OK with the EIIs and I was just about to pay, when I noticed dents in both objective surrounds, so it had obviously been dropped and I desisted.
Never mind - my wife and I had an Italian meal in Bonn and I didn't have to cook .

John

If it doesn’t rattle, is collimated and you can’t see any chips or cracks inside then I would have gone for them. I picked up some bins on eBay that had a don’t on one objective, out of collimation, got them recollimated and all is fine with them now.
PEter

Hello Tringa45!
I am very sorry to hear this! They appeared perfectly fine to me when I looked them over. I did not notice any problem when I looked through them either. I must have missed these damages. Sorry!
How big were these dents? I wonder how I could have missed it. But I was on the way to airport.
I am glad to hear that your trip was not totally invain. Indeed I found Bonn downtown to be quite pretty and with many good restaurants.

If they are sold as "new", as they told me in the shop, then they should have at least a year warranty (I think even 2 within EU). Considering the low price maybe the dents can be worth it as long as they dont affect the function. The simple construction of the Eii (e.g. no gas fill) make them also easily opened for repair by any specialist in case something one day would fall loose (and relatively cheap too).

I have put some rubber rings around the front ends of the objective tubes on my Eii to prevent them to get scratched and dented. Maybe such could cover the observed dents.