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ED 50 + eye problem (1 Viewer)

Robin Harrison

Well-known member
I wonder if someone can offer any advice.
The vision in the centre of my left eye is poor and will remain so but my right is champion!
I use a Swaro 8x30 binocular but as I spend quite a lot of time on the very western-most part of Vancouver Island ( often in a boat) looking at distant birds,I was thinking of getting something more powerful.
However I do own ( and love ) a Nikon Ed 50 with a X30 lens............as most here would agree on a tripod, it's a wonderful set-up.
It seems to me given my minor visual impairment that this would be good solution and save buying another pair of bins except that, even with practice, freehand it's hard to lock on quickly to birds ( esp. in flight)
I'm wondering if I bought a zoom, starting with a lowish power ie X 13-30, this could be an alternative.
So I would not be using it as a low powered scope ie wanting as much magnification as possible, but as a substitute for binoculars so anything over X10 would be fine.
Thanks for any help.
Robin
 
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You might consider the 16/24/30x DS eyepiece. That gets you 16x on the ED50 and if I remember correctly FrankD really liked that combo mounted on some kind of steadi stock. No tripod required. Hopefully he sees this and can weigh in on it.

The advantage of the fixed wide-angle eyepiece over the zoom is that you'll find the bird a lot quicker I think.

It looks like Adorama still has the eyepiece (they've all been discontinued I think) but they want a premium: $270.

Hope this helps,
Mark
 
Thanks Mark...........it was helpful.
In fact shortly after I posted I saw a reasonably price 13-30 on eBay which I bought. ($150)
As I am trying to find an alternative to bins rather than a scope, the X13 appeals to me.
Robin
 
Hi Robin,
I have the Swarovski 8x30 SLCneu and the Nikon 50ED with both the MCII Zoom, same power 13x at lowest setting and the DS 16/24/30 eyepiece. I tried the 50ED DS 16x combo on a light wt. Slik monopod I have and found unless I was sitting down there was too much tremor involved. I switched to a light wt. tripod with the feet opened up a little and this was very good even standing up. I tried the MCII Zoom at 13x and compared it to my 8x30 and the view was much better looking at a Robin in a tree about 80 meters with the 50ED. I switched with the DS 16x eyepiece and that was an improvement with field and view of course. When I was using the 8x30 I covered[supplied cover of course] the left side while using it. Right eye is the better eye for me. 20/20 compared to 15/20+. I hope this helps some. I don't wear glasses while viewing. I did try with glasses and for me 13x I could easily see full field with MCII eyepiece, it did not take much into the zoom to lose the full view. Approximate 18x, the MCII 40x max. magnification with ED50. Picture is my heavy tripod. I would recommend a tripod of some sorts.
 

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I tried the 50ED DS 16x combo on a light wt. Slik monopod I have and found unless I was sitting down there was too much tremor involved. I switched to a light wt. tripod with the feet opened up a little and this was very good even standing up. <snip> I would recommend a tripod of some sorts.

Or a monopod with a big foot that dampens movements in the horizontal plane effectively. I've been using Monostats (www.monostat.de) for quite a long time, and they're in my experience *much* better than conventional monopods. I can use my scopes with magnifications up to 35x no problem with the Monostat, my mother, who's in her late seventies, uses hers with her Nikon EDIII with a 30x wideangle.

The Monostats are pretty expensive though, and they may be on the way out. They only seem to offer two models nowadays, and they had 5 or 6 a few years ago. So a lightweight tripod may well be a better alternative.

Hermann
 
Thanks for the comprehensive answers...........I appreciate the time taken.
As I said, I have taken the plunge with a X 13-30 and am hoping to use it without a tripod. I do use it with a monopod and it is just excellent. I want to see if I can use it in place of bins.
I'l let you know how it goes.
Thanks again...........Robin
 
Good luck with this Robin. I get a chuckle out of that picture of my 50ED on that big 501 head and tripod, a little overkill.;)
 
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