Opticron HR80ED- latest model. (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone,

Has anyone got experience of this scope?

The reason I ask is that I have an Opticron GS665ED and SDL zoom and recently I have been thinking I’d like a bit more reach for distant waders and a bit more light gathering for early mornings.
As I already have the an Opticron eyepiece, it makes sense to buy another Opticron scope with an 80mm objective. The SDL zoom is 18-54x with my current scope and 24-72x with an 80mm one.

So the question is:

Has anyone tried the latest model HR 80 ED and, if so, how do you rate it?

I see that Kikkertspecialisten rate it so well that it is only surpassed by the Kowa TSN-883 and Swarovski ARS 80 HD. This makes it very tempting considering that it would cost me £1500 to buy the Swaro & zoom but only £700 to buy the Opticron HR80 ED and soc.

The only thing that worries me is the narrower field of view that I would have to get used to. At the moment I get 40-22m per 1000m. With the HR80 ED, I’d only have 29-16m per 1000m. I am concerned that this may be problem for woodland birding but I guess I could always get a 27x fixed e/p with 39m per 1000m if I felt I needed it. Or do you think I would adjust to the narrower fov?

Anyone got any thoughts?

I can’t afford to keep the GS665 if I do get the HR80, by the way. One scope at a time for me.

All the best,
Martin.

I tried the new HR66 next to the GS665 with the SDL zoom, and the clarity in the former was much better, even at higher magnifications. I suspect it will be pretty much the same with the HR80 - while there is more magnification, there is more light from the bigger objective.
Regarding field of view, im not 100% on this, while the true field of view will be reduced, the apparent field of view will be pretty much the same, because the magnifaction makes the apparent field of view in degrees larger.
For instance:
With zeiss' zoom, on the 65mm scope, it is 15-45X. On the 85, 20-60X.
The true field of view is much wider on the 65mm scope, but the apparent field of view is the same. There aren't exact specs quoted, but imagine it was 3 degrees at 15x, that would give an AFOV of 45. Then on the 85, because its being magnified by 20X rather than 15, the true field of view only needs to be 2.25 to produce the same AFOV. So while you would see less 'stuff' through the 85, the image size would appear the same.
See:http://www.zeiss.de/c12567a80033f8e4/Contents-Frame/362ca5c693111715c1256f64003d27c3
I expect that it would be similar on the opticron.

Hope that helps.

Thanks AC/DC.
Still not sure how the apparent field of view thing works though. I guess the only way to be sure is to try the scope out.
It must be pretty good for Kikkertspecialisten to rate it as highly as they do.
It would be good to try it out next to a Swaro and see if I agree with what they are saying in their comparison chart.
There is a potential problem there though. I might prefer the Swaro and it's out of my price range at the moment. I try to avoid looking through optics I can't afford. It might lead to credit card use!
I just got back from Hickling for a Pec Sand that was very distant. I definitely could have used a bit more power and light gathering. Think I'll try to get to Cley Spy or In Focus tomorrow and see the scope for myself.
Cheers,
Martin.

Martin,

The problem with the review site you mention is that apparently it is an opticron dealer - which makes bias a problem. This is quite evident when you see that they review far more opticron scopes than other brands.

AFOV - true FOV in degrees X magnification. Basically, this is a measure of how wide the image appears - not how much you can see within the view. While you will get a smaller true field of view (i.e less metres / 1000m or degrees) it will seem the same size, as the magnification makes up for this.

I know what you mean about trying not to test scopes above your price range - I ended up doing so and nearly spent a lot of money!
With the swarovski, you wont really be gaining that much magnification. What about the Nikon ED82? Thats cheaper than the swaro, and gives 25-75X with the zoom.

Martin,

It might also be worth a look through the ES80 ED too, 80mm objective but slightly cheaper, though FOV = 32m - 18m, not much different to the HR. It would be interesting to see how the two compare to each other (I have the ES80!).

Perry

Hi AC/DC,
you may well be right, them being an Opticron dealer could be a problem.
I intend to try the Nikon ED82 when I get the chance. I've seen a lot of good reports about it and as you say it is quite a bit cheaper than a Swaro, especially if I can find one secondhand, and has a lot more magnification. A lot of the reviews I've seen mentions very narrow fov though.
Ideally I'd like to try the HR80ED and ES80ED next to the ED82 because on paper specification and price it's these three that tick the right boxes.
I'd also like to try the HR80ED next to the Swaro 80mm as well just to satisfy my curiosity about the rating on Kikkertspecialisten.
Not sure when I'll get round to comparing but when I have, I'll report back here.
Cheers, M.

Hi Perry,
I am interested in the ES80 as it's abit cheaper. Seen and heard a lot of good reports and reviews. If I try the HR and the ES side by side I'll let you know what I think.
Cheers,
M.

Just had a loom through asn ES80ED at Martinmere-nice scope, acceptable FOV, quite sharp, some loss of focus towards the end of the zoom range.

However I was testing it against a Zeiss 85, which was a damn sight better!

Hi all,
Popped in to Cley Spy briefly today. I tried an ES80 ED with 32x, a used HR 80 ED (old model) with 38x, and Nikon ED82 with 32x against my own GS665 ED with 18-54 SDL zoom (set on 32x).
I wont be buying either of the larger Opticrons, the quality of view was better but not enough of an improvement over my GS665 to warrant the extra expense or weight.
The Nikon, though, was fantastic. FOV with the 32x was fine and, despite some of the things I've read about the focussing, I found it easy to use. I'd like to try it with the zoom e/p sometime and compare it with the new model HR 80 ED and SDL zoom. Unfortunately, Cley Spy don't stock the new HR 80 so I still haven't tried it out. I can't afford a new Nikon but I'll be on the look out for a secondhand one if I think it's better than the new HR 80 ED.
Thanks everyone for your input so far. I'll write more after I've tried the HR80 and the Nikon together.
Cheers, M.

I had a look at a Nikon ED82 with zoom E/P at CleySpy versus a Zeiss a couple of weeks ago, so it's likely you used the same scope! Small world, indeed!

I thought the Nikon was very good indeed, but I really do not like its helical focussing, and I thought it was noticeably less sharp than the Zeiss at the higher comparable magnifications. Saying that, I was using zoom eyepieces, which might not be all that helpful if you are after a fixed. Can't say about it versus the Opticron as they didn't have one in stock at the time but one assumes it would be a whole lot better.

Finally, I'm confused why you can't afford a new Nikon but can afford a new model HR80, as as far as I know they are all about £1000.

PS I have seen mintish Nikons for about £600-700 second hand so you could save a fiar bit if you went down that route.

Finally, I'm confused why you can't afford a new Nikon but can afford a new model HR80, as as far as I know they are all about £1000.

Click to expand...

Ah I see you already have the eyepiece, so therein lies the savings.

I see that Kikkertspecialisten rate it so well that it is only surpassed by the Kowa TSN-883 and Swarovski ARS 80 HD.

Click to expand...

Can I crack a lousy joke? Alright then-I think the Zeiss is better than the Swarovski so therefore it kicks ARS! Right...I'll get my coat...

Martin, infocus in titchwell had the new HR80 + sdl zoom, nikon ed82 and ES80 when I was there a month ago. Could try and fone them.

Hi AC/DC, thanks for the advice. I think In Focus will be my next port of call. Not for a while though as I am busy this weekend so it wont be til next weekend at the earliest.
I'll let you know how I think the HR80 ED and the ED82 compare. I expect the ED82 to be better but you never know. I looked through a Leica Apo 77 with zoom the other day and I wasn't impressed. I wasn't comparing it with any other scope but I certainly didn't think it had any "wow factor."
Cheers, M.