GA52 v ED50 (1 Viewer)

Hi All , I hope i'm not digging up an old topic but i have a GA52 with both the 18x & 24x eyepieces which i use as a smaller spotter for shooting so i can either use it for looking at other peoples targets or looking for mirage to tell me what the wind is doing down range .
Can you tell me if i would notice a difference in optical quality compared to the Nikon ED50 as they are both small and light ish .
I feel as i mightbe swapping for swapping's sake ?

Regards

OSOK :h?:

Couple of threads here OSOK :
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=163188
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=227607

I think the indication there is that, given you are in the UK, the only reason you might consider going for the Nikon ED50 is to have something a bit more lightweight.

Hi , saving the difference in weight would not be a factor to me as I'm carrying the scope approximately 10 to yards to a firing point . Size is a factor due to having the scope near to you but wanting it to get in your way .
So size and optics are the criteria here .
Regards
OSOK

I have compared the Nikon with the Opticron on two occasions. Assuming your fixed power eyepieces offer the same image quality as Opticron's newest zoom I would tell you not to make the switch. I thought the Opticron was brighter with slightly better contrast when coupled with their newest zoom eyepiece. The Nikon's only advantage was its compactness and lighter weight.

I have used both scopes and agree with Frank's comments above. The other thing I would add is that for an eyeglass wearer the new Opticron zoom EP is way more user friendly than Nikon's.

Hi Guy's , Thank you for your imput and since my first question i have managed to have a look through the scopes in question .
The Nikon ED50 had a fixed 20x and with my eyes seemed to have the edge over both the Opticron 18x & 24x eyepieces which are claimed to be their best .
I tried the new mk2 zoom and i could not see a gain nor loss for that matter in clarity over my two fixed although the white target background seemed whiter in my opinion with the new zoom .
I'm unsure if the difference would make me want to swith to the ED50 but whilst i was in the shop i made the mistake of looking through a Leica APO 62mm with a 26x and was amazed at the clarity and just how small it was against my GA52 .
So still confused but if i'm going to change i feel it would be for the Leica .

Regards

OSOK

Confused... How is a 50mm scope that's 200mm in length and 760g become bigger than a 62mm one that's 390mm and 1500g??

Must have missed something there

Pete

I was trying to say how surprised I was at the small size of the Leica and I would still consider it as small scope and was comparing it against my GA52 .
I don't worry about grams & millimetres just if it fits in my drag bag .
Thanks for all the other replies as they were helpful and constructive but in every bunch of roses you always get them !

OSOK

GS-52 versus ED50 or a 60mm scope

I think that Osak’s preference for a 60mm Leica over the Opticron GS-52 adds an overdue dimension to the ED50 versus GS-52 debate.

The weights and lengths of the GS-52 are compared with the ED50 and two 60mm scopes in the table below :

View attachment Manufacturer.pdf

The GS-52 takes the prism housing and focusing mechanism from the 60mm scope range. Like everything else this has an upside and a downside. The upside for Opticron is that it gets a 50mm scope to market with minimal development, set-up and inventory costs, which translates into a lower price for the consumer. The downside is that you don’t get the weight-saving over a 60mm scope that you get from a scope that’s been designed as a 50mm scope from the ground up, like the ED50. That’s one of the reasons the ED50 significantly lighter than the GS-52. With the zoom lenses specified in the table above the ED50 is 419g (nearly 15 oz /1 lb) lighter than the GS-52.

Opticron’s 60mm IS-60 ED fitted with the “standard” zoom eyepiece, is actually just over 100g lighter than the GS-52, and only 40mm longer ! It’s not quite comparing apples with apples, but both have ED glass, and if you fit a slightly heavier better quality zoom it’s going to be near enough for many people. Given a choice between the GS-52 and the IS-60, I would take the slightly lighter, slightly longer 60mm IS-60 for the greater light-gathering, and fit a better zoom.

If you then compare the GS-52 with a Nikon EDIII 63, for 216g extra weight and 63mm extra length, you get what many would consider to be a robust near-alpha scope even today, with the increased light-gathering of a 60mm objective. Given a choice between the GS-52 and the Nikon EDIII 63, I’d seriously think about taking the Nikon and putting up with the extra 216g (about 1/2 lb in old money) in exchange for the greater light-gathering of a 60mm scope.

To summarise : if weight-saving is the primary objective (and it’s not for everyone), then the ED50 wins hand down for me. However, if the weight and size of a GS-52 are good enough, then it’s worth looking at a 60mm scope for the same or similar weight, and not much of an increase in size. Like Osak and Pete Gamby, you might be surprised by the result (for different reasons) !

Mark

Mark, which eye-piece would you recommend for the IS60 (which I own)? and has anyone else any input?

Niels