EDIII 60mm or 82mm? (1 Viewer)

I had ordered the EDIII but it is out of stock (and I fear when available, like the other NIkons, it will be packaged with the zoom and not available body only-that is what Nikon is going to according to multiple places I have checked). Now I am thinking towards the 82mm. I don't plan to hike or travel much with the scope and am considering digiscoping. Plan to get with the 30W DS lens and not with the zoom if I can find it.
Am I doing the right thing going to the larger scope? I can do it money-wise but don't know if that is the right direction.
Thanks!

I wondered the same thing when I was deciding between the 78 ED and the 60 ED. That was 11 years ago. I've never regretted getting the 78 over the 60. It's always nice to have light (especially when digiscoping)! What pursuaded me at the time was that the 78 wasn't much longer then the 60 (it was unusually short for a big scope in comparison to the Swarovski and Kowa alternatives of the time), it was fully multicoated (the 60 ED II wasn't), and it didn't appear to suffer from excessive CA despite being a fairly fast scope.

I do most scoping within a half mile of my car, so I haven't felt the need for a lighter scope for hiking. I got the 50 ED for its compactness (for packing), not its weight.

Given the price of the 82 ED is the same or nearly so at some places as the 60, I'd go for the 82 myself.

--AP

Hi merbella!

FIRST of all (IMHO) (Nikon digiscopers please correct me, or add, as needed) if digiscoping is a very main factor in your plans (www.flickr.com and others are for getting good pictures? Just kidding!) you may want to consider another brand where digiscoping may be easier. I am not saying that you cannot digiscope with any Nikon Fieldscope but Nikon appears to have discontinued all of it's Fieldscope digiscoping kits, at least for now. I called Nikon Sports Optics tech support about this, one tech told me that the cameras change so fast, etc., that they do not put out new adapters for new cameras, etc., that each digiscoping kit is tailored for certain Nikon camera(s) (or maybe even a single camera) , he seemed to be very defensive of Nikon's "current discontinued digiscoping kit status". This is why you will see the Nikon digiscoping kits stated as discontinued on many seller's sites. I was not impressed by this, Nikon cannot leave the digiscoping community in the dust (and especially since they are one of the major camera and scope makers), I hope they come out with some type of universal adapter kit, etc. I am not sure if the Nikon SLR adapter will work with all SLRs or not (that might be the only, or best, way to go if possible). Now this is not to say that you can't get other adapters or digiscoping gear to work with the Fieldscopes I suppose, I don't digiscope yet and don't know, I would like to maybe digiscope at some point but it is not paramount to me. Also, I have read in many places that you can digiscope with the non-DS eyepieces, the non-DS eyepieces may be far preferable to use when not digiscoping! Take this paragraph with a large grain of salt as I don't have any experience with Fieldscope digiscoping (I am sure the previously available kits would have worked fine though) and these are just my impressions from what I have read and heard.

Nikon Fieldscope digiscopers please put in your two cents worth, how to successfully digiscope on any Fieldscope without Nikon adapters/cameras would be especially useful ??? !!!

Of course at some point new Fieldscopes and digiscoping gear will probably come out (when?)!
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SECONDLY (IMHO):

1. Obviously the 82ED offers the "most Fieldscope" you can get.

2. By default the 82ED should be better for digiscoping as it is brighter.

3. By default the 82ED will handle higher magnifications better (and can get to 75x, which the other Fieldscopes can't get to, and which is quite useful sometimes as seeing conditions permit). Also Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Minox, Pentax, Kowa, etc., do not offer 61-75x, and sometimes not even 60x. Besides Nikon, you have to go to an astronomical non-weatherproof type scope to get over 60x (TeleVue, etc.).
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I approached it this way, I got the 82ED and the 50ED at the same time (only because I got such a good price on the 82ED #8337 Angled kit, at $1069, when I was expecting to pay $1399, that the difference almost completely paid for the 50ED Angled body only, #8304, at $399:
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Because the 50ED was such an excellent addition to the system and as ideal as a scope can be for some types of birding (woodland, etc.). Scanning a huge sod field at 13x and then zooming in is wonderful (of course then the 82ED gets in a lot closer)! The 50ED does darken quite a bit though at max magnification due to the little objective, hey, it's only a 50mm (but probably the best there is!).

Because I can use 3 eyepieces as 5 between the two scopes (7462, 7464, 7467)!

The only issue with this plan is that you have to be able to get the 50ED body only (#8304 Angled body only) without zoom and use the 25-75x zoom from the 82ED #8337 kit to get the 13-40x on the 50ED. I was able to do this and still see it available from a couple of places, though never sure for how long available body only). I have not seen a 7555 82ED Angled body only available, although maybe JB at AccuFlite can get one.
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However, if I was getting only one scope I would choose the 82ED!
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I just carried this scope, and tripod/head (another 4.4 lbs), up Kennesaw Mountain (KMT)this past weekend as a test (fall neotropical migration just about to go peak here, merbella and I both live in metro Atlanta GA USA, KMT is an internationally known neotropical migrational hotspot) and it really was not too bad at all. I was dreading that, a 1.5 mile uphill walk with the big scope and full gear, and found that I personally could live with it quite well considering. Of course when I am 70 or 80 it may be different, but then I may have a hard time just pulling myself up Kennesaw at that point, ha!
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To me only the weight and the cost are reasons not to get a 77-88mm class scope. With Nikon the cost difference between the full 60mm and the 82mm kit is not very huge.

But then again, they say that the 60-66mm class will meet 95% of your birding scope needs and is a lot easier to carry! Aw, stop it, the 50ED just about does that and is even MUCH lighter than the 60! And I want all of my birding scope needs met as well as possible! Where does that little voice come from?, I have no regrets at all!
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In addition though, and if luxury were to really come into it, I would like to get a very high magnification system, an astronomical type scope, probably TeleVue or Questar, that could get well over 100x for fixed site viewing (if I could live with that reversed image thing), you don't walk too much with these things, and have to watch the weather, but the need is small and the viewing conditions maybe rare to be able to use such.
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Enough said!

EE
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P.S.

merbella, do you read GABO, The Georgia Birding online listserver? It is the center of Georgia birding!: http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/GABO.html

And if you don't know check out Wings over Georgia (especially the new Google Earth capability): http://www.wingsoverga.com/
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Thanks EE for the websites.
I may have found a body only 82mm. Don't know for sure yet. If that is the case, I will probably go with that. I don't like being forced to get the zoom which is what Nikon looks like they are going to now. Am torn about the DS vs MC eyepiece. I like the MC twist better but would like to digiscope. Know you can do so with the MC and adapters but since I may be buying a new camera anyway, was thinking of going all Nikon with the DS, the p5000 and the FSA6. But do others find the DS eyepieces less user friendly? I don't much like the rubber cups as I worry about the longevity and they are not as easy to use it seems.

merbella,

The zoom is a valuable eyepiece and it will let you get to 31-75x if you only buy the 30x Wide, I have both! I think the fixed 75x Wide is probably something only for the 82ED owner who has everything! You can use the zoom to good effect on the 50ED someday as well! Don't too lightly discount it! It could be your high power eyepiece.

It would be very cool if Nikon came out with a new wider zoom for the Fieldscopes, but who knows if they ever will!

BTW, I was out today (posted on GABO about the Bostwick sod farm) and had the 50ED with the 27x Wide (50x on the 82ED), and the 82ED with the 30x Wide, using them both at peak 1pm high noon super bright clear hot summer sun conditions on two Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and about 100 Killdeer, looking for American Golden-Plover, and comparing the two scopes! That little 50ED was really super, but the 82ED, even in these bright conditions was significantly brighter, and just blew me away with the view!

EE

If my information is correct, a new wider angle Nikon zoom eyepiece really is coming out sometime early next year. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any specifications. I'm not even certain the current scopes will be able to use it. It might require a larger eyepiece mount on the scope bodies.