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Nikon ED50: Which lens for great eye relief? (1 Viewer)

I am on the hunt for a compact spotting scope and although I would really love the Kowa 553 it is out of my price range. My digging around has pointed me to the Nikon ED 50. I am trying to decide which eyepiece to get for optimal eye relief. I wear glasses and have always been bothered when I cannot get a full field view. I would lean toward the 27x wide DS but if the 20x DS or even the 16x DS have significantly better eye relief then I would consider those. Any input from folks who wear glasses with the ED50 would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 
The 27x has a millimeter less eye relief (17.8mm) than the 16x (18.7mm), according to the Nikon web site.
I think you'd be quite ok with the 27x.
Note the 20x is no longer offered, but perhaps some shop still has them.
Nikon has not been all that eager to keep the ED50 line fleshed out, but the basic glass is really good and remains in widespread use, so components are available.
 
Hi Say's Pheobe
I have the Nikon ED 50 with a fixed eyepiece of 27WA which I bought 2nd hand in the UK to save on weight abroad. I wear glasses and found it excellent for eye relief due to the plunge- down eyecups at varying intervals. Simple focussing and easy to home in on your subject. Even found I could see well through my wraparound sunglasses too. This is an excellent scope if you can get it for the right price and certainly compares very favourably against the over-priced Kowa
Can't say what the other eyepieces are like, but they are similar in construction so should be the same for decent eye relief.
However, if you do elect to go with the 27 WA, you will need a tripod/monopod to steady your image.
Good luck
Rhys
 
As etudiant noted, the eye relief of both the 16x DS and the 27x DS are both very generous and I've not met anyone who didn't find that they worked well with glasses. Both of those are still widely available new in box. The 27x MC and WF, which are occasionally available used, have essentially the same eye-relief as the DS because they are the same optical formula, only in a different housing. My favorite 27x on the 50ED is the WF because it is substantially more compact than the other versions even though it contains the same glass. The 20x was never offered as a DS, but you might find an MC or WF version if you are lucky. There is one on eBay right now but it is priced _much_ too high in my opinion.

--AP
 
Thank you for the replies. I went ahead and ordered the angled version along with the 27x ds eyepiece. I've got a backpacking trip coming up in the middle of September and I am excited to be packing this little scope around.
 
Thank you for the replies. I went ahead and ordered the angled version along with the 27x ds eyepiece. I've got a backpacking trip coming up in the middle of September and I am excited to be packing this little scope around.


Hello
You were right to pick the 27X DS, I recommend it.
Also the 20x MC would be an excellent choice if you found one.
The 16x DS is perfect in comfort and eye relief but magnification is a bit too low in my opinion
I own all three of these fine eyepieces
 
I must have read through every forum post ever written on this scope and even though they all say how great it is... when I pull my eye from the scope I still can't believe that this little plastic "toy" is putting out that image. I've had several scopes over the years, compact Leupold 13-30x50, Swaro STS 65 non-hd with 20-60x ep, and most recently Leupold 12-40x60 golden ring. I am blown away with this little Nikon. My plan was to use it through fall,winter and spring then sell it next summer and switch back to a Swaro but now I'll be looking for a used ED82 and more EP's as soon as I can put the funds together.
 
I bought ED50 in the winter and I have been quite happy with it. :eat: It fits nicely in to my backpack with cheap Rangers tripod...

https://www.amazon.de/Tragfähigkeit...qid=1550164677&sr=1-1&keywords=rangers+tripod

I have also 27x ds and it's good, althought in many situations I would have needed more magnification, but then I should have bought bigger and more expensive scope.

ED50 works best in enviroments like open forest, where you can scan tree tops and small birds 50-200 meters away. It weights only 2kg with tripod, so I can carry it in my hand with no problem.
 
I must have read through every forum post ever written on this scope and even though they all say how great it is... when I pull my eye from the scope I still can't believe that this little plastic "toy" is putting out that image. I've had several scopes over the years, compact Leupold 13-30x50, Swaro STS 65 non-hd with 20-60x ep, and most recently Leupold 12-40x60 golden ring. I am blown away with this little Nikon. My plan was to use it through fall,winter and spring then sell it next summer and switch back to a Swaro but now I'll be looking for a used ED82 and more EP's as soon as I can put the funds together.
If you get an ED82 I suggest the angled version and two additional lenses: the 25-75X zoom and the 30X DS . I used the 30X DS exclusively for many years until I finally purchased a 25-75X. Forget the 75X lens...the zoom will get you to 75X just fine. The 30X is great for relaxed, wide field viewing when you need plenty of eye relief and can live without higher magnification!

We have the ED82a along with the ED50. The zoom is 13-40X on the ED50 and it's amazing how good it is...in spite of eye relief and FOV issues. The 30X DS is only 16X on the ED50 but it produces a near perfect image that can be useful.
 
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I bought ED50 in the winter and I have been quite happy with it. :eat: <snip>

I have also 27x ds and it's good, althought in many situations I would have needed more magnification, but then I should have bought bigger and more expensive scope.

I actually find the ED50 works quite well up to 40x with the zoom eyepiece. Sure, a bigger scope is nicer at such magnifications, due to the larger exit pupil. But the image is pretty sharp and contrasty even at 40x.

ED50 works best in enviroments like open forest, where you can scan tree tops and small birds 50-200 meters away.

I agree, to some extent. I find the ED50 also works nicely in the mountains, especially when you need to keep the weight down as much as possible. I used mine quite a lot in Norway in the summer, and while a bigger scope would have been better it's just not always possible to lug a big scope and a big tripod around in the mountains.

Hermann
 
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