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Affordable 50 mm (1 Viewer)

D

deltahogfan

Well-known member
I now have my Theron Mag 82 spotter and am EXTREMELY pleased with it. But....................., I do see the need for a lightweight, compact spotter to carry hunting, hiking, etc. I know the Nikon 50mm would be very good. But I don't have the 800 or so dollars to purchase one now and even if I did, I would be very nervous about carrying something that costs that much out in the field.
My point is, how many others would be interested in a 50 mm for stated purposes? If there is enough of us perhaps Charles at Zen Ray or Pat at Predator Optics (Theron) would take notice and start the ball rolling on getting a light, compact spotter with good optics and at a affordable price out on the market.
What say you????????
 
I, for one, would certainly be interested in a 50 mm ED spotter from either of those two companies considering the performance level of their larger scope offerings. I do remember Charles commenting on the issue in a thread a month or two back but don't remember the specifics.

I have been tinkering with the idea of ordering a 50 mm for the same purposes as you but am left with the same feelings after looking over the current market. If you want an inexpensive ED spotter then I cannot think of any short of the Bushnell Legend Ultra. In that case I think you are basically stuck with the factory supplied zoom. I would want the flexibility of either having factory supplied, fixed wide angle eyepieces or the ability to use 1.25 inch astro eyepieces.

Of course, price would have to be considered as that is a big part of the attractiveness of the Zen Ray and Theron offerings....excellent optical performance for a price that most of us can afford. There are two ways to look at it. If we went by the current market offerings then there is a definite niche for a high quality ED 50 mm spotter under $300. Once the price starts getting up around $500 then you might as well consider the Nikon. The second way is to do a price comparison between the 60 and 80 mm offerings and their subsequent 50 mm counterparts. Again, using the Nikon as an example..the 82 mm ED model goes for around $1300 with the 60 mm ED model going for around $1200. The 50 mm ED model sells for between $600-$700 from what I remember. If you applied that same price scale to the ED2 or Mag82 then the price for the 50 mm should be around $400-$500.
 
Or go secondhand. BF member apbarr has an ED50 for sale on the classifieds section, and there are a few more on the 'Bay at the moment.
 
Sancho said:
Or go secondhand. BF member apbarr has an ED50 for sale on the classifieds section, and there are a few more on the 'Bay at the moment.
Click to expand...

Looked on ebay. Nothing there I would call a really good buy.
I think Frank hit the nail on the head. 50mm version of a Zen Ray 80 or Theron Mag 82. Very good optics at an affordable price. Nothing against the Nikon. Just need an affordable 50mm for those of us that can't afford the alpha.
I keep throwing the Theron and Zen Ray names around because I know from personal experience that Pat at Predator Optics(Theron) is very good to deal with. And from posters whose opinions I respect, the same can be said for Charles from Zen Ray. These days and times it is good to find "quality" people to deal with!
BTW Frank, thanks to you, Steve and a few others I am fast becoming an optics junkie!
 
deltahogfan said:
I now have my Theron Mag 82 spotter and am EXTREMELY pleased with it. But....................., I do see the need for a lightweight, compact spotter to carry hunting, hiking, etc. I know the Nikon 50mm would be very good. But I don't have the 800 or so dollars to purchase one now and even if I did, I would be very nervous about carrying something that costs that much out in the field.
My point is, how many others would be interested in a 50 mm for stated purposes? If there is enough of us perhaps Charles at Zen Ray or Pat at Predator Optics (Theron) would take notice and start the ball rolling on getting a light, compact spotter with good optics and at a affordable price out on the market.
What say you????????
Click to expand...

A very light weight 50mm scope, as long as it is compatible to telescope eyepieces is simply everything I want.

I am stuck with regals, that are too heavy and big.

So if Theron or Zen-ray ever come up with a small, light weight, astro-eyepiece compatible scope... I would buy it in a sec.


BTW, about the mag 82 and the ZR scope, in my opinion scopes above 1k completely defeat the purpose. People here already made comparisons with both against the Regal... and the result was close. And with 1k, one can buy the regal 100 + the regal 65... so I don´t see those scopes as bargain at all.
 
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Dhf,

£279 with
vat is listed on the link chris provided. I do believe that is in a 'good' range in US dollars. I will be at the MBS and am looking forward to checking out this scope.
 
FrankD said:
Dhf,

£279 with
vat is listed on the link chris provided. I do believe that is in a 'good' range in US dollars. I will be at the MBS and am looking forward to checking out this scope.
Click to expand...

Look forward to hear your opinion on this scope.
BTW, Matt(bitterroot) has started a thread on the ED50 over on opticstalk. His initial report is, as expected, good. Would love to own one. Just can't bring myself to spend that much money for something I am going to haul around in the woods.
Chuck
 
deltahogfan said:
...Just can't bring myself to spend that much money for something I am going to haul around in the woods...
Click to expand...

Does that mean you _would_ be willing to spend that much on on optic if you weren't going to use it (in the woods)? :) Or is the implication that you plan to abuse as much as use your 50 mm scope? Even if you're the sort of person who is really abusive of your equipment (personally I've never had much trouble keeping mine in good shape in all sorts of field conditions), it's still nice to have good optics if those are also the situations in which you actually use them. So I'd say get something good, and just make sure it has a good warranty (as do all Nikon Sport Optics in the USA), or else buy a personal articles insurance policy. If there's anything to worry about w/respect to abusing the 50ED, it is that the design is not particularly robust (unlike the other Fieldscopes), not that it costs so much.

--AP
 
Alexis Powell said:
Does that mean you _would_ be willing to spend that much on on optic if you weren't going to use it (in the woods)? :) Or is the implication that you plan to abuse as much as use your 50 mm scope? Even if you're the sort of person who is really abusive of your equipment (personally I've never had much trouble keeping mine in good shape in all sorts of field conditions), it's still nice to have good optics if those are also the situations in which you actually use them. So I'd say get something good, and just make sure it has a good warranty (as do all Nikon Sport Optics in the USA), or else buy a personal articles insurance policy. If there's anything to worry about w/respect to abusing the 50ED, it is that the design is not particularly robust (unlike the other Fieldscopes), not that it costs so much.

--AP
Click to expand...

I don't abuse my optics. Just mean it will carried in a backpack, in a john boat and such.
 
Sancho,

Is that the ED or non-ED glass model?

I seem to remember reading that there were both versions of that particular scope.
 
deltahogfan said:
I don't abuse my optics. Just mean it will carried in a backpack, in a john boat and such.
Click to expand...

I have an ED50 and when I first got it, it was used in that sort of manner with no problems. Then I found out how thin the plastic it's made from is and decided a little home-made armour would be a good idea, just in case. I used thin [about 1/4" in your money] sheets of packing foam attached with plenty of duct tape, with nice drab waterproof tape over that. Its still very much intact, though a bit odd-looking! [Though still not as odd-looking as the GS52, imho.. ;) ]

There is a definite paucity of 50mm scopes out there, though in my entirely unbiased opinion, with the Nikon you don't need an alternative. It's worth the money, no more needs to be said.


[No, I don't work for them, I just appreciate their optics.]
 
Last edited:
The Kerreran said:
I have an ED50 and when I first got it, it was used in that sort of manner with no problems. Then I found out how thin the plastic it's made from is and decided a little home-made armour would be a good idea, just in case. I used thin [about 1/4" in your money] sheets of packing foam attached with plenty of duct tape, with nice drab waterproof tape over that. Its still very much intact, though a bit odd-looking! [Though still not as odd-looking as the GS52, imho.. ;) ]

There is a definite paucity of 50mm scopes out there, though in my entirely unbiased opinion, with the Nikon you don't need an alternative. It's worth the money, no more needs to be said.


[No, I don't work for them, I just appreciate their optics.]
Click to expand...

Every single reveiw of the Nikon I have read had nothing but good things to say.
 
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