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Vortex Razor HD Spotting Scope v Nikon Scope EDG Fieldscope 85 (1 Viewer)

How much real difference is there between say the Nikon 82ED and the new Nikon EDG.

Is there that much difference say between Nikon 82ED and a Kowa 883 or do you have to really study to tell the difference ??????????

I had the Nikon 82ED, and upgraded to the Kowa 884. I did look at them side by side before I sold the Nikon. As has been well documented, the Nikon zoom had questionable eye relief and FOV as zoom increased. The Optics were wonderfully bright, crisp, and clear, on par with the neighbor's Zeiss 85 T FL Diascope. However, neither one can match the view through the Kowa. It is exceptional, with no peer, and is extremely well built. Crystal clear views to the edge are amazing even when zoom increases. The 82ED is a great scope, but not in the same league as the Kowa. There's good reason you never see people in the field with the new Nikon EDG.....it's much too heavy, bulky, and downright ugly. If you're going to spend the money spend it on the Kowa Prominar. I do agree in your case the Vortex is grossly overpriced, as are all Nikon EDG products IMO.
 
Well I have both the Kowa 883 and the 884 because I can't make up my mind about angled or straight. Before these I had the Pentax 80ED and the Nikon ED82. If my main interest was visual use instead of digiscoping, I would probably would have kept the Nikon. You would be hard pressed to see a significant difference in the field and I prefer the extra magnification of 75x more than a wide field. I agree the EDG 85 scopes seem a step backwards from the ED82.
 
How much real difference is there between say the Nikon 82ED and the new Nikon EDG.

Is there that much difference say between Nikon 82ED and a Kowa 883 or do you have to really study to tell the difference ??????????

Field of view/eye relief issues aside, the 82ED is a great scope, especially when used with the 30x MC lens. I have both the 30x and the zoom but rarely use the zoom. If you are not dead set on the EDG or the Vortex the ED82 it is definitely worth a look.

Perry
 
The Nikon Fieldscope III is the best value scope out there from what I have seen. The Vortex offers very good glass, but I feel the ED82 is sharper across the entire field. I have used the ED82 in Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, etc. and I have always been able to view adequately in darker situations. Such as Tikal National park in Guatemala looking at Great Currasows in the canopy.

The other big reason the ED82 sticks out is that I haven't found a large objective lens in the industry that is as lightweight and compact as Nikon's ED82. Couple that with a wonderful No-Fault Policy and lifetime manufacturer's warranty this glass sets up well as a field companion.

Best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon's Birding Market Specialist
 
Thanks for all the advice,
I have bought the secondhand Nikon ED82 Scope and lens that was for sale in the classified.
 
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The Nikon Fieldscope III is the best value scope out there from what I have seen. The Vortex offers very good glass, but I feel the ED82 is sharper across the entire field. I have used the ED82 in Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil, etc. and I have always been able to view adequately in darker situations. Such as Tikal National park in Guatemala looking at Great Currasows in the canopy.

The other big reason the ED82 sticks out is that I haven't found a large objective lens in the industry that is as lightweight and compact as Nikon's ED82. Couple that with a wonderful No-Fault Policy and lifetime manufacturer's warranty this glass sets up well as a field companion.

Best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon's Birding Market Specialist


You haven't looked very hard then........

Nikon 82ED..12.9 in (no EP), 56.4oz, 82mm
Kowa 884.....12.95 in, 53.62oz, 88mm


The biggest negative is Nikon's pathetic CS, which doesn't know if they're coming or going in their sport optics division. You also have to deal with a very picky zoom EP that lacks eye relief and FOV. The fixed 30x is the way to go for this spotter. It is a great spotter that will serve you well, however.

Edited to add: Nikon should have saved their money and not invested in the EDG spotters, as few are going to buy a $3000 Nikon over a Kowa, Swaro, or Zeiss for that matter. They should have invested the money in a top notch zoom EP for the 82ED instead. It would make a great 82ED spotter much, much better.
 
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Congratulations

Thanks for all the advice,
I have bought the secondhand Nikon ED82 Scope and lens that was for sale in the classified.

I think You got a nice deal..the scope looks mint,and You get the wonderful wide angle 30X and the HIGH POWER zoom.This Eyepiece even with short eye relief and narrow FOV offers you 75X, whenever You need it,and has amazing optical quality..And dont be shy to give a try to digiscoping..You should see the shots that Horokuru took with his old ED82..!!8-P
 
I think You got a nice deal..the scope looks mint,and You get the wonderful wide angle 30X and the HIGH POWER zoom.This Eyepiece even with short eye relief and narrow FOV offers you 75X, whenever You need it,and has amazing optical quality..And dont be shy to give a try to digiscoping..You should see the shots that Horokuru took with his old ED82..!!8-P

Hehehe thanks and honestly for those who couldn't afford to buy EDG because of its price, I always recommend ED82 because of the quality and value especially with DS30x eyepiece which is good for viewing and Digiscoping.

I had the DS30x and 25-75x zoom MC II eyepiece for my ED82 and honestly, when I was on birding tours, the DS30x served me well and only sometimes I used the zoom eyepiece for critical identification :king:

The reason why I upgraded to EDG85 is because the zoom eyepiece FOV is wider than Kowa 883/4, the FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter is great for Digiscoping, 25LER Eyepiece is a bonus for Digiscoping and Videoscoping with superzoom cameras and videocamera and the construction of straight scope is similar with those telephoto lens making it easier to find my subject and most important thing is the helical type and fast focusing ;)

Despite UGLY as claimed by one of the member here, the view through my eyes is amazing. As a customer, I'm satisfied with it :king:
 
Hehehe thanks and honestly for those who couldn't afford to buy EDG because of its price, I always recommend ED82 because of the quality and value especially with DS30x eyepiece which is good for viewing and Digiscoping.

I had the DS30x and 25-75x zoom MC II eyepiece for my ED82 and honestly, when I was on birding tours, the DS30x served me well and only sometimes I used the zoom eyepiece for critical identification :king:

The reason why I upgraded to EDG85 is because the zoom eyepiece FOV is wider than Kowa 883/4, the FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter is great for Digiscoping, 25LER Eyepiece is a bonus for Digiscoping and Videoscoping with superzoom cameras and videocamera and the construction of straight scope is similar with those telephoto lens making it easier to find my subject and most important thing is the helical type and fast focusing ;)

Despite UGLY as claimed by one of the member here, the view through my eyes is amazing. As a customer, I'm satisfied with it :king:

Now you got me curious... do you digiscope and videoscope with a superzoom camera?? How so?
 
horukuru, are you a Nikon "team member", pro staffer, etc? Trying to figure out if Nikon gave you that EDG or if you had to buy it. Just curious, as I've never seen one in the field.
 
horukuru, are you a Nikon "team member", pro staffer, etc? Trying to figure out if Nikon gave you that EDG or if you had to buy it. Just curious, as I've never seen one in the field.

How I wished !

I bought it last year in May and recently Nikon Malaysia has been very supportive in birdwatching activities in my state after the 1st Bird Fair held in 2008. Plus before I had my first scope the ED82 few years ago, I have compared it with European brands while on birding tours. For my eyes, ED82 was a very good value ;)

Only recently Kowa, Leica and Zeiss is available in my country but not in my state but I have to fly for 2 hours 30 minutes for it. The nearest place for Swarovski is either Singapore or Hongkong (HK) for the same flight duration and I will go to HK if I have to fly at least I can get cheaper camera accessories and try my luck for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper there :king:
 
The Ed82 is a great value for sure. The EDG not so much here in the US. I can and did buy a Kowa 884 for 30% less money than the EDG. Thanks!
 
The EDG not so much here in the US. I can and did buy a Kowa 884 for 30% less money than the EDG. Thanks!

Kowa 883/884 series is the same price with Nikon EDG85 in my place. Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss a bit more I remembered.

It is a matter of choosing which brands in where I live. It is easy to get Nikon here than other brands. Senior birders here mostly used European brands and it was bought from other countries because only recently bird watching become popular especially among the photographers. So they normally suggest to buy European brands because they never bother to check other brands. It become a cycle until now. That's the reason why Nikon and Kowa is not really popular among birdwatchers here. But I'm lucky enough to have tried all those brands before decided to buy Nikon ED82 then EDG85

Trend has changed the way we do birding nowadays. Beginner in birding now started with camera and lenses then binocular and scopes. For me what makes Nikon EDG attractive for photographers is because of the FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter which start from 500mm f5.9 - 1750mm f21.

If you have Nikon DSLR, you can connect with it directly. For other than Nikon DSLR, you have to buy an adapter then attach to the FSA-L2 adapter. I have used it to identify bird via the LCD screen at 1750mm in the rainforest looking at Bornean Black Magpie high up on a 60 metres tree. Then my 20-60x I used mostly for Waterbirds and bird surveys. Means, I rarely swap my eyepiece with the FSA-L2 on the field because by default, my Nikon D300s or D3s always on the scope and the range up to 1750mm is enough for my needs kekekekeke :king:
 
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Hi,
I am looking to buy a decent Scope and have narrowed it down to two.

The Vortex Razor HD Spotting Scope v Nikon Scope EDG Fieldscope 85.

Which is the best out of the two if the price was the same, and the mag was 20 x 60.

Thanks in advance.............................

Another one to consider is the ZEN ED2 82mm spotting scope. It seems an identical twin to Vortex Razor spotter.
 
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