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ED 50 users (1 Viewer)

squidge said:
I ended up getting the 27x mc eyepiece. I haven't had a chance to use it yet due to other commitments.

Regards Gerard.
Click to expand...

Gerard,

While working for Nikon I have used nearly every eyepiece with the ED50 Fieldscope. You made a good choice and I wish you much enjoyment in the field.

All the best,
Mike Freiberg
Nikon Birding Market Specialist
 
Hi Gerard and all,

I've also plumped for the ED50 and am currently using it with the 13-40x MCII zoom. The lens is fine and works well up to about 25x then starts to get a bit dark and loses sharpness. Now I am wondering if I should also go for the 27x lens.

Looking at the specs the relative brightness of this lens is quite low and I am concerned that it will only be useful in good, bright weather. The zoom has the advantage of pulling out to 13x which is very bright.

Could anyone comment on the usability of the 27x in poor light?

Thanks

Perry
 
Hi Perry, I've only used the Nikon with the 27x in bright conditions and it is really a nice eyepiece. I don't know how it will perform in dull winter weather. I'd imagine there would be a fall off in image brightness when compared to my swaro in the same conditions but I'd expect it to be totally usable even in dull weather.
I'm sure other users who have used it in dull weather will be able to say how the eyepiece performs.

Regards Gerard.
 
Perry Grin said:
Thanks Gerard,

Can anyone else comment?
Click to expand...

I´ve been through a few ED50´s, and my favourite ep was the 27x MC. (I didn´t like the zoom). But I found it dim in the winter or in the evening. The 20x MC gives a bright, panoramic view, very pleasant but the mag was a bit too low on marshes and mudflats. Tough choice, depends on where and when you intend to use it. I think Nikon let us all down by opting for Darth Vader´s EDG Death-Scope, instead of following other top producers and bringing out a wide-angle 25-50 MC III ep for use on all fieldscopes. Had they taken that decision, I´d still be a loyal Nikon Fieldscope ED82 and ED50 fan-bunny.
 
Sancho said:
I´ve been through a few ED50´s, and my favourite ep was the 27x MC. (I didn´t like the zoom). But I found it dim in the winter or in the evening. The 20x MC gives a bright, panoramic view, very pleasant but the mag was a bit too low on marshes and mudflats. Tough choice, depends on where and when you intend to use it. I think Nikon let us all down by opting for Darth Vader´s EDG Death-Scope, instead of following other top producers and bringing out a wide-angle 25-50 MC III ep for use on all fieldscopes. Had they taken that decision, I´d still be a loyal Nikon Fieldscope ED82 and ED50 fan-bunny.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input Sancho. Primarily it will be a travel scope for family holidays but i'll also carry it around when I'm not expecting to use a scope much - I still have the ED82. I coped with the zoom on a recent holiday - eye relief and fov okay - but found that I couldn't make much use of the higher mags so thought I may as well settle for a fixed ep - but which one? Having found the zoom dim above half zoom I am cautious to go for the 27x and can't see a big benefit of the 20x over the zoom. I'm getting sucked in to the ED50 merry-go-round!
 
Said this before, but... Using my ED50A with 27x Wide MC and I'm rarely bothered by a dim image. Remember that the evenings (read: dusk periods) are longer in Sweden than further south, so a big exit pupil would be desirable but won't come with a 50 mm scope.

A small scope with a smallish exit pupil is bound to be a compromise, but using the 27x50 doesn't mean any significant sacrifice, IMO. The view is not quite as easy as the 30x82 but the difference is surprisingly small.

To put it in another way: When I use the ED82A with the Wide DS 30x, the image is sublime. But when I use the ED50A with the 27x, I never find myself wishing I had brought the bigger scope.

If your scope loses sharpness above 25x, I'm afraid it's faulty, and if so, it shouldn't be particularly sharp at 20x either. If 20x is enough, the Wide MC delivers a panoramic view greatly superior to the zoom's even at 13x.
In fact, the FOV of the 27x Wide is only marginally narrower than the zoom's at 13x (47m/1000m vs. 52m/1000m).

//L
 
No matter how we get around it- 27x in a 50mm scope is less than a 2mm exit pupil. I know scopes are somewhat different- but I know that I would not want to use a 10x32 or a 8x20 binocular in low light ( and both of those have more than 2mm of exit pupil- and that is for two eyes on top of it rather than one). So for me personally I do not like to go below 2mm for a scope that I am going to be using in low light. So 25-30x 60 - like what is in the ED III 60; or better yet 25-30x in a 80-85mm scope.

So to me 27x is pushing it. I would prefer it if the 50 had a 22-24x wide EP.
 
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The >70 degree AFOV of the Wides does make a perceived difference compared to the zoom set at the same magnification. The outer edges of the FOV are so far out that you barely notice them, which indeed makes the image seem brighter.

I'm not trying to get around it, but as I wrote, I have the small and the large scope and the difference is less than one could expect from the numbers. I also have much experience with scoping in subdued light. The >2 mm rule might be used as a guide, but not as means to dismiss everything below it.

This does NOT mean that I'm suggesting that the scopes are equal. You can't get exactly the same performance through a 50 mm and an 82 mm scope.
Even a 60 mm is better, but it is still not as good as the ED82A and that is why I find the 50+82 combo so appealing.

The ED50A that I usually store at my workplace is so good that I want to have one at home too.
When I replace the "workscope" I'll buy another ED50A body (I have two 27x Wides) or possibly a Kowa 613 with 27x or a Nikon EDIIIA with 30x, depending on what bargains I encounter.

//L
 
All the comments here make sense, I agree with all of them,even if doing so implies some contradictions... You have three options for wide view eyepieces for the ED50..16X,20X and 27X(you have a 40X too,but is out of the question as your only eyepiece,IMO..)..I used the 20X and the 27X extensively ,and tried the 16X only for a while.. I can see myself happy with either but wanting the other ones at times..The 27X gives extra definition by means of magnification,the 20X reaches similar results by means of brightness and stability..and the 16X even more of that,allowing even for real hand use....The ED50 is very light and ask for a lightweight tripod .Light tripods are not as stable as large tripods,and at times I got the feeling that the extra magnification of the 27X was not all usable due to this fact (little vibrations etc)..I used the ED50@27x ,on 1.2 Kg tripod ,anyway, and loved it. Used the 20X and loved it too. My advice is to jump on either eyepiece you can find at the best possible deal,and go from there.My next ED50 will be straight and 16X just for hand use.
 
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Cheers All,

I hope there isn't a fault on the scope - I've just been reading a bar code at 40 feet on max zoom, but there is a definite softening???????

Anyway I think mayoayo has the right idea - pick one, buy one and see how it goes! Now just need to pick one.......

Perry
 
Perry Grin said:
Cheers All,

I hope there isn't a fault on the scope - I've just been reading a bar code at 40 feet on max zoom, but there is a definite softening???????

Anyway I think mayoayo has the right idea - pick one, buy one and see how it goes! Now just need to pick one.......

Perry
Click to expand...

Without more technical details it is hard to diagnose your test, but in my experience with ~6 different ED50's straight and angled is that they should NOT soften with increasing magnification. You may need to refocus as you zoom in as the MCII is not 100% parfocal. Possible to do a side-by-side comparison with another ED50?

You also might have a vision issue (age?) given you perceive the scope to be quite dim at 40x.
 
Had a play around in the garden this morning comparing it with my 30x on the ED82. Nice sharp image on the 20x/ED50 comparable with the ED82. Very slightly darker and colours very slightly less vibrant but not a lot in it at all - looking good so far! Will hopefully try it out in anger on some birds this Monday to see if the lower mag has any shortcomings in real use.

One thing that was interesting is that the ED82 and 30x appears to give greater than 50% extra mag. I guess this is because the reduced FOV give the impression of a greater mag?

Perry
 
Hi Perry, having had the 20x whilst I was waiting for the 27x to arrive I found the eyepiece quite bright and clear. However I did find that the mag fell short of what I was looking for especially for waders on the coast. The 27x was enough for this and I felt there was little difference in image brightness compared to the 20x. This is my own opinion of course but I do hope you get to see some nice birds with the 20x.

Regards Gerard.
 
Hi Gerard,

It was a big dilemma which of the two to chose, I'll only know once I've tried it out in the field a bit. I do think that 20x will fall short in certain situations but I have the big nikon for those outings. Only time will tell, but I'll probably end up with the 27x as well at some point!

Perry
 
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