8x32 SE? (1 Viewer)

[ceasar]

Speaking of SE serial #'s, the SE I bought earlier this year, one of the last high-numbered ones, has a sticker for the serial number--no engraving at all. I took the sticker off, thinking it was just protecting the number, and lo, no number.

That must be something new. My SE's have their serial numbers under a plastic covered window located on the underside of the left prism housing just about where you would place your left thumb while using them.
Bob

 

[brocknroller]

Speaking of SE serial #'s, the SE I bought earlier this year, one of the last high-numbered ones, has a sticker for the serial number--no engraving at all. I took the sticker off, thinking it was just protecting the number, and lo, no number.

These must be 550xxx, correct? I have the 505, which was released the last year they made consecutively numbered models (2002).

It may or may not have lead-free glass (the 550 color bias looks more neutral than the EII, which has a slight yellow tint like the LX L).

Nikon claims it switched over to lead-free glass in 2002, but the 505s may have already been in the pipeline in late 2001.

I suspect the company's policy about requiring lead-free glass on all its optics may have been one reason they stopped making the SE in 2002 (and due to slumping sales, according to what another BF member posted after talking to some dealers).

The new policy meant that they would need to redesign the SE EPs, objectives, and prisms with lead-free glass, which apparently took them 5 or 6 years to get around to doing.

Their priority was apparently getting their roofs and low priced porros changed over to lead-free glass since they were better sellers.

The 505 has engraved serial #s under a plastic coating like my older 501 had.

Since the 550s came out in 2007 or 2008, for sure, they have lead-free glass. It would be interesting to compare the two.

I'm disappointed to learn that Nikon merely slapped on a sticker for a serial #. That's like putting a decal for a VIN on a car.

But what counts are the ergonomics and optics. The body seems identical from the photo someone posted of their 550 on BF.

If the optics are also up to standard, then the sticker is a moot point.

However, it does make me curious about why Nikon deviated from the norm of the engraved serial #s?

Another Nikon SE mystery.

 

[jaymoynihan]

Amazon listing 8x32 SE again, as 11/08/2009.

 

[brocknroller]

Extra Extra, Read All About It!

Amazon listing 8x32 SE again, as 11/08/2009.

Jay,

Either you forgot to mention this extremely important detail, or this just in from the news desk: :news:

Amazon is asking $729.95 for the 8x32 SE! :eek!:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Premier-...9&sr=8-1-fkmr0

But here's the kicker, that's only a dollar less than what they want for the 12x50 SE:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Premier-...9&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Do you think all our praises for the 8x32 SE might have driven up the price?

 

[LPT]

I recently purchased a Nikon 8X32 SE ser # 502xxx advertised in mint condition on Ebay for $495 USD. I've been using it for about a week, and optically it is spectacular meeting all expectations. Interior is absolutely clean; lenses are perfect; body is mint; and collimation (I test using sun-image method) is absolutely perfect at various IPD settings 60 - 75 which can't be said for all new binoculars. Although I have not noticed any changing of focus when using them (I really jam against the eyecups), I have discovered that if I press down firmly with my finger against the edge of the ocular arm at the outside edge of the eyepiece the arm will go in a little bit with the focus wheel will showing a very small amount of movement. Is this problem known to occur on other SE's and what is the cause?

 

[spacepilot]

LPT,

Welcome to the club!

From what you described, I think your SE is functioning normally and the ocular bridge flex and focuser movement is not a problem. When I first got my SE, I was concerned about the flex in the ocular bridge as well, as that was one gripe I had with my Leupold Yosemite. What I observed is similar to yours, if you press on the outside edge one of the eyepieces, it will move a little bit. The movement was a lot less than the Yosemite, but it was there. Now two month later, I can tell you that it should be no problem for your normal use.

Our fingers are strong instruments, and the pressure you applied to the ocular bridge when you "press down firmly" is seldom used in the normal use of the bin. Try this: press with the tip of your index finger on your eye socket where you would normally rest your bins ; increase the pressure gradually until it become uncomfortable for you your eye socket; maintain that pressure and take a second to feel the sensation in your finger, are you applying as much pressure now to your face as your firm press on the SE eyepiece during your experiment? Chances are you can tell you are applying far less pressure to your face than to the eyepiece with your finger. The 5 or 10 lbs of pressure that made the bridge flex a tiny bit, which is nothing for your finger, will never be applied to the eyepiece by your face during normal viewing.

Ning

 

[brocknroller]

I recently purchased a Nikon 8X32 SE ser # 502xxx advertised in mint condition on Ebay for $495 USD. I've been using it for about a week, and optically it is spectacular meeting all expectations. Interior is absolutely clean; lenses are perfect; body is mint; and collimation (I test using sun-image method) is absolutely perfect at various IPD settings 60 - 75 which can't be said for all new binoculars. Although I have not noticed any changing of focus when using them (I really jam against the eyecups), I have discovered that if I press down firmly with my finger against the edge of the ocular arm at the outside edge of the eyepiece the arm will go in a little bit with the focus wheel will showing a very small amount of movement. Is this problem known to occur on other SE's and what is the cause?

It sounds like you have deep-set eyes like me ("I really jam against the eyecups").

The collimation was fine on both my samples, however, I have to be careful not to push my eyes too deeply into the eyecups or I get eyestrain from my face muscles contracting around the eyecups.

That should not be a problem anymore. After I saw that price on amazon, my eyes popped out at least two inches, so they should be a better fit for the SE now.

 

[Twobits]

After reading this thread I checked the serial number on my 8x32 SE . Under very good light using 10x magnification it is obvious that the serial number is printed in white ink on the underside of a clear plastic
strip which was then bonded into the serial number recess on the binocular housing. My SE's s/n 503xxx where bought new 10/01/2000 . I wonder if any of the SE series actually have engraved serial numbers.

Twobits

 

[brocknroller]

After reading this thread I checked the serial number on my 8x32 SE . Under very good light using 10x magnification it is obvious that the serial number is printed in white ink on the underside of a clear plastic
strip which was then bonded into the serial number recess on the binocular housing. My SE's s/n 503xxx where bought new 10/01/2000 . I wonder if any of the SE series actually have engraved serial numbers.

Twobits

2000 would be the year the 503 model was produced. Start in 1997 with the 500 model and add one additional number to the third digit of the serial # (50x) until you get to 505 in 2002.

The 550s were made in either 2007 or 2008. I haven't been able to pin that down, but I have confirmation of all the other numbers and dates.

I think you're right about the serial #s. They look "engraved" because they appear raised, but I can see now that's an optical illusion due to them being printed on the bottom of the plastic rather than on the metal beneath it.

Good eye! You should be in the jewelry business.

The odd thing is that there was no paint dust under the plastic film after the paint rubbed away on my 12x50 SE. I suppose the plastic is not air tight so the dust could have gradually escaped somewhere between owner #1 and owner # 5 (me). They are now in the hands of owner # 8 and the optics still look great (or so he tells me, I haven't had tried them yet).

Thanks for your two bits!

Btw, that fleaBay 505 SE sold for $530. I was expecting a DSL sniper with a 10x accelerator to outbid the highest bidder in the last few seconds like they usually do me, but the highest bid was the same for at least an hour before the bin was won.

 

[Ardy]

Just back from 7 days in the field where my 10x and 12x SE's were used every day hard and have some feed back.
Days reached high 80's in the Gila National forest and the nights fell into the 20's with a full moon. We set up camp in a dry creek bottom that felt much colder!
We would wake at 330am and immediately move from a warm sleeping area into the field and because of the Moon phase we were able to start glassing for game without delay.
At no point did the SE's fog due to temp change. Also they never externally fogged due to warm breath on EP lenses.
It did not rain so no new reports on this end but I have had them out enough in wet weather to know I don't fear rain and feel comfortable out in it with my SE's.
On another front though..... There was a lot of dust to deal with! It was dry and very, very dusty! If your planning to use your SE's on the Nikon tripod adapter in dusty conditions make sure you wipe down both the plastic inside adapter piece and the center bar on the bin. I failed to do this in the dark and scratched the bin center bar when adjusting on the tripod..... Oh well, I guess there broken in proper now|| On the positive side with such extreme dusty conditions the bins did go through the paces on this front. The 10x's were literally caked with dust and dirt most of the time and frequently had the focus adjusted..... I cannot detect any dust penetrating the bin. As a matter of fact now that I'm home and have cleaned all the gear they still look like new! Except for the new tripod adapter scratches that is

Why are you selling all your SE's on E-Bay???

 

[CLRobles]

Why are you selling all your SE's on E-Bay???

Good catch Ardy, Bad news on my front forces the sale of my optics and other things to. On the way home from the trip I stopped in Albuquerque at a La Quinta inn because I could drive no more. When I awoke the next morning some nice fellow had cut the lock on the trailer and stole it along with three Arctic Cat 4x4 ATV's and cases of equipment. Total loss = $28,000! You have to love your fellow man! Anyway some of the equipment and two of the ATV's were not mine so I'm on the hook for all of it...... Insurance is giving me a hassel but I'm sure they will pay at some point? But in good conscience I can't tell the owners of the equipment to hang in there tell American Family comes around so there goes the savings account along with the SE's. I already sold the Leica but I'm going to hang on to the EL..... Its so cosmetically beat up I don't think I would get near it value so it stays

 

[brocknroller]

Good catch Ardy, Bad news on my front forces the sale of my optics and other things to. On the way home from the trip I stopped in Albuquerque at a La Quinta inn because I could drive no more. When I awoke the next morning some nice fellow had cut the lock on the trailer and stole it along with three Arctic Cat 4x4 ATV's and cases of equipment. Total loss = $28,000! You have to love your fellow man! Anyway some of the equipment and two of the ATV's were not mine so I'm on the hook for all of it...... Insurance is giving me a hassel but I'm sure they will pay at some point? But in good conscience I can't tell the owners of the equipment to hang in there tell American Family comes around so there goes the savings account along with the SE's. I already sold the Leica but I'm going to hang on to the EL..... Its so cosmetically beat up I don't think I would get near it value so it stays

Charles,

Sorry to hear about the highway robbery.

The thieves had some big huevos to steal your trailer while you were sleeping in your truck? RV? with your gun on your gun rack?

If they were drug cartel cronies, you were better off not waking up. They might have had automatic weapons.

Hopefully, the police will recover the trailer and equipment before it gets over the border (assuming that's where it's headed - Mexican drug cartels steal ATVs to smuggle drugs over the border).

http://www.policeone.com/drug-interdiction-narcotics/articles/1811238-When-the-Mexican-drug-trade-hits-the-border/

You're a good friend for reimbursing your hunting buddies out of pocket until the insurance situation is resolved.

I'm glad you were able to keep your EL, which is probably the best all around hunting bin, and it ain't too shabby for birding either!

Good Luck! recovering the stolen goods or in getting reimbursed from your insurance company.

 

[ronh]

CL, I'm sorry to hear about the robbery. I hope you get squared away with the insurance soon and can replace your beloved SEs.
Ron

 

[jimtrader11]

The Superior Es are advertised as "weather resistant," however, Nikon doesn't give any specifics about exactly what that means.

Rainman tests with the rain guards on and Mr. Freeze tests are helping define the limits, but I'm not willing to push it beyond that or I might end up with a permanently fogged bin, or if it defogs, one that develops fungus, which in either case, I will have to ship to Nikon for repairs.

With Nikon's "No Fault" repair policy, they would be "repaired or replaced" for $20, according to their Website, so if the experiment fails, you have a fall back plan if you didn't buy the SE new w/ warranty.

Having thinned my "herd" in a recession sale, I wouldn't like to be without the SE for weeks, so I will leave it to the brave BF bin testers to "Take it to the Limit".

However, now that I traded my 8x32 LX for a 505 8x32 SE, I will have to test its limits this winter.

To prevent fogging, I put my first sample (501) SE in my unfinished basement for a half hour (or hour if it's 20* or lower) and then I take it out, and do the same thing when transitioning it from outside to room temperature.

Never had a problem with it in 10 years. So I'm sticking with that procedure with the new sample. However, if it gets frostbite cold (0*F), the SE is going to stay nice and warm inside, and so am I.

Last year, I had the LX out in 0*F weather, and the focuser still turned smoothly, unlike the SE's, which begins to slow to a crawl at 32*.

However, even with giving the LX a "cool down" in the basement there was so much heat coming off my gloved hands and from my face under the ski mask, and perhaps from the bin itself, that the views were often blurred.

If I had stayed outside longer to achieve "thermal equilibrium" with the outside temps, the views would probably have steadied before I became frozen solid and a rescue worker pried the LX out of my "cold, dead hands" to see if any fogging had occurred.

That was my temperature test of the 8x32 LX, and I can report that an 8x32 LX in good working order can be used in 0*F, though this factoid would probably be of greater interest to a hunter than a birder since there weren't any birds outside on that bitterly cold winter's day.

Btw, the Nikon 8x32 from Adorama, which had jumped to $525 is now back to $499.
http://www.adorama.com/NK832E.html

Not sure what that means, has the BF SE frenzy come to an end or at least a lull?

I just checked and the attractive $499 SE is out of stock. However, they are taking orders for if and when they receive more.
Jim

 

[John M Robinson]

I just checked and the attractive $499 SE is out of stock. However, they are taking orders for if and when they receive more.
Jim

This is one of the great mysteries to me, how do they receive more on a binocular that has supposedly been discontinued for years? Is there a stockpile of NIB bins at some Nikon central warehouse that ships a few at at time as people like Adorama order them? I imagine there is unsold stock on shelves around the world, I can see how those bins are easier to find in this internet age.

John

 

[John S.]

This is one of the great mysteries to me, how do they receive more on a binocular that has supposedly been discontinued for years? Is there a stockpile of NIB bins at some Nikon central warehouse that ships a few at at time as people like Adorama order them? I imagine there is unsold stock on shelves around the world, I can see how those bins are easier to find in this internet age.

John

Are they discontinued only in the USA market? If that's the case then these bins could be grey market.

 

[CLRobles]

Charles,

Sorry to hear about the highway robbery.

The thieves had some big huevos to steal your trailer while you were sleeping in your truck? RV? with your gun on your gun rack?

If they were drug cartel cronies, you were better off not waking up. They might have had automatic weapons.

Hopefully, the police will recover the trailer and equipment before it gets over the border (assuming that's where it's headed - Mexican drug cartels steal ATVs to smuggle drugs over the border).

http://www.policeone.com/drug-interdiction-narcotics/articles/1811238-When-the-Mexican-drug-trade-hits-the-border/

You're a good friend for reimbursing your hunting buddies out of pocket until the insurance situation is resolved.

I'm glad you were able to keep your EL, which is probably the best all around hunting bin, and it ain't too shabby for birding either!

Good Luck! recovering the stolen goods or in getting reimbursed from your insurance company.

CL, I'm sorry to hear about the robbery. I hope you get squared away with the insurance soon and can replace your beloved SEs.
Ron

Thank you Brock and Ron. I'm sure it will all work out in the end. And as bad a day as it was at least no one was hurt. It can all be replaced and will at some point. Brock, I had gotten a room at the hotel and wasn't with the truck at the time of the robbery but it would have taken a whole lot more that some drug cartel gang members if I had been there

 

[brocknroller]

Are they discontinued only in the USA market? If that's the case then these bins could be grey market.

Rick, who lives in Tokyo, said earlier on this thread or elsewhere that the SE is still available in Japan, but at a relatively higher cost (dollars to yen).

Or at least they were more expensive, Amazon is now selling the 8x32 SE for $729.95. However, there is no mention of a USA warranty in the product description, and Amazon offers two optional 3-year warranties for btwn $50 and $60.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Premier-Binocular-Ultra-Wide/dp/B00006JK6A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1258054825&sr=1-1

I'm not sure what kind of warranty sold-in-Japan SEs have compared to those sold in the US.

As I wrote earlier, Nikon's warranty in Canada is not No-Fault and is only honored if the SE was bought from an authorized Nikon dealer in Canada. So Nikon's warranty can vary depending on where the bin is sold.

Adorama states that the 8x32 SEs they're selling are "U.S.A." and carry a "25 Year U.S.A. Warranty, Lifetime $10.00 No-Fault Repair/Replacement Policy".

Unless they made a deal with Nikon to transfer bins from Japan to the US and offer them with a Nikon USA warranty, they could not be gray market.

I don't know if you can take the dealer's word that the SEs have been discontinued since they are still listed on Nikon USA's Website, and after being discontinued in 2002 (505xxx serial #), Nikon released a new batch in 2007 or 2008 (550xxx).

If you live in the US, Nikon's used bin warranty is so good ($20 No Fault), you might be better off buying a good used USA market SE rather than a NIB gray market one, (assuming that Nikon's repair dept. checks the serial number of every bin it receives to see if it was originally sold in the US, and if not, refuses to make repairs for 20 bucks).

An important thing to know if you're buying an SE from an seller on eBay who doesn't know the county where it was originally sold.

 

[NDhunter]

These must be 550xxx, correct? I have the 505, which was released the last year they made consecutively numbered models (2002).

It may or may not have lead-free glass (the 550 color bias looks more neutral than the EII, which has a slight yellow tint like the LX L).

Nikon claims it switched over to lead-free glass in 2002, but the 505s may have already been in the pipeline in late 2001.

I suspect the company's policy about requiring lead-free glass on all its optics may have been one reason they stopped making the SE in 2002 (and due to slumping sales, according to what another BF member posted after talking to some dealers).

The new policy meant that they would need to redesign the SE EPs, objectives, and prisms with lead-free glass, which apparently took them 5 or 6 years to get around to doing.

Their priority was apparently getting their roofs and low priced porros changed over to lead-free glass since they were better sellers.

The 505 has engraved serial #s under a plastic coating like my older 501 had.

Since the 550s came out in 2007 or 2008, for sure, they have lead-free glass. It would be interesting to compare the two.

I'm disappointed to learn that Nikon merely slapped on a sticker for a serial #. That's like putting a decal for a VIN on a car.

But what counts are the ergonomics and optics. The body seems identical from the photo someone posted of their 550 on BF.

If the optics are also up to standard, then the sticker is a moot point.

Brock:

I have 2 8x32 SE's, one is a 504xxx and the other a 550xxx .

Both have just a plastic sticker with ser. #.

They appear identical except for coatings, the 504 has a blueish cast when
light is reflected off the objectives, and the 550 is more greenish.

When do you think the eco-glass, lead free appear?

You know, these are just a beauty to look through!:t:

For me, optimum diopter setting is identical, near 0, as are other Nikon premium optics I have.
Nikon really does have excellent quality control in this respect.
I have 20:20 vision without glasses.

Jerry

 

[mooreorless]

I am not sure what county Frank bought the 8SE in that you ended up getting. Somewhere in N.Y. maybe.


An important thing to know if you're buying an SE from an seller on eBay who doesn't know the county where it was originally sold.[/QUOTE]