...Is that Product Guide from your original production run #500 SE made in 1997?
I wonder if Nikon has updated the sealing on the SE? Even if they did, they might not advertise it, so people didn't go testing their limits and leaving them out for an hour in the rain and sticking them in their freezers.
Brock,
There are no "seals" to improve, but the SE design has a few features you can see that might make it a little more rain or splash resistant than most Porros. For example, the prism housing has no front cover plate for water to leak around and the seam of the back plate is mostly covered over by the rubber armor. Also, the eyepiece tubes and back plate are cast as one piece rather than the tubes screwing into the plate and the rubber armor of the objective tubes squeezes under the prism housing armor when the tubes are screwed on. Still, there are no o-rings or gaskets where the objective tubes attach, just metal against metal and water can enter around the objective lenses and eyepiece eyelenses just like any other non-waterproof binocular. I think these design features and some luck probably explain the reports of high water resistance.
BTW, I noticed on the Nikon Vision Co. website that Nikon's "waterproof" binoculars have different ratings. The Monarchs and Action EX are waterproof to 1 meter for 5 minutes, the Premier LX-L are 2 meters for 5 minutes and the IF marine types are 5 meters for 5 minutes.
Henry
In my 2000 Nikon catalog, the page with all three of the Nikon SE series they talk of a 1999 Louisiana State Champion Senor 3-D archer using the 10x42SE on the course and in the field. I am sure it is hot and muggy down there. I don't think it is a good idea to take this series out in the pouring rain myself every day.
Steve
Here's a trivia question: What was the name of the TV cajun chef who used to say that on his program?
Ans: Justin Wilson
and my understanding was that he was not a real cajun.
Don't blast me just what I was told. Still a good show
Ooo Wee! I dink dat's the right answer!
DING! DING! DING!
BE IT FOREVER KNOWN THAT ALBANY ARDY IS THE PROUD RECIPIENT OF GLITZY AND GLAMOROUS...
BIRD FORUM NO-PRIZE!
Does that mean I won the first pair of Nikons waterproof SE's ??:t:
I recall him saying
"You might have to dip up the last sauce on some bread. It ain't no sin to dip. Even if it was, who gives a damn?"
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