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cheap Nikon Fieldscope eyepieces (1 Viewer)

Got my MCII Zoom today. Latest version with markings for ED50/60/82.

Works great in the ED50! Curious though, my sample does not have the rubber "O" ring like the DS eyepieces, nor did it come with any instructions/warranty paperwork. I also see Adorama has since lowered the price $5 to $85.

cheers,
Rick
 
I bought a 16/24/30 DS (wide) demo from Camera Land for $69.95

Very nice EP. Very sharp and luxuriously wide FOV on an ED50.

The retailers and Nikon seem to be intent on cleaning house to make way for the EDG stuff.
So far, I'm underwhelmed with their new vision.
 
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I was just out in my garden with the ED50 and the 16x DS and snapped this pic of a Northern Mockingbird by holding a Canon S70 up to the EP. 8 exposures, this one the best. I can see how with a simple fixture to center the lens at the correct distance that handheld pics are do-able.

It's a little large, but if you view at full size it looks a little better. The site's downsizing software probably adds unwanted artifacts.
 

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Yes, the 16x/24x/30x/ DS is sweet. Most digicams will show little, if any, vignetting even at their widest zoom angle with this eyepiece. When I checked Adorama the other day they had more in stock so I ordered one for myself along with a second MCII Zoom. I think I can rig something up with the Kowa 883 so I can avoid spending $$$ for Kowa eyepieces!

cheers,
Rick
 
I just looked and it still shows up for $84.95. They call it "MC" but it is the latest, greatest 25x-75x MCII for the ED82.

I also see the added the new fixed focal length eyepieces for the EDG series. $500+, good luck with that Nikon!!!

Rick
 
RJM said:
I also see the added the new fixed focal length eyepieces for the EDG series. $500+, good luck with that Nikon!!!
Click to expand...

Almost $600. for a fixed 24/30x wide?

Even giving Nikon some benefit of doubt, what do you suppose makes Nikon SO proud of their EDG stuff? I suspect discounts on EDG gear will come fast and cut deep.

If they don't drop the price at retail significantly won't they have another of those situations as in their binocular line where they'll have $300-400 products and the next jump is roughly $2000?
Or, in the case of the scopes, $2800-3400, assuming the canceling of the current Fieldscopes.

Hey it's their company and we don't have to buy it, but I am curious. :flyaway:
 
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Hahaha my zoom eyepiece arrived yesterday. Tomorrow I will test it for shore and waterbird to see how sharp it is with my Fieldscope because I've tested it with 2 zoom eyepiece belongs to my friends, one was extremely sharp up to 75x and the other one a bit disappointing at 60x ...
 
I have decided to purchase the Nikon 50ED, angled body (only) from Shopwise2000. I have been reading through this thread and it would appear that are bargain Ep's to be purchased. I would like to take advantage of these bargains and get a zoom and a fixed. If you were to buy 3 EP's (of the ones on sale at CameralandNY or Adorama), what combination would any of you purchase? It seems that the 27x, the 14x, the 13-40 MCII & the 16/24/30 DS are the most mentioned. I wear glasses and am looking utilize the 50ED to it's max potential - both for viewing and digiscoping at some point.

Thanks in advance!
 
I'd recommend the 27x for most birding and some digiscoping if the objective on your camera is small enough. A 16x DS would be easier to use for digiscoping, but if you get that serious about digiscoping you might wonder why you're using the 50ED in the first place--better to save your money for a bigger scope. I'd skip the zoom for this scope. The 27x view is wide enough to find things about as easily as 13x on the zoom, and the 40x of the zoom isn't much an advantage (only ~50% greater magnification) over the 27x. By going with the 27x you get a wider field at the most useful magnification for birding, better eye-relief, and you don't have to fiddle with the eyepiece zoom ring.

--AP
 
Thanks Alexis! I was reading back farther into the threads for more info on EP's and scopes - read many of yours as a matter of fact. The 50ED sounds good, but I was considering the 60mm ED as well - although your posts touting the non-ED 60mm made it sound like a possibility as well. For digiscoping it sounds like a bigger & better scope is the way to go. I am most concerned about a great view. If I were to go with the 60mm Ed (CameralandNY has an angled one at a good price) - which EP's would you choose for that? Again referring to the EP's on sale.

Thanks again for your advice in advance!
 
My advise is to get the MCII 13-40x zoom first. At $85 shipped from Adorama it is a no-brainer. Optically, the MCII zoom is very good BUT eyerelief is short and the zoom ring grip is too small. You really won't know if you'll like it unless you can try under your usage patterns. Having used the 20x MC wide and all three DS focal lengths, I didn't think I would but found the extra mag at 40x is really useful and the soda-straw view at 13x is not where I spend most of my time anyway. Plus not having to deal with Nikon's lame screw-in method of changing eyepieces is liberating.

That said, the 20x MC wide was really sweet in the ED50. Maybe even more so than the 27x view I had with the DS eyepiece. Had to sell it though to make another deal happen.

Anyway, if you could find the 27x MC under $100 then get it too. And let ME know where!!!

cheers,
Rick
 
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lulubelle said:
If you were to buy 3 EP's (of the ones on sale at CameralandNY or Adorama), what combination would any of you purchase? It seems that the 27x, the 14x, the 13-40 MCII & the 16/24/30 DS are the most mentioned.
Click to expand...

I have the MC27xw and the DS16xw and think both are great on the ED50. I had the MC20xw and it also was excellent but not enough different to warrant (for me) having it as well. I don't know what the 14x you refer to is and, though the 13-40 zoom is better than the old one, I don't much like zooms generally and Nikon's particularly.

Alexis Powell said:
I'd recommend the 27x for most birding and some digiscoping if the objective on your camera is small enough. A 16x DS would be easier to use for digiscoping, but if you get that serious about digiscoping you might wonder why you're using the 50ED in the first place--better to save your money for a bigger scope.
Click to expand...

Yup, the MC27xw is the best for general birding I think. The DS16x does allow for easy digiscoping and also offers a great view, if 16x is getting the job done for you. There are some major trade-offs going for the big gun scope for digiscoping I think.

lulubelle said:
The 50ED sounds good, but I was considering the 60mm ED as well - although your posts touting the non-ED 60mm made it sound like a possibility as well. For digiscoping it sounds like a bigger & better scope is the way to go.
Click to expand...

First, a 60mm scope doesn't gain you much in aperture relative to the size and weight penalty over the ED50. As others have pointed out, the ED50 / ED82 Fieldscope combo make a lot of sense. The 60mm scope is neither fish, nor fowl. The ED50 also has the small wheel focuser which I think is much better that the helical focus of the 60.

A lot gets made of using big scopes for digiscoping and the large aperture is needed for the higher magnifications used with them. This large magnification also exacerbates many of the problems associated with digiscoping, vibration being first and foremost. Massive tripods, shallower depth of the field, and narrow fields of view also make the task tougher.
The DS16xw works pretty darn well on the ED50 and is very friendly in use.
You'll have to be closer with the ED50 and DS16, but vibration and other issues won't be nearly as much of a problem.

My two bits...
Kevin
 
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Alexis, RJM & Kevin - thanks for your input! I know I want a Nikon scope and considering the opportunity to get the EP's for a good price, I want to make the best of it!

Kevin - I think the 14x is a Pentax EP - I have been reading through many threads and may have mixed the EP's up a bit! Thanks for the bits about vibration,etc. - I was not aware of these issues and certainly want to take them into consideration.

Have a great night guys and thanks again!
 
Hehehe just came back from birding for waders and shorebirds today and my zoom eyepiece is sharp from 25x up to 75x hahaha excellent !

But the only thing is the FOV really small because I've been using DS30x eyepiece from the beginning. What I like now, the 75x is nice to have :king:
 
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