Fieldscope 85-A -- Stay-on case? (1 Viewer)

[MountainCorvid70]

Greetings,

Is anyone aware of a third party stay-on case for the 85-A Fieldscope VR (Vibration Reduction)? It appears that Nikon never offered one, and a cursory search online for third party offerings yielded nothing. As many of you are likely aware, there isn't what I would describe as a wealth of owner/user reviews for the VR spotting scopes given in large part to the apparent fact that Nikon did not sell many units (compared to the more traditional European offerings).

In fact, if anyone can offer their thoughts on the scope itself it would be appreciated, as I have opportunity to purchase one from a private seller, but the dearth of information about Nikon's VR Fieldscopes admittedly has me a bit nervous about "taking the plunge."

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tringa45]

The idea of vibration reduction or image stabilization never caught on for scopes because they need a tripod anyway. The Nikon is very heavy (2400 g without eyepiece and batteries) so for the same overall weight you would be better off with a conventional scope and a heavier and more stable tripod.
Additionally, vibration reduction is likely to have a negative effect on robustness, and service backup for such an old and complex scope is questionable.
Btw, I have never used a SOC on any of the three scopes I have owned and only one of them was rubber armoured. By all means use a padded case to transport the scope, but in the field SOCs are, IMO, just a PITA.

John

 

[milvusmilvus]

Hi,

I have a straight EDG 85, not VR. Regarding stay-on case, I have the original Nikon one and I'm very satisfied with it. Nevertheless, I don't see any possibility to use it on a VR scope, given the extra space needed by the battery compartment. It has a little room to spare, but for the pictures I've seen of VR version it won't fit. Additionally, there is no window to manipulate VR controls. And for third party SOC, I'm sorry but I'm not aware of any.

Talking about scope performance, I'm quite happy with it. It is top notch. Definition is great, as are colors. Fixed eyepieces are great. I have a 20x and a 38x. Both are quite wide and confortable. At their price point I think their body should be built completely out of aluminium, but the outer part is plastic. View with 20x is second to none. Confortable, crisp, wide, brilliant (well, it should be, as 20 is not much for a 85mm scope). 38x is just the same but dimmer, of course.

Zoom eyepiece (20x to 60x) is also quite good regarding image quality, but considerably narrower at lower mags compared to Swarovski ATX115 I also have. I don't use spectacles when birdwatching, so I'm not sure about it, but my impression, given the limited travel of the eyecup, is that eye relief could be a little sort.

Focus wheel is a little harder to move than the silky smooth on the Swarovski, but it is just a getting used to and it becomes second nature. You can nail the focus with it at high mags, sort depth of field, but as I said, you need to train a little.

All in all, a wonderful scope that I can't understand why sold so poorly. Maybe it was quite expensive at the time compared to the big three portfolio, maybe because it is bulky and weights more. But if you are looking for very good image quality and the price is right, I think it is a good bet.

Best regards,

Antonio.

 

[MountainCorvid70]

The idea of vibration reduction or image stabilization never caught on for scopes because they need a tripod anyway. The Nikon is very heavy (2400 g without eyepiece and batteries) so for the same overall weight you would be better off with a conventional scope and a heavier and more stable tripod.
Additionally, vibration reduction is likely to have a negative effect on robustness, and service backup for such an old and complex scope is questionable.
Btw, I have never used a SOC on any of the three scopes I have owned and only one of them was rubber armoured. By all means use a padded case to transport the scope, but in the field SOCs are, IMO, just a PITA.

John

Thank you. I have concerns about serviceability given that the EDG-85VR is comparatively old (I believe it was introduced in 2011, but more importantly, no longer in production. I contacted Nikon about this concern, and although Nikon was very quick to respond and quite helpful, the staffer with whom I had spoken had to get back to me because answers regarding serviceability weren't readily available. He was kind enough to reach out to Nikon Service, indicating that if the unit needed servicing, there's no guarantee it could be completed given availability (or lack thereof) of parts. That being said, I was told if it could not be repaired, Nikon would provide a voucher for another Nikon scope or products equal to Nikon's current MSRP for the EDG VR (~$4K, with less over time given depreciation).