HD65 & 2.5x Booster (1 Viewer)

[OSOK]

Hi All , I don't know if this has been covered but since swaping my GA52 for a nice HD65 and getting a 20x for it i decided to get the 40949 adapter which will allow the Opticron 2.5x Booster to fit on the Swarovski eyepiece ( with the aid of the felt sticky tape to pack out the very small difference ) To my amazement the optical quality is very good at 50x . I haven't got the 25-50x zoom to compare but as i need the FOV of the 20x and to have an option of a 50x it seems a useful bit of kit that takes no room and is cheap .

ps. Thank you to Cley Spy for the scope and all their help .

 

[looksharp65]

Hi All , I don't know if this has been covered but since swaping my GA52 for a nice HD65 and getting a 20x for it i decided to get the 40949 adapter which will allow the Opticron 2.5x Booster to fit on the Swarovski eyepiece ( with the aid of the felt sticky tape to pack out the very small difference ) To my amazement the optical quality is very good at 50x . I haven't got the 25-50x zoom to compare but as i need the FOV of the 20x and to have an option of a 50x it seems a useful bit of kit that takes no room and is cheap .

ps. Thank you to Cley Spy for the scope and all their help .

I do the same with a Bushnell Elite Doubler 2.5x and my Fieldscope ED82A with 30x Wide DS. Unscrewing the eyepiece, swap for the zoom, unscrew it and swap back to the 30x again is not my dream pastime.
2.5x is a substantial magnification difference and it is perfect for that quick glance.
It is good even with the Wide DS 50x, but at 125x some diffraction effects appear, not to mention the fairly dim view.
The flat upper surface of the DS eyepieces is very good for the handheld doubler to rest upon.

//L

 

[OSOK]

The beauty of the opticron is that there is nothing to unscrew just a snug push on fit over the existing eyepiece . I never like taking the eyepiece off when outdoors no matter how careful i'm being .

 

[looksharp65]

The beauty of the opticron is that there is nothing to unscrew just a snug push on fit over the existing eyepiece . I never like taking the eyepiece off when outdoors no matter how careful i'm being .

What I meant is that the Fieldscopes' eyepieces are screw mounted to the body. By using the doubler I can enjoy the benefits of the 30 x fixed EP and still get a decent 75x view without changing the eyepiece.

The doubler cannot be attached to the large-diameter Nikon eyepiece.

//L

 

[punta]

Hi All , I don't know if this has been covered but since swaping my GA52 for a nice HD65 and getting a 20x for it i decided to get the 40949 adapter which will allow the Opticron 2.5x Booster to fit on the Swarovski eyepiece ( with the aid of the felt sticky tape to pack out the very small difference ) To my amazement the optical quality is very good at 50x . I haven't got the 25-50x zoom to compare but as i need the FOV of the 20x and to have an option of a 50x it seems a useful bit of kit that takes no room and is cheap .

ps. Thank you to Cley Spy for the scope and all their help .

I really like the sound of this :t: I have the same scope but with a 30x EP. Would it work for my eye piece ?

If so, do you have a couple of links to buy the adapter and 2.5X booster please.

cheers Paul

 

[OSOK]

Paul , I'm not sure of the diameter of the 30x compared to the 20x but the 40949 is the largest adapter they do and i feel it will still need some sticky backed felt on the inside of the adapter ring to pack it out to your 30x . Call Opticron direct as i don't think anyone will stock the adapter . It should be £17 plus the 2.5x booster which there was one for sale on here for £60 ish . ( £100 ish from Opticron )

Greg

 

[punta]

Cheers Greg will have a hunt for a used one, they are £119 new + £17 for the adapter.

Paul

 

[OSOK]

Paul , Your welcome to try mine before splashing out if you like , I'm near Uttoxeter in Staffs ?

 

[punta]

That seems a very good idea - where do you bird Greg. I can pop along when you are out and about then :t:

Found it for £89 now - now that is a good deal I reckon

 

[kabsetz]

Lars,

I had Nikon Fieldscopes (ED 78 A and then ED 82 A) for a total of almost 15 years, and did not consider the threaded mounting of the eyepieces particularly slow or difficult. It was only marginally slower to use than a bayonet, once you develop the right routine. Taking an eyepiece off is of course easy, and only takes a few seconds more than with a bayonet. But when you put the other one in, the trick is to first twist it counterclockwise while holding it loosely, as when removing it, until you feel it "fall in" a fraction of a millimeter. That is when the thread engages, and you can now start turning it clockwise to mount it, which will not take more than five seconds. If you want to make it quicker still, you can index the eyepiece mounting collar on the scope body with a thin marking line, and make corresponding markings on the eyepieces at the point where they will just start engaging with the threads. I never did this because I could change the eyepieces quickly enough without, but it would be easy to do. If you wish to spare the scope, you can use tape for markings.

With just a bit of practice, I felt that this was so easy and quick to do that I really did not think that a bayonet was an important advance in design. But obviously a threaded mount can be destroyed by careless handling more easily than a bayonet.

Kimmo

 

[looksharp65]

Well, I didn't intend to hijack the thread. Anyhow, the thread mount is the only thing I dislike about the Fieldscopes and I find myself somewhat reluctant to change the magnification since it's a pretty awkward operation compared to using a zoom, although I practice that anticlockwise turn before engaging the eyepiece.
Sort of silly that the only scope that really doesn't need a quick-release of the eyepiece, really doesn't ever need an eyepiece swap.
(I'm talking about the Meostar S2).

I shot this pic with a Lumix P&S (it's called TZ40 in Europe) and the 50x Wide DS on the ED82A. It's cropped, original pic is in the second link.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ve19stdu7mwlfde/1010197%20-%20Kopia.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q1ugis2e5fplwbp/1010197.jpg

//L

 

[curvecrazy]

I do the same with a Bushnell Elite Doubler 2.5x and my Fieldscope ED82A with 30x Wide DS. Unscrewing the eyepiece, swap for the zoom, unscrew it and swap back to the 30x again is not my dream pastime.
2.5x is a substantial magnification difference and it is perfect for that quick glance.
It is good even with the Wide DS 50x, but at 125x some diffraction effects appear, not to mention the fairly dim view.
The flat upper surface of the DS eyepieces is very good for the handheld doubler to rest upon.

//L

looksharp:

thanks for your previous review and mention of the Bushnell 2.5X booster for use with spotting scopes. I saw the post where you had the 82ED pictured with the doubler tethered to the eyepiece at a birdwatch site. And I thought myself, I gotta get one of those based on your assertions of how good it was for a quickie. LOL I did purchase one based on your positive review, apparently the last one available online, from Focus Camera via Amazon and what a treat. Contrary to your own findings, for me it works on every one of my binoculars and both of my spotting scopes too. Using my 24DS eyepiece it settles nicely in the indented recess at the center and provides me with a quick 60X zoom in. On the 20X45 zoom fold down zoom and my other old style fold down 30X eyepieces it slips right over snug and nice. Same with most nicon binocular fold down eyepieces. Very clear and like you, I am able to use a fixed widefield lens for general scanning and in a moment apply the booster for an up close as the need presents. I really was surprised how well it works[blown away actually WOW] and frankly it more than doubled my expectations. I'm not even kidding!!! Not cheap at $76 for an add on but a keeper without a single hesitation/doubt. Big thanks for turning me on to this little wonder. Just what I needed for difficult distant ID's. Can't believe these apparently did not sell and were ultimately discontinued by Bushnell. Geeze... makes one wonder??? This is so useful I consider it a must have for birders with low powered binoculars for those frustrating times when the 8X just won't do it and you're just shy of figuring what that bird is damn it. Put the doubler on, re-adjust the focus slightly and there it is 2.5X bigger, totally clear if not clear enough and slightly darker but heh???? I love it. Awesome.

 

[OSOK]

Paul , I'm not a real birder even if i enjoy photographing them but i use bino's & spotting scopes for different types of shooting from stalking to 1,000 yard F Class but your welcome to call in if you PM me .

Greg .

 

[punta]

Will do Greg. I am off to Spain next week so will be in touch when i get back if that's OK.

Thanks Paul

 

[looksharp65]

looksharp:

thanks for your previous review and mention of the Bushnell 2.5X booster for use with spotting scopes. I saw the post where you had the 82ED pictured with the doubler tethered to the eyepiece at a birdwatch site. And I thought myself, I gotta get one of those based on your assertions of how good it was for a quickie. LOL I did purchase one based on your positive review, apparently the last one available online, from Focus Camera via Amazon and what a treat. Contrary to your own findings, for me it works on every one of my binoculars and both of my spotting scopes too. Using my 24DS eyepiece it settles nicely in the indented recess at the center and provides me with a quick 60X zoom in. On the 20X45 zoom fold down zoom and my other old style fold down 30X eyepieces it slips right over snug and nice. Same with most nicon binocular fold down eyepieces. Very clear and like you, I am able to use a fixed widefield lens for general scanning and in a moment apply the booster for an up close as the need presents. I really was surprised how well it works[blown away actually WOW] and frankly it more than doubled my expectations. I'm not even kidding!!! Not cheap at $76 for an add on but a keeper without a single hesitation/doubt. Big thanks for turning me on to this little wonder. Just what I needed for difficult distant ID's. Can't believe these apparently did not sell and were ultimately discontinued by Bushnell. Geeze... makes one wonder??? This is so useful I consider it a must have for birders with low powered binoculars for those frustrating times when the 8X just won't do it and you're just shy of figuring what that bird is damn it. Put the doubler on, re-adjust the focus slightly and there it is 2.5X bigger, totally clear if not clear enough and slightly darker but heh???? I love it. Awesome.

Thanks curvecrazy. You're welcome! :t:

//L

 

[curvecrazy]

Thanks curvecrazy. You're welcome! :t:

//L

I'm not stalking you but you were so right on about the Bushnell Doubler I perused your posts for other pertinent "good stuffs" and came the conclusion you really like the Vortex Fury 6.5X's. Curious I was as to that and set off searching "Fury"ously. Unfortunately, the Fury is apparently discontinued and sold out everywhere too so my only hope of getting my hands on one would be ebay. And with ebay I just had a pretty bad experience leading me to strongly consider no longer buying anything on "ebay" in the future fwiw. So I guess that one is out for me. :-C But then again, I really do have more than enough binoculars at this time so possibly the situation saving me from myself. LOL

 

[OSOK]

No problem Paul , have a good trip and catch up when you get back .

Greg