Heresy - world beyond the ED82? (1 Viewer)

[b-lilja]

Hi all,

I honestly asked this question a bit differently on the main spotting scope thread - I haven't looked through many (any?) high end scopes other than my ED82, which I love. I want to give it to my friend, and intended simply to replace it. Of course, now I'm wondering if I should look around at other options. No harm in that, other than the usual swirl of time and attention. Any reactions/thoughts? It's a bit of an unfair question price wise, but considering that I have come to the conclusion that the 8x32SE is the world's best all round 8x32 (in dry weather), and they can be had for 1/4 the price of the high end (or less), maybe not.

 

[Ries]

I've been looking into this as well, just because the ER and fov on the Nikon zoom are so tight and the lugging around of different ep's is a bit of a pain. But with all my investigation I've come to the conclusion that the only substantial upgrade will be a Kowa 883, Meopta s2, or a Swaro ATX 85/95 and then still just because the er/fov of the eyepiece (and maybe guarantee service), not because of the optical quality. That's just topnotch in the ED82. New Monarch ed82 might be considered too, but the optical quality is same as on the fieldscope, and er/fov of the zoom is not as big a step upwards as on the three mentioned highend scopes and their zoom ep's... Haven't looked through them yet, just e-surveying

 

[Hermann]

I've got an ED50, an EDIII, an EDIIIA and an ED82 plus a pretty good selection of eyepieces. No complaints about the optics, the only weakness is IMO the narrow zoom eyepiece. The WA eyepieces are very good indeed, and being able to switch between different eyepieces in different situations can be very useful. Another important point is that all the Fieldscopes, at least the 60 mm scopes and the ED82, don't seem to suffer all from the variablity that plagues many of the other manufacturers. In fact, I've rarely seen any lemons among the Fieldscopes.

I don't think I'll switch scopes in the foreseeable future, unless one of the big players starts offering a small and light scope that is compatible with the eyepieces of their larger scopes AND clearly better than the ED50.

 

[b-lilja]

OK, this is really helpful feedback. We tend to use the WA DS eyepiece, mainly because it is the best. I will note the latest zoom that comes with the ED50 is quite good, but maybe I just don't know what I'm missing.

I know you specified the 60 and 82 re not having lemons - one thing I will note is that there definitely ARE ED50 lemons...though the one I have now is superb.

 

[Hermann]

I know you specified the 60 and 82 re not having lemons - one thing I will note is that there definitely ARE ED50 lemons...though the one I have now is superb.

That's why I only specified the 60mm and the 82mm as not having lemons ... The ED50 is not made in Japan AFAIK, and that shows. Luckily the lemons are usually SO bad that they're easily identified.

Hermann

 

[b-lilja]

Yeah the ED50 is MIC.

 

[Sancho]

Meopta S2 82HD w/ 30-60. Then don't look back. I've had ED82A, lovely, but the Meopta is at least as good, and the ep is wide and edge-sharp.

 

[Ries]

Meopta S2 82HD w/ 30-60. Then don't look back. I've had ED82A, lovely, but the Meopta is at least as good, and the ep is wide and edge-sharp.

Hey Sancho, how do the focus rings compare in terms of resistance and easy to find sharpness? Doesn't the Meopta s2 strike as quite a bit longer after the Nikon?

 

[Sancho]

To be honest, Ries, I'm not sure, it's a few years since I had the ED82A. The focus ring on the Meopta is smooth, I've never noticed anything in it to distract me. It may be a little longer, but it's a more 'streamlined' shape, fully rubber-armoured, very like a Swaro ATS80HD. The Nikon is mostly bare metal and a 'clunkier' build (not that this is important). I loved the Nikon scope but not the narrowness of the MCII zoom.

 

[mTown]

That's why I only specified the 60mm and the 82mm as not having lemons ... The ED50 is not made in Japan AFAIK, and that shows. Luckily the lemons are usually SO bad that they're easily identified.

Hermann

And how does the "easy test" look like? I do not want to hear something about "star test" etc.

 

[Hermann]

And how does the "easy test" look like? I do not want to hear something about "star test" etc.

Take a scope of known quality for comparison, ideally one with a similar objective diameter, say an EDIII if you want to check an ED50. Use both scopes at the same magnification on a clear and bright day. At the highest magnification of the ED50 the image should be (almost) as sharp, clear and contrasty as the image of the EDIIIA. If it isn't ... well, it may be a lemon. Another check is to zoom up from minimum to maximum magnification. The image should become somewhat darker without becoming "mushy".

Hermann

 

[Steve Babbs]

Nikon Monarch 82ED with a 30 - 60X WA would be worth considering.

 

[eitanaltman]

Nikon Monarch 82ED with a 30 - 60X WA would be worth considering.

It’s super annoying that they sell this separately and force you to buy the regular zoom as well vs offering this zoom as a kit. The regular zoom is essentially valueless on the used market since it comes with the scope so it’s just dead cost / wasted space. Once you tack on the 30-60x zoom EP the Nikon is over $2K which makes it less of a steal.

A wide angle zoom EP is my top requirement in a scope which is why I ended up jumping on the Kowa 883 when it was on flash sale at B&H. I cannot stand narrow FOV zooms and I hate carrying and changing eyepieces. Modern wide field zooms like the Kowa 25-60x are no longer a meaningful compromise optically vs fixed EPs (or at least not enough to outweigh the huge convenience and flexibility advantage of the zoom).

If the ED82 was available as a kit with the 30-60x I would have almost certainly bought it and saved a bit of money. CameralandNY also had a Meopta S2 open box for under $2K that I stared at many times but could never pull the trigger because it came w the standard zoom and not the wide zoom.

 

[Steve Babbs]

It’s super annoying that they sell this separately and force you to buy the regular zoom as well vs offering this zoom as a kit. The regular zoom is essentially valueless on the used market since it comes with the scope so it’s just dead cost / wasted space. Once you tack on the 30-60x zoom EP the Nikon is over $2K which makes it less of a steal.

A wide angle zoom EP is my top requirement in a scope which is why I ended up jumping on the Kowa 883 when it was on flash sale at B&H. I cannot stand narrow FOV zooms and I hate carrying and changing eyepieces. Modern wide field zooms like the Kowa 25-60x are no longer a meaningful compromise optically vs fixed EPs (or at least not enough to outweigh the huge convenience and flexibility advantage of the zoom).

If the ED82 was available as a kit with the 30-60x I would have almost certainly bought it and saved a bit of money. CameralandNY also had a Meopta S2 open box for under $2K that I stared at many times but could never pull the trigger because it came w the standard zoom and not the wide zoom.

I'm not sure why that is the case in the US as it's not the case in Europe. It is quite hard to get here. I ordered the body from somewhere in France - I think - and the 30 - 60X eyepiece from the UK. I think only on place in the UK sold the body and that was more expensive.

 

[mtn]

It’s super annoying that they sell this separately and force you to buy the regular zoom as well vs offering this zoom as a kit. The regular zoom is essentially valueless on the used market since it comes with the scope so it’s just dead cost / wasted space. Once you tack on the 30-60x zoom EP the Nikon is over $2K which makes it less of a steal.

A wide angle zoom EP is my top requirement in a scope which is why I ended up jumping on the Kowa 883 when it was on flash sale at B&H. I cannot stand narrow FOV zooms and I hate carrying and changing eyepieces. Modern wide field zooms like the Kowa 25-60x are no longer a meaningful compromise optically vs fixed EPs (or at least not enough to outweigh the huge convenience and flexibility advantage of the zoom).

If the ED82 was available as a kit with the 30-60x I would have almost certainly bought it and saved a bit of money. CameralandNY also had a Meopta S2 open box for under $2K that I stared at many times but could never pull the trigger because it came w the standard zoom and not the wide zoom.

FWIW, the standard zoom on the Meopta S2 feels like a wide angle lens. I have not compared it to the 30-60 yet but plan to ASAP. I have compared it to the Swaro ATS/STS 20-60 and 25-50WA eyepieces and it feels much more like the WA, not at all like a tunnel (which is how the Swaro 20-60 and my Nikon Fieldscope EDIIIA 20-60 zoom feel to me).

 

[Mike_K]

It’s super annoying that they sell this separately and force you to buy the regular zoom as well vs offering this zoom as a kit. The regular zoom is essentially valueless on the used market since it comes with the scope so it’s just dead cost / wasted space. Once you tack on the 30-60x zoom EP the Nikon is over $2K which makes it less of a steal.

A wide angle zoom EP is my top requirement in a scope which is why I ended up jumping on the Kowa 883 when it was on flash sale at B&H. I cannot stand narrow FOV zooms and I hate carrying and changing eyepieces. Modern wide field zooms like the Kowa 25-60x are no longer a meaningful compromise optically vs fixed EPs (or at least not enough to outweigh the huge convenience and flexibility advantage of the zoom).

If the ED82 was available as a kit with the 30-60x I would have almost certainly bought it and saved a bit of money. CameralandNY also had a Meopta S2 open box for under $2K that I stared at many times but could never pull the trigger because it came w the standard zoom and not the wide zoom.

Interestingly, I was just in contact with Nikon Canada about getting a replacement rubber eyecup for my 38x WA eyepiece (lost in the field) and the topic of purchasing the 30-60 WA came up. To my surprise, the service rep offered me a trade in value for my regular zoom lens towards the purchase of the 30-60x WA. The upgrade still cost me $400, but I think it will be worth it. I should receive it in the next few days and looking forward to putting it through the paces - I'm expecting good things! Might be worth investigating this option in your area.

 

[Mac the knife]

I'm not sure why that is the case in the US as it's not the case in Europe. It is quite hard to get here. I ordered the body from somewhere in France - I think - and the 30 - 60X eyepiece from the UK. I think only on place in the UK sold the body and that was more expensive.

I'm not sure why that is the case in the US as it's not the case in Europe. It is quite hard to get here. I ordered the body from somewhere in France - I think - and the 30 - 60X eyepiece from the UK. I think only on place in the UK sold the body and that was more expensive.

How does the 30x 60 zoom perform in the field

 

[Steve Babbs]

How does the 30x 60 zoom perform in the field

I am pleased with it. Recent times have meant that it doesn't seem right if I can ask friends to spend ages comparing with the other 'premium' brands of this size so I can't really give a direct comparison.

 

[Mac the knife]

Interestingly, I was just in contact with Nikon Canada about getting a replacement rubber eyecup for my 38x WA eyepiece (lost in the field) and the topic of purchasing the 30-60 WA came up. To my surprise, the service rep offered me a trade in value for my regular zoom lens towards the purchase of the 30-60x WA. The upgrade still cost me $400, but I think it will be worth it. I should receive it in the next few days and looking forward to putting it through the paces - I'm expecting good things! Might be worth investigating this option in your area.

What is Your opinion re the performance of the 38x wide angle and the 30x60 zoom