mmmmm which eye peice next?? (1 Viewer)

[mark f]

As most will know i have had the ed82a 25-75x zoom and 30xds for about a month now, and have enjoyed using it.

Looking ahead i was wondering what would be a good addition to the eye pieces.

Obviously never having a scope before, sea watching is a new experience for me and i enjoyed at north norfolk (with the help of helpful birders), viewing many birds i have never seen before. Infact 9 new birds for me!


The 30xds is brilliant for clarity and fov, And the zoom is used a lot but the lack of fov is a bit frustrating at higher mags.

What i was wondering is, is the 50xds a great improvement on the zoom at 50x?? Would it improve greatly the fov at that magnification and is it clearer and brighter??

If it was i reckon it could make a great sea watching eye piece. What do you think and what do you use??

Regards. Mark.

(p.s. i went on the american site adorama because i knew they were cheap, and they are not listing the 30xds or the 50xds, are the edg gismos fading out the ed82 ones??, hope not!. Best buy soon!!)

 

[Alexis Powell]

I like the 50x a lot. It is not clearer or brighter than the zoom, but the field of view and eye-relief are much better. In practice, I don't use it much (as a 50x anyway, it now lives as a 27x on my ED50), but when I did more long-distance mudflat scanning for shorebirds than I have opportunity for where I live nowadays, it was a favorite.

--AP

 

[Kevin Conville]

I agree with Alexis. The 50x DS or MC wide is great but for spotting at distances (especially) it doesn't have much of an advantage over the MCII zoom unless you need the extra eye relief. I say "distances" because FOV (to me anyway) means less the farther away the subject. Or, so it seems.

Funny, after reading this earlier, I put on the 50x DS on my 82 and was in the back yard looking around. I shot this Hummingbird at about 20'. Flawed by the shadow certainly, one can use 50x as a digiscoping EP if needed.

 

[Perry Grin]

I have the same ep's plus the 30xMC (no benefit over the DS). I've not yet felt the need to add any lens as I think these two cover it.

However, if the 50DS or MC become available again on the cheap I will add one, in case I go down the ED50 route in the future.....

Perry

 

[mark f]

mmmm. I think ideally Nikon need to sort out a zoom with a better field of view!

Just thought that when sea watching fov is a great benifit. So really that is the benifit of the 50xds over the zoom at 50x. Is the fov a lot better? Like £215 better!!

Regards Mark.

 

[Kevin Conville]

However, if the 50DS or MC become available again on the cheap I will add one, in case I go down the ED50 route in the future.....

Perry

I went about it the other way around. I had the 27MC wide and then the 27x DS for use with my ED50. Then I bought an ED82.

mmmm. I think ideally Nikon need to sort out a zoom with a better field of view!

Just thought that when sea watching fov is a great benifit. So really that is the benifit of the 50xds over the zoom at 50x. Is the fov a lot better? Like £215 better!!

Regards Mark.

Nikon isn't going to come out with any more EPs for Fieldscopes. They're on their way out. The EDG zoom is bound to be better at a dramatic cost increase in both money and weight, inc scope of course.

As to whether the 50x DS is worth the money to you, well... it's your money. My take was (and is) to collect all the Fieldscope EPs I wanted when I had just the ED50 in anticipation of getting an ED82 to complete the system. I snatched up three 16/24/30 DS, an MC 20/30/38 wide, an MC 27/40/50 wide, a 27/40/50 DS, an MCII zoom, and a 40/60/75 DS all at bargain prices when they were available. I have subsequently bought an ED82 and now have what I think is THE best spotting scope system available. All at a cost far less than an 80 Swaro or 88 Kowa with the zoom only.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

I agree with Alexis. The 50x DS or MC wide is great but for spotting at distances (especially) it doesn't have much of an advantage over the MCII zoom unless you need the extra eye relief. I say "distances" because FOV (to me anyway) means less the farther away the subject. Or, so it seems.

Funny, after reading this earlier, I put on the 50x DS on my 82 and was in the back yard looking around. I shot this Hummingbird at about 20'. Flawed by the shadow certainly, one can use 50x as a digiscoping EP if needed.

What a lovely shot of this beauty Kevin :king:

 

[Kevin Conville]

Thanks Horu. Nice of you to say.

 

[mark f]

so when do you think these ep,s will be discontinued?? Nikon are obviously still making them at the moment.

I think they will be shooting themselves in the feet if they dont continue making them. I really cant see the EDG selling as well. I think if they only have that top end scope they will lose out to swaro etc.

regards. Mark.

 

[theconstantwalker]

Mark I don't think they are still making them. I think what's for sale is the last of the stock dealers have.

 

[Sancho]

Mark, I had the full Nikon "suite", of ED82A and ED50, with 30xMC, 30xDS, 38xMC, 50xMC and MCII zoom. I tried them all seawatching, and the only one I was happy with was the 30xDS (the 30xMC being almost as good, but I liked the wider ocular on the DS). The zoom got used less and less over the years on account of the narrowness of FOV, and in a fit of pique this year at Nikon´s discontinuing of the line, and failure to bring out a wider-FOV zoom, I sold most of the kit and bought a Zeiss Diascope, with which I use a Baader zoom. If I were you (and obviously I´m not), I´d reckon you´ve got the best combo available in the ED82A, the 30xDS and the MCII zoom as back-up, and you only "need" another ep - the 50x/27x - if you get an ED50.

 

[mark f]

yes, and i think i will be getting an ed50 at some point. For travelling. I think i need to get my skates on and get that eye piece then....