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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jonathan B." data-source="post: 1271987" data-attributes="member: 4633">Today I received a communication from Nikon Sport Optics that was quite disheartening. The individuals who had contacted Nikon in Japan told me that there was "nothing more they could do." They simply gave me the mailing address for Nikon Sport Optics in Melville, NY. It actually sounds as though Nikon will not re-supply eyecups for the SE.I would add the following:1. I would not send my SEs to Nikon and suggest, when Nikon failed to be able to replace the eyecups, that I take the "next best product" in their lineup, which were identified as the LX and the EDG. This is because the LX is inferior to the SE (it is not as sharp; it has the worst CA in any high-end bin; and it has a focus mechanism that is so fast that it is almost unusable), and in a couple of years the EDG will be yet another product that Nikon won't support. I agree with John Traynor in my opinion of the SE. It is optically the finest 32mm binocular ever produced.2. I personally would not treat rubber eyecups with ArmorAll. I noted in a thread a few years ago that I had contacted the Armor All/STP company and asked them to comment on the use of their product on binocular eyecups. They did not say that it was harmful, but they said it was not intended to be used on any material that would come in contact with the face, and they said that it should not be used for that purpose.3. If you need eyecups for your SE and you live in the UK, order them from Nikon UK immediately. It may be the only division of Nikon that has any.4. If you need eyecups and absolutely cannot find them, there are a few options available. Some repair shops that I contacted have substantial supplies of rubber eyecups that were originally made for other binoculars. I was told that some eyecups could be retrofitted to work on an SE.Another option would be to have a company that does custom rubber casting make eyecups to match the originals. I'm sure that nobody on this forum would want to get into that business, but perhaps a company such as Surplus Shed (Fleetwood, PA) would take the project on.5. I did not mention it before, but I located and purchased what I believe were the last spare SE eyecups in North America. I contacted nearly 100 retailers and repair shops worldwide. (Isn't the Internet wonderful?) The pair I bought cost me $40, including shipping, but the shop I bought them from knew that they had rubber gold. On top of that I spent at least $25 on phone calls to Canada and the UK. Expensive yes, but good insurance, as my original eyecups are misshapen and won't last for the life of the bins.6. If you do have to work with an independent repair shop to have eyecups retrofitted, let me recommend two shops in the USA that went out of their way to help me.Art Snider at Florida Camera Repair sent me several e-mails with suggestions for places to try for eyecups. Although none of them panned out, I am grateful to him for his efforts. He is sympathetic to the problem and may be able to help.Land, Sea, and Sky in Houston, which is the American importer of Takahashi telescopes, were also very helpful. They assured me that they could retrofit eyecups that would function on an SE. The gentleman who helped me was named Ken or Len (my apologies to him that I can't remember).Tony Kay is owner of both Kay Optical and OptRep in the UK. Although he was initially sympathetic and helpful, he ultimately would not answer me when I asked if I could order SE eyecups from him. He did tell me that he had acquired some from Nikon UK for his own shop. He has reconstructed many old military binoculars, including eyecups that needed to be replaced. I suspect that he or another repairman in the UK could retrofit eyecups or perhaps take on a custom casting project.Good luck to all you fellow SE owners. Unless Nikon remanufactures eyecups for the SE, I for one will definitely not buy any more of their products.</blockquote>

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