Vortex Viper 65 HD vs Nikon Fieldscope III 60 non-ED? (1 Viewer)

[Lawlu]

Vortex Viper 65 HD vs Nikon Fieldscope III 60 non-ED?

Anyone put these two up together and viewed them thoughout the zoom range?
I current have the Nikon with 20-60x zoom and looking at the swapping for the Vortex HD because I can almost do a straight swap. Is the HD glass and the Vortex warranty worth it? I live in Canada and Nikon does not provide the $10 no fault warranty.

 

[Lawlu]

Anyone?

How about the ED50 vs the non-ED fieldscope III 60mm?

 

[stereotruckdriver]

Anyone?

How about the ED50 vs the non-ED fieldscope III 60mm?

Sent you a PM.

 

[Matt_RTH]

Vortex Viper 65 HD vs Nikon Fieldscope III 60 non-ED?

Anyone put these two up together and viewed them thoughout the zoom range?
I current have the Nikon with 20-60x zoom and looking at the swapping for the Vortex HD because I can almost do a straight swap. Is the HD glass and the Vortex warranty worth it? I live in Canada and Nikon does not provide the $10 no fault warranty.

I have not used the Vortex but I will say I have used several mid-grade, Japanese scopes and always prefer a quality ED model over a non-ED model mainly because of color fringe.

The primary question is what you want to improve over the Fieldscope? The Nikon is every bit as good as the non-ED Swaro and Leica models equivalents. Do you notice color fringing or is it a bother to you? Do you need more eye relief?

My suspicion is that if you go with a Vortex over the Nikon, the results will be:
* Nominally same resolution - none will be appreciably sharper in actual use.
* Less color fringing - which in the Nikon is only slight due to excellent quality; I'd try to find a demo of the Vortex first to see if it's worth it to you.
* Arguably lower resale value over time if that's important to you.

Other than that, if the eyepiece selection fits your needs, it's probably worth doing.

 

[Alexis Powell]

Anyone?
How about the ED50 vs the non-ED fieldscope III 60mm?

I've compared these side by side a few times. In bright light and moderate magnifications (~25x) I like the ED50 view better overall, especially for birds against the sky. But for a knockabout scope, I wouldn't give up the FSIII. It is _much_ more durable, better in low light, and supports somewhat higher magnifications.

The real question is what you are trying to gain or improve (and what are you willing to give up to do that)?

--AP