I\\\'ve been using Nikon\\\'s EDIIA and EDIIIA Fieldscopes for more than a decade. It\\\'s a truly fabulous piece of kit - superb image quality, robust, compact, lightweight and 100% reliable.
Annually, I attend the UK BirdFair to check out the alternatives and so far I\\\'ve not found anything that can match the fully waterproof Nikon EDIIIA.
One of the best things about it is the fact that its compact, which means that I carry it with me almost all the time - and for me that\\\'s a good test for any piece of kit.
I could recount literally hundreds of occasions when I\\\'ve been using my Fieldscope and someone has come along and has looked through it. Each one has been impressed by the clarity, contrast and sharpness of the image. Then they\\\'ve told me that they own a Leica or Zeiss or whatever but they\\\'ve left it in the car or at home because it\\\'s so big and heavy! What\\\'s the point of that?
Equally, I\\\'m completely mystified by people lugging around a tripod and scope fitted with just a 30x magnification eyepiece. Why I ask myself?
The Nikon Fieldscope offers a 20x-60x zoom eyepiece which gives supreme performance. I use my scope several times a week, sometimes for many hours at a time, and I find that I\\\'m continuously zooming in and out depending upon what I\\\'m looking at, the light conditions and what I\\\'m trying to make out.
Don\\\'t believe the product reviews that tell you zooms don\\\'t match the performance of fixed magnification eyepieces. Why? Two reasons:
1) The differences may be picked up by an optical test bench but they are so subtle that they are far beyond the resolution abilities of the human eye; and,
2) Using a zoom can save you many, many hours of wasted time and effort! Frequently, one can pick up an interesting looking distant bird in binoculars which even at 30x still appears worth a closer view, so you trog off to get closer only to find that it\\\'s not what it appeared. A zoom eyepiece literally DOUBLES your chances of avoiding wasted time and effort.
Incidentally, the zoom works well for digiscoping too. I\\\'ve been very pleased with the results and have has several of my images published.
In summary, the Nikon Fieldscope EDIIA/IIIA is fabulous and will enhance both your identification abilities and your appreciation of the natural world immensely!
Go for it - I\\\'m confident you wont be disappointed.
FalconBirder
PS. I have no connection whatsoever with Nikon but perhaps I should apply for a job in their sales department?
Annually, I attend the UK BirdFair to check out the alternatives and so far I\\\'ve not found anything that can match the fully waterproof Nikon EDIIIA.
One of the best things about it is the fact that its compact, which means that I carry it with me almost all the time - and for me that\\\'s a good test for any piece of kit.
I could recount literally hundreds of occasions when I\\\'ve been using my Fieldscope and someone has come along and has looked through it. Each one has been impressed by the clarity, contrast and sharpness of the image. Then they\\\'ve told me that they own a Leica or Zeiss or whatever but they\\\'ve left it in the car or at home because it\\\'s so big and heavy! What\\\'s the point of that?
Equally, I\\\'m completely mystified by people lugging around a tripod and scope fitted with just a 30x magnification eyepiece. Why I ask myself?
The Nikon Fieldscope offers a 20x-60x zoom eyepiece which gives supreme performance. I use my scope several times a week, sometimes for many hours at a time, and I find that I\\\'m continuously zooming in and out depending upon what I\\\'m looking at, the light conditions and what I\\\'m trying to make out.
Don\\\'t believe the product reviews that tell you zooms don\\\'t match the performance of fixed magnification eyepieces. Why? Two reasons:
1) The differences may be picked up by an optical test bench but they are so subtle that they are far beyond the resolution abilities of the human eye; and,
2) Using a zoom can save you many, many hours of wasted time and effort! Frequently, one can pick up an interesting looking distant bird in binoculars which even at 30x still appears worth a closer view, so you trog off to get closer only to find that it\\\'s not what it appeared. A zoom eyepiece literally DOUBLES your chances of avoiding wasted time and effort.
Incidentally, the zoom works well for digiscoping too. I\\\'ve been very pleased with the results and have has several of my images published.
In summary, the Nikon Fieldscope EDIIA/IIIA is fabulous and will enhance both your identification abilities and your appreciation of the natural world immensely!
Go for it - I\\\'m confident you wont be disappointed.
FalconBirder
PS. I have no connection whatsoever with Nikon but perhaps I should apply for a job in their sales department?