Monarch 82ED, a Perfect Ten (1 Viewer)

[Hermann]

I believe that once you've seen and used a good scope it's pretty easy to look through an eyepiece and make an evaluation. I've seen samples of top brand scopes I would never use and other samples that were excellent.

This is absolutely true. The only exception - at least in my experience - is the old Nikon Fieldscopes. I have yet to see a bad copy.

Hermann

 

[Pileatus]

That is just awful!
The Kowa is by all accounts the top tier scope and priced accordingly.
To hear that a third of the units tested were lemons is disgusting.
Does no one in the optics business have any concern for long term reputation with customers?

Be careful with such numbers. Every 883 I've seen (about 11) have been excellent. I looked at several samples in stores and/or private hands over a period of years before I purchased ours. It's deadly sharp to the edges at all magnifications and the absence of CA is the best I've seen.

Small sample sizes are not very useful for broad generalizations.

 

[Pileatus]

This is absolutely true. The only exception - at least in my experience - is the old Nikon Fieldscopes. I have yet to see a bad copy.

Hermann

I agree. If my ED82A had a wider field eyepiece with better eye relief I would never have purchased the Kowa 883. As it is, I cannot part with the ED82!

 

[choonsarn]

hello all, i was keen to get a Monarch Fieldscope 82-A but was wondering what attachment can i use for digiscoping for my Fuji XT2, any recommendation? Is the Nikon DSA-N1 with Nikon 1 series camera a good one? Thank you.

 

[waynehe]

hello all, i was keen to get a Monarch Fieldscope 82-A but was wondering what attachment can i use for digiscoping for my Fuji XT2, any recommendation? Is the Nikon DSA-N1 with Nikon 1 series camera a good one? Thank you.

I'd like to know too, asked it here before but got moved to the digiscoping sub forum where seemed very quiet.

I measured the 20-60 eyepiece, the diameter of the end is about 54.5mm, anyone knows the diameter of Nikon DS eyepiece for the old ED scopes? If they are close, I guess the DSA-N1 will fit the MEP eyepiece too.

Actually I would prefer another adapter because I hesitate to buy a Nikon 1 camera in this day and age.

 

[choonsarn]

I'd like to know too, asked it here before but got moved to the digiscoping sub forum where seemed very quiet.

I measured the 20-60 eyepiece, the diameter of the end is about 54.5mm, anyone knows the diameter of Nikon DS eyepiece for the old ED scopes? If they are close, I guess the DSA-N1 will fit the MEP eyepiece too.

Actually I would prefer another adapter because I hesitate to buy a Nikon 1 camera in this day and age.

Hello Wayne, just curios if not using Nikon DSA-N1, which would you recommend using from third party? I would like to mount my fujifilm XT2 body instead. Thanks.

 

[waynehe]

Hello Wayne, just curios if not using Nikon DSA-N1, which would you recommend using from third party? I would like to mount my fujifilm XT2 body instead. Thanks.

Hello,

Sorry I have no clue, I am new to fieldscopes. I asked the same question as you did in this thread but it soon got moved before answered.

I read that the DSA-N1 was only for Nikon 1 cameras which were discontinued, the latest model J5 was released in 2015. So I am not sure if it is a good idea to go this route unless you already have a Nikon 1 camera.

Cheers,

 

[Kevin Conville]

I measured the 20-60 eyepiece, the diameter of the end is about 54.5mm, anyone knows the diameter of Nikon DS eyepiece for the old ED scopes? If they are close, I guess the DSA-N1 will fit the MEP eyepiece too.

A DS eyepiece is also 54.5mm, just measured by me.

 

[henry link]

I was originally expecting to see the usual compliment of images, but presumably time or other constraints put paid to that.

The Monarch is a rare scope in the UK. I've never seen one in the field but presumably it is on show at the Birdfair.

Did you happen to find that this specimen handled heat haze better than ...well any other birding scope?

There are no images because my camera died just before I borrowed the scope. I might not have posted star-test images anyway. I've found it's easy enough to photograph defects in star tests, but impossible to do justice to a nearly perfect one with a photo.

I didn't specifically test for performance with heat haze, but all very low aberration scopes like the Monarch handle heat haze better than higher aberration scopes because the bad effects of aberrations and heat waves add together to make a worse image than either one would by itself.

 

[henry link]

Every 883 I've seen (about 11) have been excellent.

I'd call that an amazing run of good luck.

 

[waynehe]

A DS eyepiece is also 54.5mm, just measured by me.

Thanks a lot, Kevin.

 

[Kevin Conville]

waynehe,

see attached

 

[choonsarn]

Hello all, do you all use camera with or without lense and attached it to eye piece with adapter to digiscope? Thanks.

 

[mayoayo]

I'd still be interested in trying out a TSN-95-100 if such a thing is coming...... If a 95-100mm Nikon Monarch ED as good as the 82mm review specimen came along I'd jump on it in a second.

I can see that happening ,a larger Monarch,but Kowa is already in the 90 mm territory,and they had that exclusive niche for a decade ,excluding a few mid grade 100mm..What is the reason to go bigger?..How many 95 mm modules is swaro selling,and how many 4500 EU Harpías are around?.If the 55 mm prominar goes for 2000 dollars..How much is a 100 mm fluorite Prominar KOWA 993 going to cost?..6000 dollars?..


..You guys remember when the.Monarch was going to be a modular system?...

 

[DRodrigues]

...How many 95 mm modules is swaro selling,...

Read some-where that more than the 85mm and the 65mm!!!...

 

[henry link]

If the 55 mm prominar goes for 2000 dollars..How much is a 100 mm fluorite Prominar KOWA 993 going to cost?..6000 dollars?..


..You guys remember when the.Monarch was going to be a modular system?...

Let's hope the 55 mm Prominar's pricing is a one time anomaly. That scope's prism focusing system and modest fixed zoom eyepiece would be more at home in a $500 scope. A 55 mm Fluorite element cannot possibly justify such an exalted price for such a small scope.

My hope would be $3500-4000 for a 95-100mm Fluorite TSN, but since the market seems willing to pay $4500-5000 for the 95mm Swarovski ATX the price might be closer to that.

Yes, I do remember the aborted modular Monarch. I was mainly excited about the possibility of buying the oversized offset Schmidt prism unit to adapt to my astronomical refractors.

Henry

 

[mayoayo]

Read some-where that more than the 85mm and the 65mm!!!...

I have seen a number of ATX units in the field,and one BTX..All of them being 85 mm and a couple 65,not a single 95..of course very subjective , but also used to visit one of the spanish digiscoping forums, where lots of members jumped to ATX/STX and I think all have 85 modules.
In any case the 95 mm option, in the modular system makes complete sense..

 

[mooreorless]

I agree. If my ED82A had a wider field eyepiece with better eye relief I would never have purchased the Kowa 883. As it is, I cannot part with the ED82!

I will not part with my Nikon 82A for sure!

 

[JerryLogan]

Let's hope the 55 mm Prominar's pricing is a one time anomaly. That scope's prism focusing system and modest fixed zoom eyepiece would be more at home in a $500 scope. A 55 mm Fluorite element cannot possibly justify such an exalted price for such a small scope.

My hope would be $3500-4000 for a 95-100mm Fluorite TSN, but since the market seems willing to pay $4500-5000 for the 95mm Swarovski ATX the price might be closer to that.

Yes, I do remember the aborted modular Monarch. I was mainly excited about the possibility of buying the oversized offset Schmidt prism unit to adapt to my astronomical refractors.

Henry

Henry,

Can you say if the 60mm Monarch scope also has an oversized prism or is that confined to the 82ED scope?

Thanks and best,
Jerry

 

[henry link]

Henry,

Can you say if the 60mm Monarch scope also has an oversized prism or is that confined to the 82ED scope?

Thanks and best,
Jerry

The prism housings of both the 82mm and 60mm Monarchs look identical to me, apparently the same size and both have the offset, so while I haven't seen the 60mm I'm pretty sure the prisms are identical. The old 60 and 82 Fieldscopes shared the same oversized prism.

Henry