Nikon Fieldscope EDIII

[Bowtech1]

Just wanted to share my experiences with the Nikon fieldscope. My first spotting scope purchase was two years ago, it was a vanguard endeavor 82S. Very nice scope for the price but it was heavy and I thought it was overkill for what I do, sold it and bought an Athlon Cronus 12-36x50. Also a nice scope but offered no real advantage over my 15x56 binos. Picked up a Nikon fieldscope EDIII 20-60x60 scope in almost brand new condition for $470. By far the best scope of the 3 and is the best of both worlds, much lighter than the 82 but still has the 20-60 zoom. Glass is very clear and is usable all the way through the zoom range. This is the only scope I have owned so far that I haven't felt like I wanted something more. Seems to be an overlooked spotting scope and sometimes you can find one for a great deal. I highly recommend this scope if you can find one!

 

[oenanthe]

Yep, the ED III is a fine scope. I have its big brother, the ED82. They do indeed use the same eyepieces but you get higher magnification in the ED82 - with the MCII you get 25-75x in the ED82 as opposed to 20-60x in the ED III.

Lots of good info here: http://www.rokslide.com/forums/optics/56692-underrated-overlooked-spotters.html?highlight=ED82

Seems like fewer of these are showing up used these days.

 

[Beendare]

I have had the top of the line Nikon ED spotter for many years.....Nikon makes glass that is arguably the best in the world and I own swaro, Zeiss....and Leica in the past.