ED Glass
- Thread starter awndray
- Start date
I am a professional photographer, and in my opinion ED glass would not make any visible difference at the range. ED glass is used in high end professional photo lenses. These lenses could have a number of glass elements, ie. 10-25, and only 2-5 are ED glass of them. They are very expensive, but in pro photography that quality is required.
For instance a Nikon 200-400mm / f4 lens. It has 24 glass elements in 17 groups. Four (4) of them ED glass, costing $8K. The difference is visible in post processing.
This is only my personal opinion, but I hope it helps.
AW
For instance a Nikon 200-400mm / f4 lens. It has 24 glass elements in 17 groups. Four (4) of them ED glass, costing $8K. The difference is visible in post processing.
This is only my personal opinion, but I hope it helps.
AW
ginseng503
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- N. Ontario
Are you talking spotting scope or rifle scope? The answer could be different.
If all you ever want to do is use the spotting scope at the range - ask the experts which scope they like best and why.
There are tons of spotting scopes on the market and they are getting used for birdwatching, astronomy, and other uses. These other uses are where the ED and flourite glasses show the most difference.
You may not find a true one on one comparison to answer your question. Like no one may make two identical scopes where the only difference is the ED glass. The scopes with the ED glass likely have other upgrades that help them look better on and off the range.
I hope this helps and didn't confuse you more.
If all you ever want to do is use the spotting scope at the range - ask the experts which scope they like best and why.
There are tons of spotting scopes on the market and they are getting used for birdwatching, astronomy, and other uses. These other uses are where the ED and flourite glasses show the most difference.
You may not find a true one on one comparison to answer your question. Like no one may make two identical scopes where the only difference is the ED glass. The scopes with the ED glass likely have other upgrades that help them look better on and off the range.
I hope this helps and didn't confuse you more.
Thanks guys! This is for a spotting scope. There are far too many options out there. At this time, I won't be going much further than 300m. I don't want to take out a mortgage for a spotter, but I understand the cost:quality ratio. I'm kind of hoping to keep the tab under $400, without a quality tripod. That's not to say I necessarily want to spend $399.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
We get a chance to look through a wide range of very spotting scopes at F class matches - scoring and general glassing.
Unfortunately, 'ED' on the side of the box may not mean a whole lot. I have seen some non ED spotters that were sig better then so called ED ones.
Boils to what actually made it into the spotter.
If the idea is seeing holes in the target at 300m, I really doubt ANY spotter will let you do this in the black when the summer mirage is up.
In the white, a wide range can work depending on ambient conditions. In good air, all the better ones can see 6mm holes in the white at 500m.
This is a cope out of sorts but it really is important for you to look through the spotters to see what works for your eyes. There are alot of mega dollar spotter that don't work for me and my glasses.
If you wear eye glasses you need at least 17mm of eye relief at the power setting you want to use. 20mm is very comfy.
for the budget you are thinking, go good quality used like a bushnell Elite which is supposed to have a form of ED glass.
Although their binos are great, Nikon spotters are not to my liking.
Pentax 65 and 80ED spotters are superb but the eyepiece is worth more then your budget. The variables that come with these are not bad but no where near as good as the fixed mag ones.
Then you go to KOWA/HOWA, Minox and on and on.
I am presently using a Celestron 80 spotter. Decided to not go for the ED variant to save some dollars. Very well priced in this group. Decently constructed and decent optics in the lower mag range. Eye piece has very nice eye relief (why I bought it) at lower mag.
I am using this for condition reading and some light work spotting. The glass simply cannot compare with the big dollar spotters but it very decent given the investment.
try and get out to a F class match and you will get to see a wide range of kit.
About the only way to know for sure where to spend your $$$
Jerry
Unfortunately, 'ED' on the side of the box may not mean a whole lot. I have seen some non ED spotters that were sig better then so called ED ones.
Boils to what actually made it into the spotter.
If the idea is seeing holes in the target at 300m, I really doubt ANY spotter will let you do this in the black when the summer mirage is up.
In the white, a wide range can work depending on ambient conditions. In good air, all the better ones can see 6mm holes in the white at 500m.
This is a cope out of sorts but it really is important for you to look through the spotters to see what works for your eyes. There are alot of mega dollar spotter that don't work for me and my glasses.
If you wear eye glasses you need at least 17mm of eye relief at the power setting you want to use. 20mm is very comfy.
for the budget you are thinking, go good quality used like a bushnell Elite which is supposed to have a form of ED glass.
Although their binos are great, Nikon spotters are not to my liking.
Pentax 65 and 80ED spotters are superb but the eyepiece is worth more then your budget. The variables that come with these are not bad but no where near as good as the fixed mag ones.
Then you go to KOWA/HOWA, Minox and on and on.
I am presently using a Celestron 80 spotter. Decided to not go for the ED variant to save some dollars. Very well priced in this group. Decently constructed and decent optics in the lower mag range. Eye piece has very nice eye relief (why I bought it) at lower mag.
I am using this for condition reading and some light work spotting. The glass simply cannot compare with the big dollar spotters but it very decent given the investment.
try and get out to a F class match and you will get to see a wide range of kit.
About the only way to know for sure where to spend your $$$
Jerry
Excellent info here. Thanks. Much appreciated. Funny you mention the non-ED Celestron 80. During my research, this one seemed to stand out. I have yet to go out and test spotters. In the NCR, I find there is a lack of shops for this sort of stuff. There are a few, but they don't have much in stock.
