Nikon lens scope converter

Good morning,

I have a question for the birders.

My love for photography got me involved with Birdwatching, and I now

feel the need for an observation intrument with more magnification

than my excellent swarovsky binocular. In a recent meeting I had the

chance to try out different telescopes from Leica, Carl Zeiss, Kowa,

Swarovsky again... needless to say they were all excellent, the

problem is that I cant afford one at the moment.

But I have my 300/4 nikkor always with me, so I started considering

that accessory to fill the gap with a reasonable sum, waiting for the

time to invest in the right, final instrument. I would like to know

if someone has any experiences with it, and if there are any better

alternatives, maybe another similar prism/ocular which can be mated

to a nikon optik.

Thank you, Marco

I have the Lens Scope Converter which I bought (surprisingly) new from B&H 2 years ago. It has since disappeared from the market. Amazing device, but like any accessory it is dependent on the quality of the lens used (Aperture for brightness and Elements for sharpness). I carry it everywhere and have used it with my 400/3.5 and AFS 300/2.8 to observe craters on the moon. You can also use a teleconverter. I wish there was a easy way to take pictures with.

It cost $135 which is hard to beat. Hope you find one.

A year or so ago you could find one of these on eBay for about $150. Lately the demand seems to have gone up, and I have seen several (when offered, which isn't often) go for over $300.

 

I've never used one, but was tempted to get one to try with my 400/3.5. At $300 I'm not so tempted anymore. :-)

... is a tripod collar on the lens!<br>

The scope converter is indeed a really nice piece of equipment and if used with a good lens gives very nice results. But unless you can mount your lens on a tripod like a spotting scope, you end up having problems (VR unfortunately doesn't work =)<p>

Look around for a used one, I have seen several in the last year in pretty good shape for less than 80 US$ (bought mine for approx. 50 US$).<br>

Good luck!

I use mine (bought from KEH) primarily on my 500 f/4 with a Wimberley Sidekick. Without the weight of a camera body, it does not balance well unless you have a long rail on the lens. The focal length of the LSC is 10mm, so if used on your 300 f/4 you have a 30X75 monocular with an exit pupil of 2.5mm diameter. I have used it with a 1.4X TC 14B and 500 f/4 to give the equivalent to a 70X125 monocular. (Definitely needs a tripod.) It is just fine with the 300 f/4. The great thing about the LSC is its portability, and it is almost hand-holdable with the 300. While there were similar devices manufactured, there were none with the quality of the Nikon. I am always amazed at the quality of the detail when used with an excellent lens like the Nikkor 300 f/4 EDIF.

Thank you all for your opinions.

Marco

Tokina makes one that's similar to the Nikon - I have picked up one in Minolta MD and one in Canon FD mounts, each for around $20 on ebay. Spiratone also marketed these as well. I sold the Canon mount one, and have kept the Minolta. You might find a Tokina or Spiratone version for Nikon mount. If you do, it's a great value relative to the Nikon unit.

 

There's two of the Tokinas currently on ebay, one for Minolta MD mount, one in Yashica FD mount. The price, at $85 + shipping seems high to me:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tokina-Telephoto-Lens-Spotting-Scope-Adapter-Minolta-MD_W0QQitemZ7618038593QQcategoryZ48554QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Nikon and Leica Scope converter are hardest to get and most expensive. They are normally way over $150 at ebay. Even 3rd party converter (Tokina, Spiratone, Pro-optics and etc) in Nikon mount are north of $70 at ebay. Your 300/4 Nikkor may be a price libility. If you could find one, get the Minolta made MD mount scope converter along with a Rokkor 250/5.6 mirror lens. The combo made one quality ultra light weight & compact 25X spoting scope.

 

One other note: Compare to the OEM scope converter, the 3rd party roof prism converter don't have any Diople adjustment as well as very little eye relief (aka: must stuck your eye ball close to the eye-pieces).

One more note: Beside above, the 3rd party converter do work well. They have 3 element coated optic comparable to Kellners type san the prism.