· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Binoculars Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) KennyJ The British Flash Reged: 04/27/03 Loc: Lancashire UK Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: Jarrod]       #5703889 - 02/27/13 05:27 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Good to read this initial impressions report,Jarrod. As the general consensus has been from the input of many members here over the past few years, the Nikon Action Extreme range generally represents an outstanding example of USEABLE binoculars being available at reasonably affordable prices. This is very important for all concerned. Enthusiasts in all different sorts of hobbies need items to be readily available which they can really enjoy using without the purchase putting undue financial stress upon themselves and their families,especially in these relatively cash-strapped times. Looking forward to reading further reports from you. Kenny Post Extras:       Jarrod sage Reged: 01/20/13 Loc: SE USA Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: KennyJ]       #5785001 - 04/07/13 11:00 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It's been a few weeks but the weather has finally cleared here so I finally got these out under the sky tonight, mounted to my Orion p-mount. Collimation is pretty close per the sharp eye/defocused eye test. I get absolute pinpoint stars from the center to the bottom ~10% of the field which is still usable. I had high expectations based on the reviews and they were exceeded for this portion of the view. However, my example has fairly significant (what I believe to be) astigmatism *only in the top half of the field*. This affects perhaps the top ~35% of the field, progressively getting worse to the outer top edge where the stars are very significantly smeared. I can focus most of this out, but then the center of the field becomes extremely soft. To make sure it was not my eyes and/or eyeglasses, I flipped the binocular over on the mount. The aberration followed the rotation to the bottom half of the field. I'm not sure what could have caused this issue, and I'm not sure what I can do about it. I can tell these have the potential to put out some very enjoyable views based on what I see in the bottom half of the FOV but as it is, I don't feel good about the QC on this particular pair. Comments/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks. Edited by Jarrod (04/07/13 11:06 PM) Post Extras:       hallelujah Post Laureate Reged: 07/14/06 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: Jarrod]       #5785054 - 04/07/13 11:34 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If it were mine I would return it. ASAP! Stan Edited by hallelujah (04/07/13 11:40 PM) Post Extras:       ronharper Carpal Tunnel Reged: 02/14/06 Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: hallelujah]       #5785157 - 04/08/13 12:55 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Eye mispositioning can cause effects like that. Good on you for doing the flipped test, which shows that is not the case here. If it's not too late, I'd send it back too. Heck, if it IS too late I'd send it back. The dealer ought to realize if you wanted it for astronomy, you'd have to wait until it faired off to give it a decent tryout. Ron Post Extras:       Man in a Tub Postmaster Reged: 10/28/08 Loc: Fogpatch, CA Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: ronharper]       #5785251 - 04/08/13 03:30 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Ouch! Very unusual for this binocular. Do try to get your money back or get a replacement. B&H has a good reputation. Post Extras:       Jarrod sage Reged: 01/20/13 Loc: SE USA Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: Man in a Tub]       #5785426 - 04/08/13 08:28 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'm almost 2 weeks past my 30 day return period, but I made my case to B&H through the website and requested an exchange. Let's see what they do. I do think we had 2 clear nights in the six weeks since I got these. I spent both of them testing my new telescope, eye pieces, and a couple other more expensive binos before their return period expired. Maybe not such a good idea to buy multiple pieces of equipment at the same time during winter... Edited by Jarrod (04/08/13 08:29 AM) Post Extras:       KennyJ The British Flash Reged: 04/27/03 Loc: Lancashire UK Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: Jarrod]       #5785867 - 04/08/13 12:30 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Jarrod, I'm sorry to hear you were the recipient of an apparently quite rare "bad 'un",but I'm pleased you brought this thread back to light as it were,if only to prove by my post on February 27th. that perhaps I'm not the "optics snob" after all that one or two others were subtly insinuating me to be a couple of days ago in other threads. :-) Kenny Post Extras:       Jarrod sage Reged: 01/20/13 Loc: SE USA Re: Nikon AE 12x50 [Re: KennyJ]       #5786052 - 04/08/13 01:30 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   :-) Sod off, you arrogant prig FWIW, your point of view comes across as balanced to me. I got my RMA and the Nikon AE 12x50 is en route back to B&H. I eagerly await its replacement because from what I saw last night, it could become my default choice for observing the night sky over the remainder of my desperately devastating collection. Edited by Jarrod (04/08/13 02:28 PM) Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 4 registered and 31 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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