Vortex Razor HD 50 vs Nikon ED50 vs Minox MD50

[BigSurArcher]

Yesterdays long outdoor video didn't turn out and I know you guys wanted something, so I winged it and threw this together this morning. I left a number of things out, but let me know if you'd like to see anything else that I didn't touch on here. I'll get something else up that shows the included case and tripod also.

http://vimeo.com/59926662

[video=vimeo;59926662]http://vimeo.com/59926662[/video]

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Nice video Todd, I sure would like to see more of that tripod you mentioned as well.

 

[ElkNut1]

Todd, I appreciated your honest evaluation, well done sir! I too used the rubber eye-piece as it sat & noticed I had to have my eye up snug, it wasn't an issue but I thought it needed to be a bit shorter, then I looked through instructions & found for normal use that the rubber eye cup was to be folded down, wow, what a difference that made, that's how I'd personally use it too as it opened up the overall picture nicely. I believe they didn't put in an adjustable eye piece because of the smaller objective lens, it seemed very comfortable once I folded it. Anyway just thought I'd mention it.

The 65 & 85 both have adjustable eye-pieces in case any were wondering.

ElkNut1

 

[JNDEER]

Great job. Love the honesty. Thanks for taking the time to put it together and post it up for all to see.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Great job Todd,

Can you post an overhead pic of the ED50 and Razor50 next to each other?

Thanks!

 

[BigSurArcher]

Great job Todd,

Can you post an overhead pic of the ED50 and Razor50 next to each other?

Thanks!

I sure will when I get home in a bit.

Dotman, we have an angled 65 coming on the next order. I played with it at the sheep show and really liked it, but I'm actually more of a 50mm guy myself. My tentative plan for this years glassing will be a set of 15x56s in combination with a 50mm spotter. My roommate Ben will be running the Razor 65. It will be fun to compare the Razor 50 vs Razor 65 in the field soon.

 

[BigSurArcher]

Here you go. Both at the same height.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Thanks Todd,

They share some design similarities, but certainly aren't twins.

 

[Josh Wright]

Thanks Todd.

 

[trdhunter]

Great review. Might put one of the 50 razors on my list, only problem is my list is long and have a 80mm class spotter at the top.

 

[LitenFast]

Great review, put myself on Elknuts list this morning for a 50mm Razor spotter.

 

[AZ Ron]

My tentative plan for this years glassing will be a set of 15x56s in combination with a 50mm spotter. My roommate Ben will be running the Razor 65. It will be fun to compare the Razor 50 vs Razor 65 in the field soon.

Thanks for the comparison! I've been eyeing the Nikon ED50 for a couple of years now, and have tried a buddy's out. I liked it, but didn't have my 15's along at the time to see how beneficial it would be. I normally pack 15x56's along for glassing, but sometimes want a little bit more power. Usually when the buck or bull is quite a ways out there. I've used cheaper 60-65mm scopes and I could make out more detail with my 15's than the cheaper scopes on 30-40 power. They tended to get too dark, or heat waves would be too bad for good clarity.

My fear is that with going with a 50mm scope, I won't really buy much above and beyond what my 15's can make out. I'd love to go with a 65 or 80mm scope, but I have a feeling it wouldn't make it in my pack very often due to weight. I'll be curious to hear what your thoughts are (or will be) in using the 50mm scope in conjunction with the 15x56's. The new 50mm Razer definitely has my interest.

Ron

 

[BigSurArcher]

Thanks for the comparison! I've been eyeing the Nikon ED50 for a couple of years now, and have tried a buddy's out. I liked it, but didn't have my 15's along at the time to see how beneficial it would be. I normally pack 15x56's along for glassing, but sometimes want a little bit more power. Usually when the buck or bull is quite a ways out there. I've used cheaper 60-65mm scopes and I could make out more detail with my 15's than the cheaper scopes on 30-40 power. They tended to get too dark, or heat waves would be too bad for good clarity.

My fear is that with going with a 50mm scope, I won't really buy much above and beyond what my 15's can make out. I'd love to go with a 65 or 80mm scope, but I have a feeling it wouldn't make it in my pack very often due to weight. I'll be curious to hear what your thoughts are (or will be) in using the 50mm scope in conjunction with the 15x56's. The new 50mm Razer definitely has my interest.

Ron

It all comes down to personal preference. My take is, if you're already carrying a tripod for your 15's, then why not toss an extra pound and a half in there for insurance and twice the magnification? Chances are it wouldn't take long to be glad you had it. I'm willing to bet the little Vortex performs better at high power in low light than you are imagining. I won't be glassing much with the 50, but just having it along for sizing up/ evaluating a potential shooter will save a lot of walking. My dad watched me stalk a buck from over a mile and a half through the ED50 last season before dark on 30x. He was able to tell where I hit it when I shot (by seeing the shock ripple). That was with the ED, and the Razor performs even better in low light and has 33x compared to 30... which in looking through it, brings things closer than I would have expected.

 

[Matt Cashell]

One thing to remember about the Nikon, is it does accept other eyepieces as well, including the MCII, which provides 13-40 magnification and an excellent twist-up eyecup.

 

[BigSurArcher]

Here is the included Vortex case.

 

[fillthefreezer]

that case is kind of dissapointing. its just like the one that comes with a nomad scope. i was hoping to see something like the other high brands use...

 

[Travis Bertrand]

that case is kind of dissapointing. its just like the one that comes with a nomad scope. i was hoping to see something like the other high brands use...

I was thinking the same, one fitted better that can stay on and not be a burden, oh well I'm still considering, this would be perfect with a set of 15x's

 

[Matt Cashell]

Why use a case?

 

[fillthefreezer]

Why use a case?

im a bit hard on stuff. i know its vortex and doesnt matter but something to add a little drop insurance like is available on other spotters would be nice. doesnt matter in general though..

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

One thing to remember about the Nikon, is it does accept other eyepieces as well, including the MCII, which provides 13-40 magnification and an excellent twist-up eyecup.

Great Video Todd. I have been packing around the ED50 for a long time now and have always been extremely impressed with it, I think Vortex is going to do great with this scope.

MCII eyepiece is awesome but good luck finding one, I've been looking for a couple years and about the only way to find one is buying it from Japan and paying almost $400 for it.

I talked with Vortex at the ATA show and they are working on a higher magnification eyepeice for the 50mm that will come out next year. That will be awesome!