Visit the SWFA.com site to check out our current specials. |
Premier Reticles vs Nightforce NXS |
Post Reply |
Author | ||
ballshrinker
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/08/2014 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 75 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: April/21/2014 at 08:02 |
|
My brother has got his NXS 8-32 set up and I compared them yesterday. I'm not an expert but here are my thoughts.
The very first thing that surprised me about the NXS was the picture with high mag. The picture was very full and there was no tunneling at all. I looked at a building about a half mile away and it looked grey although it was white. When we got out to the range, it was much the same. The paper, and much of the view through the scope looked flat, though detailed. The view was awesome, the picture was very full, the mag was awesome, the clarity was great. When switching back to my Premier, the color and depth jumped out at me. The tunneling also was very noticeable. I had noted some numbers (grain weight per group) on the targets. Through the NXS, I could read those numbers very easy. Going to the Premier, again color and depth perfect, but zoom seemed to just be zoom and I couldn't really read the numbers I had put on the targets. Also, when looking at the trees a hundred yards or so away, I could see the needles of the pines through both scopes, I noticed some different colors on the trees with the NXS but, with the Premier, I could see clearly the cream color of the new growth as well as the limbs of a cypress merging over into the pine. I think it all just boiled down to the comments I've read on resolution vs contrast. I got what I wanted in Premier, amazing glass. I also got a great discount on the Premier after the buyout but if the price difference was much greater between the two, I'd wonder if that color and depth, were worth that much more considering the compromise of mag and tunneling. This forum helped me a lot and I'm not an experienced reviewer, just thought I'd try to document some info to contribute back to the forum that has helped me so much.
|
||
SVT_Tactical
MODERATOR Chief Sackscratch Joined: December/17/2009 Location: NorthCackalacky Status: Offline Points: 31233 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
You noted what the NF was but might want to toss in the details on the premier so readers will know what two scopes you compared.
|
||
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
|
||
Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
SFP scopes don't tunnel (as a general rule), many FFP scopes do.
I own both, I am a fan of both, never have I not been able to take a shot with an NXS due to glass not being as good as anyone else's. I too watched the "Premier boycott" with some interest (I do own Premier scopes, after all) and that was a great time to pick up a nice scope at a nice price. Both are very, very good scopes. |
||
Freedom is something you take.
Respect is something you earn. Equality is something you whine about not being given. |
||
ballshrinker
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/08/2014 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 75 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Good point, mine is the Light Tactical 3-15. So, the NXS has twice the mag as mine but I expected it to be more of a bragging right than a practical magnification. I was surprised to see that it is fully usable at 32. The picture was full and easy to get behind. Again, the color and depth seemed flat but still very impressive.
|
||
ballshrinker
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/08/2014 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 75 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
And thanks for pointing out that FFP's generally tunnel worse. Why is that exactly?
|
||
jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Kind of interesting to me because I've owned two Premiers in 3-15 (both the Heritage and the LT). Both had great glass and were capable of rendering 12" high letters at 2.87 miles away readable. So I'm not sure why you wouldn't have a similar experience. However, having also owned a NF scope (the 2.5-10x32) which was great I'd agree with RC that you're probably never going to have a problem taking a shot with one. In fact, the realization that most shooters and most shots don't require incredible glass led me to sell off the uber optics over time and just switch to the really good glass and other features of the better-priced SS scope line. I've only ever fallen with a rifle once (hard enough to leave an objective-shaped bruise under my armpit from the NF). But I enjoy the peace of mind hunting rugged terrain with a scope that I don't need to baby. The high country is no place for a Mercedes. |
||
Reaction time is a factor...
|
||
Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
The way FFP optics systems work. Koshkin can describe it accurately, I could summarize it inaccurately but that would accomplish nothing worthwhile. Also, comparing a 15X (with 50mm objective) with a 32X (56mm objective) is an inexact comparison, fraught with peril! Both are great scopes, both do many things very well.
|
||
Freedom is something you take.
Respect is something you earn. Equality is something you whine about not being given. |
||
RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Tunneling isn't limited to FFP scopes. It occurs any time there is some sort of FOV constriction / limiting aperture on the eyepiece side of the erector lens group that causes you to see a portion of the inside of the tube. In other words, the erector lens group has a greater FOV than the components in front of it allows you to visualize. There may be a greater tendency for it in FFP scopes, but I've seen just as many SFP scopes with prominent tunneling, including the 2 NF scopes I own. |
||
Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
||
Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Which NF?
I guess I have always defined tunneling as an increase in the visible tube compared to a decrease in image size. Your definition definitely sounds better than mine.
|
||
Freedom is something you take.
Respect is something you earn. Equality is something you whine about not being given. |
||
RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I have the 3-15X50 and the 8-32X56 NXS's. Both have quite prominent tunneling at low power, as does my IOR 4-14X50 (albeit to a lesser degree), and several other SFP hunting scopes I own. Your definition is correct, except the real problem is the increase in visible tube & decrease in image size without a corresponding increase in FOV. What I described above is what causes this effect to happen. |
||
Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
||
Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I don't recall my 3-15 doing it, but it very well may have. I just checked my 2.5-10 and it doesn't tunnel - not that I can tell doing a bay window eval.
Now I gotta go check all my hunting scopes and see if any do it appreciably. I guess I look for it in FFP scopes and don't think much of it in SFP. That, and most of my scopes are FFP. None of my Premiers have, the 4-16 Hensoldt (FFP did) while the 3-12 (SFP) did not. The 3-12 is my favorite scope of all I have used, it is absolutely stellar in every respect. Damn, now that's gonna bug me till I go look! |
||
Freedom is something you take.
Respect is something you earn. Equality is something you whine about not being given. |
||
ballshrinker
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/08/2014 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 75 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I just checked again and I should clarify. The tunneling happens as my eye relief is reduced with the higher mag. If I slide my cheek towards the eye piece, I do have the full view. Thats nice piece of mind but still irrelevant because I aint taking a shiner from Mr .300...
Thanks for teaching me some more lessons guys.
|
||
Gappa
Optics Apprentice Joined: May/21/2012 Location: SC Status: Offline Points: 218 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I compared my ATACR which is supposed to have improved ED glass to my Premier 5-25 and the Premier was surely clearer with better color and contrast rendition. I really thought NF would have got it right on this one. I judge a good scope by gauging CA or chromatic aberration which is an indication that the objective prescription isn't up to par. They usually get the red and green color intersections correct, it's the blue wavelength that is the hardest to nail. Almost all high end refractors use a triple or even quadruple objective to nail every color crossing.
Here is a test for any scope. In bright daylight set the scope to high mag and pick a bright white object in the distance and look for the purple fringing or halo. |
||
ballshrinker
Optics Apprentice Joined: February/08/2014 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 75 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Interesting. I assume if the scope performs poorly, the halo will be around the white object (as opposed to the outside of the view)?
|
||
Gappa
Optics Apprentice Joined: May/21/2012 Location: SC Status: Offline Points: 218 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
CA and or flare is apparent around the edges of a bright object on high mag. Most all scopes look great at low magnification, it's only at higher mag is the optical system "put under load" or taxed. The newer Leupold scopes are a prime example especially the ones with higher mag ratios and small objectives such as a 6-20x40mm or even a 4.5-14x40mm
|
||
RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I need to correct my statement on NightForce tunneling as it relates to the two SFP NXS scopes I own, mentioned in my post above. There isn't an INCREASE in tunneling at low power. Instead, these two scopes have noticeable tunnel vision at all magnifications. You can see the same amount of visible tube framing the image throughout the entire zoom range.
In other words, you aren't being robbed of additional FOV at the bottom of the zoom range, as is a characteristic of low end tunneling on most scopes, but you still have the other annoying characteristic of tunneling -- the illusion that you're seeing the image through a tube and you have the impression the FOV is being stopped down. Edit: deleted duplicate post. Edited by RifleDude - April/28/2014 at 10:00 |
||
Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
||
Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
That makes more sense.
As I said, I was defining tunneling as a change in amount of tube you see compared to image. For absolute minimal tube view, Hensoldt and Swaro have been my big 2. In both (SFP), the image seems to almost extend beyond the edges of the tube. CA is annoying, but tolerable. My Kahles 624 has some, but it does so many other things great that I live with it. I have never not taken a shot due to CA. I have gotten a headache from spending too much time on a scope looking at a heavy CA image.
|
||
Freedom is something you take.
Respect is something you earn. Equality is something you whine about not being given. |
||
Bitterroot Bulls
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: May/07/2009 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 3416 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
This is not tunneling. You are describing variable eye relief. It is one of the more bothersome issues with some riflescopes, IMO.
|
||
-Matt
|
||
Gappa
Optics Apprentice Joined: May/21/2012 Location: SC Status: Offline Points: 218 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
That's what I thought as well. Varying eye relief can be a real PITA especially if it beckons you to come closer at high mag. Getting a kiss from a magnum's recoil is quite unpleasant. Tunnelling can be noticed at high or low mag regardless. S&B 5-25's are a prime example. Hensoldt is the other end of the spectrum and is what you want to see when looking thru a good scope. A full clear image with a faint black ring around it. |
||
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |