Nikon eyebox technology

[sthrnfryedyankee]

Is it me or does the eyebox technology cause distortion if you move your head and eye in different directions. I notice I dont have that on my Nikon Buckmaster 4-12x50. I am going to get the Monarch 4-16x50 to use instead of the 5-20x44 because I am so accustom to a 50mm objective. I do notice that with the slightest movement I get a weird shaded distortion around the eye lens on the 44 so I am hoping the larger objective will stop that.

[MeekAndMild]

I wonder if you may not be at the right eye relief zone? I've seen the same thing with several brands of scopes through the years if I put on the scope for hunting then used a steady rest or sandbag padding (with its associated longer sight distance) for sighting in.

[Horseman]

It is not just you. Nikons are known for that. Mine are the same way. If the scope/gun fit you it's less of an issue. Also as already stated if you get the eye relief perfect you do have a little more forgiveness but they still suck in that dept. IMO.

[sthrnfryedyankee]

I dont get that haziness with my 4-12x50 its weird

[Horseman]

Maybe I misunderstood. What I'm trying to describe is the eyebox is very critical of any head movement. It will go black with the slightest side to side movement compared to most comparable scopes. I've spent a lot of time on some optics forums and I've read other complaints about it. Everything is a trade off with optics. I would guess the design gains something by being like this. They may gain, length, weight, glass geometry, optical clarity etc.

[sthrnfryedyankee]

Yes horseman that is EXACTLY what im talking about

[Stiofan]

I've never seen that with my Monarch, so don't understand what you're talking about. I get no distortion at all. Sorry.

[Horseman]

Obviously you will get some distortion. You can't look 45deg into the eyebox at an angle and still see through any scope. So the question isn't IF it's WHEN. THe Nikons have a reputation of going black sooner than most others. Things like this are usually more common on higher magnification scopes. What magnification do you have? Have you ever looked through it right next to another similarly priced brand and slightly moved your head to test for this? It is quite possible if someone had never compared a lot of different brands they wouldn't even know. It's also quite possible the issue isn't as severe on a lower mag. scope like 3 x 9.

I don't mean to bag on Nikons. I like mine. But nothing can be perfect.

[Scorch]

What you are seeing is called parallax. There is nothing wrong with the scope. When your eye alignment changes, apparent position of objects seems to shift. You need to develop a consistent cheek weld or your shooting will never reach its potential.

[454c]

He's describing losing the view, not a moving reticle.

In a nutshell, eye box is the distance one can move their eye front-back,side-side and maintain FULL view. Some scopes allow more movement than others. A larger eye box is one of the pros Leupold owners are quick to point out.

[sthrnfryedyankee]

454 then the eye box on the monarch I had was broken HA Im telling you the SLIGHTEST movement and my sight picture went haywire. I will hopefully be getting a Monarch 4-16x50 and maybe I wont have that problem because if I do its going up for sale and im just gonna buy another buckmaster 4-12x50 seeing as how I have never had that problem with that particular scope