[6BQ5]

I was thinking of buying a pair of PCF or XCF binoculars for handheld viewing (vs. a tripod) and I was wondering how these models stack up against the likes of Celestron and Oberwerk. Is there anything unique or anything that differntiates Pentax binoculars from the usual Chinese made models in the market?

Thanks!!

[dms]

I have been using a pair of 6.5x21 extreme close focus (Pentax Papilion) and I really like them. But I believe 7 power and above is not very useful--too hard to hold steady when doing backpacking/canoeing--so in this regard I may be different than most users. Anyway for opera and hiking/canoeing they are perfect. Optically very fine and cost is low. The close focus (really very close!) may be interesting but I did not buy for this!

[jatrax]

I have had several pair of `name brand` glasses and thought they were fine. Then I found a pair of 7x35 Pentax at a yard sale. I only got them because they said Pentax on them. These are vintage, maybe older than me but WOW! I had no idea glasses could be so good. And I paid $10. To be fair I am sure good quality glass from others is also good.

Just bought a pair of new Pentax 12x50 and they are also very good. Certainly get my recommendation.

[GordonZA]

If you are doing a lot of outdoor viewing get yourself a pair of either 8x43 or 10x50 DCF ED, these both have large eyepieces which helps with eye strain, they have large front glass to let in an incredible amount of light and most important of all is the extra low dispersion glass element ED which will stop chromatic aberration!

This ED range from Pentax is very close in quality to the top of the line binoculars from Leica and Swarovski!

Hope that helps..

[Miguel]

I was thinking of buying a pair of PCF or XCF binoculars for handheld viewing (vs. a tripod) and I was wondering how these models stack up against the likes of Celestron and Oberwerk. Is there anything unique or anything that differntiates Pentax binoculars from the usual Chinese made models in the market?

Thanks!!

Depends on your budget and requirements, much like choosing lenses. What do you need the binoculars for?

In the past the recommended general magnification powerXdiameter was 7X35. Nowadays folks including me prefer 8X24 or so. For closeups on birds 10X40 is nice. But you have to have steady arms and hands.


There are generally three tiers of binocular quality out there. The low end are the cheap Chinese no-name brands and low-end Bushnells and Swifts. Products under $75. Good for general close ups without detail, lousy coatings and flare resistance, heavy, old style boat captain look.

Mid-range binoculars go up to $350. Good brands include Nikon, Steiner, and Eagle Optics.

High-end binoculars are expensive and heavenly. They draw light in superbly and give you a three-dimensional view of your object. Swarovski, Leica, Kowa, Zeiss, Nikon, and the ED Pentax are all up there. You could spend $1000 easily.

Instead of the low-end Pentax binoculars you mentioned, I would suggest a smaller-sized Nikon. Bulky binoculars are not fun if you are also hauling camera gear. Be sure you know what powerXdiameter you need as that is very important.

Hope this helps.

M

[Jacquot]

I've seen Pentax scopes that I liked a good deal, but for binoculars, the top three are consistently best, for a lot more money--that's if what you do with them really strains the limits. I've seen people with much lower tier binos do just fine, but if you are trying to catch a quick ID of a bird flying by that you can just get, or something in a deep forest with low light, or really distant, you need the very best optics you can find. The costs for that have steadily increased to ridiculous levels. I have not used their HD offerings, but Pentax has been a solid second tier in this field historically--not as wide a field, not as bright, not as controlled a view. Nikon has been like that, too, and I generally like their top glass for the price. The new Pentax best may be very close to the stuff that costs a lot more. That middle field has grown and improved the most in recent years.

[ChrisPlatt]

We have several Pentax binoculars ranging from compact to full size.
The larger models are pretty bright but no match for Leica Minox etc.

Chris