29.9.2010

I just received my pair of these Pentax binoculars yesterday. I purchased them off of Amazon on sale for $110 with super saver shipping. They arrived quickly and well packaged. Build quality of the binoculars themselves is excellent. Everything appears very solid. The only slight complaints I have in this department is that the diopter adjustment switch seemed quite tight at first. After working it back and forth a few times (almost seemed like I was forcing it) it loosened up quite a bit. Also the lens covers (both eyepiece and objective) fall off way too easily, almost no point even using them. I will probably store it in the soft case that it came with (which is very nice)and won't even bother with the lens covers. I may in the future either add some felt on the covers to make the fit tighter, or purchase some better ones (the felt is more likely)I have had a chance to do some basic testing under the night skies (My primary interest is astronomy).With both eye cups fully retracted I can manage to see the full field of view with my eyeglasses, but just barely. I took my eyeglasses off and re-focused, and was suprised: the binoculars almost don't come to focus at infinity without my glasses on (I have moderate near-sightedness). In fact, the focus is completely stopped, and that is my perfect focus at infinity, there is no further room to focus. This means that anyone with more severe nearsightedness than I would not be able to reach (infinity) focus. This might be a show-stopper for some. I Just hope my vision doesn't get worse or I will be forced to only observe with eyeglasses on.I first pointed them at the moon, which happened to be in the same field of view as the star cluster Pleiades -- what a spectacular view! The moon was extremely sharp with no trace of color fringing (to my eyes at least). The far side of pleiades was at least 2/3 towards the edge of the FOV and still remained sharp. I then pointed at Jupiter and was pleased to see a sharp disk (no bands, but what do you expect at 8 power) and 4 perfectly sharp moons. On Jupiter I tested the edge-of-field sharpness. I pointed the binos further and further away to see how sharp Jupiter remained. It remained a round ball until the outer 85% or 90% of the field, and at that point the sharpness quickly dropped off and it became an oval and then a line at the very edge. So the field of view is extremely well corrected (no noticeable astigmatism) out to 85-90%, then succombs to astigmatism. This is consistent with other reviews I have read.After a night's testing I'm happy with the quality of the pair I received, and will probably update this review once I get some more time behind the eyepieces.

21.4.2015

These binoculars are a tremendous value for the price. While looking for binoculars to buy, I went to an optics store and tried out most of the major brands in various price levels. Pentax, not being one of the commercially popular brands was not available for inspection. When checking Amazon I was surprised to see Pentax listed here at such a good price. Knowing the reputation of Pentax I took a chance and purchased these glasses sight unseen. What a fortunate choice.These glasses are crystal clear. I see no aberrations and they appear sharp to the very edge of the field of view. The construction is extremely rugged and they feel solid and well built. The rubber cover is an attractive forest green.

12.8.2011

After doing a good deal of research, I picked these up as an introduction to star/moon gazing. I've been extremely pleased! My first night out, I spotted Saturn quickly. The view is clear nearly to the edges and I was able to see MANY stars invisible to the naked eye. Trying to view something that small steadily isn't easy when hand-holding, so I got a tripod mount and got a great steady view. Still, I have found that when trying to spot formations or craters on the moon, I can do fine by hand. Recently while vacationing, I tried them out for daytime bird and boat watching on Ponce Inlet and was very impressed by the bright and clear view.

26.7.2014

As you would expect from Pentax the build quality of these binoculars is excellent. Good design ergonomics and the high quality of the materials used give these binoculars a very solid but comfortable feel and stable handling.The 'case' provided is really just a cover - it works well enough but for complete protection I invested in a Swarovski Field Bag.The lens caps are a loose fit and the single eyepiece cover is a bit of a bodge job - it only fits properly when the eyepiece separation is at maximum and even then it's loose - but again it is adequate and neither the lens caps or eyepiece cover are really needed if using the 'case'.In use the binoculars are sharp and bright,

3.6.2015

Disclaimer – I Only have very limited experience with binoculars (a couple of oldish Nikon models) but a reasonable amount with high quality SLR lenses.Very pleasant to use both ergonomically and optically. Good quality feel in the hand and weight seems in the range of any good quality optic of similar specification. Heavy for extended use but fine for a few minutes to the eye. It has a tripod bracket mount point for longer periods of use, though the adaptor is not included.Optically they are nice and bright with pretty good contrasts too. Chromatic aberration is obvious towards the edges of the frame in certain situations, bright high contrast edges, but is generally acceptably controlled.

24.11.2012

These binoculars are just the right size for my hands and face for starters. I considered the larger 10x50's but am glad I went with these 8x40's. As stated by others, the eye pieces and objective covers are quite loose fitting but I fixed that with some felt strips I glued into them for a better fit/grip. The eye pieces adjust nicely into my eye's, the adjustment for eye width and getting both eyes seeing the image clearly are really great. The 8x magnification seems really stable and on task for seeing yet strong enough to see the distant objects needed. They are very clear & bright and robust. The fit in my hands is outstanding and the construction outside and looking into the objective glass looks and feels solid.

20.7.2013

I really like these binoculars. Comparing them to a nice pair of Leupold 8x50 binoculars I have, the construction is solid, the eye cups and the diopter adjustment are nice as well. Like other reviewers, my only complaint is the dismal lens covers. The optics themselves are outstanding. Bright, crisp and clear, everything you want from binoculars. I have a little pair of cheap Tasco 10x25 pocket binoculars, and the difference is like looking through a child's toy compared to how bright and clear these are.I decided on this pair after buying and returning a pair of Bushnell 10x50 binoculars in a lower price class. The Pentax pair has metal construction and a lot of features the cheaper ones do not.

11.12.2012

These binocs rock! I had a pair of 7x50's for years and wanted an upgrade. I was skeptical because most of the reviews I read for 10x50's and higher gave horror stories of shake, heavy frames, and unsteady vision.I trusted the Pentax name and went for it. All the quality is right there in your hands. Powerful, clear and crisp vision under all types of light sources, simple but quality mechanics for easy operation, rugged, and nice looking!I made no mistake with this purchase. I paid under $140 after lots of searching, but can't seem to find these for that price any longer.Hint: When you first try to use these, and it seems as though you can't operate the focus knob, remember that these have a "locking focus" feature,

7.11.2007

These Pentax Binoculars are a very fine piece of optics . They are very clear , smooth in focussing and look/feel very tough.I use them for night sky watching and they work very well for that. I looked up for Comet Holmes and the Binocular once focussed gave a crystal clear view of the night sky--- no fuzzy objects. Some distant star clusters come out really sharp on these binoculars. And it is fog proof and dew proof. I am very satisfied with it.Compare this with a Nikon - I think Pentax will be equal in performance to Nikon. Pentax is little better on price. Till now I had only used Nikon.I only wish that Pentax had been little more generous in giving better lens caps and eye piece covers.

19.11.2009

I bought these binoculars after studying reviews for a few weeks and for the price, I really can't complain! I'm using them primarily for astronomical purposes.PROS: Great price (I found prices ranging from about $250 down, and this was the best price I could find); solid construction; great optics.CONS: The focusing knob isn't the smoothest...requires a bit of pressure; the lens caps/case/strap that comes with the binos are a bit cheesy, especially the ocular lens "shield" (I'll probably search at some point for a better - tethered - set of aperture/ocular lens covers).They work gorgeously both during the day and for looking at the stars.

9.6.2012

Wow these are truly a great pair of binos. I knew from other reviews the build quality was nice but in person these things are built like tanks. Comparing them to Nikon 10x50 Action binos is night and day. The Nikons are built like toys compared to these. I hear the Action Extreme Nikons are built a little more solid though.Everything on the Pentax feels very well designed and thought out, they just feel solid and like it will last a long time. Looking though them the field of view is narrower than the Nikons but I was able to resolve more through the Pentax, although the Nikons looked good too. Very bright images that looked 3D and sharp. Best pair of binos I've ever looked though.Only slight con would be they are pretty heavy,

30.4.2009

As expected, this Pentax product is excellent value for the money. This model has superior sharpness and provides a bright field of view. IMHO, overall optics are A+. The ability to mount it on a tripod makes it great for using it for bird watching. For it's size it is not excessively heavy. Overall, well constructed. Water ressistance is another plus.The only draw backs I note are:1. The cover for the eye piece is a one-piece design that fits over both eye pieces. One needs to "spread" open the binoculars in order for the eye peices to grip the cover.2. The covers for the main lenses tend to come off when the binoculars are removed from the carrying case. Not a big issue...perhaps a hard case would have solved that issue.

8.9.2015

Got an awesome deal on an amazing pair of binocs. 50 mm objectives really pull in the light. Of course day time viewing is unbelievable but when I tested these at night, WOW! things that I could not discern at all in the evening sprang to life. Looking south across Tucson 15 miles to the Tucson Mountains I could make out no detail. With these houses, roads cars driving along, even a plan flying that I could not see with the naked eye. Pentax is an awesome product!Yes they are big, but they have to be big to pull in the light. I suppose that for 10X the price you could get smaller that did as well. The only annoyance is the ocular cover which is one piece and a pain,

10.7.2016

Well made binoculars with a very sharp image towards the center of the field of view. I bought them for astronomy but found that there was significant field curvature making the outer 20-30% of the view unacceptable.Given the small 5 degree FOV this was an issue for me. For terrestrial views this would not be noticed. Great colour contrast with these binos and there are great for birding. I returned them and got a pair of the Pentax SP 10x50mm WP. These had better FOV flatness but are not quite as sharp as the PCFs..

27.5.2013

Only had them a few days, but they work great. They feel solid and well made. I have had some 8x25 Nikons for a long time now, and still use them, but these pentax are really a step up. During the day they show things very clear, at night I look at a place in the sky where I can't see any stars and I see some! A tripod would probably help, but you can handle these with your hands for a short time period. I think most people would be well satisfied with these.

Pentax 8x40 PCF WP II - Reviews

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