Pentax PCF II 20×60 Waterproof Binocular
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at
1:28 am
- Waterproof and fogproof body of these PCF WP models is rated JIS Class 6
- Aspherical optical elements produce clear, bright images with minimal distortion
- Click-stop diopter adjustment locks in right eyepiece diopter setting
- Rubber covering to protect the optical and mechanical systems
- Protected by a limited lifetime warranty
Product Description
The 20×60 PCF WP binocular offers a fully waterproof, nitrogen-filled body, outstanding optical performance with aspherical optical elements, excellent viewing comfort and a stylish body design. In addition, they are fully encased in a protective rubber housing. Because of their rugged waterproof and fog-proof design, the Pentax 20×60 PCF WPs are ideal for use around and on the water, as well as for observations in harsh weather and extreme climates…. More >>
Pentax PCF II 20×60 Waterproof Binocular
Tagged with: 20x60 • Binocular • pentax • Waterproof
Filed under: Amazon
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I am completely satisfied with this pair of binoculars. It is not true that at 20 power you need a tripod. The image is stable enough for successfully viewing stationary and mobile birds. This is a class piece of equipment. [...]
Rating: 5 / 5
Nice finish, rugged, smooth focusing, works nice with focus lock. If you have strong hands, works with out tripod, if no, tripod extremely advised.Picture is very sharp, field view is a bit narrow. The best for the price!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
The construction of this bino is very solid. The weight is not too much for hand-holding. The shaking caused by high magnification is not too much for hand-holding, but to get good sharp views, you need something like a tree or fence to support it. With the back of a chair to rest it on, you can see the 4 big moons of jupiter. They’re like little points of light on either side. There are only 2 flaws with this pentax. First, there seems to be chromatic abberation that makes the focus not as sharp as it should be. Maybe with this high magnification and larger lens it should be expected, but i would not be surprised if the oberwerk 20×60 for $120 has better sharpness. Secondly, the lens caps have to be pulled out for you to see, but their click-stop is too far away. As a result, 25% of the field of view is lost. Gone. Wasted. A crying shame. The designers really screwed up. This is the main reason i do not recommend buying this bino. I sent an email to Pentax and they forwarded my email to “marketing”. Maybe if they would forward this kind of feedback to the designers instead of “marketing” they would get a clue. Anyway, the oberwerk is probably better for a better price for distance views, but the oberwerk’s short-focus distance is 60 feet (not too short!). One thing they did get right about this bino is the short focus (26 feet). The click-stop adoptor is not the most precise, but because the sharpness is not as good as you would hope, it doesn’t make any difference. Keep in mind, at this higher magnification of 20x, your field of view is not as great and some vision is lost to shaking. If you’re looking at nature stuff, a standard lower magnification of 10x like in a 10×50 will give you nicer (wider) views. The 20x magnification is more for gathering more information at a distance than for “experiencing” and enjoying what you’re looking at. Another good thing about the 20×60 type bino is that it doesn’t seem a whole lot larger than a 10×50 like a 20×80 which can be a real monster size. 20×60 is a good compromise between a 10×50 and 20×80. But for everyday use, my $110 Bushnell 8×42 (straight-type roof prism) is much much better and enjoyable, much smaller, and fantastically sharp with true color and perfect firmness in the focus, diopter, and eye width. And no field of view is lost from a stupid eyecup design like these. I’m not able to change my old rating to a 2.
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edit: i like my new roof-prism 8×42 bushnells much better than these. I historically have hated bushnell, but comparing the 8×42 to these 20×60 pentax reveals a lot of color and sharpness flaws in the pentax. I can see detail only a little bit better with the huge pentax, if i have something to rest on.
Rating: 4 / 5